Valery Gergiev - Bartok: Bluebeard's Castle (2009) [SACD]

Bartók’s only opera is an intense drama, involving only two characters and underpinned by a rich orchestral score. Bluebeard’s young bride persuades him to open seven doors in his castle to let the light in. Behind each door she finds increasingly disturbing sights, until the final door opens to reveal the castle’s secret and her fate.

Tracks:

1. Prologue and Introduction
2. First Door – Bluebeard’s Torture Chamber
3. Second Door – the Armoury
4. Third Door – the Treasury
5. Fourth Door – the Garden
6. Fifth Door – Bluebeard’s Vast and Beautiful Kingdom
7. Sixth Door – the Lake of Tears
8. Seventh Door – Bluebeard’s Wives

Personnel:

Elena Zhidkova (soprano)
Sir Willard White (bass)
London Symphony Orchestra
Valery Gergiev (conductor)