Nielsen’s "Maskarade" is regarded as Denmark’s national opera. It combines folk-song character, Mozartean elegance and virtuoso surprises to create what conductor Titus Engel describes as ‘musical comedy that’s both witty and of the highest calibre’. Based on an 18th-century play by Ludvig Holberg, the story revolves around Leander and Leonora who meet at a masquerade ball, swear undying love, and then have to deal with the complicated consequences of their situation, all accompanied by Nielsen’s irresistibly sparkling score. This acclaimed contemporary staging from Oper Frankfurt is sung in a new German translation and directed by Tobias Kratzer.
Gramophone: July 2024
Carl Nielsen: Maskarade– Naxos Audiovisual [2.110762 / NBD0174V]
Monika Buczkowska, Susan Bullock, Michael Porter, Liviu Holender, Alfred Reiter, Chor der Frankfurt, Frankfurter Opern-Und Museumorchester, Tobias Kratzer, Titus Engel
“enshrined 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 round with a highly convincing… It is wonderfully caught here.”EDITOR’S CHOICE
