Record of the day: Oliver Knussen, “Higglety, Pigglety, Pop!”

Oliver Knussen, “Higglety, Pigglety, Pop!” (2 CDs DG 469556-2)

Internationally renowned composer and conductor, Oliver Knussen was probably the most famous British musician of the second half of the twentieth century (along with Thomas Adès); his pieces are in the repertoire of all the major symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles in the world, performed dozens of times by prestigious soloists.

The two delightful one-act operas that this set presents to us have also received many productions since their appearance. Populated with talking (and singing) animals, characters and settings full of magic and inspired by the beautiful drawings of illustrator Maurice Sendak, “Higglety, Pigglety, Pop!” and “Where the Wild Things Are” are two of the most successful theatrical compositions in the contemporary scene, intended for children but also highly appreciated by adults.

This is not a little surprising if one considers that Knussen did not compose these works in an “easier” or simplified style than his usual compositions; the music is complex, often atonal, polyrhythmic, full of ironic references to Ravel and Debussy (but Mussorgsky is not missing) without ever reaching postmodern polystylism but always remaining anchored to the Anglo-Saxon tradition of Britten, incorporating harshness that refers to the Manchester school ( Birtwistle, Maxwell Davies). Yet the music does not sound at all abstruse or incomprehensible but remains communicative and theatrically infallible thanks to Knussen’s ability to use orchestral colors and vocal writing, always witty even when it refers to Schönberg’s Sprechgesang.

It is enchanting to be able to follow the adventures of the dog Jennie as she deals with bizarre characters such as the Milkman Cat, the capricious Child and the nanny Rhonda, all engaged in a surreal performance at the Mother Goose Theatre, and it is a real fun to observe little Max in the intricate visions of his imagination that make forests and oceans materialize, fantastic characters and situations suspended between dream and reality. The recording is perfect under the direction of Knussen himself, with an exceptional vocal cast where the voices of Cynthia Buchan and Lisa Saffer stand out; the London Sinfonietta faces the many performance difficulties of the scores with enchanting lightness.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.