The Music Pages | February 2007

Five new releases in this wonderful series with original cover artwork and liner notes, including the magnificent, fire-catching Rudolf Bing tribute from the MET.
	Cat. No.: 477 6539 Barcode: 0028947765394 Label: DG CD Release Date: 3 February			BORIS CHRISTOFF \| Russian Melodies ARTISTS Boris Christoff, bass Michael Achilles · Jürgen Brüggebors, flutes Gaston Maugras, oboe/cor anglais Hervé le Floch · Peter Heidrich, violins Emilia Baranowska · Jean-Marie Gamard, cellos Gesine Tiefuhr, piano Orchestre russe de balalaïkas d. Liakoff TRACK LISTING Alas, fate ... Oh, bitter fate Grief, affliction, all hope gone Oh, pain, pass away, soon the sadness will be gone The Nightingale Nastasia Masha may not go down to the river I am grieved that thou canst not see into my heart Two guitars are sadly playing Do not touch me, lest I turn to flame How the wind howls in the chimney Where the eternal snow lies on the Kazbek Come, my guitar, play on Famed for his commanding performances of the great bass opera roles like Boris Godunov, the incomparable singing actor Boris Christoff (1914 - 1993) reveals here a more intimate side of his genius. To the delicate accompaniment of a balalaika orchestra, he presents twelve songs, ranging from simple folk melodies (Where the eternal snow) to gypsy tunes (Two guitars) and Russian romances, imbued with all the melancholy and gaiety of the Russian soul. This is the first release of the original LP from 1977 on CD. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 6543 Barcode: 0028947765431 Label: DG CD Release Date: 3 February			WOLFGANG WINDGASSEN \| Wolfgang Windgassen sings Wagner ARTISTS Wolfgang Windgassen, tenor Bamberger Symphoniker · Münchener Philharmoniker Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin Richard Kraus · Ferdinand Leitner · Leopold Ludwig TRACK LISTING WAGNER: Allmächt'ger Vater, blick herab ( Rienzi ) Wie sie selig, hehr und milde ( Tristan und Isolde ) Notung, Notung, Neidliches Schwert ( Siegfried ) Hoho, Hoho, Hohei! Schmiede, mein Hammer ? Brünhilde, heilige Braut ( Götterdämmerung ) Nur eine Waffe taugt ( Parsifal ) In fernem Land \| Mein lieber Schwan ( Lohengrin ) Fürstin ( Tannhäuser ) Fanget an! ? Selig wie die Sonne \| Morgenlich leuchtend ( Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg ) To this day Wagner presents special challenges to every singer, and natural Wagner interpreters are rare. One such was the unforgettable Wolfgang Windgassen, the leading postwar Heldentenor, who sang all the major tenor roles - from Rienzi, Tannhäuser and Lohengrin to Siegfried, Tristan and Parsifal - at Bayreuth from 1951 to 1970. Here, in extracts from eight Wagner operas he displays all the lyrical and dramatic qualities of his beautifully natural voice to great advantage. Annelies Küpper also appears, as Elizabeth, in an extended extract from Tannhäuser. Three bonus tracks from Meistersinger complement the original LP, which is appearing for the first time on CD. 'If he has stood out well above any Heldentenor of the fifties and sixties, it is not because he had the loudest or most robust voice among his contemporaries, but because his was the most pleasing tone and the smoothest production.' 'His interpretative art has risen to genuine greatness.' - J.B. Steane, The Great Tradition RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 6542 Barcode: 0028947765424 Label: DG CD Release Date: 3 February			RITA STREICH \| Rita Streich sings Immortal Melodies ARTISTS Rita Streich, soprano RIAS Kammerchor · Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin Kurt Gaebel TRACK LISTING J. STRAUSS: Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring) SAINT-SAËNS: Le rossignol et la rose VERDI: Lo spazzocamino GODARD: Berceuse ( Jocelyn ) ARDITI: Parla J. STRAUSS: Mein Herr Marquis \| Spiel ich die Unschuld vom Lande ( Die Fledermaus ) J. STRAUSS: G'schichten aus dem Wiener Wald SUPPÉ: Hab ich nur deine Liebe ( Boccaccio ) DVORÁK: Song to the Moon ( Rusalka ) MEYERBEER: Shadow Song ( Dinorah ) From the original liner notes: 'Rita Streich received her musical education from Erna Berger and Maria Ivogun; today she is regarded as an equal successor to her teachers. The celebrated coloratura - possessing a voice of rare, clear-as-a-bell beauty - combines technical perfection with strong musical powers of expression in her recital.' This is one of her most successful albums, with one magnificent number after another, now presented for the first time in its entirety as it was originally released. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 6540 Barcode: 0028947765400 Label: DG CD Release Date: 3 February			VARIOUS ARTISTS \| Opera Gala: Honouring Sir Rudolf Bing (1972) ARTISTS *Martina Arroyo+ ? Montserrat Caballé \| Birgit Nilsson++ \| Leontyne Price** \| Teresa Zylis-Gara, sopranos §** Regina Resnik, mezzo soprano ^ Franco Corelli § \| Placido Domingo* \| Richard Tucker, tenors º *Robert Merrill, baritone* º** Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Richard Bonynge+ James Levine* Karl Böhm++ § Francesco Molinari-Pradelli Kurt Adler ^ TRACK LISTING VERDI:** Tacea la notte placida ( Il Trovatore )+ PUCCINI: Tu, tu, amore? Tu? ( Manon Lescaut )* R. STRAUSS: Ah, du wolltest mich nicht deinen Mund küssen lassen ( Salome )++ MOZART: Dove sono ( Le Nozze di Figaro ) J. STRAUSS:** Chacun à Bing's gout ( Die Fledermaus ) ^ VERDI: Invano Alvaro ( La Forza del Destino ) º VERDI: Già nella notte densa ( Otello ) § A star-studded cast honours one of the great opera impresarios of our time. For 22 seasons the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera was managed by a resourceful, suave and highly effective executive, who would be the first to admit he was not in the business to make friends. It was on the final night of his reign - April 22 1972, an historic, emotion-filled, nostalgia-drenched evening - when he discovered how many friends he had actually made. That was the night when the world's greatest singers came out in full force and paid sentimental homage to the retiring general manager - their former boss Sir Rudolf Bing (1902 - 1997). The original LP of highlights is now released internationally in its entirety on CD for the first time. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 477 6541 Barcode: 0028947765417 Label: DG CD Release Date: 3 February			RUSSELL OBERLIN \| Handel Arias ARTISTS Russell Oberlin, countertenor Albert Fuller, harpsichord Baroque Chamber Orchestra Thomas Dunn TRACK LISTING HANDEL: But who may abide the day of His coming ? How beautiful, are the feet ( Messiah ) Their land brought forth frogs ? Thou shalt bring them in ( Israel in Egypt ) Ah dolce nome! ( Muzio Scaevola ) Vivi, tiranno! ? Dove sei, amato bene ? Ombra cara ( Rodelinda ) Celebrated for his strong, sweet tone and elegant phrasing, American countertenor Russell Oberlin (b.1928) helped to popularize rare repertory and the countertenor voice itself. Originally released on Decca in the USA, then on Deutsche Grammophon in 1960, this astonishing recording is appearing on CD for the first time. 'His records are unique in a crowded field and the most sensational is the Handel album, a selection of opera and oratorio arias written for alto castratos or female mezzo-sopranos. It was a tour de force for Oberlin, who never performed the castrato roles on stage...In the studio he was able to try things he rarely attempted in the concert hall; so he sings all the arias in their original keys and at modern pitch, undaunted by the heroic flights of coloratura...At the end of Ombra cara he inserts an electrifying cadenza...At no point does his tone betray the faintest blip or creak - not the slightest hint of the dreaded 'gear shift'. It is one of the most amazing demonstrations of vocal homogeneity on record.' International Classical Record Collector RETURN TO THE TOP