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GIOACCHINO ROSSINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE - Rossini: Heros and Heroines Marilyn Horne (mezzo soprano) / L'Orchestre de la Suisse romande / Royal Philharmonic Orchetra / Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden [ Decca Opera Gala / CD - released 20/Jun/1998 ] 'Marilyn Horne's generously filled recital disc brings us one of the most cherishable among all Rossini aria records ever issued. The voice is in glorious condition, rich and firm throughout its spectacular range, and is consistently used with... |
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RICHARD WAGNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (complete opera recorded in 1983) Bayreuth Festival / Rene Kollo, Matti Salminen, Johanna Meier, Hermann Becht / Daniel Barenboim (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon / Unitel DVD / 2 DVD - released 25/Jun/2007 ] Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's celebrated Bayreuth production is filmed on the Festspielhaus stage with six cameras and in digital sound to recreate the unique intensity of a live performance in studio quality. |
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NICOLA PORPORA
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Porpora: Opera Arias Max Emanuel Cencic (countertenor) / Armonia Atenea, George Petrou [ Decca Records / CD - released 15/Aug/2018 ] "Porpora's gift for characterisation pales beside Handel's, but his vocal fireworks bring modest delight, especially when backed by the bustling musicians of George Petrou's Armonia Atenea" The Times |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera recorded in 2008) Metropolitan Opera / Zeljko Lucic, Maria Guleghina, John Relyea, Dimitri Pittas / James Levine (Cond) [ Warner Classics DVD / 2 DVD - released 29/Sep/2008 ] "An auspicious issue in first rate sound and vision further enhanced by an excellent "behind the scenes" documentary featuring the mainstays of this memorable January 2008 night at the MET." (ClassicalNet) |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Rigoletto (Complete opera recorded in 1977) The Metropolitan Opera / Placido Domingo, Ileana Cotrubas, Cornell MacNeil / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 27/May/2004 ] "Yes, Rigoletto is a singer's opera, but Verdi also poured into it some of his most dramatic as well as melodic music. That said, the vivid colours of the production have come up amazingly well and the sound is clear." (MusicWeb Dec 2006) |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Aida (Complete opera recorded in 1980) Mirella Freni, Josa Carreras, Agnes Baltsa, Piero Cappuccilli / Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan [ EMI / 3 CD Box Set - released 10/Jul/1988 ] There are numerous opera which give the chance to the producer for spectacular scenery but some actually demand it - one of these, without doubt, is AIDA. |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Rarities Montserrat Caballe (soprano) with Maja Sunara (mezzo) & Lajos Kozma (tenor) / RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra [ Rca Red Seal / CD - released 22/Jul/2013 ] Caballé's international breakthrough came in 1965 when she replaced a pregnant Marilyn Horne in a semi-staged performance of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia at New York's Carnegie Hall, which earned her a 25-minute standing ovation. (Wiki) |
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FRANZ LEHAR
Lehar: The Merry Widow (complete operetta recorded in 1988) Opera Australia / Joan Sutherland, Ron Stevens, Ann-Maree McDonald / Richard Bonynge (cond) [ ABC Universal DVD / DVD - released 1/Mar/2011 ] The sparkling story concerns a national crisis in the picture-postcard country of Pontevedro, as the recently-widowed Hanna Glawari appears to be in danger of marrying a foreigner. |
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FRIEDRICH SMETANA
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Smetana: The Bartered Bride (complete opera recorded in German in 1962) Pilar Lorengar, Gottlob Frick, Fritz Wunderlich / Bamberger Symphoniker / Rudolf Kempe [ EMI Classics Electrola Collection / 2 CD - released 24/Aug/2011 ] Smetana's masterpiece with Fritz Wunderlich: Among the German-language recordings, experts agree that this is the best: Fritz Wunderlich at the height of his powers, Pilar Lorengar in what is "perhaps her best recording" (Jürgen Kesting). |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Otello (complete opera recorded in 1986) Placido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Diaz / Milan La Scala Chorus & Orchestra / Lorin Maazel [ EMI / 2 CD Box Set - released 18/Aug/1986 ] "I have no hesitation in making this set my first choice in this ever-potent opera" - Gramophone |
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GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Telemann: Italian Opera Arias Nuria Rial (soprano) / Kammerorchester Basel, Julia Schroder [ Deutsche Harmonia Mundi / CD - released 14/Nov/2011 ] "Rial's enchanting recital with the Basel Chamber Orchestra comprises high-quality arias...the orchestral performance is beautifully poised to support Rial's serene soprano?" BBC |
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BERTHOLD GOLDSCHMIDT
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Goldschmidt: Beatrice Cenci (complete opera with libretto) Roberta Alexander, Stefan Stoll, Simon Estes, Della Jones / Berlin Radio Chorus, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Lothar Zagrosek [ Sony Classical / 2 CD Box Set - released 7/Feb/1995 ] "The cast is a strong one, dominated by the burnished tone of Roberta Alexander in the title role of the abused daughter. Della Jones as her stepmother Lucrezia is equally fine" BBC Music |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: La Traviata (Complete opera recorded in 1994) Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Frank Lopardo, Angela Gheorghiu, Leo Nucci / Sir Georg Solti (cond) [ Decca Classics DVD / DVD - released 1/Jan/2017 ] "The singing is glorious, and this is one of the DVDs that should be the cornerstone in any collection. A superb stage spectacle." Penguin Guide Rosette Winner |
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GIACOMO PUCCINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Puccini: Tosca (complete opera recorded in 2000) Teatro alla Scala / Maria Guleghina, Salvatore Licitra, Leo Nucci / Riccardo Muti (cond) [ EuroArts DVD / DVD - released 23/Jun/2011 ] "As Tosca, Maria Guleghina is in fine voice, and Muti supports her at every turn. Her great Act Two lament 'Vissi d'arte' is beautifully shaped, with phrases carefully structured so as not to peak too soon." MusicWeb |
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IVAR HALLSTROM
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Hallstrom: Duke Magnus & the Mermaid (complete opera) Lars Johansson, Robin Svanvik, Marco Stella, Jonas Olofsson, Emelie Sigelius, Ingela Bohlin, Eva Marklund / Vadstena Academy Choir, Niklas Willen [ Marco Polo / 2 CD Box Set - released 17/Feb/2003 ] Although he learnt the piano, Hallström was self-taught as a composer. He studied law in Uppsala and in 1853 was appointed librarian to Prince Oscar which assisted him in advancing his career as a composer. His operas in collaboration with the... |
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RICHARD STRAUSS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Strauss, (R.): Elektra (complete opera recorded in 1981) Vienna State Opera / Astrid Varnay, Leonie Rysanek, Catarina Ligendza, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Karl Bohm (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 1/Aug/2005 ] "Karl Bohm - Strauss's protégé - conducts, while Gotz Friedrich directs the stage production itself, dramatically evoking and emphasizing the expressionist set design inherent in Strauss's original conception." (Rovi) |
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CHARLES GOUNOD
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Gounod: Faust (complete opera directed by Ken Russell in 1985) Vienna State Opera / Gabriela Benackova, Francisco Araiza, Ruggero Raimondi / Erich Binder (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 23/Jun/2006 ] Gounod's crowning achievement Faust, first staged in 1859 at the Lyric Theatre in Paris, is a conflict of good and evil, love and hate. |
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GEORGE GERSHWIN
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Gershwin: Porgy and Bess (highlights from the complete Opera) Willard White / Cynthia Haymon / Cynthia Clarey / London Philharmonic conducted by Sir Simon Rattle [ EMI Music / CD - released 15/Jun/1997 ] "A performance that entranced audiences at Glyndebourne and which crosses over to CD virtually intact, revealing what a great dramatic world Gershwin conjured up." (Gramophone) |
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FREDERICK DELIUS
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Delius: Fennimore and Gerda (complete opera in German with comprehensive booklet) Peter Coleman-Wright, Judith Howarth, Randi Stene, Aage Haugland, Annette Simonsen, / Danish National Radio Choir & Symphony Orchestra; Richard Hickox [ Chandos / CD - released 12/Aug/1997 ] "Stene sings so beautifully and projects the allure and the predicament of Fennimore so strongly that it might be renamed 'Fennimore: a tragedy':" Gramophone |
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CLAUDE DEBUSSY
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande (complete opera with libretto) Francois Le Roux, Jose van Dam, Maria Ewing, Christa Ludwig / Wiener Philharmoniker Chor et Orchestre, Claudio Abbado [ Deutsche Grammophon / 2 CD Box Set - released 2/Feb/1992 ] "The superb Abbado which is hands-down a first choice among modern sets." MusicWeb |