C Major
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Arrigo Boito: Nerone
Rafael Rojas (Nerone), Lucio Gallo (Simon Mago), Brett Polegato (Fanuel), Svetlana Aksenova (Asteria), Alessandra Volpe (Rubria), Prague Philharmonic Choir, Wiener Symphoniker, Olivier Tambosi (staging), Dirk Kaftan
with punchy, dramatic playing from the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Dirk Kaftan, the work is allowed to cast a strange, dark spell that is ultimately difficult to resist. — More…
Awards:
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International Classical Music Awards, 2023, Nominated - Video: Opera
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Goldschmidt: Beatrice Cenci
Christoph Pohl, Gal James, Dshamilja Kaiser, Christina Bock
Prague Philharmonic Choir Wiener Symphoniker, Johannes Debus
Christoph Pohl has an athletic frame, and his fast, slick movements make the character of the Count all the more maniacal and menacing. His voice is a little light, but Goldschmidt’s clear orchestration... — More…
Awards:
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Opera, October 2019, Disc of the Month
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Goldschmidt: Beatrice Cenci
Christoph Pohl, Gal James, Dshamilja Kaiser, Christina Bock
Prague Philharmonic Choir Wiener Symphoniker, Johannes Debus
Christoph Pohl has an athletic frame, and his fast, slick movements make the character of the Count all the more maniacal and menacing. His voice is a little light, but Goldschmidt’s clear orchestration... — More…
Awards:
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Opera, October 2019, Disc of the Month
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Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Mauro Peter (Belmonte), Lenneke Ruiten (Konstanze), Sabine Devieilhe (Blonde), Maximilian Schmitt (Pedrillo), Tobias Kehrer (Osmin)
Chorus of Teatro alla Scala & Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, Zubin Mehta, Giorgio Strehler
Strehler/Testi handles the balance between the comic and the serious astutely…Ruiten’s superb performance – touchingly acted, fluently sung – makes you both believe and care…Devieilhe soars... — More…
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, February 2020, DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
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Strauss, R: Der Rosenkavalier
Krassimira Stoyanova (Marschallin), Sophie Koch (Octavian), Mojca Erdmann (Sophie), Wiebke Lehmkuhl (Annina), Günther Groissböck (Ochs), Adrian Eröd ( Faninal), Kresimir Spicer (Valzacchi), Stefan Pop (Italian Singer)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Franz Welser-Möst
Hooray for director Harry Kupfer!...[he] knows that Rosenkavalier is a supreme exercise in nostalgia...This is also Freud's Vienna. Stoyanova's Marschallin is a scrupulous analyst of her own... — More…
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, April 2015, Opera Choice
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André Previn: A Bridge Between Two Worlds
A documentary about Grammy Lifetime Award Winner 2010 André Previn
André Previn, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Renée Fleming, Mia Farrow & Lukas Previn
Engaging, offbeat and ultimately rather slight, this idiosyncratic Anglo-Germanic documentary will delight admirers of a man who bestrides so many worlds that it is difficult to know which two... — More…
Awards:
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Gramophone Awards, 2011, Finalist - DVD Documentary
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Simon Rattle et al. conducts at the El Sistema At Salzburg Festival
National Children’s Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela & White Hands Choir Venezuela, Simon Rattle, Maybeth Garcia & Luis Chinchill
The players attack [Ginastera's] life-affirming score with unalloyed confidence and joy...The sight and sound of these youngsters playing this great music [the Mahler] with such complete commitment... — More…
Awards:
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Diapason d’Or de l’Année, 2015, Winner - Blu-ray
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The main focus of the programme is JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which Armstrong reads with assurance, refinement and a maturity beyond his years. His sound is pearly, highlighting the work’s... — More…
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, December 2017, Instrumental Choice
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Handel: Theodora, HWV 68
Christine Schäfer (Theodora), Bejun Mehta (Didymus), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Valens), Bernarda Fink (Irene), Joseph Kaiser (Septimius), Ryland Davies (Messenger)
Freiburger Barockorchester, Ivor Bolton (conductor) & Christof Loy (stage director)
The performances are generally dramatically real...Outstanding is Bejun Mehta's sweet-toned yet dynamic Didymus. Ivor Bolton secures an efficient musical performance. — More…
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, October 2011, DVD of the Month
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Verdi: Rigoletto
RecommendedFrancesco Demuro (Il Duca), Leo Nucci (Rigoletto), Nino Machaidze (Gilda), Marco Potti (Sparafucile), Stefanie Iranyi (Maddalena), Roberto Tagliavini (Monterone), Orazio Mori (Marullo), Mauro Buffoli (Borsa)
Teatro Regio di Parma, Massimo Zanetti, Stefano Vizioli
Nucci simply owns the role of Rigoletto...a master-class in vocal acting...Machaidze is the very embodiment of Gilda. Her characterization is simply marvellous...[she] has a lovely full tone... — More…
Awards:
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Building a Library, June 2013, First Choice (DVD)
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