Opera

A long-lost operatic curiosity. Well-performed but recorded harshly, with no sense of stage atmosphere [MP]

Good singing and lighting do not outweigh poor orchestral playing and perverse staging [SB]

We seem to observe the tragic events as they might really have happened – no hyperbole, just committed singing [MS]

Laurent Pelly’s production has matured with age and Brownlee gives the performance of his career in the title role [MP]

Pristine refreshes Callas’s 1959 stereo recording and prompts a re-evaluation of its considerable merits [PT]

Not a first choice recording but worth spending some time with for a few excellent individual contributions [MP]

Worth getting to know even in a less than successful recording [MP]

Vocal riches in a depressingly hyperactive production that is devoid of amusement [MP]

A splendidly cohesive musically-rewarding example of integrated casting and performance [JW]

One might go hunting for a more complete version of this opera, but this one does the trick in most respects [MP]

The last instalment of the Decca ‘Ring’ enhanced by remastering in magnificent sound [JQ]

Christa Ludwig’s amazing Witch is the crowning achievement of this still essential recording [MP]

A well-sung performance of a little-recorded work [RWe]

This old recording still has plenty of rewards to offer [MP]

(Déjà Review) I strongly recommend all lovers of the composer’s music and the bel canto genre to add it to their collections [RJF]

Sinopoli and a powerhouse cast reveal unsuspected depths in Verdi’s early opera [MP]

A colourful Wagnerian romp with two outstanding interpreters among the large cast [MP]

A classic Wagner recording in magnificently remastered sound [JQ]

A very good cast in a version with more linking dialogue than on other recordings [MP]

An incandescent central performance heads an excellent ensemble cast under Mackerras’ renowned leadership [MP]

No one who loves this opera can afford to be without this recording for Callas’ unique insight into the title role [GF]

A pleasing but hardly essential recording of Rossini’s opera, noteworthy for being the first recorded in stereo [MP]

A touchstone recording which is hard to beat for its general excellence and superbly detailed sound [MP]

This important historical document must be judged on its own terms [JF]