Ban, Lucian / Matt Maneri - Oedipe Redux CD
SKU
28-SYS1699.2
Mat Maneri - viola, arranger
Lucian Ban - piano, arranger
Jen Shyu - voice
Theo Bleckmann - voice
Ralph Alessi - trumpet
Louis Sclavis - bass clarinet, clarinet
John Hébert - bass
Tom Rainey - drums
“Nearly ninety years after its opening in Paris at Opera Garnier, Transylvanian expat pianist Lucian Ban and American violist Mat Maneri present a radical re-imagination of George Enescu’s famous Oedipe opera. For decades, the opera was seen as too difficult to perform, the score and four long acts demanded much from the musicians, but Enescu’s Oedipe has finally begun to receive the attention that it rightly deserves and to be recognized as one of the greatest works in the operatic repertoire.
Enescu was a musical marvel in the early 20th century. He was a famous violin virtuoso who taught Yehudi Menuhin, and a celebrity conductor. He played cello masterfully and his ability as a pianist aroused the good-natured envy of Arthur Rubinstein. Pablo Casals described Enescu as “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart.“ He was also an incredible, but underappreciated, composer.
Oedipe combines Enescu’s romantic musical leanings with contemporary 20th century writing and ancient music influences, including microtonalities and folkloric themes. "Enesco's Oedipe is a monumental, complex and difficult piece of music, and it's one of the reasons for being rarely staged, but its profound synthesis of ancient and modern with late romanticism and sheer individualism on the part of its composer is unparalleled among the operas of the past centuries. It is why Mat Maneri and myself, after previously working with his instrumental music, wanted to approach Oedipe," pianist Lucian Ban says in discussing Oedipe Redux.”
- LabelSunnyside
- UPC016728169929