The preferred collection for opera aficionados the world over! As a noteworthy pioneer in the field of recorded music, the tremendously influential Italian tenor lent his rich vocal timbre to some of the earliest pressings made by the Victor Talking Machine Company which, a century later, have found their way out of RCA’s vaults and are now safely …
Love, angst, and revenge are the timeless themes of Handel s operas, as brought to vivid life in this recording by the acclaimed baroque orchestra Apollo s Fire. Grammy®-winning soprano Amanda Forsythe, described as simply dazzling by the New York Times, joins conductor/harpsichordist Jeannette Sorrell to explore the gamut of emotions, from fiery coloratura arias to tragic laments. …
Jonas Kaufmanns matchless charisma and effortless physicality enable him to embody a broad range of characters onstage. These discs make clear, however, that Kaufmanns acting emerges above all in his voice. Through acute interpretative intelligence and deeply affecting dramatic involvement, every gradation of feeling is revealed. Whether in French, German, or Italian, this is one of the most …
Jonas Kaufmann is without question the most versatile tenor of his generation, and his current repertoire includes an astonishing range of opera roles from Mozart to Wagner. He is also a celebrated Lieder interpreter, equally at home on the concert platform. His Decca Debut album celebrates a luscious range of Romantic opera arias, showcasing the astonishing diversity of …
Admired for her remarkable creative imagination and exemplary musicianship, soprano Patricia Petibon, in her newest album for Deutsche Grammophon, offers a treasure-trove of fascinating Baroque curiosities guaranteed to enthrall both the Baroque aficionado and the casual listener.Nouveau Monde is conceived as a journey from the Old to the New World, a spell-binding collection of arias, songs and pieces …
With Johann Adolph Hasse Reloaded (OC 830), Valer Sabadus became the shooting star amongst countertenors. In December 2013, he appeared in Mozart roles for the Styriarte. The Salzburg master wrote them for some of the greatest castrati of his time: Rauzzini, Consoli, Bedini. The young interpreter must therefore sing up into the heights of the …
The world’s best-selling female classical artist, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, offers a brand-new recording of some of the most intriguing fruits of the Baroque era: selections from long-unheard cantatas and oratorios by Caldara, Scarlatti and Handel. Researched and reassembled by Bartoli and musicologist Claudio Osele, this heretofore neglected music is revealed in its original light, in a breathtaking …
Yo-Yo Ma – Simply Baroque II ~ Bach & Boccherini / ABO, Koopman
This is the sequel to Yo-Yo Ma’s wildly successful Simply Baroque, released last year. Again joined by the excellent Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, with Ton Koopman conducting from the harpsichord, he plays with a baroque bow on his 1712 Stradivarius cello “reconfigured” as a baroque instrument with gut strings and no endpin and tuned a half-tone lower. This gives …
This recital brings together three operas from the earlier years of Verdi’s career (Nabucco, Ernani and Macbeth) and one of his greatest mature masterpieces (Don Carlo). Callas sang all of them on stage apart from Ernani, and Lady Macbeth proved a triumph for her when she opened the La Scala season in December 1952. Gramophone greeted this recital …
Barbara Frittoli ~ Mozart / Sir Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
This disc of arias from five Mozart operas showcases the soprano Barbara Frittoli. When Graham Vick’s ill-fated Don Giovanni was featured in the 2000 Glyndebourne season, almost the only thing that wasn’t booed was Frittoli’s Donna Anna: a model of decorum, elegance, and vocal poise amid the onstage carnage, which confirmed her status as one of the outstanding …