Opera
Reviews of full operas as well as collections and recitals of arias
Lalo: Le Roi d’Ys (Bru Zane)
A welcome set which will provide considerable pleasure with one outstanding performance [PSt]
Verdi: Ernani (Warner Classics)
(Déjà Review) Outstanding portrayals from Domingo and Bruson to compensate for an over-parted Freni [RJF]
R Strauss: Arabella (Naxos)
An excellent film of a good production and performance [RWe]
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (Deutsche Grammophon)
A well-chosen selection from an already much-praised Flute [DM]
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Orfeo)
A mostly memorable night at the opera [RMas]
Janáček: Jenůfa (LSO Live)
Jealousy, pain, loss, stifling shame, ultimate redemption – another episode in the LSO’s Janáček odyssey [PH]
Saariaho: Adriana Mater (Deutsche Grammophon)
A powerful opera in a good performance but with inadequate presentation [SB]
Donizetti: Lucie de Lammermoor (Naxos)
This latest addition to the rather meagre discography of Lucie de Lammermoor will leave no one feeling shortchanged [GF]
Karine Deshayes & Delphine Haidan (mezzo-sopranos) Sisters (NoMadMusic)
A mix of popular and little-known works, which is a joy from beginning to end [MC]
Puccini: Tosca (Decca)
A rare misfire in Decca’s hugely impressive opera back-catalogue [LD]
Salieri: Cublai, gran kan de’ Tartari (Aparté)
Ignored for over 200 years, Salieri’s opera finally receives its time in the spotlight [MC]
Rossini: La pietra del paragone (Naxos)
(Déjà Review) A multitude of thanks are due to Naxos for this, proof positive that there is infinite joy to be gleaned from Rossinian by-roads [CC]
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Orfeo)
Plácido Domingo‘s formidable reading of the title role, and excellent singing by others [GF]
Verdi: Un giorno di regno (Fryderyk Chopin Institute)
Diverting but not definitive [SW]
Donizetti: Lucie de Lammermoor (Naxos)
A thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully sung outing for this rarely heard version of Donizetti’s masterpiece [RMo]
Vivaldi: La fida ninfa (cpo)
A Vivaldi opera performed with sensitivity, warmth and charm [MP]
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (Orfeo)
Hardly a Pagliacci to stir the blood; there is much better to be had in terms of both singing and sound [RMo]
Strauss: Salome (Chandos)
A thoroughly disappointing recording, poorly sung, indifferently conducted and afflicted by problems in the recorded balance [RMo]
Puccini: Tosca (Pristine Audio)
Much here is vivid and compelling, especially with Pristine’s enhanced sound, but for me de Sabata prevails [RMo]
The Last Castrato. Arias for Velluti (Château de Versailles)
Mostly unheard gems by less familiar composers of the Bel canto era [MP]
Puccini: Le Villi (BR Klassik)
As satisfying an account of the youthful Puccini’s first success as one could wish to encounter [RMo]
Verdi: Il trovatore (Pristine Audio)
A performance which captures the absolute essence of Verdi’s masterpiece in remarkably fine sound [PSt]
Puccini: Tosca (Deutsche Grammophon)
An important Tosca from Deutsche Grammophon [PH]
Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (Opera Rara)
An important example of the rich artistic legacy of the Elder/Hallé partnership [MC]
