Fromental Halévy – La Juive

This fine audio recording of Halévy’s opera La Juive (The Jewess) features Ambur Braid in the title role, who ‘impresses with a luminous soprano that rises to dramatic heights and clear high notes that emphasise the purity of the character.’ (Frankfurter Rundschau) The role of Éléazar is taken by American tenor John Osborn, ‘a vocal phenomenon who astounds both in bel canto and nineteenth-century French opera … his diction is exemplary.’ (ConcertoNet.com) In the pit, ‘Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási was impressive, leading the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester with panache and style … Really marvellous to witness.’ (ConcertoNet.com)


8.660611-13

Fromental HALÉVY (1799–1862)
La Juive
Opera in five acts (1835)
Libretto by Eugène Scribe (1791–1861)

Ambur Braid, Monika Buczkowska-Ward, Sopranos
John Osborn, Gerard Schneider, Tenors
Simon Lim, Bass
Chor der Oper Frankfurt
Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester
Henrik Nánási, Conductor

Fromental Halévy’s five-act grand opera La Juive charts the forbidden love between a Christian man and a Jewish woman, and the tragedy that ensues. The work’s pageantry, opulence and thrilling music made it one of the most enduringly successful operas of the 19th century with more than 500 performances in Paris alone. This acclaimed contemporary staging from Oper Frankfurt features Ambur Braid as the heroine Rachel, and John Osborn as her father Éléazar.

Listen to an extract from Act II:
Tu possèdes, dit-on, un joyau magnifique!
About the artists
Recommended audiovisual recordings by Oper Frankfurt
2.110781
HALÉVY, F.:
La Juive

Braid • Buczkowska-Ward • Osborn
Schneider • Lim
Chor der Oper Frankfurt
Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester
Nánási • Gürbaca
‘[T]he chorus, which a grand opera lives or dies by, is superb here, weighty without coarseness, and, crucially, handled by the production as a body of individuals rather than a scenic mass.’
MusicWeb International
Also available on Blu-ray (NBD0190V)
2.110738
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, N.A.:
Christmas Eve

Vasiliev • Muzychenko • Shkoza • Tikhomirov • Popov
Chor der Oper Frankfurt
Frankfurt Opern- und Museumsorchester
Weigle • Loy
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★
★★★★
‘Possibly the happiest release of the past year ... The production was superbly cast and realised by the forces of the Frankfurt Opera Company.’
MusicWeb International
Also available on Blu-ray (NBD0154V)
2.110762
NIELSEN, C.:
Maskarade

Porter • Buczkowska-Ward • Bullock • Reiter • Holender
Chor der Oper Frankfurt
Frankfurt Opern- und Museumsorchester
Engel • Kratzer
★★★★★
‘[E]nshrined within is a joyous, resonant and highly accomplished performance from Frankfurt Opera of a treacherously difficult and chameleonic work, one that gets to the heart of its agenda … Vivid and absolutely text-led performances all around.’
Gramophone
Also available on Blu-ray (NBD0174V)
2.110768-69
TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I.:
The Enchantress

Grigorian • MacNeil • Mahnke • Mikhailov • Jost • Švēde
Chor der Oper Frankfurt
Frankfurt Opern- und Museumsorchester
Uryupin • Barkhatov
★★★★★
‘Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian is now an operatic superstar, and everything about her performance as Kuma lets you know why. Her singing is beautiful, her acting is utterly convincing, and the melding of the two into a unified portrayal is a miracle.’
Fanfare
Also available on Blu-ray (NBD0180V)
2.110739
CIMAROSA, D.:
L’Italiana in Londra

Vallone • Tognocchi • Lebow • Samoilov • Bintner
Frankfurt Opern- und Museumsorchester
Hussain • Schlather
★★★★
★★★★
‘[A] great show, with excellent singing, a fine orchestra in the pit, and lively staging, all of which are sure to entertain.’
Fanfare
Also available on Blu-ray (NBD0155V)


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