Pentatone
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Special offer. French Bel Canto Arias
RecommendedLisette Oropesa (soprano), Sachsischer Staatsopernchor, Dresdner Philharmonie, Corrado Rovaris
Her voice is both pure and full-bodied, with an extensive range in terms of both tessitura and characterisation, allowing her to do justice to the many different moods showcased on this recording,... —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, October 2022
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2022
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2022, Editor's Choice
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2023, Nominated - Female Singer of the Year & Solo Vocal
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Gramophone Awards, 2023 Finalists, Finalist - Voice & Ensemble
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International Opera Awards, 2023, Winner - Solo Recording
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'It hardly needs saying that there is nothing banal about Bychkov’s meticulously mapped performances and that his attention to detail never stifles the music’s spontaneity...In sum, an enriching... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2024, Editor's Choice
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BBC Music Magazine, April 2024, Orchestral Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2024 Shortlist, Finalist - Orchestral
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International Classical Music Awards, 2025, Nominated - Symphonic Music
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Gramophone Magazine, Critics' Choice 2024
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2025, Winner - Orchestral
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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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Special offer. Dvořák - Symphonies Nos. 7-9 and Overtures
RecommendedCzech Philharmonic Orchestra, Semyon Bychkov
There is, of course, a very real sense of ownership when the Czech Philharmonic play these pieces…And Bychkov’s skill – and indeed generosity – is to trust in his orchestra’s inheritance of... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 6th September 2024
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalists 2024
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International Classical Music Awards, 2025, Nominated - Symphonic Music
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Sunday Times, 20 Best Classical Albums of 2024
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Shibe brings a lively charisma and a vibrant array of musical colour to the album, conjuring everything from 17th-century lute to Arabic oud across this wide-reaching programme. Sulayman’s performance... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 12th May 2023
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Grammy Awards, 66th Awards (2024), Nominee - Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
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Special offer. Bizet: Les Pêcheurs de Perles
Julie Fuchs (Leïla), Cyrille Dubois (Nadir), Florian Sempey (Zurga), Luc Bertin-Hugault (Nourabad); Les Cris de Paris & Orchestre National de Lille, Alexandre Bloch
Dubois is distinctly French in the timbre of his voice and his singing style, and if Fuchs tends to spread under pressure she is lyrical when required and her coloratura is formidable…the vocal... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, August 2018, Recording of the Month
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Diapason d’Or, June 2018, Nouveauté
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Special offer. Czech Songs
RecommendedMagdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
There are some real gems in this wide-ranging and carefully chosen selection of Czech songs. Dvořák’s Evening Songs are delightful with an unaffected simplicity that Kožená captures without... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 14th June 2024
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalists 2024
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International Classical Music Awards, 2025, Nominated - Vocal Music
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Gramophone Awards, 2025 Shortlist, Voice & Ensemble
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Special offer. Nostalgia
RecommendedBrahms, Mussorgsky, Bartók
Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano), Yefim Bronfman (piano)
Kožená’s voice is a glory at the best of times, a coppery sunset of a tone that can send its glow across the whole sky. But if her voice is gigantic, one thing is bigger still, and it’s Bronfman’s... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2021, Editor's Choice
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2021
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Gramophone Awards, 2022, Finalist - Song
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But in both the sonata and the magnificent Polonaise-Fantaisie Op 61 there’s a real sense of authority and purpose; Avdeeva may sometimes keep listeners a bit too much at arms’ length, but there’s... —
Awards:
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International Classical Music Awards, 2025, Nominated - Solo Instrument
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Diapason d’Or de l’Année, 2025, Piano
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Special offer. Vincerò!
RecommendedPiotr Beczala (tenor), Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Marco Boemi
This is a big voice with a warm Italianate tone and a fitting sense of the legato required for this repertoire. Verismo sobbing is kept to a minimum. Beczala knows exactly how to build the drama... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 15th May 2020
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Gramophone Magazine, June 2020, Recording of the Month
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Opera, July 2020, Disc of the Month
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2020
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Opus Klassik, 2021, Male Singer of the Year
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