“… Edward Gardner’s joins the rank of first-rate recordings, His orchestra captures all the mystery and wonder of the score and suggests the mysteries behind locked doors even after they’ve been opened… John Relyea’s distinctive bass suits Bluebeard to a T… The sound is superb: colourful, spacious atmospheric – just what this opera needs… you won’t be disappointed.”

“…Bartók’s riveting orchestrations reflect the plot’s escalating tensions, with bursts of colour, terrifying rhythmic eruptions and lush string textures handled with requisite drama by Edward Gardner and the Bergen Philharmonic. Canadian bass John Relyea’s Bluebeard is magnificent – mysterious, troubled and deeply unsettling in rich, commanding tones. In recent years, mezzo Michelle DeYoung has made the role of Judit her own, her expansive timbre well-suited to its demands. Noteworthy among many enthralling passages is Judit’s opening of the fifth door – a massive apocalyptic blast of brass and organ. With DeYoung soaring Valkyrie-like overhead and in superb Chandos Super Audio, this is a heart-stopping moment of tension in a recording of truly incredible quality.” ****½

“A highly impressive take on Bluebeard’s Castle… Edward Gardner’s is a highly impressive reading of one of the great modern operas. While not displacing some classics is a vivid and colourful reading of Bartok’s operatic masterpiece, the famous opening of the forbidden door (accompanied by a floor-shaking organ) is as vividly dispatched as it has ever been. . Following acclaimed performances around the globe, John Relyea’s interpretation of Duke Bluebeard now appears on record, with Michelle DeYoung as Judith and Edward Gardner leading his Bergen forces with aplomb.”

“The first thing to say about this brand new recording of Bartók’s only genuine opera, is that it is sonically spectacular. The SA-CD sound is magnificent, capturing every last detail of the orchestral texture with astonishing vividness and encompassing the vast dynamic and pitch range with complete realism. The second thing is to praise without reservation the musicians of the Bergen Philharmonic. The power, depth and intensity of the orchestral playing is hugely impressive, and backed up by this wonderful recording, this provides a masterly exhibition of first-class orchestral playing…”

Performance ***      Recording ****

****    Excellent Album

“… this new version on Chandos from the Bergen Philharmonic, with Michelle De Young (heavy on vibrato but thrilling and expressive) and John Relyea (urgent, resonant, outstanding), conducted by Edward Gardner, a keen Bartók interpreter, is a deserving addition. The Bergen players capture all the score’s chill and terror, the glitter of the treasury, the dazzling magnificence of Bluebeard’s kingdom, the chirruping horror and sighs before the lake of tears; an agonising, vivid account.”

“This Chandos release is essential for lovers of Bartók’s early and only opera, for the magnificent performance from the John Relyea. For those brought up on the Walter Berry/Christa Ludwig/István Kertész recording, Relyea is easily in the same league as Berry in terms of weary authority, sustained darkness and richness of tone, and Michelle DeYoung, with her rich middle register and thrilling high notes, matches him in searching out every facet of the drama. They convey intensely the tension between archetype and character with an insight that increases with every hearing… Edward Gardner delivers the doom-laden castle music impeccably, with the orchestra stealing in beneath Pál Mácsai’s spoken fairy-tale introduction deeply unsettling… the sound is spacious, atmospheric and crystal-clear, easily doing justice to Bartók’s opulent scoring, and set against some pressurised moments earlier on from Gardner, he, his orchestra and his two superlative singers are on peak form as they fall into the abyss of this opera’s bleak conclusion.” ****

“Gardner conducts the Bergen Philharmonic in a fevered, atmospheric reading of Bartok’s lavishly scored one-act opera …Both singers excel, and with convincing-sounding Hungarian. Relyea is brooding and secretive yet vulnerable as the sinister Bluebeard, while DeYoung gives convincing voice to Judith’s love-twisted determination to probe his locked-away world, despite her fears…”