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RICHARD STRAUSS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Strauss, (R.): Ariadne auf Naxos (Complete opera recorded in 1988) Metropolitan Opera / Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle, Tatiana Troyanos / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon / DVD - released 29/Aug/2002 ] "This performance represents an above-average night at the Metropolitan in the late 1980s: three of its most popular stars, a generally distinguished cast, the house's musical director conducting its great orchestra in one of the works he does best." |
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PIETRO MASCAGNI
Mascagni: L'Amico Fritz (Complete Opera recorded in 2022) (Blu-ray) Maggio Musicale Fiorentino / Salome Jicia, Charles Castronovo, Teresa Iervolino, Massimo Cavalletti / Riccardo Frizza,(cond) [ Naxos / Dynamic Blu-ray / DVD - released 17/Feb/2023 ] "Cucchi evokes a lively society, never overstated, of friendship and good cheer...Frizza controls the ebb and flow in masterly fashion. The whole thing is very nicely done." Gramophone Blu-ray of the Month April 2023 |
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ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD
Korngold: Das Wunder der Heliane (complete opera recorded in 2018) Deutsche Oper Berlin / Sara Jakubiak, Brian Jagde, Josef Wagner, Okka von der Damerau, Derek Welton / Christof Loy [ Naxos DVD / 2 DVD - released 7/Jun/2019 ] Erich Wolfgang Korngold regarded Das Wunder der Heliane as his greatest work, but the opera has been neglected since its premiere in 1927. This 2018 production from the Deutsche Oper Berlin features the American soprano Sara Jakubiak as Heliane, and... |
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HECTOR BERLIOZ
Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini (complete opera recorded in 2007) Grobes festspielhaus, Salzburg / Burkhard Fritz, Maija Kovalevska, Laurent Naouri, Brindley Sherratt / Valery Gergiev (cond) [ Naxos Unitel DVD / DVD - released 1/Jan/2010 ] "Burkhard Fritz as Benvenuto is a strong heroic tenor and copes well with the vocal demands of the role, while Maria Kovalevska as his beloved Teresa enchants us with her lovely voice and physical beauty." (The WholeNote.com) |
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GIUSEPPE SAVERIO MERCADANTE
Mercadante: Didone abbandonata (complete opera recorded in 2018) Innsbruck Festival / Viktorija Miškūnaitė, Katrin Wundsam, Emilie Renard, Carlo Vincenzo Allemano, Diego Godoy / Alessandro De Marchi [ Naxos DVD / DVD - released 7/Jun/2019 ] Giuseppe Saverio Mercadante was a contemporary of Donizetti and Rossini, and his prolific output of operas proved influential in founding dramatic techniques that were taken on by Verdi. |
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JAROMIR WEINBERGER
Weinberger: Frühlingsstürme [complete operetta recorded in 2020] Komische Oper Berlin / Stefan Kurt, Alma Sade, Vera-Lotte Boecker / Jordan de Souza (cond) [ Naxos DVD / 2 DVD - released 6/Nov/2020 ] Czech-born composer Jaromír Weinberger, best known for his opera Schwanda the Bagpiper, was forced to flee to America in order to escape Nazi terror. Frühlingsstürme was first staged in 1933. |
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VERDI / BIZET / MOZART / PUCCINI / HANDEL / STRAUSS / WAGNER
150 Years Of Wiener Staatsoper: Great Opera Evenings (Limited Edition) Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Carlos Álvarez, Johan Botha, Angelika Kirchschlager, Brigitte Fassbaender, Wiener Staatsopernorchester [ Arthaus DVD / 11 DVD Box Set - released 2/Aug/2019 ] Limited Edition - Experience four decades of opera history from the Wiener Staatsoper on 11 DVDs. 150 Years Vienna State Opera means 150 years of impressive opera events featuring the greatest conductors of all time, and, high-class opera stars. |
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RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, (R.): Ariadne auf Naxos (complete opera recorded in 2012) Staatskapelle Dresden / Renée Fleming, Robert Dean Smith, Sophie Koch / Christian Thielemann (cond) [ Decca DVD / DVD - released 21/Jul/2013 ] "...Fleming's sense of the Straussian line cannot be faulted...Robert Dean Smith has a voice that lacks an individual stamp but his absolute security and tirelessly make his Bacchus...a success." (International Record Review) |
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ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY
Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg (complete opera recorded in 2019) Berlin Deutsche / Elena Tsallagova. Emily Magee, Philipp Jekal, Flurina Stucki / Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos DVD / DVD - released 20/May/2020 ] Based on Oscar Wilde's story The Birthday of the Infanta, Zemlinsky's single-act opera Der Zwerg is the tragic tale of a dwarf who is presented at court, falls in love with the beautiful Donna Clara, but is ultimately forced to see himself as others... |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Das Rheingold (complete opera recorded in 2021) Berlin Opera / Derek Welton, Tobias Kehrer, Thomas Blondelle, Markus Blondelle / Sir Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos DVD / DVD - released 16/Feb/2024 ] As early as 1851, Wagner wrote, 'I propose to produce my myth in three complete dramas, preceded by a lengthy Prelude.' The Prelude was Das Rheingold ('The Rhine Gold') the preliminary evening of Wagner's epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen ('The... |