Franck
Hulda
Jennifer Holloway, François Rougier, Véronique Gens, Judith van Wanroij, Edgaras Montvidas, Marie Gautrot, Matthieu Lécroart; Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège; Chœur de Chambre de Namur/Gergely Madaras
Bru Zane BZ 1052 156:10 mins (3 discs)
César Franck meets Wagner by way of Grieg in this splendid opera, presented here by the Palazzetto Bru Zane centre for French Romantic music. This is the second recording of Hulda – a five-act version was issued by Naxos in 2021. Here, Bru Zane presents the opera in four acts and restores cuts made for its premiere in Monte Carlo in 1894.
An impressive cast is led by Jennifer Holloway as Hulda, the Norwegian maid embroiled in a blood feud with her family’s rival clan. She skilfully scales the
