San Francisco Chronicle, September 9, 2012
Joshua Kosman
 
Bizet's 'Carmen'
 
 

At the risk of impertinent psychologizing, let's assume that conductor Simon Rattle's wan new recording of "Carmen" with the Berlin Philharmonic is a labor of love. It features his wife, the Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozená, in the title role - which turns out to be a small prodigy of miscasting - and the rest of the proceedings seem designed to keep the spotlight on her. Kozená's bright, crystalline sound is beautifully suited for plenty of repertoire, from Baroque music to recent Czech music. But her Carmen sounds stiff and finicky, and she compensates with strange, unmotivated rhythmic glitches instead of a nuanced or emotionally charged reading. Jonas Kaufmann's Don José, marked by blocky phrasing and patchy notes, is unlikely to win over any listeners not already taken with his artistry, and baritone Kostas Smoriginas is a squally Escamillo. The set's primary asset is the luxuriant, sweet-toned Micaëla of soprano Genia Kühmeier, which isn't enough to make this a keeper.


 






 
 
  www.jkaufmann.info back top