British composer Jonathan Dove's Tobias and the Angel has received numerous performances since its 1999 premiere at the Almeida Festival, and this 2006 recording comes from a production at London's Young Vic Theatre. David Ian's economical libretto sticks closely to the story from the Apocryphal Book of Tobit, but with enough anachronisms to allow it to be interpreted as a more universal Jewish folk tale, and to allow Dove to draw on klezmer traditions to color the score. Dove clearly understands opera and how to shape a ...
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British composer Jonathan Dove's Tobias and the Angel has received numerous performances since its 1999 premiere at the Almeida Festival, and this 2006 recording comes from a production at London's Young Vic Theatre. David Ian's economical libretto sticks closely to the story from the Apocryphal Book of Tobit, but with enough anachronisms to allow it to be interpreted as a more universal Jewish folk tale, and to allow Dove to draw on klezmer traditions to color the score. Dove clearly understands opera and how to shape a dramatically apt score that builds to a powerful, emotionally satisfying climax. The opera begins modestly, fitting easily into the stylized genre of "church opera," but its cumulative impact is surprisingly resonant and moving, and it ultimately transcends its genre. The music is lyrical and mostly tonal, but avoids sounding facile or hackneyed, and it is characterized by a lovely geniality. John Adams is an obvious inspiration for some of the text-setting and harmonic movement, but...
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