CD Review | George Benjamin: Picture a day like this

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Nimbus Records
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George Benjamin: Picture a day like this

George Benjamin, composer and musical direction; Martin Crimp, libretto; Marianne Crebassa, mezzo-soprano; Anna Prohaska, soprano; Beate Mordal, soprano; Cameron Shahbazi, countertenor; John Brancy, baritone; Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Nimbus Records, 2024

Benjamin The opera Written on Skin by George Benjamin had its Canadian premiere in the winter of 2020. The orchestration proved to be of great harmonic density. The overlap between the orchestral and vocal parts demonstrated extremely delicate work, playing a lot with crescendo and decrescendo effects. Benjamin also demonstrated a pronounced taste for notes held in a style that recalled the purity and ethereal character of medieval music.

It is with the memory of this premiere in mind that we now turn to Picture a day like this, an opera in seven scenes to a text by the same librettist, Martin Crimp. The art of prosody, melodic expression, rich orchestration and the subtle balance between soloists and instrumentalists remain intact. The fantastic character of the libretto, which I would invite you to read, is underscored by a likewise enchanting percussion.

On this recording, the composer himself leads a first-rate cast. Marianne Crebassa, who plays the Woman, has the difficult task of opening the opera with an unaccompanied recitative, but she succeeds brilliantly thanks to her sense of phrasing and musicality. In the next scene, soprano Beate Mordal and Canadian countertenor Cameron Shahbazi blend their voices remarkably to perform a passionate lovers’ duet. Let us also mention American baritone John Brancy as the Artisan, a singer well known in Canada for his regular appearances in opera productions and his success at the Concours musical international de Montréal. His voice is impressively dexterous, especially in this role’s particularly high register. In short, a recording that will certainly win new fans for contemporary opera.

Translation by Gianmarco Segato