ANTONIO VIVALDI
The New Four Seasons - Vivaldi Recomposed Chineke! Orchestra, Elena Urioste (violin), Max Richter [ Deutsche Gramophone / CD - released 10/Jun/2022 ] When Max Richter's Recomposed first exploded into our collective ears almost a decade ago, a 59-minutes-28-seconds sonic starburst, the effect for so many people was total. We hadn't heard anything like that, ever. |
SAMUEL & AVRIL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR
Coleridge-Taylor: African Suite / Violin Concerto / Nonet in F minor / etc Elena Urioste (violin), Chineke! Orchestra [ Decca / 2 CD - released 30/Sep/2022 ] "..one of the biggest and best collections of his music yet released. At its heart is the heavenly Violin Concerto; Elena Urioste and the orchestra under Kevin John Edusei give a wonderful performance full of fiery spirit and delicacy." BBC Music |
EDVARD GREIG
Grieg: The Violin Sonatas Elena Urioste (violin), Tom Poster (piano) [ Orchid / CD - released 20/Mar/2020 ] "Overall, though, this disc is demonstrates the vitality and commitment of the players and I hope Urioste and Poster will consider recording other sonatas such as the Franck of the three Brahms." MusicWeb |
FRANCESCO CILEA
Cilea: L'Arlesiana (complete opera recorded in 1992) Elena Zilio, Péter Kelen, Maria Spacagna, Barry Anderson / Hungarian State Orchestra, Charles Rosekrans [ Warner Classics Home of Opera / 2 CD - released 1/Jul/2019 ] Best known for its poignant tenor aria, Federico's Lament -'È la solita storia del pastore' - L'Arlesiana is a tragic story of love, frustration and obsession. The young Enrico Caruso sang the role of the Provençal farmer Federico at the opera's... |
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOSVKY
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (complete opera recorded in 2007) Metropolitan Opera / Renee Fleming, Elena Zaremba, Ramon Vargas, Dmitri Hvorostovsky / Valery Gergiev (cond) [ Decca DVD / 2 DVD - released 28/Feb/2008 ] 'Miss Fleming's sympathetic, exquisitely sung Tatiana was a major achievement.' The New York Times |
GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore (Complete opera recorded in 1996) Lyon Opera / Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Scaltriti, Simone Alaimo, Elena Dan / Evelino Pido (cond) [ Decca / RM Associates DVD / DVD - released 20/Sep/2003 ] "Frank Dunlop's witty, unvarnished view of Donizetti's country comedy, updated to the 1930s, is delightful to see, wondrous to hear." Gramophone |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Rigoletto (complete opera recorded in 2006) BLU-RAY Zurich Opera House / Leo Nucci / Elena Moscu / Piotr Beczala / Nello Santi (cond) [ Arthaus Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 2/Feb/2009 ] Blu-Ray - "The emotional energy of the evening is concentrated in Santi's person; he stands for nothing less than incontestable aplomb, and for music-making that, thanks to his sense of timing and style, is above reproach." |
FRANCESCA CACCINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Caccini: La liberazione di Ruggerio dall'isola di Alcina (complete opera) Allabastrina, La Pifarescha / Elena Sartori (harpsichord/direction) [ Glossa / CD - released 13/Jan/2016 ] With this production of Francesca Caccini's 'La liberazione di Ruggerio dall'isola di Alcina', directed by Elena Sartori, an important stepping-stone in the development of 17th-century opera receives a superb new recording from Glossa. For much of... |
NICOLA PORPORA
Porpora: Or sì m'avveggio, oh Amore - Cantatas for soprano Elena Cecchi Fedi (soprano) / Auser Musici / Carlo Ipata (conductor) [ Hyperion / CD - released 20/Jun/2008 ] 'This outstanding disc not only displays unequivocal proof of Porpora's exceptional skill..but also provides some of the most genuinely enjoyable and captivating performances of eighteenth-century vocal music I have heard on disc for a very long... |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev: Scythian Suite / Lieutenant Kije / Alexander Nevsky Elena Obraztsova / London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado [ Deutsche Grammophon The Originals / CD - released 5/May/2000 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die - "Abbado's Alexander Nevsky culminates in a deeply moving account of the tragic lament after the battle, made more telling when the battle itself is so fine an example of orchestral virtuosity" |
THEODORAKIS / MAMANGAKIS / BOUDOUNIS / STRAVINSKY / etc
Elena Papandreou - Guitar Recital Elena Papandreou (guitar) [ Naxos Guitar Laureate Series / CD - released 2/Feb/1997 ] The Greeks are said to have a word for it; the word 'guitar' may even have been derived from the Greek kithara, though they applied it to a form of lyre, and they also have the music for it, a variety of which is included in this recording. |
ANTONIO VIVALDI
The New Four Seasons - Vivaldi Recomposed (LP) Chineke! Orchestra, Elena Urioste (violin), Max Richter [ Deutsche Gramophon / LP - released 10/Jun/2022 ] When Max Richter's Recomposed first exploded into our collective ears almost a decade ago, a 59-minutes-28-seconds sonic starburst, the effect for so many people was total. We hadn't heard anything like that, ever. |
PAUL SCHOENFELD / FRANK BRIDGE / AMY BEACH / FLORENCE PRICE / AARON COPLAN / etc
From Brighton To Brooklyn Elena Urioste (violin), Tom Poster (piano) [ Chandos / CD - released 7/Feb/2022 ] "…Urioste's playing is nuanced and committed, while Poster impresses with his joyous fantasy, tonal range and versatility." International Piano |
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV / BORODIN / MUSSORGSKY / SAINT-SAENS / VERDI / etc
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Elena Zaremba - Portrait Elena Zaremba (mezzo-soprano) / Berliner Symphomiker, Lior Shambadal [ Arte Nova Voices / CD - released 27/May/2004 ] "She is no less impressive as Lel in The Snow Maiden and as louring Marfa. All these parts exploit to the full her innate gifts to project drama and character." Gramophone |
BEETHOVEN / SCHUBERT / RACHMANINOV / MENDELSSOHN / TCHAIKOVSKY / BERLIOZ / etc
Lorin Maazel - The Complete deutsche Grammophon Recordings Lorin Maazel (conductor) with Jane Berbie, Jean Giraudeau, Gabriel Bacquier, Placido Domingo, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gidon Kremer, Elena Obraztsova [ Deutsche Grammophon / 39 CD Box Set - released 19/May/2023 ] At the age of 9, he made his conducting debut with the LA Philharmonic, and at 11 Toscanini invited him to conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra: Lorin Maazel is undoubtedly one of the greatest conductors of his century. His first album with Deutsche... |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Nabucco (highlights from the complete opera) Matteo Manuguerra (baritone) Renata Scotto (soprano) Elena Obraztsova (mezzo-soprano) Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass) / Philharmonia Orchestra / Riccardo Muti [ EMI Classics / CD - released 1/Jul/2011 ] "The excerpts chosen give a fair picture of the opera, even though there are important scenes that could have been included in full. No texts but a fairly detailed cue synopsis. The sound is impressive" (MusicWeb Jan 2008) |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (complete opera recorded in 2010) BLU-RAY Misha Didyk / Emily Magee / Lado Ataneli / Ludovic Tézier / Elena Zaremba / Gran Teatre del Liceu / Michael Boder [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 8/Aug/2011 ] "[Didyk] cuts a fine figure on stage: tall, blond, physically agile, he sings the role of the poor lunatic gambler well. His voice is laser-like in focus and has the familiar Slavic edge" International Record Review |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (Complete opera recorded in 2011) Netherlands Opera / Olga Savova, Krassimira Stoyanova, Elena Maximova, Bo Skovhus / Mariss Jansons (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 20/Apr/2012 ] 'Jansons sets us on a simmer and gradually turns the heat to boiling. It is magisterially paced, stunningly played and, seemingly effortlessly, Jansons captures every aching nuance..Herheim's innovations are often throbbingly acute (and sometimes... |
MIKHAIL IVANOVICH GLINKA
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Glinka: Ivan Susanin [A Life for the Tsar] (complete opera recorded in 1986) Nicola Ghiuselev, Elena Stoyanova, Hristina Angelakova / Sofia National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Ivan Marinov [ Brilliant Classics Opera Collection / 3 CD Box Set - released 11/Sep/2011 ] "In the title role we hear one of the foremost basses of the second half of the 20th century, Nicola Ghiuselev. ...he gives a rounded and deeply moving portrait of the folk hero Ivan Susanin." MusicWeb |
GAETANO DONIZETTI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Donizetti: Anna Bolena (complete opera with libretto recorded in 1970) Nicolai Ghiaurov, Elena Souliotis, Marilyn Horne, John Alexander / Wiener Staatsopernchor & Opernorchester, Silvio Varviso [ Australian Decca Eloquence / 3 CD Box Set - released 1/Apr/1997 ] 'Marilyn Horne virtually carries the whole opera (in this recording) on her shoulders, and page after page of the score reveals her as a consummate singing-actress.' Opera, January 1971 |
LEOS JANACEK
Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (Complete opera sung in Czech recorded in 2008) BLU-RAY Opéra Bastille / Elena Tsallagova, Jukka Rasilainen, Michèle Lagrange / Dennis Russell Davies (conductor) [ EuroArts / Medici Arts BLU-RAY / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Sep/2011 ] "Enchanting staging…The sound is splendid, the video direction simply fabulous. Everyone, Tsallagova above all, responds beautifully to close-ups…make sure your whole family enjoys it with you!" IRR |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Aida (Complete opera) Ruggero Raimondi, Elena Obraztsova, Katia Ricciarelli, Placido Domingo, Nicolai Ghiaurov / Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala / Claudio Abbado [ Deutsche Grammophon Opera House / 2 CD - released 1/Jul/2005 ] 'None is better or more thoroughly and thoughtfully conducted - and in Verdi, that is of the essence.' Gramophone |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Il Trovatore (Complete opera) Veronica Villarroel; Elena Zaremba; Andrea Bocelli; Carlo Guelfi / Orchestra conducted by Steven Mercurio [ Decca Records / 2 CD - released 27/May/2004 ] "Lay misconceptions aside: this version of a popular favourite challenges the best" Editor's Choice Gramophone Magazine Sept 2004 |
GEORGES BIZET
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Bizet: Carmen (complete Franco Zeffirelli production recorded in 1978) Vienna State Opera / Placido Domingo, Elena Obraztsova, Isobel Buchanan, Yuri Mazurok, Isobel Buchanan / Carlos Kleiber (cond) [ Arthaus DVD / Blu-ray Disc - released 12/Jul/2004 ] The Vienna Carmen from 1978 is a sensational filmed document from the musical legacy of Carlos Kleiber: the meticulous conductor only ever conducted a highly selected repertoire, and among his very few audio and video recordings are only seven... |
GIACOMO PUCCINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Puccini: La Boheme (complete opera recorded in 2005) Zurich Opera / Cristina Gallardo-Domas, Elena Mosuc, Marcello Giordani, Cheyne Davidson / Franz Welser-Most (cond) [ EMI Classics / DVD - released 26/Mar/2007 ] The Belgian director of this production, Philippe Sireuil, was heavily inspired by Aki Kaurismäki's film version of Henri Murger's novel "Scènes de la vie de Bohème". |
ALESSANDRO STRADELLA
San Giovanni Battista Anke Herrmann, Martin Oro, Antonio Abete, Fredrik Akselberg, Elena Cecchi Fedi / Academia Montis Regalis, Alessandro De Marchi [ Hyperion / CD - released 31/Dec/2007 ] The oratorio San Giovanni Battista was written for performance on Palm Sunday in the Holy Year of 1675 where some fourteen oratorios were commissioned by the confraternity of the church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini in Rome - an auspicious event.... |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: Il Signor Bruschino (complete opera recorded in 2002) Alessandro Codeluppi, Maurizio Leoni, Elena Rossi / I Virtuosi Italiani, Claudio Desderi (conductor) [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Jun/2010 ] Born in Pesaro in 1792, the son of a horn-player and a singer, Rossini even in childhood had experience of the theatre, both as an orchestral player and as a singer himself. |
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Etudes-Tableaux / etc Alexander Melnikov (piano), Elena Brilova (soprano) [ Harmonia Mundi Gold / CD - released 17/Jun/2016 ] "This stunning disc is finely recorded and makes you look forward to a further balance of songs and piano music from both these remarkable artists." Gramophone Magazine, April 2008 |
ALESSANDRO STRADELLA
San Giovanni Battista: oratorio for soloists and instruments Anke Herrmann, Antonio Abete, Elena Cecchi Fedi / Academia Montis Regalis / Alessandro De Marchi [ Hyperion / CD - released 10/Apr/2008 ] 'Stradella's score, characterized by constant variety, is ravishing throughout … The whole band plays with tremendous panache and stylistic aplomb' (International Record Review) |
W. A. MOZART
La Betulia liberata, K118 Baltazar Zúñiga, Elena Biscuola, Angela Bucci / Coro e Orchestra dell'Oficina Musicum [ Brilliant Classics / 2 CD - released 20/Apr/2013 ] Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is considered one of the most influential composers of all time. The child prodigy would become the author of some of today's best loved instrumental works, and a true king of sung drama. La Betulia liberata KV118/74c, the... |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Tannhauser (complete opera recorded live in 2019) Bayreuth Festival / Stephen Gould, Lise Davidsen, Elena Zhidkova, Markus Eiche / Valery Gergiev (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 15/May/2020 ] "In his Bayreuth debut, Valery Gergiev conducts with such verve that at multiple turns it was like hearing the score anew." Limelight |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Parsifal (complete opera recorded in 2016) BLU-RAY Bayreuther Festspiele / Klaus Florian Vogt, Elena Pankratova, Ryan McKinny, Georg Zeppenfeld / Hartmut Haenchen (conductor) [ Deutsche Grammophon Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Oct/2017 ] Last year's "Tristan Und Isolde" was the successful first installment of an exclusive, multiyear partnership between Deutsche Grammophon and the Bayreuth Festival, in which the Yellow Label became the exclusive audiovisual partner of the mythical... |
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... |
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY
Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg (complete opera recorded in 2019) BLU-RAY Berlin Deutsche / Elena Tsallagova. Emily Magee, Philipp Jekal, Flurina Stucki / Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - 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... |
MIECZYSLAW WEINBERG
The Passenger, Op. 97 (complete opera recorded in 2010) BLU-RAY Bregenz Festival / Michelle Breedt, Roberto Sacca, Elena Kelessidi, Artur Rucinski, Svetlana Doneva / Teodor Currentzis (cond) [ Arthaus Musik Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Dec/2015 ] Continuing its tradition of unearthing little-known 20th-century operas, the Bregenz Festival presented the first staged production of Polish-Russian composer Mieczysław Weinberg's 'The Passenger' in 2010.. |
GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (Complete opera recorded in 2017) BLU-RAY Bregenzer Festspiele / Gaëlle Arquez, Daniel Johansson, Scott Hendricks, Elena Tsallagova / Paolo Carignani (cond) [ C-Major BLU-RAY / Blu-ray - released 24/Sep/2017 ] "The French singer Gaëlle Arquez proves to be a lucky find. Not only her massive, shimmering mezzo-soprano is convincing, but her high-quality acting skills as well." Salzburger Nachrichten |
HANDEL
Orlando (complete opera) Christophe Dumaux, Elena de la Merced, Jean-Michel Fumas / La grande Ecurie et la Chamvre du Roy / Jean-Claude Malgoire [ K617 Harmonia Mundi / 3 CD - released 1/May/2010 ] In his setting of Orlando (drawn from Tasso's Orlando furioso) Handel offers us a score of remarkable dramatic power, diversity and originality. |
CZERNY / VIOTTI
Piano Concertos David Boldrini (piano), Elena Pinciaroli (piano), Rami Musicali Orchestra [ Brilliant Classics / 2 CD - released 6/May/2016 ] This 2 CD set contains some seldom heard early 19th century concertos in which the piano plays the leading role. Carl Czerny, a famous pianist and teacher, student of Beethoven, wrote an immense oeuvre for the piano, in which his prodigious... |
CLEMENTI / PAISIELLO / PERGOLESI / KOZELUCH / BOCCHERINI / etc
Concerti Galante David Boldrini (piano), Viktor Csányi (violin), Elena Pinciaroli (piano) Rami Musicali Orchestra, Filippo Conti [ Brilliant Classics / 3 CD - released 14/Feb/2020 ] "As a collection of off-the-beaten-track Mozart era piano concertos, you could hardly go wrong with this" MusicWeb April 2020 |
ALFRED SCHNITTKE
Three Sacred Hymns / Symphony No 4 Dmitri Pianov (tenor) Elena Adamovich (harpsichord) Iaroslav Zdorov (counter-tenor) Igor Khudolei (piano) Valeri Polyansky (cond) [ Chandos Classics / CD - released 6/Mar/2005 ] |