Summer Opera - up to 40% off selected titles
We're delighted to offer a more affordable way to begin or continue your opera journey, with up to 40% off selected titles on CD, SACD, Vinyl, DVD and Blu-ray, until 12th August. Please note, downloads are not included in this offer.
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Special offer. Richard Strauss: Elektra
RecommendedIréne Theorin (Elektra), Jennifer Holloway (Chrysothemis), Tanja Ariane Baumgartner (Klytemnestra), Nikolai Schukoff (Aegisth), Iain Paterson (Orest), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Choirs, Edward Gardner
Gardner’s conducting gives maximum scope to the phenomenal range of light and shade conjured by Strauss’s orchestration, all delivered superbly by the Bergen Philharmonic. While there’s no shortage... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 27th February 2026
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BBC Music Magazine, April 2026, Opera Choice
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Special offer. Britten: Peter Grimes
RecommendedStuart Skelton (Grimes), Erin Wall (Ellen), Roderick Williams (Balstrode), Susan Bickley (Auntie), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Mrs Sedley), Robert Murray (Bob Boles), James Gilchrist (Horace Adams), Marcus Farnsworth (Ned Keene)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner
The best feature of this new Grimes is the orchestral playing, similar in tempo and character to Britten’s own recording. Where Edward Gardner really scores is the Bergen Philharmonic’s precision,... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, October 2020, Recording of the Month
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Presto Editor's Choice, September 2020
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2020
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Opera, November 2020, Disc of the Month
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The Times Records of the Year, 2020
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Gramophone Awards, 2021, Winner - Opera
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Gramophone Awards, 2021, Recording of the Year
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Special offer. Verdi: Macbeth
sung in English
Latonia Moore (Lady Macbeth), Simon Keenlyside (Macbeth), Gwyn Hughes Jones (Macduff), Brindley Sherratt (Banquo), Ben Johnson (Malcolm), Elizabeth Llewellyn (Lady in Waiting)
English National Opera Orchestra, Edward Gardner
Even if [Moore's vocalism is brave and bold, at times Latonia Moore's Lady Macbeth could do with sharper definition and more sheer heft...Keenlyside explores the title role in depth, offering... —
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Special offer. Bartók: Duke Bluebeard's Castle
Michelle DeYoung (mezzo), John Relyea (bass)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner
Gardner is extremely good at the ‘big moments’…But Bartok seeks extreme, unspoken reaches of the soul and the Bergen Philharmonic does not always seem to seek them with him…The two singers are... —
Awards:
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Opera, January 2020, Disc of the Month
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Special offer. Britten: Death in Venice
RecommendedJohn Graham-Hall (Gustav von Aschenbach), Andrew Shore (Traveller/Elderly Fop/Gondolier/Barber/ Hotel Manager Player/Dionysus), Tim Mead (Apollo), Sam Zaldivar (Tadzio), Laura Caldow (The Polish Mother), Mia Angelina Mather/Xhuliana Shehu (Her Two Daughters), Joyce Henderson (The Governess), Marcio...
It's not often one can say a production is improved by viewing on a small screen but, for me, this one was...Graham-Hall is a real stage-animal, convincing us utterly of his descent into obsession...Above... —
Awards:
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2014
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Gramophone Awards, 2015, Finalist - Opera
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Special offer. Britten: Death in Venice
RecommendedJohn Graham-Hall (Gustav von Aschenbach), Andrew Shore (Traveller/Elderly Fop/Gondolier/Barber/ Hotel Manager Player/Dionysus), Tim Mead (Apollo), Sam Zaldivar (Tadzio), Laura Caldow (The Polish Mother), Mia Angelina Mather/Xhuliana Shehu (Her Two Daughters), Joyce Henderson (The Governess), Marcio...
It's not often one can say a production is improved by viewing on a small screen but, for me, this one was...Graham-Hall is a real stage-animal, convincing us utterly of his descent into obsession...Above... —
Awards:
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2014
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Gramophone Awards, 2015, Finalist - Opera
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Special offer. Berlioz: The Damnation of Faust
Karen Cargill (Marguerite), John Irvin (Faust), Christopher Purves (Méphistophélès), Jonathan Lemalu (Brander), London Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, London Symphony Chorus, Edward Gardner
this performance by the London Philharmonic under its principal conductor offers consistently high orchestral standards and focused participation from the assembled choirs, who show skill in... —
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Special offer. Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore
Heidi Grant Murphy (Adina), Ambrogio Maestri (Dulcamara), Laurent Naouri (Belcore, Paul Groves (Nemorino) & Aleksandra Zamojska (Giannetta)
Orchestre et Choeurs de l'Opéra de Paris, Edward Gardner
…Laurent Pelly's staging is efficient and both narrative and characterisation are ably charted. The best performance comes from conductor Edward Gardner, who cuts a spirited dash through the... —
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Special offer. Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore, Don Pasquale, Viva La Mamma
Heidi Grant Murphy (Adina), Ambrogio Maestri (Dulcamara), Laurent Naouri (Belcore, Paul Groves (Nemorino) & Aleksandra Zamojska (Giannetta), Patrizia Ciofi (Norina), Simone Alaimo (Don Pasquale), Marzio Giossi (Dr. Malatesta), Norman Shankle (Ernesto) & Romaric Braun (Notary), Jessica Pratt...
Musically there is little to fault in Evelino Pido’s nicely paced and shaped interpretation…I was somewhat bowled over by Simone Alaimo’s singing and acting. —
