Opera
Reviews of full operas as well as collections and recitals of arias
Bellini: Norma (Decca)
Admirable in many regards [DBe]
Respighi: Maria Egiziaca (Naxos)
A more than respectable recording of Respighi’s pallid, mystic hybrid of opera and oratorio [MP]
Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (Prima Classic)
A one-dimensional Boccanegra, no match for Abbado’s classic [ST]
Verdi: La traviata (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) An excellent bargain which competes with the very best versions on record [DBe]
Richard Strauss: Electra (Chandos)
An orchestrally fine Elektra, but the singing is not up to scratch [ST]
Verdi: La traviata (ICA Classics)
(Déjà Review) An enormously subtle creation enshrined for posterity [RMo]
Donizetti: Roberto Devereux (Dynamic)
A fine production of one Donizetti’s strongest operas [RWe]
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (Opus Arte)
(Déjà Review) This live recording has a great deal to offer [GF]
Puccini: La fanciulla del West (Walhall)
Tebaldi’s best Minnie, well-partnered, too – but in mono [RMo]
R Strauss: Elektra (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) A sensible and impressive performance with no significant weak links [DH]
Vivaldi: Il Bajazet (Naxos)
Naxos offers a real performance with warmth and life which compensates for some blemishes among the voices [MP]
Pacini: Il convitato di pietra (Naxos)
A different take on a well-known story is accompanied by a Pacini’s sure composition and an enjoyable first public performance [RJF]
Giordano’s Fedora – A survey of the recordings
by Ralph Moore
Keiser: Der Carneval von Venedig (cpo)
A first recording which benefits from splendid engineering but some of the singing lacks the final degree of polish [MP]
Rossini: L’inganno felice (cpo)
A good, if not quite the best, account of an early Rossini opera [RWe]
R Strauss: Salome, Elektra (Pristine Audio)
Two iconic Met recordings newly revitalised in Ambient Stereo, something of a bargain [RMo]
Johann Strauss II: Waldmeister (cpo)
An enthusiastic cast is featured in the first recording of Strauss’s final operetta [MP]
Donizetti: Maria Stuarda (C Major)
Some good singing in this bel canto gem; pity about the pathetic set and non-production [RJF]
Franco Corelli (tenor): The Alternative Repertoire (Urania Records)
A marvellous reminder of one of the best voices on record [DJa]
Giordano: Fedora (Deutsche Grammophon)
(Déjà Review) Domingo adds this Loris to his studio recorded audio legacy [RJF]
Kurtág: Fin de Partie (BMC)
The unmissable first recording of Kurtág’s masterpiece [DHa]
Caldara: Forgotten castrato arias (Erato)
(Déjà Review) A bouquet of fine arias by a great yet underestimated composer [JV]
Braunfels: Die Vögel (Arthaus Musik)
(Déjà Review) A superb recording that merits the highest praise [RC]
Rossini: Adina (Naxos)
The ongoing Rossini Wildbad series acquires a new and exquisite addition to its ranks [MP]
