Massenet - Hérodiade / Domingo, Fleming, Zajick, Pons, Gergiev

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Recorded live at the San Francisco Opera, this Hérodiade assumes that this less-than-great opera--in which the legendary Salome has little of the fascinating, sexual neurosis in the better-known Richard Strauss dramatization--needs all the muscle the performers can give it, and the results aren't subtle. The score is cut (which may not be a bad thing), and though cast members are reasonably well-schooled in the French text, this is hardly a tidy performance, the larger point being the dramatic heat they bring to the piece. And if Renée Fleming, Placido Domingo, and Dolora Zajick firing on all cylinders wasn't enough, they're led by powerhouse conductor Valery Gergiev in one of his few, non-Russian opera recordings. Sound quality is good for live. It's two discs rather than three (such as Michel Plasson's version on EMI with Studer, Heppner, and Hampson). With a gun pointed to my head, this would be my first choice. David Patrick Stearns

Massenet - Hérodiade / Domingo, Fleming, Zajick, Pons, Gergiev, Music, Jules Massenet, Valery Gergiev, Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Dolora Zajick, Juan Pons, Eduardo del Campo, Kristin Clayton, Kenneth Cox, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Chorus, Classical, Classical Crossover, Classical Music, French Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Massenet - Hérodiade / Domingo, Fleming, Zajick, Pons, Gergiev
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quite Excellent as a performance
  • An Outstanding But Cut Performance
  • (Almost) divine voluptuousness
  • Herodiade is a must have!
  • Very desirable French stravaganza
 Massenet - Hérodiade / Domingo, Fleming, Zajick, Pons, Gergiev
Jules Massenet , Valery Gergiev , Plácido Domingo , Renée Fleming , Dolora Zajick , Juan Pons , Eduardo del Campo , Kristin Clayton , Kenneth Cox , San Francisco Opera Orchestra , and San Francisco Opera Chorus
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  4. Massenet - Thaïs / Fleming, Hampson, Sabbatini, Shkosa, Vidal, Devellereau, Cals, Yves Abel
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ASIN: B000002AY9
Release Date: 1995-11-21

Tracks:

  1. Herodiade: Introduction
  2. Herodiade: Act One: Scene I: 'Alerte! Levez-vous! Le Palais est ouvert!' (Choeurs)
  3. Herodiade: Act One: Scene I: 'Encore une dispute! (Phanuel, choeurs)
  4. Herodiade: Act One: Scene I: 'Ah! Salome! Dans ce palais' (Phanuel, Salome)
  5. Herodiade: Act One: Scene I: 'Jerusalem! Salut! Ville fortunee!' (Choeurs, Phanuel, Salome)
  6. Herodiade: Act One: Scene II: Introduction - 'Elle a fui le palais' (Herode)
  7. Herodiade: Act One: Scene II: 'Salome, Salome! Reviens, je te veux!' (Herode)
  8. Herodiade: Act One: Scene III: 'Venge-moi d'une supreme offense!'(Herodiade, Herode)
  9. Herodiade: Act One: Scene III: 'Frappe donc!' (Jean, Herode, Herodiade)
  10. Herodiade: Act One: Scene IV: 'Calmez donc vos fureurs.' (Jean, Salome)
  11. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene V: 'Roi, tu peux t'assoupir' (Choeurs, Herode)
  12. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene V: Danse babylonienne - 'Que ce philtre amoureux' (Une jeune babylonienne)
  13. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene V: 'Maitre, bois dans cette amphore' (Une jeune babylonienne, choeurs, Herode)
  14. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene V: 'Vision fugitive et toujours poursuivie' (Herode, une jeune babylonienne)
  15. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene VI: 'Voila l'homme qui fait trembler tout un empire!' (Phanuel, Herode)
  16. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene VI: 'Explique-moi d'abord le mal que je ressens!' (Herode, Phanuel)
  17. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene VII: 'roi, que ta superbe vaillance' (Choeurs, Herode)
  18. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene VII: 'Aux Romains orgueilleux' (Herode, Phanuel, choeurs)
  19. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene VII: 'Vous qui tenez conseil' (Herodiade, Herode, phanuel, choeurs)
  20. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene VII: 'Ah! Le Romain!' (Choeurs, Herodiade)
  21. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene VII: 'A mon approche quel trouble' (Vitellius, Herode, Phanuel, Herodiade, choeurs)
  22. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene VII: 'Hosannah!' (Choeurs, Salome, Herode, Phanuel, Herodiade, Vitellius)
  23. Herodiade: Act Two: Scene VII: 'Je tiens ma vengeance!' - 'Toute justice vient du ciel!' (Herodiade, choeurs, Jean)

Tracks:

  1. Herodiade: Scene VII: 'Dors, O cite perverse!'
  2. Herodiade: Scene VIII: 'Ah! Phanuel!'
  3. Herodiade: Scene VIII: 'Si Dieu l'avait voulu!
  4. Herodiade: Scene VIII: Prelude
  5. Herodiade: Scene IX: Herode, a toi ces palmes, a toi ces fleurs!
  6. Herodiade: Scene IX: Charme des jours passes
  7. Herodiade: Scene X: 'C'en est fait! La Judee appartient a Tibere!'
  8. Herodiade: Scene X: 'Que m'oses-tu dire?'
  9. Herodiade: Scene XI: Marche sainte
  10. Herodiade: Scene XI: Scene religieuse: 'Schemah Israel! Adonai eloheinou!'
  11. Herodiade: Scene XII: 'Peuple juif! Rends justice'
  12. Herodiade: Scene XII: 'Acheve donc ton oeuvre'
  13. Herodiade: Scene XII: 'Comme il est beau dans sa misere!'
  14. Herodiade: Scene XII: 'Homme, quel est ton nom?'
  15. Herodiade: Scene XII: 'C'est Dieu que l'on te nomme'
  16. Herodiade: Scene XII: 'Frappez donc, frappez les aotres'
  17. Herodiade: Scene XII: 'Qu'ils meurent!'
  18. Herodiade: Scene XIII: 'Ne pouvant reprimer'
  19. Herodiade: Scene XIII: 'Salome!'
  20. Herodiade: Scene XIII: 'Ami, la mort n'est pas cruelle'
  21. Herodiade: Scene XIII: 'Quand nos jours s'eteindront'
  22. Herodiade: Scene XIV: 'Romains! Nous sommes Romains!'
  23. Herodiade: Scene XIV: Ballet. Les Gauloises
  24. Herodiade: Scene XIV: Ballet. Finale
  25. Herodiade: Scene XV: 'Pourquoi me retirer cette faveur supreme'
  26. Herodiade: Scene XV: 'Ses pleurs ont calme ma fureur!'
  27. Herodiade: Scene XV: 'Laissez-vous emouvoir!'

Amazon.com essential recording

Recorded live at the San Francisco Opera, this Hérodiade assumes that this less-than-great opera--in which the legendary Salome has little of the fascinating, sexual neurosis in the better-known Richard Strauss dramatization--needs all the muscle the performers can give it, and the results aren't subtle. The score is cut (which may not be a bad thing), and though cast members are reasonably well-schooled in the French text, this is hardly a tidy performance, the larger point being the dramatic heat they bring to the piece. And if Renée Fleming, Placido Domingo, and Dolora Zajick firing on all cylinders wasn't enough, they're led by powerhouse conductor Valery Gergiev in one of his few, non-Russian opera recordings. Sound quality is good for live. It's two discs rather than three (such as Michel Plasson's version on EMI with Studer, Heppner, and Hampson). With a gun pointed to my head, this would be my first choice. David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Quite Excellent as a performance.......2004-01-29

This is a live performance, and like many live performances it is filled with cuts so that it fits comfortably into the evening. Of course, what is often cut in French Opera is the obigatory ballet music. This is no exception. There are cuts to it, and a few other places in the score. I came to this recording completely unfamiliar with the work itself, other than one aria for Salome. I was pleasantly surprised with the work. It really is quite lovely, but I am sure watching it adds a great deal to the work as a whole. I was quite pleased with the singers, and I found they did their parts exceptionally well. My complaint is with the technical aspects of the recording. Now, I am not thinking of the affects one deals with in live recordings, I expect them, and in many cases, I think they add to the listening experience by "taking you there." It is this annoying problem I find with many digital recordings, and many released by SONY; it is the problem of volume. I really hate it when I have to turn up the volume so it shakes the walls to get the "feel" of the music. I find that is one thing that really takes from the "life" in the music; one has to play the recording loudly in order to feel the pulse of the music. This performance is filled with life, and it is very well sung. It is a pity that we have to play the recording fairly loud to appreciate what the artists, conductor, and director are sharing with us. I also find the fullness of the sound is lacking, it is too white, too shallow, too lacking in body. Now I know that it is hard to capture all that perfectly in a live recording, but there are many out there that do. We get everyone's "bright" sound, but we get none of their depth. I think that is one reason Pons sounds so "dry" to many ears. He is actually a wonderful baritone with a very vivid sound, but here it sound sort of "dead." Domingo lacks the "baritone richness" his voice has in spades, and has had all his career (a reason he often transposes tenor arias that require a high C; his voice is very heroic and dark, and those upper notes are really his limit). As for Renee Fleming, well, her voice is reduced in places to a light "piercing" voice, when in reality it is full and luxurious. This is not the performers; it is the recording technique. The worst served in this recording (and she has never been served well in most of her recordings) is Dolora Zajick. Hers is a quite interesting voice. She is a great Verdi Mezzo (and according to Grace Bumbry, a dramatic soprano masquerading as a Mezzo). In performance, her diction is wonderfully clear, but doesn't sound clear in the recording. Her voice is HUGE, and I mean it. She is one of those rare extremely large voices which are so needed but seldom heard these days. Her voice is full throughout, and it is very powerful at the bottom (even if she calls herself more a lyric Mezzo than a dramatic one), her middle is also powerful and warm, and her upper notes are stunning in their strength and LACK of pushed quality. They flow out of her as easily as Sutherland's floated out of her. She also has a high F (for the Queen of the Night) as powerful as Nilsson's high C. Quite often when you hear her singing with other singers, she overpowers them, not only in sound, but in presents. She is not the best actor, but she is very acceptable. I am sure she was doing her usual best in this performance, but the recording simply doesn't capture it at all. Again, if I turned up the volume I was able to capture some of what she brings to a performance, but it seemed more like she was stationed somewhere away from the mikes as if her voice even then was too powerful for them. The performance is excellent, and the opera is a wonderful work and one we should take more seriously. This recording is wonderful in most respects and that is why I rated it so highly. I was not disappointed in it at all, nor in the artists, nor in the interpretation. I just was not impressed with the way the technicians brought it all together.

4 out of 5 stars An Outstanding But Cut Performance.......2002-04-26

I think it is only fair to point out that the Sony recording of Herodiade is a cut performance and was also a live performance, so stage noise such as the thumping of the dancer's feet is evident. The cuts may be minor but are more noticeable in the final act where the Prelude, three of the five dances and part of the aria "Adieu donc, vains objets" are missing. One of the charms of Herodiade is the ballet music so to have some chunks of it missing made me select the uncut performance on EMI. The EMI set is a studio recording, but as the reviewer in Gramophone pointed out, this does not make it any less dramatic in presentation than the live version.

The casting in both the Sony and EMI sets is superb: Sony has Domingo, Fleming and Zajick; EMI has Hampson, Studer, Heppner and Van Dam. I cannot agree with the assessment that Cheryl Studer is not as good in the role of Salome as Renee Fleming is; she shines in this role as she did in her recording of Strauss' Salome. Both sets also have problems: Juan Pons has a dry voice in the Sony set and Nadine Denize's voice is unsteady in the EMI set. The EMI set covers three discs but all of the music cannot fit on two, so the third act sits on the second disc and the fourth act is on the third.

Which set one selects depends on whether you want to her all of Herodiade or a cut performance. In any case, this is an opera that demands to be heard.

4 out of 5 stars (Almost) divine voluptuousness.......2001-11-18

Massenet's Herodiade has been enjoying a comeback in recent years. The opera is a bit stagey, even for Massenet, in that its his first work which truly exploits his grand obsession with unrequited desire, and how it can be expressed either as secular passion or sublimated as voluptuous eroticism; in this work (unlike in his later "Thaïs," where he finally figured out how to work things out more successfully in terms of dramatics) most of the great love arias are sung to someone who is entirely absent offstage, which makes for a kind of strange opera. But the music is spectacular--as beautiful as anything he ever wrote. His great aria for Salomé, "Il est bon, il est doux," has made a spectacular showcase for the talents of lyric sopranos such as Kiri Te Kanawa; although Renée Fleming was born to play the role of Salomé, and generally acquits herself very well, her rendition of "Il est bon" doesn't quite have the vocal control one would have hoped from her. (Nonetheless, she brings it off.) Placido Domingo and Dolora Zajick are predictably perfect as Jean le Baptiste and Herodiade, even though their characters don't have the best music in the opera; the character who besides Salomé does, Herod, is played adequately but not thrillingly by Juan Pons (he doesn't seem to bring much heat to the role). The recording is live from the San Francisco Opera, and does seem to suffer from this: some of the instrumental performances seem to waver a bit, and the sound of feet running is a big distraction during the Babylonian Dance and other scenes.

5 out of 5 stars Herodiade is a must have!.......2000-03-13

I just can't understand why Herodiade is not as popular as Werther or Manon, the music is more than memorable. As so often happens, after decades of neglect now we have 2 recordings, and both very good. This live from San Francisco recording has 2 big pluses: Renee Fleming and Placido Domingo. Dolora Zajic makes a huge sound and is exciting, but Juan Pons is nowhere near Thomas Hampson on the EMI set. The EMI advantages are some extra music, (notably ballets and the second verse of the tenor aria), and superior sound...and Thomas Hampson and Jose van Dam. I really don't care for Cheryl Studer's brand-free soprano singing. Ben Heppner is sound but he is no Domingo. Both conductors are good, but Michel Plasson is more at home than Gergiev. Since these are the only 2 recordings of Herodiade, get them both.

5 out of 5 stars Very desirable French stravaganza.......1999-12-28

I can't understand why Herodiade was not recorded (complete) before. It's such a crowd pleaser! Great arias, great chorus, ballets. This live San Francisco recording is very exciting. Domingo, Fleming and Zajick are electrifying, only Juan Pons is so-so. The EMI recording has the ever suave Thomas Hampson, but Cheryl Studer is nowhere as good as Renee Fleming, and even if Ben Heppner is both noble and sonorous, Domingo has that unmistikable star-quality that makes you stand and listen.
Massenet: Hérodiade / Gergiev, San Francisco Opera [highlights]
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Massenet: Hérodiade / Gergiev, San Francisco Opera [highlights]
    Jules Massenet , Valery Gergiev , Plácido Domingo , Renée Fleming , Dolora Zajick , Juan Pons , and San Francisco Opera Orchestra
    Manufacturer: Sony
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    All Works by MassenetAll Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    RomancesRomances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    FrenchFrench | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    OperettasOperettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Fleming, ReneeFleming, Renee | C to G | Featured Performers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    Classical MusicClassical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
    Opera & VocalOpera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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    ASIN: B0000029N2
    Release Date: 1996-11-12

    Tracks:

    1. Herodiade: Introduction
    2. Herodiade: Act One - Scene I (excerpt) - 'Ah! Salome! Dans ce palais' - 'Il est doux, il est bon' (Salome)
    3. Herodiade: Act One - Scenes II & III - Introduction - 'Elle a fui le palais' - 'Salome, Salome! Reviens, je te veux!' - 'Venge-moi d'une supreme offense!' - 'Frappe donc!' (Herode)(Herodiade)(Jean)
    4. Herodiade: Act One - Scene IV - 'Calmez donc vos fureurs.' (Jean)(Salome)
    5. Herodiade: Act Two - Scene V (excerpt) - 'Maitre, bois dans cette amphore' - 'Vision fugitive et toujours poursuivie' (choeurs)(Herode)
    6. Herodiade: Act Three - Scene VIII - 'Dors, o cite perverse!'
    7. Herodiade: Act Three - Scene VIII - 'Ah! Phanuel!' - 'Si Dieu l'avait voulu!' (Herodiade)
    8. Herodiade: Act Three - Scenes IX (excerpt) & X - 'Charme des jours passes' - 'C'en est fait! La Judee appartient a Tibere!' (Salome)(Herode)
    9. Herodiade: Act Three - Scenes IX (excerpt) & X 'Que m'oses-tu dire?' (Salome)(Herode)
    10. Herodiade: Act Three - Scene XI (excerpt) - Marche sainte
    11. Herodiade: Act Four - Scene XIII (excerpt) - 'Ne pouvant reprimer' (Jean)
    12. Herodiade: Act Four - Scene XIV (excerpt) - Ballet. Les Gauloises - Finale
    13. Herodiade: Act Four - Scene XV - 'Pourquoi me retirer cette faveur supreme' - 'Ses pleurs ont calme ma fureur!' - 'Laissez-vous emouvoir!' (Salome)(Herode)(Herodiade)(Choeurs)

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