VARIOUS COMPOSERS
100 Best Choruses [Six CD set] Incls Academy Chorus of St Martin in the Fields, Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Choir of King's College, Royal Opera Chorus, etc [ Warner Classics / 6 CD Box Set - released 3/Oct/2011 ] Compilation of 100 of the best choral works by Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Mascagni, and many more. |
RICHARD WAGNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen (recorded live in 1957) Hans Hotter, Birgit Nilsson, Otakar Kraus, Wolfgang Wingassen, Peter Klein / Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Rudolf Kempe [ Testament / 13 CD Box Set - released 20/Feb/2018 ] "The glory here is Birgit Nilsson's gleaming Brünnhilde, already 39 years old, but sounding youthful, touching and tireless. The set is a reminder of the strengths of the company at this period, with Joan Sutherland leading the Rhinemaidens." Sunday |
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY / FRANZ SCHREKER
Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau / Schreker: Der Geburtstag der Infantin Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, European Opera Centre, Vasily Petrenko (conductor) [ Onyx / CD - released 13/Aug/2021 ] "Petrenko's interpretation [of the Schreker] is a pleasure from first to last. The excellent playing of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic brings each of the episodes vividly to life" Gramophone Editor's Choice July 2021 |
ALBAN BERG
Berg: Lulu (complete opera recorded in 2009) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Agneta Eichenholz / Michael Volle / Klaus Florian Vogt / Jennifer Larmore / Antonio Pappano (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Aug/2010 ] "Antonio Pappano's electrifying conducting is razor-sharp in the manner of Pierre Boulez, and the orchestral playing is magnificent." (The Telegraph) |
ERIK SATIE
Best of Satie Aldo Ciccolini, Anne Queffelec (piano) / Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House [ Warner Classics Inspiration Series / CD - released 20/Jun/2015 ] Meditative piano sounds and glitter of Parisian cabaret. Satie was one of the most interesting figures of early 20th century Paris moving in the same artistic circles as Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Man Ray. He was known for his droll sense of... |
EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: Cello Concerto / Enigma Variations / Froissart / Starlight Express / etc Alison Hagley (soprano) Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) Robert Cohen (cello) / Royal Philharmonic / Welsh National Opera Orch. / Sir Charles Mackerras [ Decca SBS Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 1/Nov/2007 ] "Mackerras captures the wistful charm of the quieter pieces (on CD2) very effectively, and spirits are high in the more robust items" Gramophone |
Andrés Gabetta; Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal
Vivaldi & Guido: Le quattro stagioni [ Château de Versailles Spectacles / 2 CD/DVD - released 9/Jul/2021 ] What if Vivaldi's famous Quattro Stagioni, performed in Paris in 1728, had been preceded by those of Guido, the star violinist of the Parisian orchestras of Louis XIV's maturity? Here, at last, are these two works reunited: to the wellknown... |
WAGNER
Die Walküre Anita Välkki, Claire Watson, Hans Hotter, Jon Vickers / The Royal Opera House, Georg Solti [ Testament / 4 CD Box Set - released 31/Jul/2014 ] This release marks the first appearance of Georg Solti on Testament as an opera conductor in an historic performance of Die Walküre at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in October 1961. |
RICHARD. STRAUSS
Der Rosenkavalier (complete opera recorded in 1995) Royal Opera House / Ann Murray / Anna Tomowa-Sintow / Kurt Moll / Barbara Bonney / Andrew Davis (cond) [ Opus Arte CD / 3 CD - released 22/Dec/2010 ] "All three characters are splendidly drawn here, Octavian (a winning Ann Murray, not too feminine), Baron Ochs (Kurt Moll) with a rich low register to all but dignify his underlying boorishness, and Anna Tomowa-Sintow a commandingly sympathetic,... |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Great scenes from Aida (with Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder) Birgit Nilsson (soprano), with Grace Hoffman, Luigi Ottolini / Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Pritchard [ Decca Most Wanted Recitals Vol. 31 / CD - released 16/Oct/2016 ] [This recording captures] the voice of the soprano at the zenith of his means. The stamp is bright and beautiful, perfect intonation, vibrato absent, acute triumphant! Technically, Nilsson is close to perfect, with perfect breath control, flawless... |
VINCENZO BELLINI
Bellini: Norma (complete opera recorded live in 1952) Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Mirto Picchi / Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Vittorio Gui [ Warner Classics Maria Callas Live Remastered / 2 CD - released 1/Feb/2019 ] 'Bellini's Norma is an epic and multi-faceted role, often considered the ultimate vocal challenge for an operatic soprano. Callas sang it on stage 92 times, more often than any other heroine, and her achievement casts a long shadow: more than 50... |
WOLF-FERRARI / VERDI / PONCHIELLI
Overtures and Ballet Music (Recorded 1958-1960) Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Charles Mackerras [ Testament / CD - released 20/Apr/2011 ] Recorded 1958-1960, some tracks mono |
GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: Lucia Di Lammermoor (complete opera recorded in 1972) Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Nicolai Ghiaurov / Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Richard Bonynge [ Decca / 2 CD - released 24/Oct/2011 ] "Though some of the girlish freshness of voice which marked the 1961 recording had disappeared by the 1971 set, Sutherland's detailed understanding was intensified. Power is there as well as delicacy, and the rest of the cast is first-rate." Penguin |
MAURICE RAVEL
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe (complete ballet) / Rapsodie espagnole / etc Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / London Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Monteux [ Decca Historic / CD - released 10/Apr/1990 ] 1001 Classical recordings you must hear before you die (1901-1950) "There is only one word for this work, this performance, and this recording, and that is - ravishing." Gramophone |
VERDI / PUCCINI / DONIZETTI / MASCAGNI / ROSSINI
Italian Opera Choruses Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Lamberto Gardelli [ EMI Studio / CD - released 25/Jan/1995 ] 11 masterpieces from Italian opera. |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Aida / La Traviata / Rigoletto (complete operas recorded 2002 - 2006) Royal Opera, Teatro Real, Liceu Opera / Daniela Dessi, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Norah Amsellem, Renata Bruson, Christine Shafer, Marcelo Alvarez, etc [ Opus Arte DVD / 5 DVD Box Set - released 20/Dec/2014 ] "José Antonio Gutiérrez's production is, by definition, ultra-traditional, but everything looks beautiful thanks to Cabanes's feeling for colour - ochres and blues dominate - and perspective." (BBC Music on Aida) |
W. A. MOZART / JOHANNES BRAHMS
Mozart/Brahms: Violin Concertos Gioconda De Vito (violin) / Berlin Deutsche Opera Orchestra; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra [ Naxos Historical Great Violinists / CD - released 26/Oct/2009 ] Violinist Gioconda De Vito was a key figure in the renaissance of Italian string playing after 1945. With her broad phrasing, ample tone and generous vibrato, she excelled in performances of Brahms's Violin Concerto using Joachim's cadenza, as in... |
VIVALDI
Vivaldi: La Senna festeggiante Diego Fasolis, Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal [ Château de Versailles Spectacles / CD - released 8/Apr/2022 ] Small opera played in the evening as part of a festive event, the Venetian Serenata was performed outdoors as a crowning moment of the ceremonies. The French Ambassador is said to have commissioned Vivaldi to create this festive Seine to be performed... |
GILBERT and SULLIVAN
Gilbert & Sullivan: Ruddigore (Complete opera) coupled with Sullivan's Cox and Box D'Oyly Carte Opera Company with John Reed; Kenneth Sandford; Jean Hindmarsh / Orchestra of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Isidore Godfrey [ Decca Records / 2 CD - released 1/Apr/2003 ] *** Three Stars. Penguin Stereo Guide. |
GILBERT and SULLIVAN
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance (Complete Operetta) D'Oyly Carte Opera Company with Valerie Masterson; Owen Brannigan; John Reed / Royal Philharmonic Orch. / Isadore Godfrey [ Decca Records / 2 CD - released 1/Apr/2003 ] "The recording is superbly spacious and clear throughout, with a fine sense of atmosphere. The CD transfer is remarkable in its added presence." (Penguin Guide) |