C Major
-
Special offer. Verdi: Falstaff
Ambrogio Maestri (Falstaff), Barbara Frittoli (Alice Ford), Meg Page (Judith Schmid), Mistress Quickly (Yvonne Naef), Massimo Cavalletti (Ford), Eva Liebau (Nannetta), Javier Camarena (Fenton), Peter Straka (Dr. Cajus), Martin Zysset (Bardolfo), Davide Fersini (Pistola)
Orchester der Oper Zürich...
the conductor starts apparently quite steadily. But this lack of a certain flick and bounce is compensated for by the focus of Daniele Gatti...places on Verdi's radically forward-looking orchestration...The... —
-
Salzburg Opening Concert 2010
Daniel Barenboim (piano), Dorothea Roschmann (soprano), Elīna Garanča (mezzo), Klaus Florian Vogt (tenor), René Pape (bass)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorus State Opera Vienna
there is no doubting the powerful authority that characterizes Barenboim's direction of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto from the keyboard. Perhaps rather unexpectedly, the magic really starts... —
-
Karajan and Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin (violin)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Symphoniker, Herbert von Karajan
an electrifying performance by a rejuvenated Berlin Philharmonic at the peak of its powers; it is also a visually stunning record of a masterclass in virtuoso conducting...[The bonus-feature]... —
-
Special offer. Weber: Der Freischütz
Adrian Eröd (Ottakar), Albert Dohmen (Kuno), Sara Jakubiak (Agathe), Christina Landshamer (Ännchen), Georg Zeppenfeld (Kaspar), Michael König (Max), Andreas Bauer (Hermit), Sebastian Wartig (Kilian)
Dresden Staatskapelle, Christian Thielemann
-
Salzburg Festival Opening Concert 2011
Anna Prohaska (soprano), Dorothea Röschmann (soprano), Anna Larsson (contralto) & Johan Botha (tenor)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus State Opera Vienna, Pierre Boulez
a beautifully shaded performance [of the Mahler] by Boulez and a superb cast —
-
Special offer. Verdi: Oberto
Giovanni Battista Parodi (Oberto), Mariana Pentcheva (Cuniza), Giorgia Bertagni (Imelda), Fabio Sartori (Riccardo), Francesca Sassu (Leonora)
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma, Antonello Allemandi
-
Special offer. Verdi: Un ballo in maschera
Francesco Meli (Riccardo), Vladimir Stoyanov (Renato), Kristin Lewis (Amelia), Elisabetta Fiorillo (Ulrica), Serena Gamberoni (Oscar), Filippo Polinelli (Silvano), Antonio Barbargallo (Samuel), Enrico Rinaldo (Tom)
Teatro Regio di Parma, Gianluigi Gelmetti
It's aptly cast - Francesco Meli's Riccardo with fine legato, Stoyanov an uncommonly civilised Renato whose remorse after the assassination is all the more credible, Samuel and Tom not overdone... —
-
Schumann at Pier2
A concert film by Christian Berger
The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Paavo Järvi
This is the sort of set that makes me grateful that classical recordings are still being made. As a refresher course in Schumann symphonies, you won't find anything better...I can't imagine... —
-
The Colón Ring: Wagner In Buenos Aires
A Film by Hans Christoph Von Bock
Linda Watson, Jukka Rasilainen, Leonid Zakhozhaev, Andrew Shore, Stig Andersen, Marion Ammann
unflinchingly honest in outlining the twists and turns of the production’s development and is fascinating to watch. Highly recommended. —
-
Special offer. Verdi: Ernani
Marco Berti (Ernani), Carlo Guelfi (Don Carlo), Giacomo Prestia (Don Ruy Gomez de Silva), Susan Neves (Elvira), Nicoletta Zanini (Giovanna), Samuele Simoncini (Don Riccardo) & Alessandro Svab (Jago)
Orchestra E Coro Del Teatro Regio Di Parma, Antonello Allemandi
Berti’s Ernani has an effective vocal line and little stage persona, Carlo Guelfi’s baritone suddenly springs into life with his aria, and Giacomo Prestia is a slightly woolly-toned da Silva.... —
