The opera’s story is set in 17th-century Paris and involves a mysterious jeweler, Cardillac, who commits a series of murders, each centered around a priceless artifact he has created. Fear and fascination are carefully balanced, however, and Cardillac’s death at the end (lynched by the crowd) isn’t entirely a cause for relief.
The cast is led by the veteran Wagnerian baritone Donald McIntyre (the Wotan in the 1976 Boulez/Chereau Ring cycle). The music is a great deal more dramatic and vigorous than might be expected from a composer often considered avant-garde, and the result is a strong DVD experience.
Finally, the Berlin Philharmonic has become involved in an interesting venture. It’s now possible to watch all its concerts live, or as part of a digital archive. There’s a catch, of course, in the form of a subscription — US$213 for a year, US$56 for 30 days, or US$14 for a single concert (live or from the archive).
The live performances are not instantly attractive in Asia because of the time difference — they mostly take place in the early hours of our mornings. But the uptake has been strong in the region, with Japan accounting for 13 percent of all subscribers, second only to those from Germany itself. There are tours on the orchestra’s Web site in Chinese, Japanese and Korean, and clearly a strong following from these population areas is anticipated.
Full details of the scheme are available on these two sites: dch.berliner-philharmoniker.de and dch.berliner-philharmoniker.de/#/en/prices/tickets. The Berliners’ next concert, featuring Haydn’s The Seasons, is on Wednesday at 8pm Berlin time. It will be conducted by Simon Rattle, with soloists Thomas Quasthoff, Christiane Oelse and John Mark Ainsley.
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