July 13, 2026 by Jean Lacroix
Thomas Alexandrovitch de Hartmann (1885-1956) : Esther , opera in three acts. Corinne Winters (Esther), Yuriy Yurchuk (Ahasuerus), Andrew Foster-Williams (Mordecai), Bernard Richter (Haman), Olga Bezsmertna (Elisa), Edwin Crossley-Mercer (Hydaspes/Asaph), Paul Appleby (Chanter); The Grange Festival Chorus; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kirill Karabits. 2025. Notes and synopsis in English. Opera libretto in French, with English translation. 115′ 47”. A two-CD Pentatone set PTC 5187 424.
Initiated in 2006 by pianist Elan Sicroff and guitarist Robert Fripp, “The Thomas de Hartmann Project,” aimed at raising awareness of this Ukrainian composer beyond his country’s borders, has grown over time thanks to recordings on the Toccata label (orchestral music), the Nimbus label (chamber music, piano pieces by Elan Sicroff, songs), and, already on Pentatone, with two concertos, for violin and cello, whose remarkable quality has been unanimously praised by critics. We reported on them on November 8, 2024. A new addition has been made to further appreciate this little-known composer: his 1946 opera Esther , inspired by Racine’s tragedy. A world premiere recording.
A brief biographical note. Born in Ukraine to a Russian aristocratic family, Thomas de Hartmann studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, notably with Arensky and Taneyev. In 1907, a ballet, La Fleurette rouge (The Little Red Flower ), danced by Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova, brought him recognition. He became friends with the painter Wassily Kandinsky in Munich and, in 1916, with the spiritualist philosopher Georges Gurdjieff, whom he met again in France after the 1917 Revolution. He collaborated with Gurdjieff for over ten years on sacred music from the East, which appealed to the listener’s emotions and psyche. His true career as a composer began in 1934. In France, he was appreciated and supported. He settled in the USA in 1950, where he died six years later.
Racine’s tragedy, Esther , premiered at Saint-Cyr on January 28, 1689. Racine had not written for the theater since Phèdre in 1677, but this play was commissioned by Madame de Maintenon. The playwright chose a biblical subject, incorporating music, which was entrusted to Jean-Baptiste Moreau (1656-1733), who would later become music master to Louis XV. The plot is well-known: Esther is the wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia, but he is unaware that she is Jewish. Her uncle Mordecai encourages her to tell Ahasuerus the truth, believing it to be the only hope of rescinding an edict issued by the king, on the advice of the vizier Haman, to kill all the Jews in the kingdom, suspected of conspiracy. In reality, Haman cannot bear Mordecai’s refusal to submit to him and intends to make an example of him by executing him. But to her great surprise, Ahasuerus asks her to organize a ceremony in honor of Mordecai, who once saved the king’s life. During a feast in her palace, to which she invites Ahasuerus and Haman, Esther confesses to the king that she is Jewish and manages to convince him of Haman’s depravity and the innocence of the Jews. Ahasuerus recognizes his mistake, has Haman executed, and saves the Jews. This biblical subject has been explored by Handel (the oratorio Esther , 1718, revised 1732), Reynaldo Hahn (incidental music for a production about Sarah Bernhardt, 1898), Darius Milhaud (an opéra-bouffe during the French Revolution, Esther de Carpentras , based on a play by Armand Lunel, premiered 1938), and, in our century, Boris Yoffe ( Racine’s Esther , an opera based on the French text, 2006).
For his opera, Thomas de Hartmann himself wrote the libretto, faithfully following the action of Racine’s play and its alexandrine verse. However, he also created a kind of synthesis, cutting entire scenes and choral passages, reducing monologues and dialogues, and reorganizing the whole. He did this very skillfully, as can be seen from the accompanying libretto; passionate Racine enthusiasts will undoubtedly enjoy comparing the original with the composer’s version. The characters are reduced to seven: the four main protagonists and several supporting roles. For this opera, which the composer himself called a “musical tragedy,” de Hartmann called upon a lavish orchestra: strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, piano, celesta, harp, guitar, and organ. The orchestration is meticulous; de Hartmann skillfully showcases the different sections of the instrumentation, and his vocal performances are carefully highlighted.
The great achievement of this set is the conducting of Ukrainian Kirill Karabits (born 1976), which is brilliant, attentive to all the nuances of the action and the politico-religious nobility of the subject matter. The beginning of Act III, when Esther invites Ahasuerus and Haman to a feast in her palace gardens, offers a generous fifteen-minute orchestral interlude: four dances, named Scythian, Hellenic, Assyrian, and Parthian, illustrating the vastness of the Persian Empire—true gems that conductors like Nikolai Malko and Leopold Stokowski included in their programs. When Malko performed them with the Houston Symphony in 1955, a press article highlighted their “brilliance, colors, and unconventional sounds.” Karabits finds the right tone at every dramatic moment, ensuring the unity of the whole with clarity and precision. He brings the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, in top form, along with him in his success.
Often marked by late Romanticism in de Hartmann’s work, the varied style here remains within the context of tonality, but the composer is sensitive to the influences of the time (Honegger is an inevitable backdrop) and does not neglect the occasional dissonance. The work, which oscillates between opera and oratorio, inevitably entails certain demands, given the noble and elevated language of Racine. What about the vocal ensemble in this regard? Even if one or two weaknesses appear in the pronunciation, particularly in the declamation passages—merciless tests—the performers deserve an honorable mention. Perhaps it is best to accompany the listening experience with a reading of the libretto.
American soprano Corinne Winters, whose remarkable talent Belgian audiences discovered during a recital at the Opéra de Liège in June 2023, following her appearance the previous year at La Monnaie in Brussels as Giorgetta and Suor Angelica in Puccini’s Trittico , is an Esther who often sings in a high register, which she serves wonderfully, giving this determined character a moving portrayal. The role is demanding, requiring a consistent stage presence, without a specific aria, but with long interventions, both sung and spoken. The performance is beautiful. The Anglo-Ukrainian baritone Yuryi Yurchuk is a credible but somewhat unremarkable King Ahasuerus; he struggles with the French. The Swiss tenor Bernard Richter, also put to the test in his high register, manages to convey Haman’s cunning nature. The role of Mordecai is sung by the English baritone Andrew Foster-Williams, who underscores its noble dignity. The other roles are of high quality, particularly the Ukrainian soprano Olga Bezsmertna’s Élise, Esther’s esteemed confidante. This ensemble deserves credit for the challenge of tackling a Racinean narrative, rife with linguistic intricacies and classical lyricism. Special mention must be made of the English chorus of the Grange Festival, whose poignant contributions are particularly moving from the very beginning of the opera, when the lament for the lost grandeur of Zion is revealed.
The overall result is positive, the availability of this biblical opera proving to be a valuable contribution to the understanding of this very interesting composer. The recording took place, under good technical conditions, in Dorset, in September 2025. Since an abridged version by Olga, the composer’s widow, performed in concert in Syracuse/New York in an English translation fifty years ago and recorded for a private label, silence had fallen over Thomas de Hartmann’s score. It is good that this silence has finally been lifted!
Sound: 8.5 Review: 10 Repertoire: 9 Performance: 8.5
Jean Lacroix