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Cat. No.: 475 8271 |
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ARTISTS Hartmut Welker | Der Herrscher
TRACK LISTING KORNGOLD: Das Wunder der Heliane As part of Decca's acclaimed Entartete Musik (or 'Degenrate Music') series devoted to music either suppressed or forbidden during the Nazi regime, Korngold's notorious opera Das Wunder der Heliane, composed in 1927, received its premier recording here. Korngold's ravishing orchestration heightens the combination of mystical, erotic, religious and philosophical themes that abound throughout the piece. All those interested in music in particular and the arts in general during this period will certainly find much to enjoy here. 'Decca's magnificent recording amply confirms the view that this is Korngold's masterpiece, musically even richer than his better-known opera Die tote Stadt . The opening prelude, with its exotic harmonies and heavenly choir, will seduce anyone with a sweet tooth. John Mauceri draws glorious sonds from the orchestra, and the cast is headed by three outstanding singers, the soprano Anna Tomowa-Sintow at her richest, an impressive American Heldentenor, John David de Haan, as the Stranger and Hartmut Welker as the Ruler.' The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs
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Cat. No.: 475 8275 |
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Product Microsite:
Teresa Berganza | Isabella
TRACK LISTING ROSSINI: L'italiana in Algeri Starring Teresa Berganza as Isabella, Fernando Corena as Mustafa and Luigi Alva as Lindoro. 'This recording of L'italiana in Algeri was made in the Teatro de la Pergola, Florence in the summer of 1963. Rolando Panerai is his usual incomparably humorous self. The recording is typical of the period, splendidly engineered on the large scale with a good deal of stereo production, characters perambulating fairly freely around one's room. Decca have reproduced it for CD with plenty of immediacy and brightness' Gramophone
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Cat. No.: 475 8278 |
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ARTISTS Carlo Bergonzi | Riccardo
TRACK LISTING VERDI: Un Ballo in Maschera This recording of Un ballo in maschera features the legendary duo of Carlo Bergonzi and Birgit Nilsson, conducted by Sir Georg Solti. This is Solti's first recording of the opera. Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball) is set to a libretto by by Antonio Somma and the opera's first production was at the Teatro Apollo, Rome, on February 17, 1859. 'It would be hard, if not impossible today, to assemble such a secure-voiced and accomplished cast as this for Ballo. Nilsson sings with plenty of depth and understanding in a part she often took in Stockholm and displays, almost needless to say, a voice that is technically firm and secure. Bergonzi is about the best Riccardo on any complete commercial set: his line, attack, pitch and characterization in one of his most telling parts, is an object-lesson in singing Verdi.'
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Cat. No.: 475 8281 |
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ARTISTS Luciano Pavarotti | Manrico
TRACK LISTING VERDI: Il Trovatore Starring Luciano Pavarotti, Dame Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne, conducted by Richard Bonynge with the National Philharmonic Orchestra. |
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Cat. No.: 475 8285 |
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ARTISTS Alastair Miles | Claudio
TRACK LISTING HANDEL: Agrippina Handel's three-act opera seria Agrippina sets a libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani. The opera tells the story of Agrippina, the mother of Nero, as she plots the downfall of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the installation of her son as emperor. The plot is a typically Venetian, and largely fictional, account of an episode in Roman history, chiefly referring to the Empress Agrippina's intrigues to see her son, Nero, on the imperial throne in succession to her husband, Claudius. There is a marked comic element as the two women, Agrippina and Poppea, manipulate the largely guileless men unfortunate enough to cross their paths. The big, near-tragic moment comes in Act 2, where Otho, in spite of his loyalty to the emperor and his devotion to Poppea, is universally betrayed. He then sings a passionate and poignant lament ('Voi che udite il mio lamento') which, in any good performance of the opera, is its high point. It certainly is that here. Michael Chance sings it magnificently, with great depth of feeling and beauty and evenness of tone. Chance is no less impressive in his other arias. The role of Otho was originally sung by a woman, but such a performance as this disarms criticism.
Any admirer of countertenor singing should be prepared to buy the set for Michael Chance's singing alone. But in fact there are two other countertenors here who are well worth hearing, especially Derek Lee Ragin, whose high-lying voice and sensitive, thoughtful phrasing serve Nero's music admirably. His last aria, a brilliant piece with colourful instrumental writing, is breathtakingly done, fiery singing with very precise execution. The third of the countertenors is Jonathan Peter Kenny as Narcissus, who provides some particularly musical singing in his aria near the end of Act 2. Della Jones gives a masterful performance in the title-role. Her music is very varied in mood: there are several brief and catchy little pieces, which she throws off with spirit, but also some larger-scale numbers, such as the marvellous C minor aria near the end of Act 1, which is done with great vigour, and the noble, invocation-like 'Pensieri, voi mi tormentate', another of the opera's high points, to which she brings much intensity. Her commanding singing is ideal for Agrippina. 'John Eliot Gardiner has not recorded many Handel operas, nor directed many in the theatre. But of course he is a fine and very experienced conductor of Handel and he has a sure feeling for tempo and for the character of each movement. The orchestral playing is beyond reproach. This recording is comfortably among the half-dozen finest recordings of Handel operas, and has a much more powerful cast than its only competitor, on Harmonia Mundi, to which it is much to be preferred.' Gramophone |
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Cat. No.: 475 8393 |
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ARTISTS Mara Zampieri | Lady Macbeth Verdi's Macbeth is in four acts and sets an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave with additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. 'Sinopoli presents Macbeth as a searing Shakespearean inspiration. In the banqueting scene, for example, Sinopoli creates extra dramatic intensity by his concerns for detail and his preference for extreme dynamics, and Renato Bruson and Mara Zampieri respond vividly. Zampieri matches exactly Verdi's request for the voice of a she-devil. Neil Shicoff as Macduff and Robert Lloyd as Banco make up the excellent quartet of principals. CD adds vividly to the realism of a recording that is well balanced and focused but atmospheric. (A Key Recording from The Penguin Guide to Classical CDs)
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