Opera
Reviews of full operas as well as collections and recitals of arias
Lawrence Brownlee (tenor), Erin Morley (soprano): Golden Age (Pentatone)
A superb recital which should find a welcome home under any Christmas tree [MP]
Strauss: Salome (Chandos)
(Déjà Review) Real emotional and sonic surge [DH]
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (Testament)
Greater than the “Recording of the Century” [LD]
Janáček: The Makropulos Affair (SOMM Ariadne)
An invaluable release [DHa]
Verdi: La forza del destino (Naxos)
A great Callas performance in a wonderful Verdi opera [PBW]
Rossini: Il Turco in Italia (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) Has some fine qualities, especially its leading lady [RJF]
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (Château de Versailles Spectacles)
A new presentation, strong and full of woe, but only partially successful [PH]
Giacomelli: Cesare in Egitto (Alpha Classics)
Great talent and energy from all concerned for a Baroque rediscovery that might have been best left undisturbed [MP]
Gluck: Iphigénie en Tauride (Decca)
(Déjà Review) Fully in touch with Gluck’s keen sense of drama [ST]
Piazzolla: María de Buenos Aires (Brilliant Classics)
A fine, vigorous performance, but what a shame there are no texts [SB]
Prokofiev: The Gambler (Unitel Edition)
The Gambler arrives at the Salzburg Festival [PH]
2000 – An opera retrospective
by Philip Harrison
Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Unitel Editions)
A challenging production, but very rewarding if you give it a go, and the singing is sensational [ST]
Gassmann: Opera Overtures (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) A feel-good CD that will put a smile on one’s face [MMB]
Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Naxos)
A typically thought-provoking Calixto Bieito production of Handel’s masterpiece, well sung and played [DHa]
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (Pristine Audio)
Once again, Pristine breathes new life into an imperishable classic of the gramophone [RMo]
Prokofiev: The Gambler (Unitel Edition)
Prokofiev’s masterly opera about greed and desperation is presented in brilliant performances and a fine if somewhat controversial production [RC]
Wagner: Parsifal (Marston)
The Holy Grail available complete at last: The 1938 Met Parsifal [PH]
The Verdi Tenor: Marcelo Alvarez (Decca)
(Déjà Review) A worthy survey of Alvarez’s Verdi career [ST]
Tippett: A Child of Our Time (London Philharmonic Orchestra)
An outstanding performance [JQ]
Verdi: This is my Verdi (Dynamic)
A pleasing Verdi program, but the singer herself falls short [SV]
Rossini: Adina (C Major)
A sprightly, colourful rendition of a little-known opera, essential for all Rossini fans [CRo]
Wagner: Lohengrin (Unitel)
Fully cooked singing in a half-baked production [ST]
Rameau: Castor et Pollux (Alpha Classics)
An accomplished and stylistically faithful account of Rameau’s third opera [RMo]
