Otto's Opera House

Bach JC - Endimione - Weil, Cappella Coloniensis

2011-07-01T21:48:00.001-07:00

Release Date: November 8, 1999
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Johann Christian Bach
Performer: Cappella Coloniensis
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Review:

Mozart is often praised for various characteristics in his music, but many of them are not as original for their time as many would like to think. Johann Christian Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian, wrote a number of operas, many of which could be mistaken for Mozart. While sounding more like Mozart's earlier works, there could be a connection to later ones as well. And perhaps Bach was a better composer than his younger contemporary. L'Endimione, first performed in 1772, is yet another setting of a Metastasian libretto, and was perhaps used as a comment on the affairs of the royal family, something not new to opera. While it did not merit the controversy of 'Isis' by Lully, it is a work well worth listening to. Especially notable is sopranist Jörg Waschinski in the role of Cupid. This recording won the Echo Klassik Award 2000 – Best opera recording 17th/18th century.

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Auber - Le Domino noir - Bonynge - Sumi Jo, Vernet,

2011-06-30T17:55:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 10/02/1995
Label: Decca
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Daniel-François Auber
Performer: Richard Bonynge
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Review:

One stage work of Auber’s that might succeed in a revival is Le Domino noir (“The Black Domino”), one of those mistaken-identity farces that Scribe could probably churn out by the dozens. In brief: Angèle, a novice nun, decides to have a last fling and attends a ball on the night before she is to take her final vows. To conceal her identity, she wears a black mask (the “black domino” of the title). Another guest, Horace de Massares, is in love with her. A friend of his, Count Juliano, sets back the clocks one hour so Horace can spend more time with the mysterious woman. By the time she realizes what time it actually is, it is too late for her to return to the convent, whose gates close at midnight. Seeking a shelter for the night, she ends up at the house of Count Juliano, who is throwing a post-ball party. Afraid of being recognized, she talks Juliano’s housekeeper into letting her assume the disguise of a maid. Everyone is deceived but Horace, who recognizes her but says nothing. After an evening of misadventures, she manages to return, undetected, to the convent the next morning. Horace eventually shows up to see her. Conveniently, a letter from the Queen arrives, freeing Angèle from her vows, and she accepts Horace’s proposal of marriage. Opera audiences have swallowed more ridiculous plots.

Auber and Scribe collaborated on an opera based on Scribe’s play Gustav III, which deals with the events leading to and including the assassination of Gustav III, King of Sweden. Antonio Somma used Scribe’s play as the basis for his libretto for Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera. As is the case with Auber’s Manon Lescaut, any revival of Auber’s piece will be partially driven by curiosity, given what later composers did with the subject. As a filler, Bonynge presents the opera’s overture and a series of dances performed at the masked ball during which Gustav is slain. With his facility and lively sense of rhythm, Auber was a natural for the ballet field and, in fact, Scribe even supplied the scenarios for several of Auber’s ballet scores.

Performer: Isabelle Vernet, Bruce Ford, Patrick Power, Martine Olmeda, Jules Bastin, Doris Lamprecht, Jocelyne Taillon, Sumi Jo, Gilles Cachemaille Conductor: Richard Bonynge
Orchestra/Ensemble: English Chamber Orchestra, London Voices

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Martinu - Three fragments from the opera Juliette – Magdalena Kozena, Sir Charles Mackerras

2011-06-27T01:38:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 06/30/2009
Label: Supraphon
Number of discs: 1
Composer: Bohuslav Martinu
Performer: Sir Charles Mackerras
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Review:

Gramophone Award Winner 2009 - Best Recital

Juliette is Martinu's operatic masterpiece and one of the most distinctive of all 20th-century operatic works. The plot is hallucinatory and wonderfully weird. Michel, a traveling salesman, arrives in a town where people have no memories. He encounters Juliette, whom he may have met before, or she may already know him, and in a series of stream-of-consciousness encounters they meet in a forest, where Michel shoots her, sort of, only she may not be dead, or even shot. In the third act, which takes place in the Bureau of Dreams, Michel arrives looking for Juliette, and the office clerk tells him that he has been dreaming, and if he does not give up his search he will never wake up, forever trapped in his dream. He refuses to relinquish Juliette, and the opera returns to the exact scene with which it opened.

I know it sounds strange, but what makes it work is Martinu's music, which matches the story moment for hallucinatory moment. He knew how important the opera was for his artistic development, and he tried desperately to get it performed as often as possible. The orchestral suite was arranged in 1969, after Martinu's death, but he assembled three fragments for concert performance that give an excellent idea of the complete work. These include, crucially, the entire forest scene in Act 2 and the Act 3 finale in the Bureau of Dreams. There's an old recording of the complete opera on Supraphon (in Czech), which is splendidly performed but dimly engineered.

This production more than makes up for that deficit, even though there's some audible variation between the Three Fragments (recorded live) and the Suite. Martinu's scoring is particularly luminous and really needs modern sound to make the necessary impact. Charles Mackerras delivers his usual outstanding results, the Czech Philharmonic plays amazingly, and the principal singers, especially Kozená and Davislim, sing beautifully. We still need a new recording of the complete opera, but until then this will do nicely. Essential for anyone who cares about 20th-century opera, or Martinu generally.—David Hurwitz

Performer: Daniela Demuthová, Stepánka Pychová, Steve Davislim, Michele Lagrange, Karel Kosarek, Frederic Goncalves, Veronika Mrackova-Fucikova, Milada Kosinova, Magdalena Kozená, Nicolas Testé
Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras
Orchestra/Ensemble: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

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Edda Moser - Wagner - Arias and Interludes

2011-06-25T17:44:00.001-07:00

Release Date: November 4, 1992
Label: Stradivari Classics
Number of discs: 1
Composer: Richard Wagner
Performer: Edda Moser
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Review:

For fans of German opera singer Edda Moser this album may come as a bit of a surprise. Edda was not a Wagnerian soprano. She sang the role of a Rhinemaiden in Das Rhinegold for Herbert Von Karajan as her operatic debut and she went on to sing Sieglende from Act 1 of Die Walkure but she was chiefly a dramatic coloratura soprano whose most successful repertoire was Mozart. Her dramatically rendered performances as the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflote and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni were utterly brilliant, Her Elettra in Idomeneo and Aspasia in Mitridate were other triumphs for her. Her Mozart Concert arias won her praises from critics and fans worldwide. She was skilled at singing Baroque opera and Strauss operetta. The latter came easy to her since Strauss' Viennese operettas was music she had heard since her childhood as a native German speaker. In this recording, made in 1989 in Ljubljana, Maestro Anton Nanut conducts her in Wagner's most demanding soprano music in his catalog - the Immolation Scene at the end of Gotterdammerung, and the Liebestod of Isolde in Tristan And Isolde. Normally a Mozart singer would destroy herself singing such heavy repertoire. The tessitura is very high, and in addition the music calls for power in the lower notes, middle voice and chest voice. While Edda doesn't have bottom, she is certainly comfortable in the top registers. Her Isolde here is divinely beautiful, with excellent polished technique, and this is saying a lot about her since in 1989 when she recorded this, she had been singing for many years and was a veteran opera singer late in her career. Yet she sounds youthful and every bit the passionate Isolde. Her Liebestod as recorded in this disc is well worth listening and fans will be in for a treat.

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Edda Moser - Virtuose Arien von W.A. Mozart

2011-06-24T19:30:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 1988
Label: EMI
Number of discs: 1
Composer: W.A. Mozart
Performer: Edda Moser
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Review:

This 1973 recital LP "Virtuoso Arias by W. A. Mozart" received the Grand Prix du Disque.

"Astonish me!" Diaghilev would cry. He should have met Miss Moser. Her singing on this album is a ballet in itself, an astonishing exercise in daring and poise; but what sets the nerves dancing in response is the sense of dramatic command and musical intelligence that accompany the virtuosity. Such a sense is imparted right from the start. This Queen of Night makes her regal authority very clear in her first phrases; when she tells of "den Bosenwicht" it is with some venom and when she contemplates weakness it is with scorn. Similarly, this Constanze presents an invincible spirit, and this Donna Anna a deep store of tenderness. The fluidity, the cleanness, the extensiveness of the range are all quite astounding.

01 - O Zittre Nicht, Mein Lieber Sohn (04:54)
02 - Der Holle Rache (03:04)
03 - Crudele? (07:26)
04 - Popoli Di Tessaglia (11:31)
05 - Ma Che VI Fece, O Stelle (09:17)
06 - Bester Jüngling, Mit Entzücken (03:26)
07 - Ich Bin Die Erste Sängerin (05:44)
08 - Martern Aller Arten (08:30)

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Friedrich von Flotow - Martha - Rothenberger, Fassbaender, Gedda, Prey, Heger

2011-06-22T21:56:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 09/10/2002
Label: Emi Classics
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Friedrich von Flotow
Performer: Robert Heger, Bavarian State Orchestra
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Review:

Flotow's opera "Martha" was once a very popular and frequently performed opera, but today, with the exception of its well known tenor aria "Ach so fromm," usually sung in Italian, the work is relatively unknown. Yet it was for many years a staple at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and a favorite of tenor Enrico Caruso. It is comic opera, originally performed in German, but there are also French and Italian versions of the work as well. It tells the story of a high class woman who becomes a farm maid just to overcome boredom, and falls in love with the owner of the farm. The plot formula is not all that original, the two meet and fall in love, something threatens the love, but all ends happily ever after. If the plot is not all that original, the music is very rich and melodious. Martha is not a singspiel, meaning that the music is continuous without spoken dialogue. While it has a light feeling to it like an operetta, the music is as sophisticated as many of the more serious German operas.

The opera has a rousing overture that is sometime performed in concert halls as a free standing work. There are many lively ensembles, arias duets as well as choral parts. Listeners will not only be familiar with Lyonel's famous aria, but also an aria based on the Irish folk song "The Last Rose of Summer" which helps give this German opera a bit of local color since it takes place in the British countryside (at the time the opera was composed, Britain occupied all of Ireland).

In this recording, Nicolai Gedda is Lyonel, one of the tenor's favorite roles. The recording dates back to the late 1960's and Gedda is in top vocal form. His love interest, Lady Harriet is sung by Anneliese Rothenberger. The versatile and gifted baritone Hermann Prey is Plunkett. The recording is superb, and after listening to it, many would wonder why the opera is not performed more often.

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Pergolesi - Adriano in Siria - Panni, Orchestra dell'Opera da Camera di Roma

2011-06-21T20:25:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 09/04/1992
Label: Bongiovanni
Number of discs: 3
Composer: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Performer: Marcello Panni,
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Review:

Given that this CD was recorded in the 80s, I guess you can't really fault it for featuring the style of opera singing that was popular then, and it was worth buying anyway since it is the only recording of this beautiful opera available. If you're into obscure baroque operas, this would be a good one to add to your collection. And although the singers cast in the primo roles aren't the ones I would have chosen, Daniela Dessi as Sabina and Lucia Mazzaria as Aquilio perform very well in those roles. Susanna Anselmi is also good as Adriano.

Performer: Daniela Dessi, Jolanta Omilian, Susanna Anselmi, Ezio Di Cesare, Gloria Banditelli

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The Very Best of Alfredo Kraus

2011-06-11T23:15:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 04/26/2005
Label: EMI Classics
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Various
Performer: Alfredo Kraus
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Review:

Alfredo Kraus remained an EMI Classics artist throughout most of his career. It is for that reason that this compilation extends from the early 1960s (two arias from Così, as conducted by Karl Böhm) up to a live recording from December 1987 ("Una furtiva lagrima" from L'Elisir d'amore and "Salut! demeure chaste et pure" from Faust). Kraus, who was born on September 24, 1927 in the Canary Islands, was 60 at the time, and hardly less of fresh of voice than he was in the Così recording. Kraus was a lyric tenor who never sounded juvenile. In lighter bel canto roles such as Ernesto (Don Pasquale) a more youthful vocal persona would have been more appropriate, perhaps, but in the heavier ones, such as Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Arturo (I puritani), Kraus's power, maturity, and masculinity were welcomed – no tenorino here. His bright, trumpeting voice and exciting high notes were tempered by a sunny suavity. On the other hand, he could be a rather bland interpreter. Given his excellence in the French repertoire, in particular, it is tempting to go as far back as Georges Thill when looking for comparisons. Kraus died in 1999.

Most of these selections are taken from Kraus's complete recordings; the exceptions are the two indicated above from 1987, which were recorded at this Paris Opéra. (Frankly, it is a shame that Kraus left commercial recordings of neither L'Elisir nor Faust.) This means that Kraus is joined by excellent singers, including Montserrat Caballé in I Puritani, Renata Scotto in La bohème and La traviata, and Beverly Sills in Rigoletto and Don Pasquale. The selections have been chosen well, although, as with the other releases, there are some untidy fade-in and fade-outs. With the exception of Così, the engineering remains bright and shiny. This is an excellent compilation, and for those who are less familiar with Kraus than with the "Three Tenors," this might whet their appetite for more.

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Donizetti - Anna Bolena - Callas, Simionato, Raimondi, Gavazzeni

2011-06-10T20:37:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 1987
Label: Melodram
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Performer: Maria Callas
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Review:

I must confess that I was totally transfixed by Callas's singing in Anna Bolena. I am not normally an uncritical Callas fan - I find that her tendency to sing sharp and her tone to assume an acidic quality detract from her unparalleled ability to infuse musical phrases and words with meaning. But this is one of the occasions when the voice was doing exactly what she was asking it to do. And, in truth, she was asking it to do incredible things which invariably come off. It is a tremendous performance, culminating in a death scene that had me in tears and sent the audience of La Scala into wild paroxysms. It is hard to imagine what this performance must have been like in the flesh, but this recording suggests the magical heights an artist can reach when she has the 'flow'. Simionato is pulled along by Callas to give one of her greatest performances, rising to match Callas in their magnificent duet. This is a recording that truly makes one understand why opera can hold some of the most intense experiences in a person's life. A treasure.

Performer: Maria Callas, Giulietta Simionato, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Plinio Clabassi, Luigi Rumbo, Gianni Raimondi, Gabriella Carturan Conductor: Gianandrea Gavazzeni Orchestra/Ensemble: Milan Teatro alla Scala Orchestra, Milan Teatro alla Scala Chorus

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Bellini - La Straniera - Aliberti, Bello, Frontali, Masini

2011-06-10T06:34:00.001-07:00

Release Date: October 1, 1996
Label: Fonit Cetra Records
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Vincenzo Bellini
Performer: Lucia Aliberti
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Review:

La straniera is an opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini, from a libretto by Felice Romani, based on L'étrangère (1825) by Charles-Victor Prévot, vicomte d'Arlincourt. It was composed in the autumn of 1828 and premiered in February 1829 in Milan. The opera was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan on 14 February 1829, with Henriette Méric-Lalande and Domenico Reina in the leading roles. Alessandro Sanquirico designed the stage sets, and it was presented on a triple bill, along with the ballets Boundelmonte and L'avviso ai maritati. It was first presented in Vienna (1831), Paris, (1832), London (June 23, 1832), New York (November 10, 1834), and Lisbon (1835).

Few performances occurred after its presentation in Palermo in 1840.[3] The opera was revived in 1954 in Bellini's hometown of Catania. It was revived again in 1968 at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, with Renata Scotto in the title role. Scotto performed it again in Venice in 1970 with conductor Ettore Gracis, while in 1969 a concert performance at Carnegie Hall featured Montserrat Caballé under the baton of Anton Guadagno. Recordings exist of all three of these presentations. The opera was performed again in concert in 1993, again at Carnegie Hall, with Renée Fleming. A complete concert performance was given in November 2007 in London, with Patrizia Ciofi (as Alaide), Dario Schmunck (Arturo), and Mark Stone (Valdeburgo) in the principal roles, conducted by David Parry with the London Philharmonic Orchestra; a complete studio recording was made with these forces the same week.

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Donizetti - Les Martyrs - Gelmetti, Teatro La Fenice

2011-06-08T20:41:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 07/26/2005
Label: Living Stage
Number of discs: 3
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Performer: Gianluigi Gelmetti
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Review:

This live recording of Donizetti's "Les Martyrs" (the French grand opera version of "Poliuto") features the great Leyla Gencer as Pauline.
For the revised 'Poliuto' Donizetti rewrote the recitatives, divided act one in two and wrote a new finale. He also added arias, trios and the de rigueur ballet. The new four-act version was premiered as Les Martyrs at The Opéra on 10th March 1840. Poliuto in its original form was not performed until 1848. it was the maturity of Donizetti’s musical creation that captivated me. Arias extend into duets and trios with an associated orchestral complexity that marks a significant development in his compositional style. Of the singing cast Renato Bruson as Severe is outstanding. At the time of this recording he was arguably the finest Donizetti baritone before the public. His singing had a wide palette of vocal colour, fine legato and the capacity to characterise a role second to none. Leyla Gencer’s portrayal of Pauline is at its best. Born in 1924 in Istanbul she had an enviable reputation in Rossini, Donizetti and early Verdi. I am glad to be able to be able to write that overall the performance and mono recording enable a good appreciation of the composer’s considerable achievement and one that should be heard by all lovers of his music.

Performer: Francesco Signor, Oslavio di Credico, Leyla Gencer, Mario Guggia, Renato Bruson, Ottavio Garaventa, Ferruccio Furlanetto
Conductor: Gianluigi Gelmetti
Orchestra/Ensemble: Venice Teatro la Fenice Orchestra, Venice Teatro la Fenice Chorus

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Bellini - Adelson e Salvini - Licata, Orchestra e Coro Teatro Bellini

2011-06-04T21:05:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 01/31/1995
Label: Nuova Era
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Vincenzo Bellini
Performer: Andrea Licata
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Review:

Adelson e Salvini was Bellini’s first opera, written while he was a student at the Conservatory in Naples. It was a custom at the Naples Conservatory to introduce a pupil who had completed his studies to the public with the performance of a large dramatic work. The opera, in its original three-act version, premiered in early 1825 by pupils at the Conservatory, was such a great success that it was performed every Sunday for the rest of the year. In the following year, for a proposed performance at the Teatro del Fondo in Naples, Bellini revised the score, cutting it to two acts and replacing the spoken text with secco recitatives. This performance did not take place, and these performances recorded by Nuova Era represent the first staging of the revised version of the opera.

Although there is little of what we recognize as the mature Bellini style in this first effort, it is nevertheless a very accomplished work for a student just completing his studies. The work shows the influence of Rossini, especially in the music written for the comic servant Bonifacio, who makes his entrance with a Rossini patter aria. But there are hints of the Bellini to come, and the work is worth hearing. Admirers of Bellini who missed this the first time around should not hesitate to acquire it now.

Performer: Eleonora Jankovic, Bradley Williams, Fabio Previati, Alicia Nafé, Aurio Tomicich, Lucia Rizzi, Giancarlo Tosi, Roberto Coviello
Conductor: Andrea Licata
Orchestra/Ensemble: Catania Teatro Massimo Bellini Opera Chorus, Catania Teatro Massimo Bellini Opera Orchestra

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Wagner - Parsifal - Lehman, Urmana, Pape, Valery Gergiev, Mariinsky

2011-06-03T20:44:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 09/14/2010
Label: Mariinsky
Number of discs: 4
Composer: Richard Wagner
Performer: Valery Gergiev
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Review:

Gergiev’s act I Prelude doesn’t seem especially slow. Yet when it’s all over, this Parsifal is eight minutes longer than the classic 1962 Bayreuth recording led by Hans Knappertsbusch, certainly not one known to rush through the opera. Like Kna, Gergiev always knows where he’s headed and keeps musical structures, large and small, in view. In that act I Prelude, listen to how effectively the conductor contrasts the first 19 measures with the next 19. The sense of light/dark dichotomy, hope vs. despair, is palpable; the dialectic of the entire drama seems to be contained within those first moments of the work. The opera unfolds with dignity and grandeur, never with any aura of cultish ritual. Gergiev doesn’t overwhelm his singers, but always assures that the orchestra makes its illuminating commentary register. When Gurnemanz, in act I, describes how Kundry transformed a desert into the magic garden, Gergiev has us briefly feel a verdant, out-of-doors atmosphere. The conductor makes much of instrumental passages that even those very familiar with the score may not have thought much about, as when Gurnemanz is extracting the transformed Kundry from the underbrush at the outset of act III. The closing pages of the opera are beautiful beyond words.

Gergiev has a terrific cast to work with. René Pape is the Wagnerian bass of his generation, and he’s in especially good voice. This Parsifal really moves along, both because of Gergiev’s dramatic instincts and because Pape’s Gurnemanz functions as much more than a narrator. He’s a representative member of the Grail community and helps us to understand how they have suffered since Amfortas’s disaster. At key moments in his exposition, such as “O wunden-wundervoller heiliger Speer! Ich sah dich schwingen von unheiligster Hand!,” Pape makes the back story come alive.

Gary Lehman portrays a thoughtful Parsifal, his voice possessing more than adequate heft and an appealing timbre. Violeta Urmana, an experienced and much sought-after Kundry, is womanly but not slutty in act II, quite effectively turning up the heat as poor Parsifal fails to fall before her charms. The front cover of the box holding this SACD set lists only Lehman, Urmana, and Pape, presumably because they are international stars. This is terribly unfair to Evgeny Nikitin, the Amfortas. Amfortas is arguably the most interesting character in the opera and it takes an insightful singer in the role to take any Parsifal to an exalted level. Nikitin provides a lyrical and richly colored representation that is fully alert to the extremes of the king’s physical and psychological torment; it’s a performance reminiscent of what Thomas Hampson brings to the role. Another Russian singer, Nikolai Putilin, offers a Klingsor with just the right degree of bitterness: He sputters and shouts, but also sings quite well.

The orchestral playing is top-notch and the chorus well prepared (though the six Flowermaidens get a little squally when singing together). The sound is superb. Veteran producer James Mallinson (of Decca fame) oversees a best-seat-in-the-house sonic perspective. The orchestra has impressive weight and impact, yet there’s an admirably natural balance between instrumentalists and singers, the latter positioned behind the players, as we see in a photo in the set’s booklet. If you do multichannel, this is a good one: Your listening room will be commandeered by the spacious acoustic of the Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall.--Andrew Quint ''A truly moving performance. One of the finest Wagner recordings of recent years.'' --Gramophone Magazine

Performer: René Pape, Nikolai Putilin, Violeta Urmana, Gary Lehman, Evgeny Nikitin, Alexei Tano Vitski
Conductor: Valery Gergiev
Orchestra/Ensemble: St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater Chorus

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Massenet - Cendrillon (Cinderella) - Stade, Gedda, Rudel, Philharmonia Orchestra

2011-06-02T21:00:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 10/25/1990
Label: Cbs Masterworks
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Jules Massenet
Performer: Julius Rudel
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Review:

This set positively sparkles with joy. Its fairy-tale story, known surely to all (Cinderella) is perfectly suited to the masterly craft of Jules Massenet, whose operas must surely soon receive the full attention they deserve. The magic/fairytale element clearly suited Massenet’s wide and sensitive orchestral palette, while the vivacious story of Princes, magic and balls makes for pure delight. The cast here is really rather starry, boasting the likes of von Stade, Gedda and Bastin.

After an introduction that fizzes along, the chorus shows their prowess (‘Chez Madame de la Haltière’). Yet it is the focused voice of Jules Bastin’s Pandolfe that really impresses. In tandem with Rudel’s exemplary pacing, every word is clear. Bastin’s aria (Scene 2, ‘Du côte de la barbe’) is excellent, with the singer placing his high notes perfectly. Again fast and clear, Bastin’s projection of the comedic ‘Félicitez-moi donc’ and his ensuing contributions (track 7) are perfectly done. Wherever he sings, Bastin is focused and his pitching is uniformly true. Cinderella has to wait until Scene 5 (track 8) before she enters our consciousness in the rather sighing line ‘Ah! Que mes soeurs sont heureuse!’. Von Stade is magnificent in providing just the right bleak tone appropriate for her character’s malaise. How plaintive is the simple cry of ‘Ah!’, how meaningful the phrase ‘Résigne-toi, Cendrille’. Her joy at the end of the act is similarly brought to life (the repetitions of ‘Je suis Reine’, for example). Or try von Stade in Act 3 Scene 1, her tuning faultless, her scales sparking away, her pitching clean. During the course of this performance it is easy to sympathize with Cinderella’s distress, as well as to smile with her.

Nicolai Gedda’s Prince Charming matches von Stade’s Cinders. His Act 2 Scene 2 shows off his truly lovely round tone to perfection and it is worth noting that he is thoroughly convincing here, despite the cheesiness of some of the lines he has to sing (‘Coeur sans amour, printemps sans roses’ …). It is at moments like this that I wondered the omission of a libretto might not be so bad after all …. When Cinderella and her Prince are in duet (Act 2 Scene 4), it is all one could have hoped for. Gedda provides an outpouring of passion against von Stade’s lovely, simple and tender innocence. Their voices are suited to a tee. Again, Gedda’s ardent singing warms the heart towards the end of Act 3. As mentioned above, Ruth Welting is superb. She emits an aura of the approachably supernatural with her vocal twists and turns, and her thoroughly delightful trills. The other star of this set is the Ambrosian Opera Chorus. Massenet puts his chorus to good use, and the Ambrosian responds with disciplined yet touching singing, the Fairies floating along nicely (CD2 Track 10). The sparkling repartee of Noémie (Teresa Cahill) and Dorothée (Elizabeth Bainbridge) in Act 3 Scene 2 exemplifies these singers’ grasp of Massenet’s world while Jane Berbié’s strong mezzo cuts an imposing Madame de la Haltière.

Julius Rudel’s command is never once in doubt and it is good that his orchestra gets the chance to shine in the Dances of Act 2 (CD 1, Tracks 15-19), but the many felicities of scoring throughout the opera mean that the Philharmonia is a source of constant delight...This is a Recording of the Month if ever there was one.-- Colin Clarke

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Bizet - Carmen - Obraztsova, Domingo, Carlos Kleiber, Vienna State Opera 1978

2011-06-01T23:51:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 2000
Label: Connoisseur
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Georges Bizet
Performer: Carlos Kleiber
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Review:

Who knew this existed? Yes, it's been in their "vaults", waiting for who-knows-what, and they asked Carlos Kleiber--a "great but difficult man"--if they might release this recording, and he agreed. As suggested, the true value of this set is the elusive Kleiber's leadership. This is a brilliant reading, full of sunlight and very strong rhythms, with quick tempos, no sentimentality, and a string section that slashes away maniacally during the Gypsy Song and third-act knife fight, but caresses Carmen's Habanera and José's Flower Song. The Quintet is taken so fast that you fear for the ensemble, but there's no need: this show has been impeccably rehearsed and it's as clean as possible. Kleiber even finds a lilting rhythm in the usually dull Smuggler's chorus in Act 3, and the tension in the final scene is almost terrifying, with José's desperation growing out of control. In short, you'll hear much that seems new--or as if you're hearing it anew--with Kleiber at the helm. Elena Obraztsova, even with her covered vowels and outrageously off-key singing in the Gypsy Song, is a splendid Carmen. She offers singing alternately sultry and sarcastic ("Bel officier") and mostly alluring, until she turns gloomy and vicious in Act 3 and unleashes her chest voice. She's never actually subtle, but she's very convincing and always full of personality. And it's likely that Placido Domingo has never been better. The voice is absolutely free and intensely expressive. He and Kleiber clearly inspire one-another. The supporting cast is well-drilled, both musically and dramatically, with no rough edges or inept moments. Needless to say, the orchestra plays gorgeously. This is a remarkable release. I wonder what else is in "the vaults".

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The Very Best of Tito Gobbi

2011-05-30T00:42:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 09/02/2003
Label: Emi Classics
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Various
Performer: Tito Gobbi
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Review:

Here's a virtual compendium of great Italian opera baritone arias, and Tito Gobbi's singing is a textbook illustration of how they should be done. He was a singing actor, at his best either on stage or in complete operatic recordings where he built layered, dramatically convincing characters. While few of the 36 arias and duets here are among the most beautifully sung versions, Gobbi's artistry makes them indispensable. Like Maria Callas, his partner in their memorable complete opera recordings, intensity, characterization, and imagination allied to individual vocal timbre made Gobbi a great singer. And like Callas, he infused his voice with an almost limitless range of colors precisely suited to a role.

Though on the dry side, Gobbi's lean instrument was ideal for Verdi, as we hear on Disc 2's 17 arias from 10 Verdi operas. His "Di Provenza il mar" is suffused with tenderness at the start, then moves through a range of moods that reflect text and music. When it ends we feel know Germont in ways revealed by few other exponents of the role, and while the forte top notes may not have the ideal "ping", diminuendos are ravishing. Gobbi was the reigning Rigoletto of his time, amply demonstrated in the inflections he lavishes on the repeated "la-la-las" of "Povero Rigoletto", and his tortured pleadings in "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata" strike to the heart. If he can't take the opening of "Pietà, rispetto, amore" from Macbeth in one breath, few baritones can. But he makes you forget about the vocally dry fortes and focus instead on the idiomatic breadth of his phrasing, apt rhythmic emphases, and a variety of vocal nuances that are never imposed self-consciously. The disc ends with Falstaff's air-borne "Quand'ero paggio" from a 1964 recital disc, and a terrific "L'Onore! Ladri" from his complete 1957 recording with Karajan.

Disc 1 ranges from Gobbi's Figaro (Rossini's young barber of Seville and Mozart's "Non, piu andrai") and a Donizetti set (highlighted by his inimitable Belcore in L'elisir d'amore), to first-rate verismo selections that include arias from lesser-known operas by Leoncavallo (Zaza), Giordano (Fedora), and Wolf-Ferrari (I gioieli della Madonna), to standards such as the Pagliacci Prologue. The disc ends with a bang--three Puccini arias, including "Tri sbirri" from the 1964 complete Tosca led by Prêtre (not the classic earlier one under Sabata), and a lovely 1959 "Minnie, della mia casa", from La fanciulla del West. Recommended--among the very best of a variable series.--Dan Davis

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Charpentier M-A - Les Arts florissants - Christie, Les Arts Florissants

2011-05-29T00:42:00.001-07:00

Release Date: December 16, 1992
Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
Number of discs: 1
Composer: Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Performer: William Christie, Les Arts Florissants
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Review:

Les arts florissants (H. 487) is a short chamber opera (also described by the composer as idylle en musique) in five scenes by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It was written in 1685 for the group of musicians employed by Marie de Lorraine, Duchess of Guise, at her residence in Paris. The reason behind the creation of this work, as well as its place of performance, remain a matter for speculation. The French libretto, written by an unknown author, is allegorical in nature and draws on aspects of mythological and natural symbolism familiar to 17th-century audiences to add depth to a superficially simple plot.
In 1979, Christie founded Les Arts Florissants, named after the opera of the same name by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, which was to be its first fully-staged production. William Christie's enthusiasm for the French Baroque has never diminished. From Charpentier to Rameau, through Couperin, Mondonville, Campra or Montéclair, he is an acknowledged master of tragédie-lyrique as well as opéra-ballet, and is equally at home with French motets as with music of the court.

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Albinoni - Il Nascimento Dell' Aurora, Serenata in 2 atti - Scimone, I Solisti Veneti

2011-05-27T21:28:00.001-07:00

Release Date: May 14, 1996
Label: Erato
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Tomaso Albinoni
Performer: Claudio Scimone, I Solisti Veneti
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Review:

Claudio Scimone Italian conductor and pioneering champion of the baroque is the leader of I Solisti Veneti. Founded in 1959, they were one of the first groups to give performances of the 18th-century music from the Veneto region of Italy. They made some of the first recordings of many concertos and operas by Vivaldi as well as music by Tartini and Albinoni.

The conductor and his group, actively engaged in Baroque research, is still touring all over the world. For many people, Scimone offered their first experience of this repertory, and with a catalogue of more than 350 recordings and numerous awards to his credit, he and I Solisti Veneti still provide the only recording option in the catalogue for many important baroque works.

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Tomaso Albinoni - Climene (Serenata) - Bezzina, Ensemble Baroque de Nice

2011-05-27T06:53:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 04/24/2006
Label: Accord
Number of discs: 1
Composer: Tomaso Albinoni
Performer: Ensemble Baroque de Nice
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Review:

Instrumental ensemble music (sonatas and concertos) and secular vocal music (operas and solo cantatas) were to be Albinoni's two areas of activity in a remarkably long career as a composer which terminated with a prematurely entitled ‘oeuvre posthume’ (six violin sonatas, c1740) and the opera Artamene (1741). Albinoni's reputation has fluctuated, but is probably higher now than at any time since his own age, when his instrumental music was much in demand all over Europe, particularly among amateurs, and was ranked with that of Corelli, Vivaldi and (in France) Mascitti. Albinoni's strongest asset is the pronounced individuality of his music, to which the insularity of his life may have contributed. His output may be largely mass-produced, but his ideas are all his own. If the instrumental music seems certain to survive, the same cannot yet be said of his vocal music despite its equally historical importance. His Climene was written in 1718 for the Teatro S Angelo in Venice.

This is one of the most attractive pieces by Albinoni which I have heard. Following an engaging three-movement `Sinfonia' with trumpet comes a succession of nine da capo arias and two ensembles for the three characters, interspersed with an agreeably well-proportioned quantity of recitative. I have little but praise for the vocalists since they capture the spirit of the music and, one might easily imagine, the occasion, with style and finesse. The arias, without exception, are engaging and nicely contrasted with one another. Some, of course, are headier concoctions than others; Climene's vernal "Qual passato freddo verno", captivatingly sung by Poulenard is one of the loveliest numbers here, but hardly less beguiling are Ciddipe's "Gii Pletre e Cetre" with mandolin, and "Se ne andar liberi i campi", somewhat reminiscent of Elpina's "Aure lievi che spirate" in the First Act of Vivaldi's opera La fida Ninfa (1732); Visse's articulation, declamation and musical sensibility call for the strongest commendation. Elwes is impressive too, and I particularly enjoyed his rather Handelian "II nome degli Eroi". The two trios ending Parts 1 and 2 of the serenata are splendid, a notably successful conjunction of vocal talent. The Nice Baroque Ensemble directed by Gilbert Bezzina provide strong support throughout, not always refined in ensemble but never less than adequate and usually a good deal more than that. Albinoni and the performers have discharged themselves with flying colours. Excellent recorded sound.

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The Very Best of Nicolai Gedda

2011-05-25T17:38:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 09/02/2003
Label: Emi Classics
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Various
Performer: Nicolai Gedda
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Review:

Hands down, Nicolai Gedda was the classiest lyric tenor of the 1950s and '60s (and very early '70s). For the most part he wisely kept away from the after-1860 Italian repertoire: his voice lacked the necessary juice, and with Björling, Bergonzi, Corelli, and del Monaco around, why bother? These CDs offer two hours and 35 minutes of singing--and interpreting--that never tire the ear and never bore.

"Ach so fromm" is ravishing in its intimacy (by its close, it's normally shouted); Lohengrin's Narrative may lack heft, but it's a model of lyricism and Gedda darkens his tone enough to give it authority; an aria from Goldmark's The Queen of Sheba closes on an unearthly head-voiced high-C that's matched only by a similar feat in Bizet's Pearl Fishers (a performance notable for its great breath control and legato as well); Hoffman's tale of Kleinzach is a riveting, snappy story, filled with just the schizophrenia the role requires; the Dmitri/Marina duet from Boris is energetic and filled with smoldering undercurrent; three Tchaikovsky songs become little dramas; Beethoven's "Adelaide" and Schubert's "Ständchen" are models of Lieder singing; selections by Gounod and Massenet exhibit his impeccable French diction and style; the high-D at the close of Adam's "Postman" aria and repeated Cs in William Tell's would be the envy of any tenor; and his bel canto style in a duet from Sonnambula (with Mirella Freni) is ideal. Yes, this is the very best of Nicolai Gedda.--Robert Levine

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Charles Gounod - Mors et Vita - Hendricks, Denize, Aler, van Dam, Plasson

2011-05-24T18:22:00.001-07:00

Release Date: August 5, 2002
Label: EMI Classics
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Charles Gounod
Performer: Michel Plasson, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
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Review:

It was the ambition of Gounod to write a great sacred trilogy. He counted the " Redemption " the first part, " Mors et Vita" (" Death and Life") the second, and was engaged upon the third at the time of his death. Both the " Redemption" and " Mors et Vita" are in turn themselves trilogies. " Mors et Vita" was dedicated by Gounod to Pope Leo XIII. The text is arranged from the liturgy of the Catholic Church and the vulgate, and is throughout in Latin. In his preface Gounod thus explains his purpose : " This work is a continuation of my sacred trilogy, the " Redemption." It will perhaps be asked why, in the title, I have placed death before life. It is because in the order of eternal things death precedes life, although, in the order of temporal things life precedes death. Death is only the end of that existence which dies each day; it is only the end of a continual 'dying.' But it is the first moment, and, as it were, the birth of that which dies no more." The first part of the work, " Death" is nothing more or less than a Requiem Mass; the second part is termed " Judgment ;" the third deals with Eternal Life.

Throughout this recording the musicianship of the performers is magnificently on display. Though the work is on the whole too long, as a recording one can sit back and wallow in the rich score, the beautiful voices of Barbara Hendricks, Nadine Denize, John Aler and Jose van Dam, and the wonderfully controlled emotion of Maestro Michael Plasson. The chorus is magnificent and the orchestra performs with a rich variety of color and character.

Performer: Barbara Hendricks, Nadine Denize, John Aler, José van Dam, Christoph Kuhlmann, et al.
Orchestra: Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
Conductor: Michel Plasson

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Bellini - Beatrice di Tenda - Sutherland, Pavarotti, Bonynge, London Symphony Orchestra

2011-05-21T19:19:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 01/19/1993
Label: Decca
Number of discs: 3
Composer: Vincenzo Bellini
Performer: Sutherland, Pavarotti, Bonynge
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Review:

Bellini’s penultimate opera – written for La Fenice, Venice, in 1833 – has never enjoyed the popularity of such works as La sonnambula, Norma and I puritani. Listening to this vintage Joan Sutherland recording dating from 1966, it is hard to fathom why. The story is strong and stirring – a sort of cross between Maria Stuarda and La Gioconda – and offers fine roles for the wronged titular heroine, her villainous husband Filippo, her platonic admirer Orombello and his would-be mistress, Agnese del Maino (a Princess Eboli avant la lettre). How odd that Sutherland never managed to persuade Covent Garden to mount it for her, especially with this glorious cast. The Decca set is historic because it offered the legendary Sutherland/Pavarotti collaboration for the first time on disc. Luciano is wonderfully stylish here, elegant and ringing: Nureyev, vocally-speaking, to Sutherland’s Fonteyn. La Stupenda was going through one of her ‘moony’, muddy-diction phases, but the vocalism is quite dazzling. It’s a joy to encounter Josephine Veasey in her only commercially recorded Italian role: velvet-toned, shining, she is Sutherland’s most lustrous mezzo rival in any bel canto recording. More recent recordings include a Rizzoli set – Mariana Nicolescu in the title role – and a brand new one starring Edita Gruberova on the ominously named Nightingale label, which I have not yet heard. Buyers, however, can safely invest in this mid-price reissue. It would have been even more attractive if Decca had encompassed Beatrice di Tenda’s 150-minute duration on two CDs, rather than padding out a third with (nonetheless desirable) excerpts from Sutherland’s earlier recording of Sonnambula, Norma and Puritani.-- Hugh Canning, BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

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Berlioz - Benvenuto Cellini - Kunde, Ciofi, Di Donato, Nelson

2011-05-20T19:58:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 01/11/2005
Label: Virgin Classics
Number of discs: 3
Composer: Hector Berlioz
Performer: John Nelson, French National Radio Orchestra
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Review:

This recording presents--almost--Berlioz's original thoughts on this very complicated opera (which went through more than a dozen versions, with additions and subtractions, in the composer's lifetime), although conductor John Nelson also adds an aria or two Berlioz later added, making it somewhat different from the version recorded by Philips under Sir Colin Davis a little over 30 years ago. If I had to choose one of these two superb performances, it would be this: the opera's odd rhythms are more strongly underlined by Nelson, the whole work seems more lively, and the comic moments are genuinely funny. And the singing is superb, with Patrizia Ciofi a simply great, light-toned Teresa, Gregory Kunde tackling the title role and singing as impressively as Gedda did for Davis, and Joyce di Donato singing Ascanio's music as well as you'll ever hear it. The darker-voiced roles are equally well taken, with Laurent Naouri's Balducci particularly vivid. The orchestral playing, choral singing, and ensemble work and sonics are first rate. This is a superb recording, presenting Berlioz's odd masterwork brilliantly. --Robert Levine

Performer: Laurent Naouri, Renaud Delaigues, Eric Salha, Eric Huchet, Marc Mauillon, Ronan Nédélec, Patrizia Ciofi, Gregory Kunde, Jean-François Lapointe, Joyce DiDonato
Conductor: John Nelson
Orchestra/Ensemble: French National Radio Orchestra, French National Radio Chorus

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Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana & Leoncavallo - Pagliacci - Caballé, Carreras, Scotto, Muti

2011-05-16T00:00:00.001-07:00

Release Date: November 11, 2002
Label: EMI Classics
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Mascagni, Leoncavallo
Performer: Caballé, Carreras, Scotto, Muti
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Review:

Muti's recording of the Cavalleria Rusicana, Pagliacci is one of the very best. Carreras is most impassioned, singing both tenor roles. He is in gorgeous voice here - one of his very greatest recordings. Caballe is exquisite, if a little detached dramatically, as Santuzza. Still, a vocally sumptuous reading. Scotto, on the other hand is completely on fire as Nedda! Her upper register is not always as secure as Caballe's, but she has the verismo style in her voice like few other modern sopranos. Muti conducts a taut, intense reading and the recorded sound is exceptional. Don't miss this one...

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Mozart - La Clemenza di Tito – Rene Jacobs, Freiburger Barockorchester

2011-05-14T20:19:00.001-07:00

Release Date: 10/10/2006
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Number of discs: 2
Composer: Wolfgang A. Mozart
Performer: René Jacobs, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra
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Review:

Mozart's opera about an emperor with a heart of gold and the plotters who betray him ends with reconciliation and forgiveness. Along the way we meet characters who include a good man tortured by his conscience, a vindictive seductress, a selfless heroine, and sundry others, all in a work in which Mozart reverts to the old opera seria style. That means lots of long recitatives which, together with a credulity-straining plot, resulted in many condemning the opera to the second tier of Mozart's works. But when given in a performance of such volatile vitality and superb singing, it commands our attention. The music certainly is top-drawer Mozart, thanks to Jacobs's incisive conducting, the period orchestra's lively playing, and a cast of singers who handle difficult coloratura with ease and offer persuasive portrayals.

Pendatchanska is thrilling as the evil pivot of the plot, singing with exciting abandon, while Fink (as her foil who betrays his friend for her love) is on the same level, singing with ardor and tossing off coloratura runs without breaking a sweat. Mark Padmore in the title role sings with his usual honeyed tenor and makes Tito a believable character, which takes some doing. What sets this recording apart from other worthy ones, such as those by Colin Davis, Charles Mackarras, and John Eliot Gardiner, is its dramatic thrust. Stock figures become believable, their dilemmas and self-doubts become interesting, their music revealing and impactful. By far the best version of the opera, it should be heard by all Mozartians. -- Dan Davis

Performer: Mark Padmore, Sunhae Im, Bernarda Fink, Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Marie-Claude Chappuis, Sergio Foresti
Conductor: René Jacobs
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra