Oedipus Rex, conceived as an opera-oratorio, written in 1927 and revised in 1948, is certainly one of Stravinsky's masterpieces, but its eccentric stylistic juxtapositions make it tricky to pull off in performance. This version, featuring Franz Welser-Möst leading the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, is very fine on its own terms but is unlikely to join the pantheon of the very finest accounts of the piece, most notably those of Seiji Ozawa, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Colin Davis, and Karel Ancerl. Welser-Möst doesn't ...
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Oedipus Rex, conceived as an opera-oratorio, written in 1927 and revised in 1948, is certainly one of Stravinsky's masterpieces, but its eccentric stylistic juxtapositions make it tricky to pull off in performance. This version, featuring Franz Welser-Möst leading the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, is very fine on its own terms but is unlikely to join the pantheon of the very finest accounts of the piece, most notably those of Seiji Ozawa, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Colin Davis, and Karel Ancerl. Welser-Möst doesn't conjure up the raw ferocity of the big choral moments with sufficient force, and while he is more persuasive when the work's tone of neo-classical detachment is at the fore, the whole doesn't make the impact of the most powerful performances. The soloists are very good. Anthony Rolfe Johnson sings with passion and sensitivity, but his light tenor may not have the heroic timbre ideal for the role, and occasionally his vibrato seems out of place. John Tomlinson as Creon, Alastair Miles as...
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