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VERDI
Un Ballo in Maschera [The Masked Ball] (complete opera recorded in 1956) Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi, Silvio Maionica, Giuseppe di Stefano / Milan La Scala Orchestra / Antonio Votto [ Naxos Historical Opera / 2 CD - released 15/Feb/2008 ] "Callas on top form never misses an opportunity to wring the last drop of intensity out of her two arias and the act 2 scene by the gallows is a masterpiece of visual singing. Her colouring of the phrases is so expressive that we instinctively know... |
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GIOCOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Turandot (complete opera recorded in 2008) BLU-RAY Maria Guleghina, Marco Berti, Alexia Voulgaridou, Alexander Tsymbaluk / Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Zubin Mehta [ C Major Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 10/May/2016 ] This 2008 production is staged by Chen Kaige, the film director of Farewell My Concubine and winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival. |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: Death in Venice (complete opera recorded live in 2008) Marlin Miller / R.-François Bitar / Scott Hendricks / Alessandro Riga / Orchestra e Coro del Teatro La Fenice / Bruno Bartoletti [ Dynamic DVD / DVD - released 16/Feb/2011 ] "Marlin Miller sings with a refined lyrical sensibility...the beauty and grandeur of the production on DVD make it an exceptional treat. It is unlikely we will see a Death in Venice to rival this one visually for a long time." (Gramophone Award... |
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MANUEL de FALLA
De Falla Collection Marta Senn, Cecilia Angell, Fernando de La Mora, Timora Rosler, Benita Meshulam, Jutta Czapski, Klára Würtz, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venez [ Briliant Classics / 5 CD - released 17/Oct/2021 ] Regarded as the greatest Spanish composer of the twentieth century, Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) developed an interest in native Spanish music - in particular Andalusian flamenco - while studying with Felipe Pedrell in Madrid in the late 1890s. |
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GIOVANNI SGAMBATI
Sgambati: Sinfonia festiva / Piano Concerto in G minor Massimiliano Damerini (piano) / Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma della RAI, Francesco La Vecchia [ Naxos / CD - released 8/Dec/2023 ] Giovanni Sgambati led the revival of Italian orchestral music during the late 19th century. He was a favourite student of Liszt, admired by Wagner, and a pivotal figure in the emancipation of his country's music from the dominance of bel canto opera.... |
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Medinea Session; Fabrizio Cassol; Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée; Claron McFadden
Live at Festival d'Aix-en-Provence [ Fuga Libera / CD - released 20/Sep/2024 ] Medinea Session is a unique ensemble of 23 talented musicians, the majority of whom are from the Mediterranean. |
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JEAN GILLES
Requiem & Diligam te, Domine Mellon, Gens, Crook, Hervé Lamy, Kooy / La Chapelle Royale, Philippe Herreweghe [ Harmonia Mundi Gold / CD - released 30/Jun/2014 ] Herreweghe's 1990 performance was the first modern reading of Gilles' celebrated Requiem from manuscript |
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VERDI
Verdi: Il Trovatore Francesco Merli, Enrico Molinari, Bianca Scacciati, Giuseppina Zinetti Milan La Scala Orchestra and Chorus, Lorenzo Molajoli [ Naxos Historical / 2 CD - released 5/Nov/2001 ] |
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ALBINONI / VIVALDI / LEGRENZI / VALENTINI / etc
The Rise of the North Italian Violin Concerto 1690-1740: Volume One: The Dawn of the Virtuoso Mhairi Lawson (soprano) / La Serenissima / Adrian Chandler (violin and director) [ Avie / CD - released 23/Nov/2006 ] "If only all history lessons were as delightful as this. It may have one of the most boring titles ever committed to a CD-case, but don’t be fooled. With consummate skill, La Serenissima provide a guide through the emergence of the violin as a... |
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VIVALDI
The Rise of the North Italian Violin Concerto 1690-1740: Volume Two: Virtuoso Impresario Mhairi Lawson (soprano) / La Serenissima / Adrian Chandler (violin and director) [ Avie / CD - released 23/Sep/2007 ] "An outstanding collection, vividly characterised and full of energy, of fine - but not over-familiar - music" (Recording of the Month MusicWeb Sept 2007) |
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PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3 / Violin Concerto / Suite No. 3 in G major / etc Mischa Elman (violin) / London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris, Sir Adrian Boult [ Decca Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 6/Mar/2020 ] This new collection invaluably gathers up all the Tchaikovsky recordings Adrian Boult made for Decca between 1952 and 1956. |
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W. A. MOZART
Mostly Mozart Mojca Erdmann (soprano) / La Cetra, Andrea Marcon [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 10/Apr/2011 ] "Agile, clean, bright: Mojca Erdmann's soprano voice was made for Mozart...it's easy to enjoy her natural ease and golden glow, backed by high-class playing from Andrea Marcon and the Basel period orchestra, La Cetra. The booklet has plenty of... |
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PORPRA
Notturni per I Defunti Monica Piccinini (soprano) Romina Basso (alto) / La Stagione Armonica Dolce & Tempesta / Stafano Demicheli [ Fuga Libera / CD - released 20/Aug/2009 ] An outstanding Italian musican, Stefano Demicheli has been René Jacobs' closest assistant for many years and with him has performed on Europe's main opera stages. A distinguished harpsichordist, who studied with Ottavio Dantone, he is now the leader... |
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Monte La Rue
Interludia [ Cinq Etoiles / CD - released 13/Aug/2002 ] Surreal soundtrack to your lounge, seriously laidback grooves |
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JERUSALEM
Jerusalem: La Ville des deux Paix (2 SACDs with large book) Montserrat Figueras, Andrew Lawrence-King / Hesperion XXI / La Capella Reial de Catalunya / Jordi Savall [ Alia Vox SACD / 2 CD Box Set - released 2/Feb/2009 ] "A bewildering voyage in time and space is buoyed up by beautiful sound." Editor's Choice - Gramophone April 2009 |
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MONTEVERDI
Monteverdi: Arie e Lamenti / Madrigali Guerrieri e Amorosi Montserrat Figueras / Andrew Lawrence-King / Rolf Lislevand / Ton Koopman / La Capella Reial de Catalunya / Jordi Savall [ Alia Vox Heritage Series SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD - released 26/Sep/2011 ] At this time, [Figueras] developed an innovative style of interpretation, characterised by great fidelity to historical sources, combined with an extraordinary creative and expressive power, that has exerted a decisive influence on the whole... |
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W.A. MOZART
Requiem K626 / Maurerische Trauermusik K477 Montserrat Figueras, Claudia Schubert, Gerd Turk, Stephen Schreckenberger / La Capella Reial de Catalunya & Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall [ Alia Vox SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 10/Feb/2011 ] "This is one of the best period instrument readings available, sacrificing nothing to authenticity for authenticity's sake, and turning in a very lovely, devotional, and technically fine performance by any accounts." (AudAud.com) |
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FRANCISCO JAVIER
La Ruta de Oriente (The Route to the Orient) (2 SACDs with large book) Montserrat Figueras / Hesperion XXI / La Capella Reial de Catalunya / Jordi Savall [ Alia Vox SACD / 2 CD/Book - released 1/Jan/2008 ] "Savall's forces perform beautifully in a missionary life-to-death journey" (Gramophone January 2008) |
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VARIOUS
Metamorphoses Fidei (The Metamorphoses of Faith) Montserrat Figueras / La Capella Reial de Catalunya / Hesperion XXI / Jordi Savall (director) [ Alia Vox / CD - released 22/Sep/2006 ] SPECIAL PRICE SAMPLER CD WITH FULL CATALOGUE OF ALIA VOX RELEASES. |
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ANONYMOUS
El Cant de la Sibil-la 1400-1560: Catalunya Montserrat Figueras & La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Jordi Savall, dir [ Alia Vox SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 10/Feb/2011 ] Thanks to this historic recording, one of Astrée's biggest successes, Montserrat Figueras established her reputation as the high priestess of this repertoire. A must-have for any lover of ancient music |