ARC: Glass, Handel

ARC: Glass, Handel

by Anthony Roth CostanzoAnthony Roth Costanzo

Overview

When minimalist styles first came on the scene, they drew comparisons to Baroque music. The comparisons weren't very informative, and they relied on a fundamentally restrictive view of the Baroque, so eventually you stopped hearing them. American countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo attempts to revive the idea of a connection with this release of music by Handel and Glass, and his approach is a bit more subtle. "I realized that both use repetition in their own ways, and the distinct rituals they create produce emotion," he writes. He's chosen his material well, and the program hangs together, although one wonders whether a few English-language arias from Handel might have strengthened it (all the Handel arias are in Italian). The Handel pieces, all quite famous and all sung in a restrained way (sample Lascia ch'io pianga), are so economical that they do seem to have a kinship with Glass. But it's also true that Costanzo brings out a Baroque aspect in Glass: his Glass selections come from later in Glass' career, when he moved away from lengthy periods of repetition. It's an intriguing idea, and it's buttressed in live performance by multimedia concepts that probably add to the impact. You can find Handel sung with more oomph, and probably Glass too, but the juxtaposition is unique.

Product Details

Release Date: 09/21/2018
Label: Decca
UPC: 0028948171903
catalogNumber: 002864802
Rank: 82525

Tracks

  1. 1000 Airplanes on the Roof, science fiction opera for actor, soprano & instruments: The Encounter

    1. The Encounter

  2. Amadigi di Gaula, opera, HWV 11: Pena tiranna

    1. Pena tiranna

  3. Songs from Liquid Days, songs (6) for voice & chamber ensemble: Excerpts

    1. Excerpts

  4. Flavio, Rè di Longobardi, opera, HWV 16: Rompo i lacci

    1. Rompo i lacci

  5. Rinaldo, opera, HWV 7: Lascia ch'io pianga

    1. Lascia ch'io pianga

  6. Monsters of Grace, music theatre piece: In the Arc of Your Mallet

    1. In the Arc of Your Mallet

  7. Rodelinda, regina de' Langobardi, opera, HWV 19: Vivi, tiranno

    1. Vivi, tiranno

  8. Tolomeo, rè d'Egitto, opera, HWV 25: Inumano fratel

    1. Inumano fratel

  9. Tolomeo, rè d'Egitto, opera, HWV 25: Stille amare

    1. Stille amare

  10. The Fall of the House of Usher, chamber opera: How all Living Things Breathe

    1. How all Living Things Breathe

  11. Serse (Xerxes), opera, HWV 40: Ombra mai fu

    1. Ombra mai fu
  12. Hymn to the Sun, for countertenor & orchestra (from "Akhnaten")

Album Credits

Customer Reviews