Opera, Verdi (composer)
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Special offer. Baritenor
RecommendedMichael Spyres (baritenor), Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Marko Letonja
Spyres has a remarkable range and is a consummate vocal chameleon too...in a truly remarkable finale to his ‘Largo al factotum’, Rossini’s Figaro is indeed all things to all men vocally. What... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 24th September 2021
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BBC Music Magazine, November 2021, Opera Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2021, Recording of the Month
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Diapason d’Or, October 2021, Nouveauté
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Opera, December 2021, Disc of the Month
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2021
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International Classical Music Awards, 2022, Nominated - Vocal
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Sunday Times, 10 Best Classical Albums of 2021
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2022, Shortlisted - Vocal
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Gramophone Awards, 2022, Winner - Voice & Ensemble
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Verdi: Aida
RecommendedAnja Harteros (Aida), Jonas Kaufmann (Radamès), Ekaterina Semenchuk (Amneris), Ludovic Tezier (Amonasro), Erwin Schrott (Ramfis), Marco Spotti (Il Re d'Egitto), Paolo Fanale (Un Messaggero), Eleonora Buratto (Sacerdotessa), Orchestra e Coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Antonio Pappano
Anja Harteros can boast both the high-octane tone and the necessary level of dramatic expression to make Aida credibly three dimensional…[Ekaterina Semenchuk makes] many subtle observations... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 2nd October 2015
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Sunday Times, 2015, Albums of the Year
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BBC Music Magazine, November 2015, Recording of the Month
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2016, Winner (Opera) and Recording of the Year
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Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2015, Recording of the Month
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Record Review, October 2015, Record of the Week
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Building a Library, April 2017, Also Recommended
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Gramophone Awards, 2016, Winner - Opera
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2015
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Diapason d’Or de l’Année, 2015, Winner - Opéra
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Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (Original 1857 version)
RecommendedGermán Enrique Alcántara (Simon Boccanegra), Eri Nakamura (Maria/Amelia), William Thomas (Fiesco), Iván Ayón-Rivas (Gabriele Adorno), Sergio Vitale (Paolo Albiani)
The Hallé, Chorus of Opera North, RNCM Opera Chorus, Sir Mark Elder
Exceptional vocal performances from Argentinean baritone Germán Enrique Alcántara in the title role, rising bass William Thomas as his foe Jacopo Fiesco and Peruvian tenor Iván Ayón-Rivas as... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 21st March 2025
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Gramophone Magazine, May 2025, Editor's Choice
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International Opera Awards, 2025, Shortlisted - Complete Recording
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International Classical Music Awards, 2026, Nominated - Opera
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2025
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2025, Recording Debut of the Year - Germán Enrique Alcántara
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Gramophone Awards, 2025 Finalists, Opera
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The New York Times, Best Classical Music Albums of 2025
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Special offer. Verdi: Otello
RecommendedSimon O’Neill (Otello), Gerald Finley (Iago), Anne Schwanewilms (Desdemona), Allan Clayton (Cassio), Ben Johnson (Roderigo), Alexander Tsymbalyuk (Lodovico), Matthew Rose (Montano), Lukas Jakobski (Herald) & Eufemia Tufano (Emilia)
London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Colin Davis
everything contributes to accentuating extremes: Colin Davis gets the LSO, in shattering form, to play chords like cannon shots...The two male leads are superb: Simon O'Neill is the most complete... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 1st November 2010
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Gramophone Awards, 2011, Finalist - Opera
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2010, Editor's Choice
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Special offer. Verdi: La Traviata
Lisette Oropesa (Violetta), René Barbera (Alfredo Germont), Lester Lynch (Giorgio Germont), Dresdner Philharmonie, Daniel Oren
A lighter-voiced Violetta than many, leaning more towards the lyric than the dramatic, she sings with a consistent, shimmering beauty, effortless legato and an endearing sense of character...There... —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, May 2022
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International Classical Music Awards, 2023, Nominated - Opera
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Lise Davidsen: Beethoven - Wagner - Verdi
RecommendedLise Davidsen (soprano), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder
Her voice reminds me now of Birgit Nilsson’s at the same stage, an Elsa and Sieglinde who is a Brünnhilde in waiting, with the same thrilling edge to her top register, though she isn’t lacking... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2021, Editor's Choice
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Presto Recording of the Week, 2nd April 2021
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BBC Music Magazine, June 2021, Opera Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2021, Shortlisted - Voice & Ensemble
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International Classical Music Awards, 2022, Nominated - Vocal
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She scales back her voice in all the right places...And when she doesn't scale back? The full-voiced climax to 'Zueignung' gives a ringing emphasis to the song's profound gratitude. —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, June 2026, Editor's Choice
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Special offer. Golden Age
RecommendedErin Morley (soprano), Lawrence Brownlee (tenor), Munich Radio Orchestra, Ivan Repušić
Both singers are completely unfazed by the technical challenges made by the composers involved and are equally fully signed up to the stylistic demands involved; words are perfectly articulated... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, December 2025, Opera Choice
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International Classical Music Awards, 2026, Nominated - Vocal Music
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2025
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The New York Times, Best Classical Music Albums of 2025
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Special offer. Verdi - Un Ballo in Maschera
Freddie de Tommaso (Riccardo), Saioa Hernández (Amelia), Lester Lynch (Renato), Elisabeth Kulman (Ulrica), Annika Gerhards (Oscar)
Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Marek Janowski
De Tommaso turns out to be the real deal, singing with a confidence and ease that seem astonishing for a singer who was only 28 at the time of the recording, His is a real *spinto* tenor: bright... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, September 2023, Opera Choice
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International Classical Music Awards, 2024, Nominated - Opera
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The Cendrillon aria suits her talents closely, with her ethereal tone and confident coloratura skills. There’s some real magic here. Mendelssohn’s fairy-song ‘Neue Liebe’ has just the right... —
Awards:
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2023, Nominated - Female Singer of the Year
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2023, Winner - Solo Vocal
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