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Glyndebourne
GFOCD01496
0878280000146 (ID242)
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Abridged version
... "The CD probably captures what it was like to sit in one of the best seats in the house. Thus, the singers are more distanced than they would be on a studio recording, and the sound is a little cavernous.
So, having complained about Sellars’s apparent attempt to ruin Theodora, I must report that he was unable to do so, because the singers were too good. This seems to have been Jacobson’s conclusion, too (“What a waste!”), so I will keep the rest of this review short. I suspect this set is being released largely because of Lorraine Hunt (Lieberson), whose singing is becoming more and more treasured with every year since her untimely death. Her arias seem to stop time itself. It’s also a treat to hear Dawn Upshaw in the title role, where her innocent yet not juvenile sound really pays off. (At the time, The Guardian grudgingly praised her, in spite of her “American twang.”) David Daniels is an excellent Didymus, and tenor Richard Croft is a solid Septimius. Frode Olsen, when he isn’t doing his drunk act (what is this, La Périchole?), conveys officious evil as Valens, although I think a darker voice would have suited the role better. Christie conducts with gravitas. His use of double-dotting—for example, in the overture—lends the score an occasional French accent. (Is that better or worse than Upshaw’s supposed American twang?) This is a long score, yet everyone’s commitment and intensity shine through, and before you know it, it’s over, and you are ready to hear it again".
"So, if you’ve liked the singing but hated the visuals, this release makes the bitter pill much easier to swallow. I’d still recommend a studio-based Theodora as a first recording—perhaps Christie’s version on Erato. Croft is Septimius there as well, but the rest of the cast is different, but still very good. Juliette Galstian is no match for Lorraine Hunt’s intensity, though".
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