Bizet
Karajan Conducts French Music (Pristine Audio)
Familiar recordings, probably skippable [SV]
Bizet: Carmen (Pristine Audio)
An authentically French, operetta-style Carmen of the kind you will not hear today – but over-refined and lacking punch [RMo]
Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo-soprano): Aigul (Decca)
By far the best mezzo-soprano to emerge for a generation [RMo]
Martial Singher (baritone) French Opera Arias (Pristine Audio)
(Déjà Review) I defy anyone to play these tracks through once and not do so immediately again [ED]
475 Jahre Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (Profil)
Many first-class performances to celebrate the 475th anniversary of the Staatskapelle Dresden [MC]
Jacqueline Delman (soprano) More from my archives (Oak Grove)
A valuable documentation of Delman’s versatility, musically, repertoire-wise and linguistically [GF]
Bizet: L’Arlésienne Complete stage music (SOMM Recordings)
Bizet’s L’Arlésienne returns to its original theatrical roots, and the revelation is enchanting in the hands of Plasson [PCG]
New Year’s Concert – Teatro La Fenice 2023 (C Major)
A pleasing concert that will almost certainly cheer you up [MMB]
Neville Marriner (conductor): The Complete Warner Classics Recordings (Warner Classics)
An 80-CD centenary salute to Marriner, with (or without) his ASMF [JW]
Gloire immortelle! Grandes oeuvres patriotiques (Château de Versailles)
A pleasant romp through the realm of French patriotic music and beyond [MP]
Bizet: Carmen (Warner Classics)
The most authentically French recording of Carmen from the stereo era [MP]
The Degenhof Sessions (Genuin)
A wonderfully entertaining programme with some real treats [RCh}
Mozart: Don Juan (Narodowy Institut Fryderyka Chopin)
A fine performance of an oddball Bizet curiosity, but Mozart’s orchestration and vocal variety are sorely missed [MZ]
Soaked in Colour (Fuga Libera)
There are a few winners here, but no consistency [MP]
Fatma Said (soprano) (Warner Classics)
A ravishing debut album that heralds a great future for this artist [MP]
Bizet: Carmen (DG)
(Déjà Review) A great evening at the opera, crowned by Grace Bumbry’s great performance of Carmen [CH]
Valentin Malinin (piano): Laureate Recital (Naxos)
Pianist Valentin Malinin impresses with his technical ability, but with mixed musical results [LW]
Featured Naxos review |