Albéniz - Merlin / Álvarez, Domingo, Henschel, Martínez, Eusebio, Orquest Sinfónia de Madrid
It sounds like an opera plot in itself:Albéniz, acknowledged master of the piano, keen to prove himself on the operatic stage, collaborating with Francis Burdett Money Coutts (founder of the bank) on an Arthurian trilogy. OnlyMerlinhas ever been performed, and has waited more than a century to be heard as the composer intended. Worth the wait? Yes, insofar as this is a serious treatment of an age-old legend. The music, written by a composer who has absorbed the "leitmotiv" technique of Wagner thoroughly but never slavishly, filters Gregorian chant tellingly into the musical material, and gives the characters an emotional depth that not even Coutts's ham-fisted libretto can deny. It helps to have Plácido Domingo in commanding voice as Arthur, Jane Henschel insinuating as Morgan le Fay, and Carlos Alvarez as Merlin, whose unwary use of his own power initiates a fateful chain of consequences. José Eusebio's labor of love in realizing the work for performance is evident in his authoritative conducting, while a spacious recording presents the music in the best light. A missing masterpiece? Not quite, but try the Prelude to Act 3 [CD2, track 3] and see if you're not hooked.--Richard Whitehouse