Constantine Orbelian

“Say WHAAT? Laugh to classical music? Heaven forbid, not ME!”

That’s no doubt what far too many soberly dignified classical music fans might well say upon learning about this very different new compilation of humor in classical music from Delos. But, just stop and think: Weren’t your favorite classical “gods” also human beings? And isn’t a sense of humor an almost universal component of human nature? How many of you have found yourselves resisting the urge to smile, snicker, or “LOL” to certain passages of great music, simply because you took it (and its creators) entirely too seriously?

The simple truth is, many of the greatest composers who ever lived had functional funnybones, and LOVED musical jokes and other classical chicanery. Realizing this, we at Delos have combed through our extensive back catalog to come up with prime examples of music that will get you to grinning, giggling or even guffawing to the art of top classical masters! And we mean standouts like Vieuxtemps, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Shostakovich, Khachaturian, Francaix, Lang, and others. You can count on top-notch performances from artists like Maestro Constantine Orbelian and his Moscow Chamber Orchestra, tenor John Aler, the Italian Saxophone Quartet, and tenor Donald George (with pianist Lucy Mauro).

They say that laughter is the best medicine. So here’s a collection that you can file in your musical “medicine cabinet. “ Then – whenever life gets you down – let Delos help you feel better!

Everybody needs an occasional jump-start, but nobody likes getting all jumpy. Most of us want to rev up our energy levels, elevate our moods and boost our productivity – but we want to do it without that strung-out, “wired” feeling that too much actual caffeine can leave us with.

Delos to the rescue – with our new Classical Caffeine album. It’s chock-full of happy, high-energy music by Bach, Mozart, Khachaturian, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Debussy and others. Remember, upbeat music has been scientifically proven to make you feel better: it stimulates both mind and body, banishes the blues, refreshes flagging spirits, promotes energy, and leaves you with a smile on your face and a spring in your step.

Combing through our extensive catalog, we have come up with a sure-fire assortment of manic, fun music that’s guaranteed to wake you up and get you going! And these snazzy, snappy performances are sure to please, coming as they do from Delos’ long list of top-tier recording artists and ensembles. It might even save you some money: with fewer trips to your neighborhood coffee emporium, the album could well pay for itself in NO time!

“Michael Spyres has a lovely, liquid tenor, all honey for love duets and some metal for cries of outraged honor.” John Yohalem, from Opera Today

You may well be hard-pressed to name a classic opera that lacks a love-story – or a tenor as the main romantic hero. Accordingly, emerging American tenor Michael Spyres has come up with a fresh and fascinating pretext for A Fool for Love: his new collection of tenor arias on Delos.

Michael has carefully selected thirteen mostly well-known arias by composers ranging from Mozart to Stravinsky, encompassing a staggering array of love-related circumstances and emotions. He then sequenced them so as to tell the love-story of a single romantic protagonist. The album’s booklet contains a two-act “plot synopsis,” in which each segment of our hero’s story is indexed to the corresponding aria.

As Michael puts it in his booklet introduction, “What I seek to present to you in this album is a fanciful musical story of a typical war-torn couple, and their struggle to cope with the raptures and ravages of this intangible enigma called love.”

Michael, a Missouri native, completed his studies at the Vienna Conservatory, and is already well-known to European audiences for his critically-acclaimed work in recital, oratorio, and opera. He has appeared at such distinguished houses as Milan’s La Scala and Deutsche Oper Berlin, and worked with conductors like Ricardo Muti and John Eliot Gardner.

Blessed with a supremely versatile instrument, Michael has successfully performed the music of composers from Bach to Wagner, encompassing music of many periods and styles: Baroque, Classical, Bel Canto, and Verismo. He has recorded Rossini’s La Gazzetta, Otello, and Le Siège de Corinthe for Naxos.

Two of opera’s biggest stars, on the crest of solo album triumphs, team up for this long-awaited duet album of Verdi Scenes.

It is high drama and great Verdi, with Dmitri Hvorostovsky, widely recognized as “the Verdi baritone of our time” (Los Angeles Times), and Sondra Radvanovsky, the fastest-rising “true Verdi soprano” (Opera News) in international opera today. The electricity is palpable in the emotional duet scenes from Il Trovatore, Un Ballo in Maschera, and Simon Boccanegra. Dmitri sings a favorite among his signature arias, “O Carlo, ascolta,” from Don Carlo; and Sondra gives us a memorable glimpse of her Tosca in “Vissi d’arte.” We are treated to delightful Mozart and tender Dvorak. Dmitri’s favorite conductor, Constantine Orbelian, leads the Philharmonia of Russia in masterful fashion.

Italian flute virtuoso Raffaele Trevisani celebrates the music of the 21st Century in this delightful program of new concertos for flute and piccolo. The concertos were written especially for Trevisani and/or dedicated to him; all four works are fresh and inviting. The program is truly a ‘Raffi and friends from around the world’ creation, with American conductor Orbelian, Brazilian conductor Duarte, South African violinist Koornhof, and music by Italian, Brazilian and South African composers. Trevisani is recognized as one of the outstanding flutists of his generation, and has been praised consistently for his style, musicality and beautiful tone quality. “I do not hesitate to say that he belongs to the best of the flutists of the day,” remarked Sir James Galway.