C Major
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Bernstein was periodically accused of self-indulgence in other repertoire. That’s a charge that could never stick in these joyous performances of three G major symphonies…Rather, there is grace,... —
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Special offer. Verdi: Macbeth
Ludovic Tézier (Macbeth), Martina Serafin (Lady Macbeth), Vitalij Kowaljow (Banco), Saimir Pirgu (Macduff)
Gran Teatre del Liceu, Giampaolo Bisanti, Christof Loy
This is a Macbeth that seems to spin directly out of the heat-oppressed brain of its main protagonist...[Tézier is] undoubtedly the star here, providing a stream of elegant phrasing and fine... —
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Special offer. Verdi: Falstaff
Ambrogio Maestri (Falstaff), Barbara Frittoli (Alice Ford), Meg Page (Judith Schmid), Mistress Quickly (Yvonne Naef), Massimo Cavalletti (Ford), Eva Liebau (Nannetta), Javier Camarena (Fenton), Peter Straka (Dr. Cajus), Martin Zysset (Bardolfo), Davide Fersini (Pistola)
Orchester der Oper Zürich...
the conductor starts apparently quite steadily. But this lack of a certain flick and bounce is compensated for by the focus of Daniele Gatti...places on Verdi's radically forward-looking orchestration...The... —
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Karajan and Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin (violin)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Symphoniker, Herbert von Karajan
an electrifying performance by a rejuvenated Berlin Philharmonic at the peak of its powers; it is also a visually stunning record of a masterclass in virtuoso conducting...[The bonus-feature]... —
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Salzburg Opening Concert 2010
Daniel Barenboim (piano), Dorothea Roschmann (soprano), Elīna Garanča (mezzo), Klaus Florian Vogt (tenor), René Pape (bass)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorus State Opera Vienna
there is no doubting the powerful authority that characterizes Barenboim's direction of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto from the keyboard. Perhaps rather unexpectedly, the magic really starts... —
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Special offer. Weber: Der Freischütz
Andreas Schager (Max), Camilla Nylund (Agathe), Daniela Fally (Ännchen), Alan Held (Kaspar)
Wiener Staatsoper, Tomáš Netopil, Christian Räth
The pick of the cast, vocally, is soprano Camilla Nylund, who brings ample, shining tone and a finely sustained line to Agathe’s two solos. —
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Special offer. Rossini: Il Turco in Italia
Erwin Schrott (Selim), Olga Perityatko (Fiorella), Nicola Alaimo (Geronio), René Barbera (Narciso), Pietro Spagnoli (Prosdocimo), Cecilia Molinari (Zaida), Pietro Adaini (Albazar), Filarmonica Gioachino Rossini, Chorus of the Teatro Della Fortuna M. Agostini, Speranza Scappucci, Davide Livermore
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Special offer. Wagner: Siegfried
Lance Ryan (Siegfried), Jennifer Wilson (Brünnhilde), Juha Uusitalo (The Wanderer), Gerhard Siegel (Mime), Franz-Josef Kapellmann (Alberich), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (Erda)
Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Zubin Mehta
highly recommended, a refreshing antidote to leaden Teutonic representations. Wagner responds best to Romantic imagery, but this gives it a vividly original twist. —
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The Tanglewood Festival Chorus raise the roof, with help from soloists Nadine Sierra and Susan Graham…The love for Lenny really comes through in these performances…The production is served well... —
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Special offer. Wagner: Parsifal
Falk Struckmann (Amfortas), Matthias Hölle (Titurel), Hans Sotin (Gurnemanz), Poul Elming (Parsifal), Ekkehard Wlaschiha (Klingsor), Linda Watson (Kundry)
Orchestra of the Bayreuther Festspiele, Giuseppe Sinopoli (conductor) & Wolfgang Wagner (stage director)
impressively atmospheric and gorgeously played —
