Opera no 175
Suppé: Pique Dame
Soloists
WDR Radio Orchestra
Michail Jurowski
Suppé’s requiem was one of the unexpected discoveries in last year’s project. it showed him to be a composer who could tackle serious music in the mainstream German tradition with real distinction. But it is of course his comic operas, or more particularly their overtures, which have kept his name alive.
This opera has one of those very familiar overtures, so I was intrigued to explore what the rest of the piece is like. I enjoyed it hugely. There are some elements of that Austro-Hungarian tradition which a reminiscent of the Strauss in opera no 174, but this is piece is from a generation earlier and clearly has ties with Offenbach. The whole opera had a great sense of style and of dynamism with some first-rate ensemble. The big tunes familiar from the overture are heard in the opera itself and make a really strong impression in context. All in all this was one of the most purely enjoyable works I have come across in this year’s project.
