mp
Mike Parr
Minkus: Don Quixote (Opus Arte)
A delightfully Spanish cornucopia of exuberant dances with an appealing cast and showing the Royal Ballet Company in top form [MP]
Paris 1913: L’Offrande lyrique (Nimbus)
A pleasing recital of French chansons all tied to the year 1913 [MP]
Bizet: Carmen (Pristine Audio)
Pristine Audio newly preserves Le Conte’s achievement in making Carmen as crisp and light as a freshly made churro [MP]
Donizetti: Il diluvio universale (Dynamic)
A strong cast is sabotaged by a pointless production which is visually distracting in the extreme [MP]
Weber: Der Freischütz (C Major)
An extravagant, gothic horror funfest from beginning to end [MP]
Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (RCA)
A fine testament to five great singers at the top of their game in this beautifully engineered live recording [MP]
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Warner Classics)
After 64 years this recording remains a major contender despite a couple of flaws in the casting [MP]
Ponchielli: La Gioconda (Pristine Audio)
Pristine’s fine new transfer gives a boost to Maria Callas’ first recording of La Gioconda with impressive results [MP]
Mussorgsky: Sorochintsï Fair & Salammbô Suite (Naxos)
A completely convincing account of a rarely performed opera in a new orchestration for chamber orchestra [MP]
Raff: Die Eifersüchtigen (Naxos)
A delightful and musically substantial premier recording [MP]
Raff: Samson (Schweizer Fonogramm)
An operatic discovery which delivers a musical and dramatic feast despite some deeply flawed vocal performances [MP]
Cimarosa: L’Olimpiade (Château de Versailles)
Rousset and his team earn a gold medal for this premiere recording of a long-unheard opera [MP]
Wagner: Das Rheingold (Deutsche Grammophon)
A stunning new high resolution transfer of this classic recording [MP]
Gerhard: La Dueña (Chandos)
An opera with patches of real brilliance in a more than acceptable recording [MP]
Donizetti: Don Pasquale (Warner Classics)
A good alternative choice recording featuring some very winning performances among the cast [MP]
Mozart: Idomeneo (Archiv Produktion)
Idomeneo tastefully presented but takes the risk of being too often over-refined [MP]
Rimsky-Korsakov: Kashchey the Immortal (Philips)
A decent representation of Rimsky-Korsakov’s rarely staged opera [MP]
Monteverdi: Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (Sony Classical)
An audio treasure trove of fine performances, in an orchestration contrary to modern period performance dictates [MP]
Rossini: Ermione (Naxos)
A happy release due to Fogliani’s impressive conducting, although there are a few reservations about the singing [MP]
Meyerbeer: Le prophète (LSO Live)
A welcome release that promises much but doesn’t always deliver [MP]
Verdi: Rigoletto (Warner Classics)
A powerful recording with much to commend it in spite of a few failings among the cast [MP]
Meyerbeer: L’Africaine (Naxos)
A welcome chance to reassess Meyerbeer’s posthumous opera in a new critical edition [MP]
Rossini: Le Siège de Corinthe (C Major)
A fine cast of singers are thrown out to sea by a pointless, dismal production [MP]
Wagner: Lohengrin (RCA)
There is much to savour in this 59 year-old set [MP]
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