Prices shown exclude VAT. (UK tax is not payable for deliveries to United States.)
See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Tragédie lyrique. Paris, 1802
First performed at the Paris Opéra in 1802, 'Sémiramis' by Charles-Simon Catel is an example of the revival at that time of the tragédie lyrique inherited from Gluck. A work with a touch of exoticism (Babylon), expressing the pathos of isolation, but also with pomp in its ambitious finales, the work bade farewell to the ‘Louis-XVI style’ and announced, in a neo-Classical style, the grand opéra of the Romantic period. But it came at a time of polemics between supporters and detractors of the new Paris Conservatoire, where Catel, at that time professor of harmony there, had made so many enemies that the audience pit at the Opera was bristling with vengeful hostility when the curtain rose on the first act... Hervé Niquet and his Le Concert Spirituel, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary, continue their untiring rehabilitation of forgotten tragédies lyriques (we might recall here their 'Callirhoé' by Destouches, 'Sémélé' by Marais, 'Proserpine' by Lully and 'Andromaque' by Grétry) with this recording of Catel’s Sémiramis made during the course of the Festival de Radio France, in Montpellier, in July 2011. The typical skill of Niquet when it comes to selecting singers – among those who shine here are Maria Riccarda Wesseling and Andrew Foster-Williams – further helps to make this new operatic release a stimulating surprise for all lovers of the best in French music. “Niquet's commitment to the piece is never in doubt, but the score is hamstrung by Catel's weakness as a melodist. The title role requires considerable histrionic powers, and Maria Riccarda Wesseling is impressive in it.” The Guardian, 13th September 2012 *** “Nicquet puts the drama at the top of his agenda, but also shows a strong sense of line and a gracious way with the dances...Vidal is attractive as the troubled Arzace. This is a passionate performance, well recorded and well delivered; a pity Cate offers us so little melody.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2012 “I find this opera’s sound world immensely attractive…The performance by Niquet’s original-instrument band seems especially well graded in melodramatic terms, the cast are uniformly strong and the live Montpellier concert recording effective.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2012 “Herve Niquet sustains the development of the music up to the final act, with some euphonious playing and singing from Le Concert Spirituel.” International Record Review, February 2013 | | | (also available to download from $21.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  |
This recording of Alceste is performed by the Early Opera Company and Christian Curnyn, whose other Handel recordings for Chandos have all received glowing accolades: Semele, for instance, was an Editor’s Choice in Gramophone and one of the Records of 2007 in The Sunday Times. The recording of Flavio was nominated for a Gramophone Award in 2011, in the Baroque Vocal category. In Alceste, Admetus, the terminally ill King of Thessaly, is promised by Apollo that he can defer his premature death if another person volunteers to die in his place. Alcestis, the beloved wife of Admetus, bravely sacrifices herself to die in his place. The hero Hercules visits his grieving friend Admetus, resolves to travel to Hades, overpowers Pluto, returns Alcestis to the world of the living, and restores her to Admetus. The production of Alceste was initially envisaged as an expensive collaboration between the Scottish-born novelist and playwright Tobias Smollett, the Covent Garden company of actors and singers, the theatre owner and manager John Rich, the prestigious composer Handel, and the elaborate scenery designer Giovanni Servandoni. However, soon after full rehearsals began, Alceste was aborted permanently for reasons that are unclear. One theory to explain the cancellation is that the lavishness of the production became too expensive for Rich to risk box-office failure – another is that the temperamental Smollett quarrelled violently with the theatre owner, who might have responded by cancelling the production. Whatever the reason behind the cancellation, Smollett’s abandoned script for the play was lost, and only Handel’s incidental music survives today. Although Handel never performed his music for Alceste, he characteristically found plenty of practical uses for it. He adapted several sinfonias, choruses, and arias to form the majority of the music for The Choice of Hercules, and several other numbers were later used in revivals of Belshazzar and Alexander Balus. “The score is of superlative quality and shows that Handel understood perfectly that for this quintessentially English theatrical impact the music had to make its impact immediately...Curnyn understands this too, and this performance has wonderful breadth...Crowe brings a gorgeous sensuality to ['Gentle Morpheus']...Hulett paces and phrases his short final aria 'Tune your harps' beautifully...Foster-Williams is impressively implacable in his single aria” International Record Review, May 2012 “agreeable sequence of music with one show stopper, Calliope’s Gentle Morpheus, which is the highlight here, as sung by Lucy Crowe, warmer and more sensual than the classic account by Emma Kirkby...[with] Curnyn’s choral and orchestral forces on sparkling form, the disc offers more than an hour of Handelian delight.” Sunday Times, 13th May 2012 “Curnyn's lively and sensitive approach makes a strong case for this little-known score.” Graham Rogers, bbc.co.uk, 28th May 2012 “Curnyn's delicious recording of the surviving score is amplified with a sinfonia from Admeto and a passacaglia from Radamisto. These fizzily, sexily swung orchestral additions emphasise the parallels between Handel's incidental music and Purcell's music for King Arthur, The Fairy Queen and The Tempest...Alcestis's journey to the Underworld is enchanting, with Curnyn's fleet strings, intimately proportioned chorus, and polished soloists” BBC Music Magazine, July 2012 ***** “Curnyn and his trim period band give full value to the music's sensuous charm, phrasing alluringly in the slower numbers and keeping the rhythms lithe and springy...Andrew Foster-Williams is incisive without bluster in Charon's balefully cheerful 'Ye fleeting shades'. Benjamin Hulett is both mellifluous and athletic in his three arias, while Lucy Crowe displays her nimble coloratura technique in the frolicking 'Come fancy' and brings a limpid purity of line to 'Gentle Morpheus'” Gramophone Magazine, August 2012 “There's a real sense of ceremonial majesty in the choruses, and the solo singing is exceptionally fine. Benjamin Hulett tackles his exacting coloratura numbers with great elegance, while Andrew Foster-Williams has fun as Charon...Best of all, though, is Lucy Crowe, who gets to sing Gentle Morpheus, Son of Night, one of the most beautiful things in Handel's entire output” The Guardian, 12th July 2012 **** “[Hulett] impresses with his easy mellifluous voice, lovely sense of line and nice crisp ornamentation... if you haven't yet made the acquaintance of Handel's personable score, then this is the time to do so and this is the recording to go for.” MusicWeb International, July 2012  BBC Music Magazine
Opera Choice - July 2012 |
| | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  | Opéra-ballet. Paris, 1699
Salomé Haller (Isabelle), Marina de Liso (Léonore), Andrew Foster-Williams (Rodolphe), Edwin Crossley-Mercer (Léandre), Anders J. Dahlin (Orphée), Sarah Tynan (Euridice), Isabelle Druet (Minerve/La Fortune), Luigi de Donato (Le Carnaval/Pluton) Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet Recorded in the Salle Colonne, Paris, January 2011. Performance edition prepared by the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles (CMBV) Whilst the court of the ageing Louis XIV was endeavouring to conserve the spirit of the Grand Siècle at Versailles, Paris was already humming with the new ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. With its prologue and three festive acts, its exotic dances and its virtuoso arias in Italian, Le Carnaval de Venise was one of the most original experiences to be had in musical drama at the time, one which was to earn Campra the reputation as the new maestro of French opera, as well as of being the musical eulogist for the Regency. In a magisterial act of conflation, this composer blends the styles of Lully, Lalande, Monteverdi and Cavalli and manages also to foreshadow Handel and Rameau. He dreamt up a multi-hued score, capable of recapturing in Paris both the carnival spirit in general and that of the legendary Venice in particular. With this Carnaval de Venise Le Concert Spirituel and Hervé Niquet add a new title to their tireless work of recovering operatic jewels from those prodigious 17th and 18th centuries, amongst which we can mention here Proserpine by Lully, Sémélé by Marais and Andromaque by Grétry, all released on Glossa. “Dramatically, it still startles...Conducted by Hervé Niquet, the performance is fine, with stylish choral singing and playing from Le Concert Sprituel. As the lovers, Andrew Foster-Williams and Marina De Liso have more fun as wicked Rodolphe and Léonore than Salomé Haller and mature-sounding Alain Buet as goody-goodies Isabelle and Léandre.” The Guardian, 8th September 2011 **** “The music is irresistible in a performance as charismatic as this – so vivid that one can see, in the mind’s eye, all the fun and frolics on stage. Niquet and his ensemble display the sort of effortless stylishness that makes this music as fresh as the day it was composed.” Financial Times, 10th September 2011 ***** “Hervé Niquet directs a fine instrumental ensemble whose players are entirely at ease with the score's stylistic niceties. The singing is more variable, though Salome Haller is magnificent as Isabelle and Andrew Foster-Williams is entirely convincing as Rodolphe. Overall it's a fascinating issue.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2011 *** “There is much here that Campra inherited from the tragedies of Lully...Despite this, and the wounded feelings of the unrequited lovers, the predominant mood is upbeat. Herve Niquet and his forces - there are no weak links - give a performance to brighten up the dullest mood.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2011 “the orchestra of the Concert Spirituel has an ingrained sense of how to play this music...It is good to welcome this important piece of operatic history to the catalogue.” International Record Review, January 2012 | | | (also available to download from $21.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| | .jpg) |
Although Flavio, premiered in 1723, deals with motives of love, honour, and duty, the tone is domestic, with less emphasis than in many other operas on political or military changes of fortune. Though hardly a comedy, it does seem to move to a more detached view of human interactions. The action is set in Lombardy during the dark ages: the stratagem of sending unwanted individuals away to govern Britain – striking overtones of honour and punishment – would no doubt have been taken humorously by the London audiences. The music embraces a wide variety of emotions, with duets, one for each pair of lovers, framing the beginning and end of the opera. In Act III, as one lover pleads the case of his rival, the ambiguity of the situation causes a splendid ironical frisson in the plot, reflected in the music. Handel revived Flavio once, in 1732, its modest success in its day reflecting the tastes of contemporary audiences rather than its musical or dramatic quality. It is far better appreciated today as one of the composer’s most inventive operas, full of the varied imagination, superb arias, and excellent melody we expect from Handel’s best operas. Founded in 1994 by its music director, Christian Curnyn, the Early Opera Company is now firmly established as one of Britain’s leading early music ensembles. The Company’s debut production of Handel’s Serse led to an invitation to perform at the BOC Covent Garden Festival, and this was followed by three performances of Ariodante. In 1998 the Company made its debut at St John’s, Smith Square with a concert performance of Charpentier’s Actéon and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and was invited to stage Handel’s Orlando at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the South Bank Early Music Festival. Since then the Company has performed at many leading festivals. Highlights have included productions of Dido and Aeneas at the Vic Early Music Festival in Spain, Handel’s Agrippina at St John’s, and Handel’s Partenope at the Buxton Festival and the Snape Proms at Aldeburgh. Future plans include performances of Così fan tutte at New York City Opera and Medée at Chicago Opera Theater. For Chandos, Christian Curnyn and the Early Opera Company have recorded Handel’s Partenope and Semele (winner of the 2009 Stanley Sadie Handel Recording Prize) and Eccles’s The Judgment of Paris. “Flavio has some fine music, but is rarely performed...The aria 'Amante stravagante'...nicely displays [Joshua's] bright, silvery tone...The vocal star is Renata Pokupic as Vitige. Her 'Non credo' aria is beautifully shaped.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2010 *** “Curnyn and his spruce period band finely catch the tone and tinta of his delectable opera. Tempi - mobile but never frenetic - are aptly chosen, rhythms buoyant...The singers, many of them Curnyn regulars, dispatch their arias with fine Handelian stye and spirit, and, crucially, bring real theatrical vitality to their recitative exchanges.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2011 “Joshua's gleaming, agile soprano remains on pristine form for such an experienced Handelian and she's a consistent pleasure...Davies's Guido...is a major achievement for the young countertenor in his first starring role on disc...dashing off the coloratura volleys of 'Rompo i lacci' with insouciant ease and consistently pearly tone” International Record Review, November 2010 “Iestyn Davies’s plangent, fiery Guido and Rosemary Joshua’s diamantine Emilia could hardly be bettered...Thomas Walker and Andrew Foster-Williams are stalwarts as the warring patriarchs.” Sunday Times, 7th November 2010 *** “This new recording is exemplary, with elegant, sprightly playing by the Early Opera Company, beautifully paced tempos set by conductor Christian Curnyn, and golden-age singing from Tim Mead, Iestyn Davies, Rosemary Joshua and Andrew Foster-Williams.” The Telegraph, 29th October 2010 ***** | | | (also available to download from $21.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  |
In this popular series of highlights, Opera Rara selects the best moments from neglected 19th century operas. Each single-disc set is accompanied by a complete libretto, allowing the listener to place the selections in the context of the whole opera. One of the most popular operatic comedies of the late 19th century was Crispino e la comare (1850) by the Brothers Ricci – Luigi (1805–59) and Federico (1809–77). But as well as collaborating on a number of works, the two pursued separate careers as highly successful composers in Italy and indeed throughout Europe. In 2004, Opera Rara introduced Federico’s music to the Essential Opera Rara series with his moving 1838 melodramma semiserio, La prigione di Edimburgo (ORR228), based on Sir Walter Scott’s The Heart of Midlothian. Now we return to the younger brother for Corrado d’Altamura, a dramma lirico that opened at La Scala in 1841. Set in 12th-century Sicily, the highly dramatic plot tells of betrayal and then revenge between Roggero, the Duke of Agrigento (sung here by Dmitry Korchak) and his former friend and tutor, Corrado (James Westman), to whose daughter, Delizia (Dimitra Theodossiou), Roggero has promised marriage – only to break his vows. The great expert in 19th-century Italian opera Julian Budden thought Federico the more accomplished and versatile of the two brothers, whose serious works, ‘late offshoots of the Bellinian tradition… are worthy to stand beside Mercadante’s’. They have an honoured position in the Opera Rara catalogue. This is the sixth opera in the Essential Opera Rara series and, once again, a vivid impression of the work is captured on a single disc, accompanied by a complete libretto and article by the eminent 19th century musical scholar, Jeremy Commons. “Ricci's orchestral writing is remarkably original, and he has a fine sense of theatre. The closing scene, in which Delizia, now a nun, denies Roggero sanctuary in her convent and hands him over to a bloodthirsty lynch mob, has considerable power.” The Guardian, 12th June 2009 *** “…Federico Ricci's score is in no way unworthy. …the music has its own individuality - and it confers a sufficient individuality upon the characters too. The tenor here is the young, clear-voiced and stylish Dmitry Korchak. Corrado is James Westman, a baritone well supplied with high A flats for his cabaletta and with a well placed voice sometimes recalling Sherrill Milnes. ...Dimitra Theodossiou... has a comparably strong dramatic instinct. ...the voice is well contrasted with the lighter soprano of Cora Burggraaf who plays Margarita, the "other woman"... Good work by orchestra and chorus under Roland Böer, who shows a sure feeling for the style.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2009 | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
|
|
| |  |
Every leading Italian operatic composer of the first six decades of the 19th century had problems with censors. Verdi’s disputes over Rigoletto and Un ballo in maschera were notorious, but many other works by Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti were rewritten to appease the arbiters of what was deemed morally, religiously or politically correct. An extreme reaction to the censor’s red pencil is provided by the last of Saverio Mercadante’s works to reach the stage. Virginia, completed in 1850, was not performed until 1866 because the composer simply refused to make alterations; it was only after a regime change in 1860–1 that he premiered his score at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples. Like his stirring Orazi e Curiazi of 1846, recorded by Opera Rara on ORC12, Virginia is set in ancient Rome, where the heroine (sung by Susan Patterson), daughter of the soldier Virginio (Stefano Antonucci), is assailed by the corrupt and powerful Appio (Paul Charles Clarke) as part of an ongoing conflict between patricians and plebeians that ends with Virginia’s father stabbing her rather than relinquish his daughter to their oppressor. Opera Rara revived Virginia in concert back in 1976, and now presents the work’s CD debut as part of our ongoing commitment to the music of one of 19th century opera’s most fascinating figures. The 2CD set comes with a lavishly illustrated book including a complete libretto with an English translation and introduction by Jeremy Commons. “…Maurizio Benini draws a strong and stylish performance from the London Philharmonic, and the Geoffrey Mitchell Choir makes vivid contributions. Susan Patterson… delivers her opening cabaletta with bravura and generally discloses a soprano of impressive amplitude.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2009 **** “Maurizio Benini conducts with appreciative understanding of the traditions and his players bring out the full flavour of Mercadante's imaginative score. …the only soloist of whom much is asked in the way of florid singing is the soprano, and Susan Patterson has mastered the technical difficulties of her role with impressive success.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2009 | | | (also available to download from $21.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |  | An opera in three acts
“Handel composed Partenope for the 1730 London season, less than a year into the so-called 'Second Academy' period in which he enjoyed increased artistic control over his productions. Partenope was a subject he had long coveted and with a new troupe of singers, less starry than before, he seems to have relished the chance to tone down the rattling virtuosity in favour of a more 'company' feel, and with it a more genuine and subtle mode of expression. He was helped by a strong libretto which is well set-out, humane with a touch of gentle humour, and features characters who are lifelike and credible.
Partenope, Queen of Naples, is wooed by three suitors – the overly proud enemy general Emilio, the mopy but deserving Armindo, and her own favourite, Arsace. Arsace, however, is tormented by the woman he left behind, Rosmira, who is hanging around and making mischief disguised as a man. Eventually, and after much soul-searching, Arsace forces her to reveal her identity by challenging her to a bare-chest duel (which she declines). The couple are reunited, Partenope settles for Armindo, and Emilio accepts his rejection philosophically.
Christian Curnyn conducts a highly competent performance thoroughly in the groove of modern Handelian style, with a cast that has no vocal weaknesses and many dramatic virtues: Rosemary Joshua as Partenope and Hilary Summers as Rosmira have the most technically demanding music, but Joshua's brightly confident singing also effortlessly suggests a woman both regal and desirable, while the dark-voiced Summers sounds like someone not to be messed with. Lawrence Zazzo conveys well the deepening suffering of Arsace, Stephen Wallace shows us the emerging nobility of Armindo, and if Kurt Streit sounds rather like a tenor stepping out of his usual Mozartian realm, then as the pompous Emilio he does need to be a little out of step with the others and his voice and Italian diction are both irresistibly splendid. In general the singing has a warmth to it, and although there are times when the recitatives could make room for more dramatic flexibility and conviction, this is nevertheless a thoroughly recommendable release for Baroque opera fans.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 “Central to the success of Christan Curnyn's well-paced performance is the glorious singing of Rosemary Joshua in the title-role of Partenope...Handsomely packaged, with each of the three Acts complete on a single disc, it is among the most attractive of rarities among Handel operas.” Penguin Guide, 2010 *** | | | (also available to download from $25.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
|
|
| |
|
Gramophone Magazine
BBC Music Magazine Awards 2013
Gramophone Awards 2011