VERDI / DONIZETTI / GOUNOD / ARDITI
La Stupenda Joan Sutherland (soprano) / Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden & Paris Conservatoire Orchestra [ Alto / CD - released 10/Aug/2013 ] (* Penguin Guide Rosette on Art of Prima Donna vol.2) "this 1959 recital** at once put her on the map as one of the greatest recording artists of all time" "most cherishable of all operatic recital records" (Penguin Guide) "breathtaking display" re... |
MOZART / WAGNER / DONIZETTI / SPOHR
The Golden Age of Covent Garden Joan Sutherland (soprano) Jon Vickers (tenor) / Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Rafael Kubelik / with Richard Bonynge (piano) [ Pearl / CD - released 1/Jan/2005 ] Joan Sutherland and Jon Vickers in roles they never recorded commercially, at the very peak of their powers in 1957 and 1958. |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Rigoletto (Complete Opera recorded in 1996) Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Marcelo Alvarez, Peter Auty, Graeme Broadbent, Christine Schafer / Edward Downes (cond) [ Opus Arte Essential Opera Collection DVD / DVD - released 1/Jun/2014 ] "A thrilling performance, with Gavanelli the best acted Rigoletto since Gobbi." - Gramophone Magazine (June 2002) |
TCHAIKOVSKY / KHACHATURIAN / PROKOFIEV / ADAM / STRAVINSKY / DELIBES
The Most Beautiful Ballets [incls 'Swan Lake' & 'Romeo & Juliet'] The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Mark Ermler & Barry Wordsworth [ Sony Classical Masters / CD - released 10/Apr/2012 ] "..the players have responded with both refinement and red-blooded commitment not just to the conductor but to the free, warm acoustic of All Saints' Church, Tooting." (Gramophone on Swan Lake) |
ROYAL BALLET GALA
Royal Ballet Gala (Incls 'Nutcracker Suite', 'La Boutique fantasque' & 'Les Sylphides') Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Ernest Ansermet [ Decca ABC Australian Eloquence / 2 CD - released 20/Jun/2008 ] "This is the stuff of which dreams are made. The Royal Ballet Gala is one of the finest RCAs recorded in London's Kingsway Hall. The chunks of great ballet music are well served by orchestra, conductor and engineer." Audiophilia Online Magazine |
PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Op 71 (highlights from the ballet) The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Mark Ermler [ Conifer / CD - released 20/Nov/1989 ] "The orchestra respond idiomatically to Tchaikovsky dance music and with obvious familiarity and love. Ermler has a natural feeling for springing rhythms and moulding rubato persuasively." (Gramophone) |
PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Ballet at the Opera (from Eugene Onegin, Oprichnik, The Maid of Orleans, etc) Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Colin Davis [ SBS Decca Australian Eloquence / CD - released 1/May/2009 ] "An unhackneyed sample of the operatic-balletic Tchaikovsky culled from the well known and the neglected operas - brilliant performed and recorded." (MusicWeb Aug 2007) |
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: Peter Grimes (complete opera0 Peter Pears / Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Benjamin Britten [ Alto / 2 CD - released 23/Nov/2009 ] Rosette Recording - Penguin Guide (on original Decca recording) |
PUCCINI
Tosca (complete opera recorded in 1955) Renata Tebaldi / Ferruccio Tagliavini / Tito Gobbi / Covent Garden Chorus and Orchestra / Francesco Molinari-Radelli [ ICA Classics / 2 CD - released 30/Jun/2011 ] "Tebaldi's voice is remarkably fresh and secure, with all five high Cs in place and offering no problems, the registers perfectly knit and the sound grand, beautiful and womanly...Gobbi, is, of course, sui generis. From his opening, snarling... |
MEYERBEER / STRAVINSKY / etc
Triple Bill (choreography by Frederick Ashton recorded in 2004 & 2010) The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden / Carlos Acosta, Darcey Bussell, Jonathan Cope / Barry Wordsworth, Paul Murphy (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 22/Apr/2012 ] Founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet, Frederick Ashton created more than 100 ballets over a 60 year career. Showcasing three of his shorter works, this disc reflects the breadth of his sophisticated, elegant and widely popular style. |
HEROLD / PROKOFIEV / MINKUS
Royal Ballet Classics: La Fille Mal Gardee / Romeo and Juliet / Don Quixote (complete ballets recorded in 2005-2013) The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden / Carlos Acosta / Marianela Nunez / William Tuckett / Anthony Twiner (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / 3 DVD Box Set - released 1/Sep/2015 ] So memorably described as 'a dancer who slashes across space faster than anyone else, who lacerates the air with shapes so clear and sharp they seem to throw off sparks' (Independent), Carlos Acosta has been at the forefront of contemporary ballet... |
LOWELL LIEBERMANN
Liebermann: Frankenstein (complete ballet recorded in 2016) BLU-RAY Royal Ballet, Covent Garden / Federico Bonelli, Laura Morera, Steven McRae / Koen Kessels (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Mar/2017 ] Royal Ballet Principals Federico Bonelli, Laura Morera and Steven McRae dance the lead roles in Liam Scarlett's new ballet, based on the world's most famous work of horror fiction, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This ambitious theatrical collaboration... |
HEROLD
La Fille mal Gardee (complete ballet with cheography by Frederick Ashton recorded in 1981) The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden / Lesley Collier / Michael Coleman / John Lanchberry (cond) [ Kultur / NVC Arts / Warner Music Vision / DVD - released 22/Jun/2005 ] G :- Frederick Ashton's delightful ballet has proved irresistible to audiences of all ages and The Royal Ballet's production has immediate appeal for newcomers to ballet as well as for those who return time and again to enjoy its lyrical comedy. |
FERDINAND HEROLD
Herold: La Fille mal gardée (complete ballet recorded in 2015) BLU-RAY Royal Ballet, Covent Garden / Natalia Osipova, Steven McRae, Philip Mosley, Christopher Saunders / Barry Wordsworth (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 25/Nov/2015 ] A classic of The Royal Ballet, La Fille mal gardée was an immediate hit with the British public. Choreographed by Frederick Ashton in 1960, it is a highly lyrical and technically demanding take on the simple tale of 'love revailing' which underpins... |
FERDINAND HEROLD
Herold: La Fille Mal Gardee (complete ballet with chorography by Frederick Ashton recorded in 2015) The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden / Natalia Osipova, Steven McRae, Philip Mosley, Christopher Saunders / Barry Wordsworth (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 20/Nov/2015 ] A classic of The Royal Ballet, La Fille mal gardée was an immediate hit with the British public. Choreographed by Frederick Ashton in 1960, it is a highly lyrical and technically demanding take on the simple tale of 'love revailing' which underpins |
FERDINAND HEROLD / PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY / ADOLPHE ADAM
The Art of Natalia Osipova: La Fille mal gardée / Swan Lake / Giselle / Force of Nature BLU-RAY Royal Ballet, Covent Garden / Natalia Osipova, with Steven McRae, Philip Mosley, Christopher Saunders, Matthew Golding, Elizabeth McGorian & others [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / 4 Blu-ray Box Set - released 25/Sep/2020 ] Russian dance superstar Natalia Osipova joined The Royal Ballet as a Principal in 2013 and has since filled each of her leading roles with an unforgettable passion, fiery energy and technical prowess. |
TCHAIKOVSKY / MENDELSSOHN / PROKOFIEV / DELIBES / HEROLD
My First Ballet Collection (26 highlights from your favourite ballets) The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden / The San Francisco Ballet / Pacific Northwest Ballet / Paris Opera Ballet [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 10/Jan/2010 ] G - Featuring some of the world's most exciting and talented dancers, this sparkling collection brings together the best scenes from your favourite ballets - from the graceful elegance and passion of Swan Lake, to the wit of La Fille mal Gardée. |
KAROL SZYMANOWSKI
King Roger (Complete opera recorded in 2015) BLU-RAY The Royal Opera, Covent Garden / Mariusz Kwiecien, Georgia Jarman, Saimir Pirgu, Kim Begley / Antonio Pappano (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Dec/2015 ] Kasper Holten's production (The Royal Opera's first) of Król Roger (King Roger) brought the opera back to the London stage after an absence of almost 40 years. Karol Szymanowski's masterpiece powerfully presents the dilemmas of culture versus nature... |
ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK
Hansel und Gretel (complete opera recorded in 2008) Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Angelika Kirchschlager / Diana Damrau / Elizabeth Connell / Thomas Allen / Colin Davis, conductor [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 20/Jan/2012 ] 'Angelika Kirchschlager's tousled, boyish Hänsel and Diana Damrau's Gretel are dramatically convincing and vocally superb, while their parents, excellently sung and played by Elizabeth Connell and Thomas Allen, earn our sympathy as well as our... |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Rigoletto (Complete Opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Carlos Alvarez, Liparit Avetisyan, Lisette Oropesa / Antonio Pappano [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 31/Mar/2023 ] "Antonio Pappano's conducting is masterly, offering one of the best accounts available." BBC Music |