SACDs - Gluck

This double SACD is a re-issue of an acclaimed live recording from 1998 of one of the key operatic works of the 18th century, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. It is performed by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid and the Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid under the esteemed conductor Peter Maag. The fine cast of soloists includes Ewa Podles, Ana Rodrigo, and Elena de la Merced.

Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera whose historical value is as great as its musical worth. It stands as a starting point for what is often referred to as the “Gluck reform” of Italian serious opera, and the first performance of Orfeo, which took place in Vienna on the 5th of October 1762, is considered to be one of the key moments in the history of music in the eighteenth century.

The recording was made in 1998, and features the legendary musical director Peter Maag, a conductor who is thought by many to be one of the greatest operatic conductors of his time, and is especially renowned for his performances of Mozart’s stage works.

The music selected by Tina Chen and Hannibal for this recital is the soundtrack for a day dream, or the twilight accompaniment for a romantic dinner. The emphasis is on Melody – beautiful, finely arched musical lines that reach beyond the pressures of everyday life and transport you, to a quiet realm of song, warmly and realistically recorded in SACD, Super Audio Sound!

This recording also marks the CD debut of the charismatic, young concert violinist , Chen Yi, was the Gold Medal winner at the China International Violin competition (2008). As part of the Mendelssohn Bicentennial Celebrations, Ms. Chen was invited to perform the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in Beijing’s new National Center for the Performing Arts. In 2010 she will perform the Nielsen Violin Concerto as part of the Danish Gala Concert in EXPO in Shanghai. This major event marks artistic dialogue between Denmark and China.