Rossini: Largo al factotum (from Il barbiere di Siviglia)

Born in 1911, the French baritone Michel Dens had a long and successful career.

His early career was in the world of opera but he later sang in many operettas.

This collection includes arias which he perfomed at an event given in his honour in Marseilles in 1986.

This magnificent collection features the some of the greatest opera stars of all time:

Cecilia Bartoli, Anna Netrebko, Bryn Terfel, Renée Fleming, Andrea Bocelli Luciano Pavarotti, Dame Joan Sutherland, Plácido Domingo, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and José Carreras.

With a carefully chosen selection of perennially popular arias, duets and choruses, this enchanting collection creates the perfect introduction to opera.

With 40 tracks and over 2½ hours of music this collection is outstanding value for money.

Includes Pavarotti’s classic recording of the most popular opera aria of all, Puccini’s ‘Nessun dorma’.

A singer of exceptional intelligence and style, the American Thomas Hampson has developed an operatic career that has taken him from Mozart, Rossini and the French composers of the 19th century to the grand roles of Verdi. In the field of song, he has explored a wide repertoire, ranging in this collection from Schubert, Schumann and Mahler to Grieg, Meyerbeer and the Americans Foster and Griffes.

Celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Opera de Montreal with a stunning two disc set (at the price of one), the Directors said about this release: “Our great annual celebration of opera gives us the opportunity to present a magnificent showcase of Canadian talent. Brought together on the same stage are some of our finest voices who, along with the Orchestre Metropolitain conducted by Alain Trudel, perform some of the most beautiful arias and ensembles in the repertoire.”

forever DOMINGO offers a tantalising and generous selection of Plácido Domingo’s greatest hits.

It combines acclaimed recordings of popular tracks such as Be My Love and Granada with the greatest tenor opera arias from Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, Bizet and Rossini.

Includes Nessun Dorma, La donna è mobile, Largo al factotum and Una furtiva lagrima. The album is rounded off by one of the best-known pieces in the Viennese operetta repertoire Dein ist mein ganzes Herz.

PLÁCIDO DOMINGO - Whatever he does, he does it from his heart. The son of singers who ran their own zarzuela company, Domingo grew up surrounded by music and the theatre. Today it is safe to say that in every corner of the world, everyone who has even the most passing interest in opera is familiar with the name of Plácido Domingo. He truly is a living legend.

Arias from the legendary Sunday concerts from 1966, 1972, 1988 and 1992.

His Papageno was historic and turned Hermann Prey into the most popular opera singer in Germany. This CD contains a collection of hitherto unpublished recordings made during the legendary Sunday Concerts with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester from 1966 to 1992. In a representative series of roles ranging from Bach to musicals, the great baritone shows us all his facets: from the sensitivity of the comic actor to the intense, inmost sincerity of the Lieder performer. At a time when the opera was still an integral part of Germany's media landscape, Hermann Prey made it impressively clear that a broad repertoire and depth of interpretation are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Prey ends this CD with a performance of “They say falling in love is wonderful”, inviting us to fall in love with his art yet again.

Hermann Prey has delighted opera audiences with his humour and the way he is able to bring characters to life. His lyric baritone voice is both noble and mellow. This CD presents him in some of his classic roles, including Figaro and Papageno.