Opera

Reviews of full operas as well as collections and recitals of arias

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Weber: Oberon (RCA)

Weber’s magical score is lovingly presented on this fine set [MP]

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Bertin: Fausto (Bru Zane)

A long-lost operatic curiosity. Well-performed but recorded harshly, with no sense of stage atmosphere [MP]

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Busoni: Doktor Faust (Dynamic)

Good singing and lighting do not outweigh poor orchestral playing and perverse staging [SB]

Janáček: Káťa Kabanová (LSO Live)

We seem to observe the tragic events as they might really have happened – no hyperbole, just committed singing [MS]

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Rameau: Platée (Bel Air Classiques)

Laurent Pelly’s production has matured with age and Brownlee gives the performance of his career in the title role [MP]

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Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (Pristine Audio)

Pristine refreshes Callas’s 1959 stereo recording and prompts a re-evaluation of its considerable merits [PT]

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Puccini: Il trittico (Decca)

Not a first choice recording but worth spending some time with for a few excellent individual contributions [MP]

Leoni: L’Oracolo (Decca)

Worth getting to know even in a less than successful recording [MP]

Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (C Major)

Vocal riches in a depressingly hyperactive production that is devoid of amusement [MP]

Handel: Theodora (Alpha Classics)

A splendidly cohesive musically-rewarding example of integrated casting and performance [JW]

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Weber: Der Freischütz (Deutsche Grammophon)

One might go hunting for a more complete version of this opera, but this one does the trick in most respects [MP]

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Wagner: Die Walküre (Decca)

The last instalment of the Decca ‘Ring’ enhanced by remastering in magnificent sound [JQ]

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Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel (RCA)

Christa Ludwig’s amazing Witch is the crowning achievement of this still essential recording [MP]

Cavalli: Il Xerse (Naxos)

A well-sung performance of a little-recorded work [RWe]

Puccini: La bohème (Warner Classics)

This old recording still has plenty of rewards to offer [MP]

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Donizetti: Elvida (Opera Rara)

(Déjà Review) I strongly recommend all lovers of the composer’s music and the bel canto genre to add it to their collections [RJF]

Verdi: Nabucco (Deutsche Grammophon)

Sinopoli and a powerhouse cast reveal unsuspected depths in Verdi’s early opera [MP]

Wagner: Das Liebesverbot (Orfeo)

A colourful Wagnerian romp with two outstanding interpreters among the large cast [MP]

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Wagner: Das Rheingold (Decca)

A classic Wagner recording in magnificently remastered sound [JQ]

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Mozart: Zaide (Orfeo)

A very good cast in a version with more linking dialogue than on other recordings [MP]

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Janáček: Káťa Kabanová (Decca)

An incandescent central performance heads an excellent ensemble cast under Mackerras’ renowned leadership [MP]

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Ponchielli: La Gioconda (Pristine Audio)

No one who loves this opera can afford to be without this recording for Callas’ unique insight into the title role [GF]

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Rossini: L’italiana in Algeri (Decca)

A pleasing but hardly essential recording of Rossini’s opera, noteworthy for being the first recorded in stereo [MP]

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Britten: Albert Herring (Decca)

A touchstone recording which is hard to beat for its general excellence and superbly detailed sound [MP]