At the risk of impertinent psychologizing, let's assume that
conductor Simon Rattle's wan new recording of "Carmen" with the
Berlin Philharmonic is a labor of love. It features his wife,
the Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozená, in the title role -
which turns out to be a small prodigy of miscasting - and the
rest of the proceedings seem designed to keep the spotlight on
her. Kozená's bright, crystalline sound is beautifully suited
for plenty of repertoire, from Baroque music to recent Czech
music. But her Carmen sounds stiff and finicky, and she
compensates with strange, unmotivated rhythmic glitches instead
of a nuanced or emotionally charged reading. Jonas
Kaufmann's Don José, marked by blocky phrasing and patchy notes,
is unlikely to win over any listeners not already taken with his
artistry, and baritone Kostas Smoriginas is a squally
Escamillo. The set's primary asset is the luxuriant, sweet-toned
Micaëla of soprano Genia Kühmeier, which isn't enough to make
this a keeper.
