Aribert Reimann (born 1936) is one of the most prominent German opera composers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. His music is unapologetically modernist, making rigorous demands on both performers and audiences, but particularly in the theater his work can have a visceral impact. His Lear (1982), written for Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, brought Reimann to international attention and remains his most frequently performed and recorded opera. The composer conceived Medea as a similarly bleak tragedy but with a female protagonist. It's a testimony to Reimann's prominence that within a year of Medea's premiere at the Vienna State Opera (where it was rapturously received) the production moved to the Frankfurt Opera, and it's a Frankfurt performance that's recorded here. The opera is thoroughly grim and dark, entirely atonal, and could be heavy going for the casual listener. Reimann's jagged, relentlessly ornamented vocal lines require coloratura agility throughout. The agitated pyrotechnics can begin to sound like a mannerism, but they have the effect of throwing unadorned climactic melodic lines into dramatic relief. Reimann uses his large orchestra with restraint, so the singers are never overwhelmed. His reticence in using the strings in anything like a conventional melodic manner makes their occasional bursts of lyricism all the more striking. He writes very effectively for percussion; the ominous sonic clouds created by very low gongs and tam-tams that open the opera and recur strategically have real power. Based on the photographs in the program booklet, the opera received a visually stunning production; the potent images make it easy to imagine that the opera made an especially gripping impression in the theater. The soloists are all top-notch singing actors who bring vivid characterizations to the opera. As Medea, Claudia Barainsky doesn’t have a voice with size and tonal warmth of Marlis Petersen, who created the role, but she's dramatically unforgettable and is undaunted by the composer's demands. Erik Nielsen leads the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester in a taut, focused, and utterly secure performance of the challenging score. The sound of the live recording is full, very well-balanced, and mostly clean. Medea is not likely to attract broad audiences, but it should interest fans of new opera.
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