Cardillac

"I imagine that the impact of Cardillac, more than most operas, is reduced by just being heard and not watched. It is a provocative work that can be difficult to love; nevertheless, this live concert performance makes a strong case for it".

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"Cardillac was Hindemith's first full-length opera. It was a sensational success at its premiere in 1926 and several new productions followed. However, not long after the arrival of the Nazis, Hindemith's music was banned and he left Germany ... This recording, of a live performance from 2013, is issued in memory of the conductor Stefan Soltész, who died in 2022 ... He conducts an energetic and enthusiastic performance, securing incisive playing from the Munich orchestra. Markus Eiche sings the title role convincingly though without the anguish I remember Fischer-Dieskau bringing to the part years ago. The other singers are all good, but I would single out the wonderful Juliane Banse as Cardillac's daughter, who is always a pleasure to hear ... I found this a gripping and impressive work and performance".

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"This is only the second recording of Hindemith's tale of the pathologically obsessed goldsmith Cardillac ... At the moment these CDs have the field entirely to themselves as the 1969 recording is only available as a digital download. Happily, the new set is a fairly decent representation of Hindemith's powerful score. This is ultimately a fine testimonial to the highly skilled Soltész, as he conducts the score with clarity and precision. He has the benefit of the excellent Munich Radio Orchestra ... The Prague Philharmonic choir are also excellent".

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"This is, by my reckoning, only the third audio recording of Cardillac, Paul Hindemith's first full-scale opera ... It's a solid performance of a work that deserves to be much better known ... The late Stefan Soltész brings expert control to this challenging score, which is performed well enough by the Munich Radio Orchestra. The cast do a decent job, too, with Torsten Kerl's powerful Officer and Juliane Banse, as Cardillac's daughter, standing out ... A welcome for this new version, then".

"a live recording taken from an acclaimed 2022 production at the Vienna State Opera (...) Cornelius Meister does a terrific job of tapping into the score's nervy energy, its uncompromising conviction and disquieting atmosphere. The Vienna State Opera Orchestra play with white-hot commitment".