GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Manon Lescaut (complete opera) Mirella Freni, Placido Domingo, Renato Bruson / Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / [ Deutsche Grammophon Grand Prix / 2 CD - released 1/May/2007 ] "The sound is consistently spacious and free to bring out the strongly dramatic and characterful qualities of Sinopoli's reading" - Gramophone |
PUCCINI
Tosca (complete opera) Monserrat Caballa / Josa Carreras / Ingvar Wixell / Samuel Ramey / Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Sir Colin Davis [ Pentatone SACD / 2 SACD - released 26/Sep/2006 ] The blissfully melodic drama full of delicate weaknesses, La bohème, was followed by the chamber of horrors which was Tosca. Giacomo Puccini demonstrated the artistic acrobatics of which he was capable in two of his most successful works. |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Aida (Complete Opera recorded in 1973) Montserrat Caballe, Placido Domingo, Piero Cappuccilli, Nicolai Ghiaurov / Royal Opera House Chorus & Orchestra, Riccardo Muti [ Warner Classics Home of Opera / 3 CD Box Set - released 1/Feb/2016 ] 'An outright winner. Muti is the undoubted hero, so compelling is his interpretation of the score, and there are no weaknesses in his cast, which features five of the biggest operatic 'names' of the day.' (Gramophone) |
PUCCINI / DONIZETTI / MOZART / VERDI / etc
An Evening with Montserrat Caballe Montserrat Caballa, soprano, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent garden, new Philharmonia Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra, London Sympho [ Philips Eloquence / CD - released 25/Jan/2003 ] Eloquence - the specially priced quality label from Europe |
VERDI / MOZART / MONTEVERDI / OFFENBACH / PUCCINI / WAGNER
The Essential Opera Collection (19 DVD) Muziektheater Amsterdam / Glyndebourne Opera / Madrid Teatro Real / Gran Teatre del Liceu / Netherlands Opera / Royal Opera House / Paris Opera [ Opus Arte Essential Opera Collection DVD / 19 DVD Box Set - released 20/Nov/2015 ] The 'Essential Opera Collection' is an exciting new mid-price series that brings together popular operas and classic productions in simple stylish packaging. The ten launch titles represent the leading opera houses of the world, including The Royal... |
SAINT-SAENS / TCHAIKOVSKY / VERDI / BERLIOZ / de FALLA / MOUSSORGSKY / etc
Olga Borodina: Portrait Olga Borodina (mezzo) / Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Orchestra of Welsh National Opera / etc [ Philips Portrait of an Artist / 2 CD - released 10/Jun/2006 ] "A mezzo-soprano is usually a woman with a tragic past, a tragic life - strong women, wilful women, and these roles have strengthened me as a character" (Olga Borodina) |
MASSENET
Manon (complete ballet) Covent Garden Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Richard Bonynge [ Decca Ballet Edition / 2 CD - released 14/Nov/2011 ] |
MASSENET
Massenet: Werther (complete opera recorded in 1980) Jose Carreras, Frederica von Stadt, Thomas Allen / Orchestra Royal Opera House, Covent garden, Colin Davis [ Decca / 2 CD Box Set - released 20/Feb/2012 ] "von Stade's performance can hardly be faulted. Her voice is the very incarnation of Charlotte's essential simplicity of character" (Gramophone) |
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 |
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) |
BIZET / MENDELSSOHN / MOZART / PUCCINI / STRAUSS 11 / RAMEAU
THE BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: Opera and Ballet Highlights Paris Opera Ballet / Royal Opera House / Teatro Real, Madrid / Glyndebourne Opera / Pacific Northwest Ballet / Drottningholms Slottsteater [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Jan/2009 ] Blu-Ray - Opera and Ballet Highlights from the Opus Arte catalogue at a very special price. |
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: Peter Grimes 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) |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: La Traviata (recorded live Covent Garden in 2009) Royal Opera / Renee Fleming, Joseph Calleja, Thomas Hampson / Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 30/Jun/2011 ] "this is a sensible, believable, attractive presentation that is more in line with Verdi than with the idiocies of Regietheater...Vocally, [Fleming] is on good form at almost every turn." (International Record Review) |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: La Traviata (recorded live Covent Garden in 2009) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Renee Fleming, Joseph Calleja, Thomas Hampson / Antonio Pappano (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 30/Jun/2011 ] "this is a sensible, believable, attractive presentation that is more in line with Verdi than with the idiocies of Regietheater...Vocally, [Fleming] is on good form at almost every turn." International Record Review, July 2011 |
LEONCAVALLO / PONCHIELLI / CILEA / ZANDONAI / PUCCINI / MASCAGNI / etc
Nessun Dorma (arias from opera) Roberto Alagna (tenor) / Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Mark Elder [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 1/Jun/2006 ] Following on from the great success of his previous Berlioz releases, superstar tenor Roberto Alagna explores the world of opera with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden under conductor Mark Elder. |
BAZIN / MASSENET / GOUNOD / GRe°TRY / HALe°VY / THOMAS / MEYERBEER
French Opera Arias Roberto Alagna (tenor) / Royal Opera House Orchestra, Bertrand de Billy [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - released 1/Jun/2006 ] 2001 GRAMOPHONE AWARD WINNER - Recital "Imaginative programming that combines some old favourites with some rarely encountered gems. All sung with panache by a tenor at home in this music" |
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Simple Symphony / Spring Symphony / Four Sea Interludes Jennifer Vyvyan; Norma Proctor; Peter Pears / Royal Opera House Orchestra, Benjamin Britten / I Musici, Felix Ayo [ Alto / CD - released 10/Aug/2013 ] (Spring Symph) "confirmed in my admiration by this, both technically and musically among the best things the gramophone has given us. The music is not difficult for any open-minded listener to enjoy" (Gramophone) |
MASSENET
Werther (complete opera recorded in 2011) Rolando Villazon, Sophie Koch, Audun Iversen / Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Antonio Pappano [ Deutsche Grammophon / 2 CD Box Set - released 22/Apr/2012 ] "This is Massenet with an Italianate cut but his sense of drama is second to none, rising to white heat at the climax of that fateful Christmas Eve meeting." (Gramophone Award Nomination 2012) |