{"product_id":"ptc51874241-esther-the-lost-opera-vol-1-world-premiere-recording","title":"Esther: The Lost Opera (Vol. 1) [World Premiere Recording]","description":"The \u003cstrong\u003eBournemouth Symphony Orchestra\u003c\/strong\u003e and conductor \u003cstrong\u003eKirill Karabits\u003c\/strong\u003e, joined by an outstanding cast led by \u003cstrong\u003eCorinne Winters\u003c\/strong\u003e, present the world premiere recording of Thomas de Hartmann’s lost opera \u003cem\u003eEsther\u003c\/em\u003e. Often written by candlelight during the Nazi occupation of Paris, \u003cem\u003eEsther\u003c\/em\u003e was composed as de Hartmann—a non-Jewish Ukrainian expatriate—lived through the unfolding horrors of the Holocaust. He perceived profound parallels between those events and the Biblical story of Esther as dramatized in Jean Racine’s play, from whose text he adapted the libretto. Esther is perhaps the only major musical work composed contemporaneously as a direct artistic response to the Holocaust.\r\n\r\nBringing this long-neglected work to life has been a rewarding undertaking, involving extensive engagement with the composer’s handwritten score and the preparation of a new modern performing edition. This process required close study of de Hartmann’s orchestral writing and stylistic language.\r\n\r\n\u003cem\u003eEsther\u003c\/em\u003e is a distinctive work that bridges opera and oratorio, its dramatic momentum shaped through extended monologues, choral commentary, and a triumphant final ensemble. Richly orchestrated, it reflects the full breadth of de Hartmann’s artistic development—from his early training in Saint Petersburg and the influence of Rimsky-Korsakov, Arensky, and Taneyev, to later creative periods in Munich and France, and his search for a deeply personal musical language. Esther, the composer’s largest and most ambitious later work, stands as a summation of his eclectic, polystylistic approach and a compelling rediscovery for today’s performers and listeners.\r\n\r\nThis album marks the next chapter of the Thomas de Hartmann Project, bringing the composer’s music back to the listening audience.\r\n\r\n\u003chr\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eBournemouth Symphony Orchestra\r\nKirill Karabits - conductor\r\nCorinne Winters - soprano\r\n\u003c\/strong\u003eYuriy Yurchuk - baritone\r\nAndrew Foster-Williams - baritone\r\nBernard Richter - tenor\r\nOlga Bezsmertna - soprano\r\nEdwin Crossley-Mercer - bass\/baritone\r\nPaul Appleby - tenor\r\nThe Grange Festival Chorus\r\nWilliam Vann - chorus master\u003cstrong\u003e\r\n\u003c\/strong\u003e","brand":"Pentatone","offers":[{"title":"DSD 512 \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56743087112516,"sku":"PTC51874241-21","price":35.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"DSD 256 \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56743087145284,"sku":"PTC51874241-16","price":29.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"FLAC 192 kHz \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56743087178052,"sku":"PTC51874241-6","price":20.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"DSD 128 \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56743087210820,"sku":"PTC51874241-15","price":25.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"FLAC 96 kHz \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56743087243588,"sku":"PTC51874241-7","price":19.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"DSD 64 \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":56743087276356,"sku":"PTC51874241-14","price":23.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"DXD 24 Bit \/ 2ch Stereo","offer_id":57345091797316,"sku":"PTC51874241-22","price":25.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/7900\/2436\/files\/PTC5187424-1_e041fb58-9da2-4d24-be65-f6a167012c20.jpg?v=1790692815","url":"https:\/\/www.nativedsd.com\/products\/ptc51874241-esther-the-lost-opera-vol-1-world-premiere-recording","provider":"NativeDSD Music","version":"1.0","type":"link"}