Le Grand Macabre

Originally composed between 1975 and 1977, Ligeti revised his opera in 1997 for the Salzburg Festival.  A big his in its brilliant Peter Sellars staging, protested by the composer to the press only a few days before the premiere after weeks of approving the rehearsals, this cd was recorded during live shows at the reprise at Paris’ Théâtre du Châtelet the following year with the same cast.  A part of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s erstwhile project with Sony to record all the music of Ligeti, this opera stands as a testament to Salonen’s commitment to that aim and his brilliance in the face of fiendishly difficult music.

Ligeti prepared his revision in modern English for the 1997 Salzburg Festival: his wildly imaginative orchestrations and the lucid program notes in this set make for enjoyment of one of Ligeti’s masterpieces in its full glory.

Details

  • Composer: Gyorgy Ligeti
  • Title: Le Grand Macabre
  • Cast:

    Performer: Derek Lee Ragin, London Sinfonietta Voices, Charlotte Hellekant, Jard Van Nes, Sibylle Ehlert, et al.
    Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus
    Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen

  • Additional information:

    Composer: Gyorgy Ligeti
    Audio CD (March 23, 1999)
    SPARS Code: DDD
    Number of Discs: 2
    Label: Sony Classical
    ASIN: B00000ICMU
    In-Print Editions: MP3 Music

    Disc: 1
    1. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Car Horn Prelude / Autohupen-Vorspiel Prélude aux klaxons
    2. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 1: 'Dies irae'
    3. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 1: 'Away, you swagpot!'
    4. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 1: 'Shut up!'
    5. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 1: 'Oh ...!' - 'Amanda! Can do no more!'
    6. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 1: 'Ha-ha-ha-ha! Hey! Give me my requisites'
    7. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 1: 'Melting snow is thy breast'
    8. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Second Car Hor Prelude / Zweites Autohupen-Vorspiel / Deuxième prélude aux klaxons
    9. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 2: 'One! Two! Three! Five!'
    10. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 2: 'Shapley and attractive figure'
    11. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 2: 'Venus! Venus!'
    12. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 2: 'Stop!' -'Sh! ... Quiet, for heaven's sake!'
    13. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 2: 'Who's there? A man?' - 'A man!'
    14. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Finale: 'Fire and death I bring'
    Disc: 2
    1. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: Doorbell Prelude
    2. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'Arse- licker, arse- kisser!'
    3. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'Posture exercises!'
    4. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'Tsk...' - 'Psssst!'
    5. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'Ahh! ... Secret cypher!'
    6. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'Hurray, hurray! My wife is dead'
    7. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: Nekrotzar's Entrance
    8. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'Woe! Ooh!' - 'For the day of wrath'
    9. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'There's no need to fear'
    10. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'Up!'- 'Drink!' - 'Up!'
    11. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'Hmm! it's delicious!'
    12. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: 'Where am I? What time is it?'
    13. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 3.: Interlude
    14. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 4.: 'Ghost Astradamors, are you dead?'
    15. Le Grand Macabre, opera: Scene 4. Finale.: 'Ah, it was good'

     

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