Rinat Shaham - Bartók: Duke Bluebeard's Castle (2025) [Official Digital Download 24/192]

The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and its chief conductor Karina Canellakis continue their Bartók journey with the composer’s only opera, Duke Bluebeard’s Cast le, starring mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham (Judith) and bass-baritone Gabor Bretz (Bluebeard). One man, one woman, and a dark castle with seven mysterious doors are all it takes to create a psychological thriller full of suspense and intense emotion. Karina Canellakis and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra received a Grammy nomination for their recording of Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra and 4 Orchestral Pieces, which BBC Music Magazine praised as “ enticing and brilliantly engineered” , while Gramophone lauded how orchestra and conductor “ paint the soundscapes with both finesse and fire.” For Canellakis, Bartók’s opera recorded here is “ an homage to life itself, to life’s brevity and fleeting beauty, to being human, to love, and to death.” Internationally acclaimed for her emotionally charged performances, technical command and interpretive depth, Karina Canellakis has become one of the most in- demand conductors of her generation. She returns to PENTATONE as Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra continuing their Bartók cycle that began with the aforementioned Concert o f or Orchest ra in 2023. Rinat Shaham and Gabor Bretz are sought after by the world’s greatest opera houses and have long- standing experience performing Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Cast le with various orchestras and conductors around the world.

TRACKLIST

1 Prologue. Haj Regö Rejtem - Introduction, Entering the Castle. Megérkeztünk
2 First Door. The Torture Chamber. Lancók, Kések, Szöges, Karók
3 Second Door. The Armoury. Száz Kegyetlen Szörnyü Fegyver
4 Third Door. The Treasury. Oh, Be Sok Kincs
5 Fourth Door. The Garden. Oh! Virágok! Oh! Illatos Kert!
6 Fifth Door. Bluebeard's Kingdom. Lászd Ez Az Én Birodalmam
7 Sixth Door. The Lake of Tears. Csendes Fehér Tavat Látok
8 Seventh Door. Bluebeard's Former Wives. Lászd a Régi Aszszonyokat



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