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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Per AmoreOpera Arias
In her debut for Haenssler, the talented young soprano Juliane Banse is joined by Christoph Poppen. She has selected a highly intelligent recital including arias by Weber, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Mozart and Puccini. She has distinguished herself not only for the beauty of her singing, but for the depth of her characterisations and deep empathy with the emotional world of the women she is portraying. “The voice is a full lyric and quite beautiful, with plenty of warmth, security at all dynamic levels and a clear, even line from top to bottom...Her Mimì is sung directly and sweetly...Her Tatyana is breathless and girlish, and she sounds utterly sincere in every mood change and moment of self-doubt. Micaëla's aria is simply gorgeous, the tone solid, the legato ideal.” International Record Review, March 2011 “this latest recital from Hänssler is a classic in every way...Banse consistently uses her exceptionally sweet and pure voice with extraordinary precision, hitting exposed top notes effortlessly and shading her tone most subtly...When it comes to Tatyana's Letter Scene, [she] is masterly in drawing the contrasted sections together, helped by Christoph Poppen and his Saarbrucken orchestra, with its glorious horn section.” Gramophone Magazine, April 2011 “Banse sings with silvery clean, gently warmed beauty. However, her character analyses are occasionally rather odd. Take Lauretta, the love-struck innocent of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. Banse has branded her a duplicitous fibber, and transformed her tender 'O mio babbino caro' into a hammed-up parody. However, there's still much to be savoured, including a particularly profound reading of Weber's 'Leise, leise, fromme Weise'.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2011 *** | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Great Singers Live: Mirella FreniSelection from three “Sunday Concerts” with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester given in 1971, 1983 and 1987
With her Mimì, she conquered the world. Mirella Freni’s extraordinary career lasted for over 30 years, and she never lost the enchanting youthfulness of her voice. She said farewell to the operatic stage in 2005 as a celebrated soprano in full possession of her vocal skills. Recordings from three Sunday concerts by the Münchner Rundfunkorchester document Mme. Freni in arias that reveal the many different facets of her artistry. The program ranges from her key role, Mimì, all the way to Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s Evgeny Onegin. Previously unreleased recordings by Mirella Freni. Documents from the popular Sunday concerts by the Münchner Rundfunkorchester from the 1970s and 80s. | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Scene d'amore - Opera Arias
Audiences and critics hail the Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski as one of the finest singers in the world. Her more recent orchestral albums on Ondine have been praised as top-choice recordings and earned the highest distinctions such as the BBC Music Magazine Disc of the Year 2007 Award, a 2007 MIDEM Classical Award and a 2002 Gramophone Award. This disc features popular scenes and arias from the late-19th century Italian, French and Russian opera marking Soile Isokoski's greatest successes on stage. Included are the famous aria "Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì" from La Bohème, with which Soile Isokoski gave her opera début in 1989, as well as the famous ‘Letter Scene’ from Eugene Onegin, which she sang at the Finnish National Opera, in 2006, to international acclaim. Besides her role debuts as Tatyana, Ellen Orford in Dresden, Christine in Intermezzo at the Theater an der Wien (2008) and Charpentier's Louise at the Bastille Opera in Paris, Ms. Isokoski's engagements until 2009 include Cosí fan tutte in Bilbao and Vienna, Lohengrin in Geneva, La Juive, Intermezzo, Rosenkavalier and Faust in Vienna and Don Giovanni at the MET. “Deploying her well-produced and fresh tone with skill and imagination, Soile Isokoski defines eight lyric soprano heroines, each one quite different. It's a remarkable achievement, underpinned with consistently excellent musicianship.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2008 ***** “…the Tchaikovsky would appear to be a role for which she is ideally suited. Her Russian diction seems clear and precise, the voice is admirably steady. The Bizet and Puccini items are pleasant enough, but it is in Verdi that Isokoski is able to demonstrate her dramatic skill. The hopeful, eager tones of Maria in Boccanegra, as she awaits her lover, contrast with the resigned, wounded Desdemona. Recorded sound is excellent.” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2008 “It would be hard to think of any singer today who sings [the roles of Mimi and Tatyana] more exquisitely…Is there a more beautiful soprano voice in opera today? Listening to her rapt, long-breathed phrasing of Come, in quest'ora bruna, from Boccanegra, and Desdemona's Willow Song and Ave Maria, it's hard to think of one.” Sunday Times, 14th September 2008 **** “One of the finest vocal instruments of the moment, the exquisite soprano of Finland's Soile Isokoski roams amorously through the core repertoire in this outstanding anthology” The Guardian, 5th October 2008 | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | The Essential Kiri
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Gramophone Magazine