Search
Special Offers
Awards
Online Payment
Visit us
Presto News - 9th April 2012New and forthcoming Opera DVDs |
 A very happy Easter to you all! One of the pleasures of my long weekend has been catching up on a couple of the latest opera DVDs, both comparative rarities and both featuring a line-up of singers that could scarcely be bettered today in their respective roles. (Incidentally, both productions were also part of the Met and Royal Opera’s new cinema-broadcasts – a fantastic and relatively cheap way to catch front-rank performances which time, money and distance might otherwise rule out!)  Faced with a frothy farce and a tragic melodrama, I decided to keep the comedy for dessert and kick off with Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, starring Angela Gheorghiu as the eponymous actress and Jonas Kaufmann as her duplicitous lover. Despite its soaring, memorable melodies, Adriana hasn’t been seen at Covent Garden since 1906. As cast and directors explain in the excellent bonus documentary, its rather far-fetched plot (an aristocratic chemistry enthusiast and some poisoned violets feature!) and the difficulty of finding a soprano with the charisma for the title role contributed to its fall from favour, but David McVicar’s beautiful new production makes the strongest case possible for the work: you can almost smell the grease-paint in the theatre scenes, and the high-Classical splendour of sets and costumes is breathtaking. Gheorghiu gives one of the performances of her career as the vulnerable, highly-strung prima donna: as she joked about her recent Tosca, due out on DVD later this year, there’s a strong sense that she’s ‘playing herself’ at times, but one of the reasons this production works so well is that it’s by no means a one-woman show. As regular readers may wryly note, I’ve almost exhausted my quiver of superlatives on Jonas Kaufmann, but suffice it to say that he’s absolutely riveting as the caddish Maurizio: the role showcases his almost superhuman diminuendi to perfection, and his nuanced, ever-responsive acting fares beautifully under the close scrutiny of the camera. As Adriana’s love rival, Olga Borodina comes deliciously and appropriately close to upstaging the leading lady once or twice, and Alessandro Corbelli is quietly heartbreaking as the stage-manager Michonnet.  On, then, to Rossini, and another ground-breaker for the opera house in question. His late cod-medieval comedy Le Comte Ory has never been staged at the Met before, again partly due to the fiendish difficulty of the three principal roles. Happily, the Met have assembled a real dream-team here. Diana Damrau’s fulsome Countess exudes an almost Carry-On-style naughtiness under her regal veneer, Joyce DiDonato is swashbucklingly ebullient as the Count’s page and Juan Diego Flórez (fresh from the birth of his first child, whom he helped to deliver less than an hour before curtain-up!) is all rakish insouciance as the randy Count, knocking out streams of cut-glass top Cs as he carouses in a nun’s outfit. All three come together magnificently in the infamous penultimate scene, where page and master end up ‘wooing’ the Countess simultaneously, dispatching breathtaking volleys of coloratura and crystalline top notes amid some very near-the-knuckle antics atop a king-size four-poster! Shades of Blackadder and Monty Python? Undoubtedly. Scintillating singing and knockabout good fun? See my previous answer. There’s plenty to look forward to later this year on the opera DVD front: next month sees the release of the Met’s Fanciulla del West and Massenet’s Cendrillon from Covent Garden (with Joyce diDonato and Alice Coote), followed by Il Trittico in June. We’re also pleased to confirm that Opus Arte will be releasing some treasure from last year’s Glyndebourne Festival: August brings Robert Carsen’s new Rinaldo, whilst David McVicar’s much-praised production of Die Meistersinger (starring Gerald Finley) will follow in September.
|
Share
|
 Cilea: Adriana LecouvreurAngela Gheorghiu (Adriana), Jonas Kaufmann (Maurizio), Olga Borodina (La principessa di Bouillon), Alessandro Corbelli (Michonnet), David Soar (Quinault), Iain Paton (Poisson), Janis Kelly (Mademoiselle Jouvenot), Sarah Castle (Mademoiselle Dangeville), Maurizio Muraro (Principe di Bouillon), Bonaventura Bottone (Abbé de Chazeuil), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Mark Elder (conductor) & David McVicar (stage director) Also available on blu-ray. |
 Rossini: Le Comte OryJuan Diego Flórez (Comte Ory), Diana Damrau (Comtesse Adèle), Joyce DiDonato (Isolier), Susanne Resmark (Ragonde), Michele Pertusi (Tutor), Stéphane Degout (Raimbaud), Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, Maurizio Benini |
 Massenet: CendrillonJoyce DiDonato (Cendrillon), Alice Coote (Prince Charming), Eglise Gutiérrez (Fairy Godmother), Ewa Podles (Madame de la Haltère), Jean-Philippe Lafont (Pandolfe), Madeleine Pierard (Noémie), Kai Rüütel (Dorothée), Jeremy White (Le Roi) Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Bertrand de Billy, Laurent Pelly (dir.) |
 Puccini: La fanciulla del WestDeborah Voigt (Minnie), Marcello Giordani (Dick Johnson), Keith Miller, Tony Stevenson (Nick), Keith Miller (Ashby), Dwayne Croft (Sonora), Hugo Vera (Trin), Trevor Scheunemann (Sid), Richard Bernstein (Handsome), Adam Laurence Herskowitz (Harry), Michael Fores (Joe), David Crawford (Happy), Edward Park (Jim Larkens), Philip Cokorinos (Billy Jackrabbit), Ginger Costa-Jackson (Wowkle), Oren Gradu (Jack Wallace), Edward Mou (Pony Express rider), Jeff Mattsey (José Castro) Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra, Nicola Luisotti Also available on blu-ray. |
Katherine Cooper - katherine@prestoclassical.co.uk |
Watch: A short video trailerNew Releases9th April 2012 |
This is just the pick of the recent releases. The New Releases and Future Releases pages are always available for browsing all the new and forthcoming releases. |
 Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E MajorStaatskapelle Berlin, Daniel BarenboimRecorded live at the Philharmonie Berlin, this recording captures a truly gripping performance of Bruckner’s 7th Symphony, bringing an insightful, theatrical interpretation of epic grandeur to one of the greatest late-Romantic symphonies. This performance illuminates a landmark event – Daniel Barenboim’s week-long Bruckner cycle with his Berliner Staatskapelle in June 2010. The concert featured on this recording drew 13 minutes of uninterrupted applause from the exhilarated audience. |
 Elgar: Cello ConcertoPaul Watkins (cello), BBC Philharmonic, Sir Andrew DavisPaul Watkins is the cello soloist in a recording that showcases some of Elgar’s most popular works. He is accompanied by the BBC Philharmonic and Sir Andrew Davis, a conductor steeped in the English music tradition.
|
 Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E minorBamberger Symphoniker, Jonathan NottJonathan Nott and the Bamberger Symphoniker have written a special chapter in recording history with this series. Currently nominated in the 2012 BBC Music Magazine Awards, their recording of Mahler Symphony No.3 (TUDOR7170) was a BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Choice; “a recorded spaciousness which lets every ensemble and solo spiritually resound”.
|
 Telemann: The Autograph ScoresCollegium Musicum 90, Simon StandageCollegium Musicum 90 was founded by Simon Standage and the late Richard Hickox in 1990, and is today a well-established ensemble for the performance of baroque and classical music, with a repertoire ranging from chamber music to large-scale works for choir and orchestra. As an exclusive Chandos artist, the ensemble has recorded more than fifty CDs for the label, which includes nine discs of instrumental music by Telemann. In recognition of the success of the Telemann series in promoting the reputation of the composer, Simon Standage was awarded the Georg-Philipp-Telemann-Preis in 2010.
|
 Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D major, Op. 123Anne Schwanewilms (soprano), Annette Jahns (mezzo soprano), Nikolai Schukoff (tenor) & Dietrich Henschel (bass), London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, Christoph EschenbachBeethoven had little liking for organised religion, but he was deeply spiritual, believing in God as an all-powerful, loving Father. The awesome, sublime Missa Solemnis is one of his supreme achievements, which he headed ‘From the heart – may it in turn go to the heart!’. In this live concert recording, the fervour of Beethoven’s vision is powerfully realised by conductor Christoph Eschenbach with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.
|
 Arvo Pärt: Creator SpiritusChris Watson (tenor), Else Torp (soprano), Paul Hillier (baritone) & Christopher Bowers-Broadbent (organ), Theatre of Voices, Ars Nova Copenhagen & NYYD Quartet, Paul Hillier (artistic director)Paul Hillier curates this collection of Arvo Pärt’s instrumental and choral chamber music drawn from different periods in the composer’s career. He brings together his celebrated vocal ensembles, along with chamber group NYYD and long-time collaborator organist Christopher Bowers-Broadbent, to produce another powerful recording of ethereal sacred music. |
 Mahler: KindertotenliederSara Mingardo (contralto), Musici Aurei, Luigi PiovanoLuigi Piovano and Sara Mingardo choose a different perspective on the music of Gustav Mahler, through the eyes of Arnold Schoenberg. A great admirer of Mahler and founder of the Society for Private Musical Performance in Vienna in the 1920s, Schoenberg and his followers transcribed several works by Mahler for chamber ensemble. The programme for this disc traces an imaginary concert typical of these private concerts. Music lovers know Sara Mingardo as a baroque specialist but here she brings to these arrangements a warmth of tone, whilst the colours of the orchestrations are rendered with great finesse and breathtaking dynamics by Aurei Musici, led by Luigi Piovano. |
 New SACD series from EMI10 Landmark recordings now available in best ever soundEMI’s new ‘Signature’ series starts with ten issues, all famous benchmark recordings and including Jacqueline Du Pre’s recordings of the Elgar and Delius Cello Concertos. Newly remastered from original analogue sources for release on Hybrid SACD, these discs represent the best ever available sound quality for these legendary performances. Presented in a full-colour lavishly illustrated hardback book format, the notes not only explore the music but present the original LP covers and notes and include never before seen photographs of the original master tapes. |
Listen - sound samples available for this item
Download - download options available for this item BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 7th April 2012 |
Building a Library - Bach, J S: St Matthew Passion, BWV244 |
 First ChoiceNicholas Mulroy (Evangelist), Matthew Brook (Jesus), Susan Hamilton (soprano), Cecilia Osmond (soprano), Clare Wilkinson (alto), Annie Gill (alto), Malcolm Bennett (tenor) & Brian Bannatyne-Scott (bass) Dunedin Consort & Players, John Butt |
Discs of the Week |
 Verdi: MacbethSalzburg Festival 1964Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Macbeth), Peter Lagger (Banco), Grace Bumbry (Lady Macbeth), Bozena Ruk-Focic (Dama), Ermanno Lorenzi (Macduff), Francisco Lazaro (Malcolm) & Alois Pernerstorfer (Medico) Chor der Wiener Staatsoper, Kammerchor der Salzburger Festspiele & Wiener Philharmoniker, Wolfgang Sawallisch |
 Verdi: Macbeth - DVDSimon Keenlyside (Macbeth), Liudmyla Monastryrska (Lady Macbeth), Raymond Aceto (Banquo), Dmitri Pittas (Macduff), Nigel Cliffe (Servant), Steven Ebel (Malcolm), Elisabeth Meister (Lady-in-Waiting) & Lukas Jakobski (Doctor) Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano (conductor) & Phyllida Lloyd (stage director) Also available on blu-ray. |
Your details will be used only in accordance with our Privacy Policy. |
Copyright © 2002-13 Presto Classical Limited, all rights reserved.