Opus Arte
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Special offer. Birtwistle: The Minotaur
John Tomlinson (The Minotaur), Johan Reuter (Theseus), Christine Rice (Ariadne), Andrew Watts (Snake Priestess), Philip Langridge (Hiereus), Amanda Echalaz (Ker), Rebecca Bottone, Pumeza Matshikiza, Wendy Dawn Thompson, Christopher Ainslie, Tim Mead (Innocents)
The Royal Opera Chorus &...
This opera, premiered at the Royal Opera last April, seems to me to be a masterpiece, of the kind that one feels the greatness of before one has a complete understanding of it. …the Minotaur... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, July 2026, DVD of the Month
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Gramophone Awards, 2009, Finalist - DVD
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Opera, September 2009, Recording of the Month
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Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers
William Morgan (Marco), Mark Nathan (Giuseppe), Ellie Laugharne (Gianetta), Sioned Gwen Davies (Tessa), Yvonne Howard (Duchess), Richard Suart (Duke), Ben McAteer (Don Alhambra), Catriona Hewitson (Casilda), Dan Shelvey (Luiz)
Scottish Opera, Derek Clark, Stuart Maunder
Bolder G&S stagings are available (live, if not on record), but this Gondoliers is fresh, affectionate and intensely musical proof that these masterly comic operas can still hit their mark,... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, January 2026, DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
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Special offer. Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream
James Bowman (Oberon), Ileana Cotrubas (Tytania), Felicity Lott (Helena), Cynthia Buchan (Hermia), Ryland Davies (Lysander), Dale Duesing (Demetrius), Curt Applegren (Bottom)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Festival Chorus, Bernard Haitink, Peter Hall
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Benjamin, G: Written on Skin
RecommendedChristopher Purves (Protector), Barbara Hannigan (Agnès), Bejun Mehta (First Angel/Boy), Victoria Simmonds (Second Angel/Marie) & Allan Clayton (Third Angel/John)
Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, George Benjamin (conductor) & Katie Mitchell (director)
This is an outstanding release in every way...Benjamin's extraordinary music is breathtaking in its lightly worn compositional virtuosity...The cast is sensational...Hannigan deserves all the... —
Awards:
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2014
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Gramophone Awards, 2014, Winner - Contemporary
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Diapason d’Or de l’Année, 2014, Winner - Musique contemporaine
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Special offer. Rachmaninoff: The Miserly Knight, Op. 24
RecommendedSergei Leiferkus (The Baron), Richard Berkeley-Steele (Albert), Maxim Mikhailov (The Servant), Viacheslav Voynarovskiy (The Money-lender), Albert Schagidullin (The Duke), Matilda Leyser (Aerialist)
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski, directed by Annabel Ardenmir
A rather sobering story derived from a play by Pushkin, The Miserly Knight tells the story of a profligate son attempting, by various means both above- and below-board, to extract some money... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, DVD Choice
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Presto Favourites, Recommended Recording
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Penguin Guide, Rosette
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Special offer. Benjamin, G: Written on Skin
RecommendedChristopher Purves (Protector), Barbara Hannigan (Agnès), Bejun Mehta (First Angel/Boy), Victoria Simmonds (Second Angel/Marie) & Allan Clayton (Third Angel/John)
Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, George Benjamin (conductor) & Katie Mitchell (director)
This is an outstanding release in every way...Benjamin's extraordinary music is breathtaking in its lightly worn compositional virtuosity...The cast is sensational...Hannigan deserves all the... —
Awards:
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2014
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Gramophone Awards, 2014, Winner - Contemporary
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Diapason d’Or de l’Année, 2014, Winner - Musique contemporaine
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Special offer. Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro, K492
RecommendedErwin Schrott (Figaro), Miah Persson (Susanna), Gerald Finley (Count), Dorothea Röschmann (Countess), Rinat Shaham (Cherubino), Graciela Araya (Marcellina), Jonathan Veira (Bartolo), Philip Langridge (Basilio)
Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano (conductor) & David McVicar (stage director)
…so accomplished a cast, in which Gerald Finley's Count, Miah Persson's Susanna and Rinat Shaham's Cherubino stand out as ideal. —
Awards:
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Building a Library, May 2014, DVD/Blu-ray Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, August 2008, DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
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Gramophone Awards, 2008, Winner - DVD/Blu-ray
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Special offer. Bellini: Norma
RecommendedSonya Yoncheva (Norma), Joseph Calleja (Pollione), Sonia Ganassi (Adalgisa), Brindley Sherratt (Oroveso), David Junghoon Kim (Flavio), Vlada Borovko (Clotilde)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano, Àlex Ollé (director)
The virtues of this staging lie in individual performances and in the music-making, with the Royal Opera House Orchestra and chorus giving taut and committed interpretations under Antonio Pappano.... —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, October 2017
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2017
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Special offer. Britten: The Rape of Lucretia
Sarah Connolly (Lucretia), Christopher Maltman (Tarquinius), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Bianca), Mary Nelson (Lucia), Leigh Melrose (Junius), Clive Bayley (Collatinus), Orla Boylan (Female Chorus) & John Mark Ainsley (Male Chorus)
English National Opera, Paul Daniel (conductor) & David McVicar...
The main cast delivers a superlative response from start to finish, headed by baritone Christopher Maltman's bull-like Tarquinius and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly's harrowingly intense Lucretia...Top-flight... —
Awards:
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Opera, April 2014, Recording of the Month
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John Blow: Venus & Adonis; Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas
Ida Ränzlöv, Bernt Ola Volungholen, Christina Larsson Malmberg, Rupert Enticknap, Lisa Carlioth, Mathilda Sidén Silfver, Mikael Stenbaek, Arash Azarbad, Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra, William Relton (director), Olof Boman
alluring performances, sumptuous costumes and clever set designs. All the principals are strong, but mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv stands out. Technically flawless, texturally lush and dramatically... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, May 2023, DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
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