Reviews

Stefan Lano – who in 1999 presented the other Korngold opera, Die tote Stadt – returned for another encounter with the orchestra which he has conducted so often over the years and to which there is a bond of obvious affection. The quality of sound which Lano achieves with the Colón Orchestra is magnificent and his attention to detail brought forth both the rich timbres of these two operas, imbuing them with a forceful sweep, while still tending to the stylistic differences between each score. The renditions of both the Zemlinsky and Korngold operas in a single evening succeeded in constructing a dramatic crescendo, which was more akin to a musical vortex which engulfed in equal measure, the musicians, singers and public, thus consolidating both to a musical evening of the highest order.