Dukas: Ariane et Barbe-Bleu

This is a marvellous opera by a composer who produced very little but what there is of it is marvellously crafted. Ariane has had a mini-revival in 2007 when Telarc released a studio recording conducted by Leon Botstein with the BBC SO and American soprano Lori Phillips in the title role. Imagine my surprise when the small Austrian label Oehms launched another Ariane in April 2008 which is a utter stunner. It is conducted by French conductor Bertrand de Billy, stars soprano Deborah Polaski but the real star is the Vienna RSO which blows the competition to pieces. At first I was led to believe that the orchestra playing in this recording was the Vienna SO and I thought that the band sounded as good as the VPO! But it is actually the Vienna Radio SO which is playing. This marvellous orchestra brings out every detail in Dukas' lustrous scoring and the quality of the front desk fiddles takes one's breath away as do the horns and winds. In comparison the BBC SO cannot illuminate the intricacies of the score and Telarc's recording is disappointing. If you can access the Naxos listening site listen to this Oehms recording - you'll love it!