“You might call this a revisionist Carmen, but even if that sounds like the last thing you want to hear, don’t go running for the hills just yet. The husband-and-wife team of Simon Rattle and Czech mezzo soprano Magdalena Kozená have forged an internally consistent release…. For those who’ve heard it a lot already…it will [...]
Category Archive for 'Operas'
“Appearing on the verge of the bicentennial celebration of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth, Rolando Villazón’s 2012 collection of opera arias and vocal selections is a fitting tribute that also serves as a practical introduction to the composer’s music for tenor…. Villazón’s voice is clear and strong, with no signs of uncertainty or strain, and his expressions [...]
“Latvian mezzo soprano Elina Garanca has a voice that’s miraculously creamy yet smoky. The voice, by itself, can stand the comparison in this collection of mostly French Romantic arias. These are for the most part lesser-known numbers, and Garanca makes them her own musically; she picks pieces that optimize her range, with its impressive power [...]
“The Three Tenors in Concert, recorded live in Rome in 1990, holds the distinction in the Guinness Book of World Records (in 2010) of being the best-selling classical album of all time… Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and Carreras take turns singing opera arias, Broadway hits, and traditional Neapolitan songs, but on several tracks, the three [...]
The Opera 2011 Album
Posted in Operas on Jan 27th, 2012
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Wagner: Parsifal
Posted in Operas on Aug 24th, 2011
“Parsifal is a demanding opera to pull off, and in this magisterial, broadly paced reading, Gergiev and his players make it sound gorgeously luminous while at the same time maintaining a sense of dramatic urgency.” –All Music Guide Check Our Catalog
A recording of the 2009 live performance of Purcell’s beloved opera with Newport Baroque and Sine Nomine under the direction of Paul Cienniwa. Check Our Catalog
“It has all of Charpentier’s trademark fascination with the dark side of classical mythology…As Actéon, Aaron Sheehan is utterly compelling, whether swooning over Teresa Wakim’s imperious Diana or emitting disturbing howls during his metamorphosis…the playing and choral singing are both exquisite.” –The Guardian Check Our Catalog
Check Our Catalog “Thomas Adès is among the brightest young stars in contemporary composition, and a musician of broad achievement and influence. His complex and appealing music exhibits a flair for drama, humor, and personal expression, and is notable for the creative use of instrumental color.”–All Music Guide
Check Our Catalog “Sometimes promoted as the successor to Luciano Pavarotti, Peru’s Juan Diego Flórez is actually a very different kind of tenor, and one of a sort that has not been seen much in recent years: his voice is light, extremely athletic, and suited above all to the bel canto tenor roles of the [...]
Check Our Catalog “Soprano Christine Brewer has a terrific voice for Strauss — large, warm, colorful, with a velvety legato and the ability to soar over the orchestra — and in this release, she tackles three of the most tempestuously charged scenes from his operas.”–All Music Guide
Bryn Terfel: Bad Boys
Posted in Operas on Oct 27th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “The Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel rose with astonishing speed to the top ranks of international operatic stardom in the 1990s. He is known for a big, warm voice, intelligent and dramatically apt portrayals.”–All Music Guide
Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich: The Nose
Posted in Operas on May 3rd, 2010
Check Our Catalog “Gergiev leads the Chorus and Orchestra and soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre in a colorful and propulsive reading that fully exposes the brash quirkiness of the score.” –All Music Guide
Vincenzo Bellini: I Capuleti e I Montecchi
Posted in Operas on Apr 28th, 2010
Check Our Catalog “This recording, taken from a live 2008 Vienna performance, delivers fully on the promise of the era of bel canto: beautiful singing. Anna Netrebko is a radiant Juliet. She soars over the orchestra and other singers with agility and grace, and her tone is unfailingly focused, fresh, and pure. Elína Garanca is [...]
Check Our Catalog “This collection of arias and scenes from verismo operas will be a must-have for fans of Renée Fleming. Fleming is in excellent voice, singing with her characteristic immaculate technique, creamy tone, warmth, and dramatic incisiveness.”–All Music Guide
Check Our Catalog “Most opera lovers only know one short excerpt from Rusalka: the ecstatic aria known as the “Song to the Moon.” But there’s a lot more where that came from. Conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras — heroic rescuer of unjustly neglected Czech masterworks — this recording reveals a luminous score brimming over with [...]
Check Our Catalog Conducted by Sir Georg Solti, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra .
Check Our Catalog “A special collection of great Verdi tenor arias taken from Luciano Pavarotti’s classic recordings–all made in the prime of his career. Featuring all the famous Verdi melodies known the world over, such as “La donna è mobile,” “Celeste Aïda,” “Di quella pira” and much more. In addition to arias, this set includes [...]
Check Our Catalog “Two-CD collection featuring the finest voices in Opera performing the most beautiful arias by the classic composers. An aria is a self-contained piece for vocals with orchestral accompaniment and this collection gathers together arias that will touch your heart and relax your soul as you are lifted by their beautiful melodies. 40 [...]
Check Our Catalog “Another valuable contribution to the slowly growing Lully catalogue…. This production is a considerable musicological achievement and thankfully it is a substantial musical one, too. Carolyn Sampson [is] charming of voice and intelligent with detail as ever…. The orchestra play brightly, strongly directed from the continuo by Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs.”–Gramophone