Opera
Reviews of full operas as well as collections and recitals of arias
Wagner: Die Walküre (Naxos)
A Wagner production from hell to be avoided at all possible costs [PCG]
Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana & Leoncavallo: I Pagliacci (Pristine Audio)
Remarkable sonic restoration, almost recreation, and a must for Verismo opera lovers [EJW]
Wagner: Parsifal (Sony Classical)
A decent account of the score let down by vocalism which ranges from mediocre to poor [MBu]
Wagner: Siegfried (Pristine Audio)
Another majestic instalment of living theatre – the best so far – in Kna’s 1956 Bayreuth Ring, in superb sound but again afflicted by persistent coughing [RMo]
Mademoiselle Duval: Les Génies (Château de Versailles Spectacles)
A Baroque opera rarity is one of CVS’s happiest releases of recent years [MP]
Mozart: Don Giovanni (Orfeo)
(Déjà Review) A collector’s item specifically for opera buffs and Furtwängler fanatics which fills a gap in his recording legacy [AR]
Stanford: Shamus O’Brien (Retrospect Opera)
A Stanford opera; uneven and unsatisfactory but beautifully presented [JW]
Wagner: Die Walküre (Pristine Audio)
Pristine’s stereo remastering reveals its glories yet more vividly – but unfortunately also highlights the constant hacking of the audience and Windgassen’s coordination problems. [RMo]
Lehár: Die lustige Witwe (Naxos Historical)
(Déjà Review) Good sound, excellent playing and glorious singing [GF]
Ponchielli: La gioconda (Pristine Audio)
A great Callas recording is tidied up a bit, and her co-singers are brought into better focus [RMo]
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Naxos)
A strong musical performance hampered by the directors’ silly concept and by technical issues with the sound [ST]
R Strauss: Intermezzo (Warner Classics)
The only studio recording of Strauss’s biographical opera is a complete winner on all front [MP]
Janáček: Káťa Kabanová (LSO Live)
A good cast and excellent sound are featured on Rattle’s challenge to the Mackerras hegemony [MP]
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Pristine Audio)
A great performance revitalised in extraordinarily vivid sound – another Pristine remastering triumph [RMo]
Michael Spyres (tenor) In The Shadows (Erato)
I enjoyed some unhackneyed repertoire and the marvellous singing [GF]
Massenet: Le Cid (Sony Classical)
This version of Massenet’s opera is somewhat marred by the coarse recording, but there are a few thrills to be encountered nonetheless [MP]
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (Warner Classics)
Beautiful sonorities throughout but the conductor’s approach is an emotional letdown and hampers the stellar cast [MP]
Bizet: Carmen (Opus Arte)
An altogether outstanding record of a thrilling event [TH]
Stravinsky: The Nightingale (Sony Classical)
Stravinsky’s own recording is a flawed yet pleasurable account of this little opera [MP]
Franck: Les Béatitudes (Fuga Libera)
A fine performance of this ambitious but uneven work, but note the skimpy documentation [SB]
New Year’s Concert – Teatro La Fenice 2023 (C Major)
A pleasing concert that will almost certainly cheer you up [MMB]
J Strauss II: Der Zigeunerbaron (EMI Classics)
Johann Strauss’ Hungarian operetta truly sparkles in a performance that commands the field in spite of its age [MP]
Berlioz’s Béatrice & Bénédict
by Ralph Moore
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Opus Arte)
A superb fusion of singing, music and stagecraft [AOz]
 |
 |
 |
Featured Naxos review |
 |
 |
 |
 |
