mp
Mike Parr
Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel (RCA)
Christa Ludwig’s amazing Witch is the crowning achievement of this still essential recording [MP]
Puccini: La bohème (Warner Classics)
This old recording still has plenty of rewards to offer [MP]
Verdi: Nabucco (Deutsche Grammophon)
Sinopoli and a powerhouse cast reveal unsuspected depths in Verdi’s early opera [MP]
Wagner: Das Liebesverbot (Orfeo)
A colourful Wagnerian romp with two outstanding interpreters among the large cast [MP]
Mozart: Zaide (Orfeo)
A very good cast in a version with more linking dialogue than on other recordings [MP]
Janáček: Káťa Kabanová (Decca)
An incandescent central performance heads an excellent ensemble cast under Mackerras’ renowned leadership [MP]
Rossini: L’italiana in Algeri (Decca)
A pleasing but hardly essential recording of Rossini’s opera, noteworthy for being the first recorded in stereo [MP]
Britten: Albert Herring (Decca)
A touchstone recording which is hard to beat for its general excellence and superbly detailed sound [MP]
Gloire immortelle! Grandes oeuvres patriotiques (Château de Versailles)
A pleasant romp through the realm of French patriotic music and beyond [MP]
Ponchielli: La Gioconda (Decca)
Perhaps not the finest La Gioconda recording but a deeply satisfying one nonetheless [MP]
Strauss: Die Ägyptische Helena (Decca)
Not ideal in every respect, this recording is a fine achievement nonetheless [MP]
Verdi: Macbeth (Decca)
A recording of power and presence, but with some really disfiguring cuts to the music [MP]
Daniel Behle (tenor) R Strauss & Wagner (Prospero)
An important album. One which may surprise those who admire this tenor’s Mozart recordings [MP]
Bizet: Carmen (Warner Classics)
The most authentically French recording of Carmen from the stereo era [MP]
Donizetti: La fille du régiment (Decca)
Sign me up for this regiment: this recording is as good as it gets [MP]
Lise Davidsen (soprano): Christmas From Norway (Decca)
Be sure this makes it under your next Christmas tree [MP]
A Choral Christmas (Decca)
Beautiful sounds in big-boned arrangements which are best sample piecemeal rather than all at once [MP]
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess (Decca)
This remains a powerful experience 49 years after its initial release [MP]
Verdi: I Lombardi alla prima crociata (BR Klassik)
An exciting, red-blooded performance, captured live in the clearest sound of any available version [MP]
Rossini: Semiramide (Decca)
A feast of stylish bel canto singing for the two stars but the rest of the cast can only struggle though [MP]
Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur (Sony Classical)
A near total success that still wins the day among available recordings [MP]
Massenet: Thaïs (Chandos)
Massenet’s opera is superbly rejuvenated in a recording which sweeps the field of all other versions [MP]
Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve (Naxos)
A dazzling achievement all around [MP]
Gilles: Messe des Morts (Château de Versailles)
Pleasant music in good but not exceptional performances [MP]
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Featured Naxos review |
Featured Naxos review |
Featured Naxos review |
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