Coming Soon,
Cecilia & Sol and other autumn delights
It's a great autumn for opera in particular, with the next instalment of Jaap van Zweden's 'Naxos Ring' due out in November, following hot on the heels of Simon Rattle's live recording of Pelléas et Mélisande (starring Christian Gerhaher and Magdalena Kožená in the title-roles) with the London Symphony Orchestra, and new productions of two of the greatest bel canto operas from Covent Garden on their way on DVD and blu-ray. There's also Mozart from René Jacobs, Chopin from Cédric Tiberghien, and anniversary releases from The King's Singers and Quatuor Mosaïques.
Dolce Duello (out 10th November)
Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo), Sol Gabetta (cello), Cappella Gabetta, Andres Gabetta
The Argentine cellist and Italian mezzo come together for a programme of ‘sweet duels’, including arias by Albinoni, Caldara, Gabrielli, Handel, Porpora and Vivaldi – three of which are world premiere recordings. Gabetta also gives a complete performance of Boccherini’s Tenth Cello Concerto, with the ensemble which she formed with her brother in 2010.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Bellini: Norma (Blu-ray, out 27th October)
Sonya Yoncheva (Norma), Joseph Calleja (Pollione), Sonia Ganassi (Adalgisa); Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano
Àlex Ollé's 2016 production reimagines Bellini's Druid priestess as a contemporary Christian minister; Yoncheva (making her role debut at relatively short notice following the withdrawal of Anna Netrebko) won particular praise for her 'impressively beautiful singing' (Financial Times) and 'consistent skill and technical assurance' (Evening Standard).
Available Format: Blu-ray
Bellini: Norma (DVD, out 27th October)
Sonya Yoncheva (Norma), Joseph Calleja (Pollione), Sonia Ganassi (Adalgisa); Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano
Also available on DVD.
Available Format: DVD Video
The great 'Marche funèbre' Sonata forms the centrepiece of Tiberghien's first all-Chopin recording since his widely praised collection of the mazurkas in 2010; also includes the complete Préludes Op. 28 and Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (out 20th October)
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, Vasily Petrenko
A vernal triptych from Petrenko and his Liverpool orchestra, setting Stravinsky's 1913 ballet against Rachmaninov's infrequently recorded Spring Cantata and Debussy's Botticelli-inspired Printemps; reviewing a live performance in 2013, The Liverpool Echo observed that 'there is much to admire here in Vasily Petrenko’s menacing vision for [The Rite], delivered by the RLPO with thrumming, fearsome energy'.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Jacobs (a firm favourite Mozartian in the Presto office for his effervescent recordings of the Da Ponte operas in particular) directs the world première studio recording of Pierre-Henri Dutron's revised completion of the Requiem, with soloists including soprano Sophie Karthäuser and baritone Johannes Weisser.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Wagner: Siegfried (out 10th November)
Simon O’Neill (Siegfried), Matthias Goerne (The Wanderer), Heidi Melton (Brünnhilde); Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden
The 'Hong Kong Ring Cycle' continues apace, with New Zealand-born heldentenor Simon O'Neill taking on the daunting title-role: reviewing the live performance earlier this year, the Financial Times described him as 'singing like an athlete trained well beyond the requirements of the actual event'.
Available Formats: 4 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (Blu-ray, out 6th October)
Diana Damrau (Lucia), Charles Castronovo (Edgardo), Ludovic Tézier (Enrico); Royal Opera House, Daniel Oren
Katie Mitchell's controversial production offers a fiercely feminist perspective on Donizetti's Scottish melodrama, laying bare the secret life of the oppressed heroine in visceral detail and using a split stage to show events which usually take place off-stage playing out in parallel to the main action. Hugely committed performances from all three lead roles, particularly Damrau, who delivers a mad-scene that's harrowing and mesmerising in equal measure.
Available Format: Blu-ray
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (DVD, out 6th October)
Diana Damrau (Lucia), Charles Castronovo (Edgardo), Ludovic Tézier (Enrico); Royal Opera House, Daniel Oren
Also available on DVD.
Available Format: DVD Video
Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande (out 6th October)
Christian Gerhaher (Pelléas), Magdalena Kožená (Mélisande), Gerald Finley (Golaud); London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Recorded live at the Barbican last January (and dedicated to the memory of Pierre Boulez, who had died just a few days earlier and was closely associated with the opera), Rattle's Pelléas was praised at the time for the 'irresistibly gorgeous' (The Telegraph) singing of Kožená and 'wonderfully subtle play of colours' (The Guardian) in the orchestral playing.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Including a GOLD-branded USB stick of all three discs, a hardback book chronicling the group's history and audio and video interview-footage, this fiftieth-anniversary celebration showcases the breadth of The King's Singers' repertoire, from Lassus and Byrd to KT Tunstall and Billy Joel. All three discs are new recordings.
Available Format: 3 CDs
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
