GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Don Carlo (complete opera) Antonietta Stella, Fedora Barbieri, Mario Filippeschi, Tito Gobbi, Boris Christoff / Rome Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Gabriele Santini [ Naxos Historical / 3 CD - released 7/Feb/2006 ] "Gobbi goes from strength to strength … Rodrigo's noble death scene elicits from this artist some of the loveliest baritone singing I have ever heard on record.With the cardinal rôles of the King and Posa finely done, with beautifully moulded... |
ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD
Korngold: Das Wunder der Heliane (complete opera recorded in 2018) Deutsche Oper Berlin / Sara Jakubiak, Brian Jagde, Josef Wagner, Okka von der Damerau, Derek Welton / Christof Loy [ Naxos DVD / 2 DVD - released 7/Jun/2019 ] Erich Wolfgang Korngold regarded Das Wunder der Heliane as his greatest work, but the opera has been neglected since its premiere in 1927. This 2018 production from the Deutsche Oper Berlin features the American soprano Sara Jakubiak as Heliane, and... |
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK
Humperdinck: Hansel und Gretel (Complete opera) (Rec 1953) (plus earlier recordings of excerpts) Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano) Anny Felbermayer (soprano) Ines Maria Ferraris (soprano) Elisabeth Grummer (soprano) Herbert von Karajan (cond) [ Naxos Historic Opera / 2 CD - released 1/Feb/2005 ] "The cast is ideal. This type of music suits Schwarzkopf to a tee. Her clarity of tone and expression, coupled with her diction, is perfect for the role of Gretel. Her opposite number, her Hänsel, is Elisabeth Grümmer, in fine fettle here" - Bargain... |
NICOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Frankfurt Opera / Julia Muzychenko, Enkelejda Shkoza, Alexey Tikhomirov, Anthony Robin Schneider / Sebastian Weigle (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 11/Nov/2022 ] "Loy masses his choral scenes with gusto, and draws the characters with compassion and wit. It's the mixture of cheerfulness and melancholy that makes this opera sing, and Loy walks the line without compromise to his own aesthetic." Gramophone |
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve (Complete opera recorded in 2021) Georgy Vasiliev (tenor) Julia Muzychenko (soprano) Enkelejda Shkoza (mezzo) Alexey Tikhomirov (bass) / Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 10/Nov/2023 ] "Some will doubtless be glad to enjoy Rimsky's ravishing score without Loy's visuals... It's also hugely enjoyable in its own right, throwing a particular spotlight on Sebastian Weigle's affectionate, alert conducting." Gramophone |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: La finta giardiniera (complete opera recorded in 2018) BLU-RAY Teatro alla Scala / Krešimir Špicer, Julie Martin du Theil, Bernard Richter / Diego Fasolis (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 9/Jul/2021 ] "The whole, remarkably filmed by Daniela Vismara, is to be seen by all those who are reluctant to opera: conversion is guaranteed!" © 2021 Crescendo |
PIETRO MASCAGNI
Mascagni: L'Amico Fritz (Complete Opera recorded in 2022) (Blu-ray) Maggio Musicale Fiorentino / Salome Jicia, Charles Castronovo, Teresa Iervolino, Massimo Cavalletti / Riccardo Frizza,(cond) [ Naxos / Dynamic Blu-ray / DVD - released 17/Feb/2023 ] "Cucchi evokes a lively society, never overstated, of friendship and good cheer...Frizza controls the ebb and flow in masterly fashion. The whole thing is very nicely done." Gramophone Blu-ray of the Month April 2023 |
CESAR FRANCK
Franck: Hulda (complete opera original version) Meagan Miller, Joshua Kohl, Irina Jae-Eun Park, Anja Jung / Opernchor des Theater Freiburg, Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Fabrice Bollon [ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set - released 10/Oct/2021 ] "An intrepid cast led by Meagan Miller as Hulda and Joshua Kohl's Eiolf, her faithless lover, negotiates a top-heavy score that mixes Franck's thunderous organ chords with Berlioz and Wagner..all credit to Fabrice Bollon and the Freiburg Phil." BBC |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander [The Flying Dutchman] ( Alfred Muff, Ingrid haubold, Erich Knodt, Peter Seiffert / Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Pinchas Steinberg [ Naxos Opera Classics / 2 CD Box Set - released 2/Feb/1992 ] "The recording is both atmospheric and clear, and the set comes with libretto, translation, notes and detailed synopsis, an outstanding bargain." Penguin Guide |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Siegfried (complete opera recorded 2017) Simon O'Neill, Matthias Goerne, David Cangelosi, Heidi Melton, Werner van Mechelen / Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden [ Naxos / 4 CD Box Set - released 2/Nov/2017 ] "New Zealand tenor Simon O'Neill is surely the Siegfried for our generation." MusicWeb |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss (R.): Ariadne auf Naxos (complete opera recorded in 2012) BLU-RAY Staatskapelle Dresden / Renée Fleming, Robert Dean Smith, Sophie Koch / Christian Thielemann (cond) [ Decca Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/May/2015 ] Filmed live in Baden-Baden by the veteran director Brian Large, Renée Fleming makes her debut in the role of Ariadne together with fellow key Strauss interpreters Sophie Koch and Christian Thielemann, following on from their Rosenkavalier... |
GIOACCHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia [The Barber of Seville] (complete opera recorded in 2017) BLU-RAY Theatre Des Champs-Elys / Florian Sempey, Catherine Trottmann, Michele Angelini, Péter Kálmán [ Naxos Unitel Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 7/Jul/2020 ] "The period orchestra is technically impressive and admirable in its range of colour. Jérémie Rhorer is a spirited conductor, conveying the score's sophistication in lithe, witty fashion." Opera |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: La Pietra del paragone (complete opera) Agata Bienkowska (mezzo) / Alessandro Codeluppi (tenor) / Raffaele Constantini (bass) / Anna Rita Gemmabella (sop) / Anke Herrmann (sop) [ Naxos Opera Classics / 3 CD Box Set - released 2/Jun/2004 ] "Polish mezzo Agata Bienkowska...here evinces a rich-toned flexible voice of considerable promise ..The conductor, Alessandro de Marchi, is well known in early music circles. He brings clear articulation to the ensembles." MusicWeb |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: Ricciardo e Zoraide (complete opera) Alessandra Marianelli, Silvia Beltrami, Maxim Mironov, Randall Bills / Camerata Bach Choir, Poznań, Virtuosi Brunensis, José Miguel Pérez-Sierra [ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set - released 20/Feb/2018 ] "High standards of florid singing allow this performance to take flight and remain in the air: in fact..it's a vocal feast. Conductor José Miguel Pérez- Sierra shows considerable expertise" Opera, June 2018 |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: Torvaldo e Dorliska (complete opera) Anna Rita Gemmabella, Huw Rhys-Evans, Paola Cigna / ARS Brunensis Chamber Choir / Czech Chamber Soloists / Alessandro de Marchi [ Naxos Opera / 2 CD - released 14/Sep/2006 ] Torvaldo e Dorliska belongs to the category, stemming from France, of rescue opera, so called from the basic pattern of plot that is common to these pieces, among them Rossini's La gazza ladra as well as Beethoven's Fidelio. |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande (complete opera) Mireille Delunsch, Gerard Theruel, Armand Arapian, Gabriel Bacquier / Lille National Orchestra & Nord-Pas-de-Calais Chorus, Jean-Claude Casadesus [ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set - released 26/Jul/1999 ] "An outstanding bargain" Penguin Guide |
ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD
Korngold: Das Wunder der Heliane (complete opera recorded in 2018) BLU-RAY Deutsche Oper Berlin / Sara Jakubiak, Brian Jagde, Josef Wagner, Okka von der Damerau, Derek Welton / Christof Loy [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 7/Jun/2019 ] "Marc Albrecht and his orchestra are familiar, so their excellence is no surprise. But the three lead singers are relative unknowns-and their stupendous performances leave you wondering why." Fanfare |
ENRIQUE GRANADOS
Granados: María del Carmen (complete opera) Diana Veronese, Jesus Suaste, Larisa Kostyuk / Wexford Festival Opera Chorus, Belarussian National Philharmonic, Bragado-Darman [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 28/Sep/2016 ] María del Carmen was Enrique Granados' first great operatic success and the stage work he held in highest regard. It was received with great acclaim at its première in 1898, admired for its refined and brilliant orchestral writing and for its... |
RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO / PIETRO MASCAGNI
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci / Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (recorded in 2019) BLU-RAY Dutch National Opera / Anita Rachvelishvili, Ailyn Pérez, Rihab Chaieb, Brian Jagde, Roman Burdenko, Elena Zilio / Lorenzo Viotti (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 9/Apr/2021 ] "Anita Rachvelisvili is the undisputed star of Cav. She sings Santuzza as an unashamed mezzo, and her chest voice is thrilling in this music. Brian Jagde's Turridu is rakish and appealing, never a caricature villain, and he sings with electric energy |
GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Tosca (complete opera recorded in 2022) BLU-RAY Dutch National Opera / Malin Byström, Joshua Guerrero, Gevorg Hakobyan / Lorenzo Viotti (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 14/Apr/2023 ] "...this must be one of the bloodiest Toscas shown on stage, in a world where the characters' Christian faith is clearly a personal defence against the horror of the tyranny under which they live." Gramophone Editor's Choice July 2023 |
W. A. MOZART / VERDI / LEHAR / J. STRAUSS II / RICHARD STRAUSS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf - Opera arias Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (sop), with Karl Schmitt-Walter (bar) / Philharmonia Orchestra. Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan, Wilhelm Furtwangler [ EMI / CD - released 2/Feb/1990 ] Recordings from 1950, Le Nozze di Figaro, to, 1959, Capriccio. |
SAMUEL BARBER
Barber: Vanessa (complete opera) Ellen Chickering (soprano) / Andrea Matthews (soprano) / Marion Dry (contralto) / Ray Bauwens, tenor / Ukranian National Capella Dumka / Gil Rose [ Naxos American Opera Classics / 2 CD - released 1/Jan/2007 ] "...the all-American cast of a recent Boston revival is vocally more than adequate and dramatically convincing, while the conductor of that revival draws full-blooded playing from the excellent Ukranian orchestra...this set is a valuable account of... |
JEAN-BAPISTE LULLY
Lully: Atys (complete opera recorded in 2011) Emmanuelle de Negri, Stéphanie d'Oustrac, Bernard Richter / Compagnie Fêtes Galantes, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie [ Naxos DVD / 2 DVD - released 24/Sep/2021 ] "..the stage picture is consistently opulent, with even Atys and Sangaride dressed ornately, at least until the shattering final act." New York Times |
SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: All-Night Vigil, Op. 37, Vespers Eugen Antoni, tenor / Raisa Palmu, soprano / Erja Wimeri, contralto / Finnish National Opera Chorus / Eric-Olof Soderstrom, conductor [ Naxos / CD - released 6/Dec/2004 ] Sergey Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was born into a wealthy estate-owner's family near Novgorod. His father squandered the family property, which had to be sold in 1880. The family moved to St Petersburg. |
DANIEL-FRANCOIS AUBER
Auber: Le Philtre (complete opera) Eugenio Di Lieto, Luiza Fatyol, Emmanuel Franco, ;Adina Vilichi / Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, Luciano Acocella [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 27/Jan/2023 ] In 1831 Auber and his long-standing librettist Eugène Scribe produced Le Philtre, which took the concept of petit opéra to the extreme, even outdoing Rossini's Le Comte Ory in depicting a rural setting. |
PIETRO MASCAGNI
Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana Giacomo Aragall, Stefka Evstatieva, Anna di Mauro, Alzbeta Michalkova / Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic Chorus, Alexander Rahbari [ Naxos Opera Classics / CD - released 2/Feb/1995 ] Recorded: 1 - 10 April 1992 Recording Venue: Concert Hall of the Slovak Radio, Bratislava |
HOWARD HANSON
Hanson: Merry Mount Op 31 (complete opera) Lauren Flanigan, Walter Macneil, Wrestling Bradford / Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz [ Naxos American Opera Classics / 2 CD - released 30/Apr/2007 ] "Good tunes and the Devil combine in an unabashed romantic American rarity. The leading roles are splendidly characterised by Lauren Flanigan and Richard Zeller, well supported in a rehabilitation that is a credit to all involved." Gramophone |
JOHANN SIMON MAYR
Mayr: Amor non soffre opposizione (complete opera) Giulio Alvise Caselli, Richard Resch, Laura Faig / East-West European Festival Orchestra, Franz Hauk [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 28/Sep/2016 ] Mayr's opera buffa Amore non soffre opposizioni was first performed in Venice in 1810 and owes something to the increasingly popular genre of the 'sentimental drama'. Conforming to Neapolitan practice in having no recitatives, it reflects precisely... |
GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: Mose in Egitto (1819 Naples version of the complete opera) Giuseppe Fedeli, Wojtek Gierlach, Lorenzo Regazzo, Giorgio Trucco / Wurttemberg Philharmonic Orchestra / Antonino Fogliani [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 30/Jan/2008 ] Rossini's Mosè in Egitto, described as an azione tragico-sacra, combines the biblical narrative of the release of Moses and the Israelites from Egypt, and a more characteristically operatic element in the love of Pharaoh's son Osiride for the Hebrew... |
HECTOR BERLIOZ
Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini (complete opera recorded in 2007) Grobes festspielhaus, Salzburg / Burkhard Fritz, Maija Kovalevska, Laurent Naouri, Brindley Sherratt / Valery Gergiev (cond) [ Naxos Unitel DVD / DVD - released 1/Jan/2010 ] "Burkhard Fritz as Benvenuto is a strong heroic tenor and copes well with the vocal demands of the role, while Maria Kovalevska as his beloved Teresa enchants us with her lovely voice and physical beauty." (The WholeNote.com) |
VERDI
Macbeth (complete opera) - Sferisterio Opera Festival, 2007 Guiseppe Altomare / Ohla Zhuravel / Pavel Kudinov / Rubens Pelizzari / Marco Voleri / Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra / Daniele Callegari [ Naxos / 2 CD - released 1/Oct/2009 ] Verdi was justifiably pleased with Macbeth, his tenth opera and his first on a Shakespearian subject-it would long remain his own favourite among his 'early period' operas. Eighteen years later, at the invitation of the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, he... |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Gotterdammerung (complete opera recorded 2018) Gun-Brit Barkmin, Daniel Brenna, Eric Halfvarson, Shenyang, Amanda Majeski, Peter Kálmán / Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus & Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden [ Naxos / 4 CD Box Set - released 1/Nov/2018 ] This is the third and penultimate release in the acclaimed cycle of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen with the Hong Kong Philharmonic conducted by Jaap van Zweden. Of the star cast for Siegfried, Matthias Goerne has been singled out for particular... |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, (R.): Ariadne auf Naxos (Complete Opera recorded in 1969) Gundula Janowitz, James King, Peter Schrier, Hermann Prey / Straatskapelle Dresden, Rudolf Kempe [ EMI Classics / 2 CD Box Set - released 20/Sep/1992 ] "Gundula Janowitz sings the role of Ariadne with incomparable line and style. Her knowledge of Strauss singing has never been bettered." (review) |
KAROL SZYMANOWSK
Szymanowski: King Roger (Krol Roger), Op. 46 (Complete Opera) plus Prince Potemkin (Kniaz Patiomkin): Incidental Music to Act V Henryk Grychnik (tenor), Andrzej Hiolski (baritone), Anna Malewicz Madej (contralto) / Polish National Radio Symphony / Wit [ Naxos Opera Classics / 2 CD - released 6/Jan/2004 ] "The recorded sound surpasses the others. Perspective is good; voices aren't drowned, but the delicacy of the orchestration is not lost" - American Record Guide |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, (R.): Ariadne auf Naxos (complete opera recorded in 1970) Hildegard Hillebrecht, Tatiana Troyanos, Reri Grist, Jess Thomas / Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Karl Böhm [ Australian Deutsche Grammophon SBS Eloquence / 2 CD - released 3/Apr/2015 ] "Reri Grist is my ideal Zerbinetta, precise of rhythm and intonation, witty in phrasing and verbal inflexion, tough in attack yet delectably sensual in vocal quality, the whore of one's dreams, sweet and permissive and utterly natural, never calculat |
JACQUES OFFENBACH
Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne (Complete Operetta recorded in 2021) Théâtre des Champs-Élysées / Jodie Devos, Rodolphe Briand, Marc MauIllon, Sandrine Buendia / Romain Dumas (cond) [ Naxos DVD / 2 DVD - released 10/Feb/2023 ] "Director Christian Lacroix's dazzling sets and costumes perfectly complement Offenbach's beguiling music (played by Les Musiciens du Louvre under the baton of conductor Romain Dumas), and it's charmingly sung by a superlative cast." FlipSide |
GIUSEPPE SAVERIO MERCADANTE
Mercadante: Didone abbandonata (complete opera recorded in 2018) Innsbruck Festival / Viktorija Miškūnaitė, Katrin Wundsam, Emilie Renard, Carlo Vincenzo Allemano, Diego Godoy / Alessandro De Marchi [ Naxos DVD / DVD - released 7/Jun/2019 ] Giuseppe Saverio Mercadante was a contemporary of Donizetti and Rossini, and his prolific output of operas proved influential in founding dramatic techniques that were taken on by Verdi. |
JOHANN SIMON MAYR
Mayr: Stabat Mater in F minor / Eja mater / Ave maris stella Jaewon Yun (soprano), Theresa Holzhauser (contralto), Robert Sellier (tenor), Jens Hamann (bass) / Bavarian State Opera Chorus, I Virtuosi Italiani [ Naxos / CD - released 17/Aug/2017 ] Restored by Mayr expert Frans Hauk from two extant manuscript versions and heard here in its world premiere recording, Simon Mayr's Stabat mater in F minor was singled out by a contemporary biographer "for its marvelous effect" and "heavenly beauty."... |
RICHARD STRAUSS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Strauss, (R.): Ariadne auf Naxos (Complete opera recorded in 1988) Metropolitan Opera / Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle, Tatiana Troyanos / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon / DVD - released 29/Aug/2002 ] "This performance represents an above-average night at the Metropolitan in the late 1980s: three of its most popular stars, a generally distinguished cast, the house's musical director conducting its great orchestra in one of the works he does best." |
DANIEL-FRANCOIS AUBER
Auber: Sirène (complete opera) Jeanne Crousaud, Dorothee Lorthiois, Xavier Flabat / Les Métaboles, Orchestre des Frivolités Parisiennes, David Reiland [ Naxos / CD - released 1/Apr/2019 ] Auber earned international adulation in the late 1820s for his revolutionary grand opera La Muette de Portici and by the time he composed La Sirène, the success of which inspired potpourris of its melodies, he occupied a central place in French... |