Opera CDs and MP3s of live performances

Memories of being there

“For those who were not there, it is worth observing that Nilsson had the biggest voice in the world at the time (sometimes doing off pitch at this point in her career as she had not even three years before in Edinburgh) but that Jones’s voice was now almost as large. People still debate whether Jones’s voice in later years became larger than Nilsson’s had been. Jones’s vibrato or tremolo varied at each performance. Rodney Milnes, reviewing, wrote of her “Such a generous singer: always gives two notes for the price of one.””

Three Divas, Four Songs

“A great chance to compare three legends, each bringing something of “themselves” to the music, Nilsson those clarion, sunny high notes, Caballè’s chracteristic sweetness and legato. Perhaps Zylis-Gara is the best all around perrformnce while being the least spectacular.”

Great Performances, Excellent Sound!

“Most of us are familiar with Karajan's studio Ring cycle, recorded slightly out of order, beginning with Die Walkure in 1967. DG was, in fact, giving a sort of answer to the Solti/Decca cycle which had already won a number of important awards and set a standard that is still in place over half a century after it was completed. Karajan's set was very different in style and sound than Decca's and rightly so. These live performances taken from the yearly broadcasts are in excellent sound (Rheingold in stereo), not to the degree that the studio sets are, but allowing Karajan's interpretation to clearly emerge even with occasional minor fluffs textually and musically (and there aren't many of those either).The casts are almost identical though Ludwig takes Fricka in Walkure (Veasey did it in the studio), Thomas sings the Gotterdammerung Siegfried (Brilioth in the studio set), Grist sings the Woodbird (Gayer in the studio), and Rebmann replaces Donath in Das Rheingold. All the singers are more alive on stage and are extremely good. Karajan is overall less self-indulgent, pacing the four operas very well.If you love the Ring and/or Karajan, you need to hear these performances.”

David Fetz

“I was thrilled to see you post this Recording with Brian Sullivan. The only time I had even even heard of him was trough and old Firstone Christmas Album with Rise Stevens. Now to be able to hear him sing Otello. I look forward to it.”

Louis K Newton

“This is the Scala production created around Maria Callas. Simionato if anything is better here than with Callas; she seems more settled into the character. Clabassi has been promoted from Rochefort to King and is very welcome in the role, replacing the unfortunately wobbly Rossi-Lemeni. I also like this Smeton better than a more matronly and not completely steady Carturan. As for Gencer, her only fault in the role is that she followed Callas in one of her greatest triumphs. (I don't know of a single soprano who doesn't suffer by comparison with Callas in the same repertoire.) Gencer, at least from the two video examples I've seen, was a more convincing singer than actor. While Callas *was* Anna in every way, Gencer sings the part wonderfully throughout. Once I turn off the memory of Callas in the role and focus on the performance at hand, I have no complaints at all and I remain a devoted Gencer fan. Excellent all round.”

"Die Meistersinger" sung by Mastersingers

“Another great live recording from the Bayreuther Festspiele (1964), under the inspired baton of Karl Bohm and featuring a starry cast of singers, such as: Josef Greindl, Anja Silja, Sandor Konya, Ruth Hesse, Kurt Bohme (among many others)! A real treat and a must!Thank you so much for this wonderful gift, dear operadepot!”

Great Performance, Eccentric Title Card

“I'm in the process of enjoying Karl Bohm's conducting, and the fine singing of Tristan spearheaded by Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen, hoping to draw a clear comparison with Bohm's better-known, superlative 1966 version with a similar cast. But I couldn't help noticing the slight oddity of the title card enclosed with the two disks. To wit:Reversible TristanTristan und Isolde, live recording from Bayreuth, July 24th, 1962That’s right, in Act Two’s Love DuetIsolde, Tristan swap their genders:Says so in Wagner’s tangled textCompounding passion with surrenders.He sings how he’s become Isolde,She sings about her turning Tristan;She who could not decipher “Tantris”— Could anyone that corybanticMiss the hint of congress Tantric?—No fitter name for her than Sole Id.Outstripping Sole Id and her Tantris,Opera Depot issues two disks,Tristan, Bayreuth, ’62.It boasts a title card like few;Gives names to roles and singing players,To wit: Tristan is Birgit Nilsson,Wolfgang Windgassen plays Isolde.It just gets better: Kurwenal,Tristan’s blustery manservant,Is played by mezzo Kerstin Meyer.Brangäne, house-girl to Isolde,Is baritone, trusty Eberhard Wächter.(Come to think of it, what parentsName their bright boy Eberhard?But that’s a construct to be filedWith names like Hildegard and Behrens,Walküre-typical, totally wild.)So doth the white-bread title cardReverse poor Tristan’s cast of players,Sure to confound the already jarredBy Tristan’s multiverse of layers.Such gender-bending like a tuxFits operas of love and flux.”

Mario’sc

“I always prefer Carmen in French. It was written in French. This Carmen in Italian is all about the stentorian immensity of his voice. Focus on his vocal dimension. Criticized widely for lack of subtlety and inability to sing piano Mario refutes this cliche by lyricism and softness of the flower song Holding incredible long note and real tears in the final scene. Carmen is a verismo opera strictly speaking. Sheer power of crude passion is his vocal nature. It is for those who obsessed with Mario’s vocal greatness. The rest of the cast is great too. It is great for my collection.”

Don't forget the small-parters...!

“A wonderful performance ,in clear broadcast sound and with amazing principals, However, lest we forget that this opera is also very much an ensemble piece, note SAMUEL RAMEY (say no more!) as Truffaldino, and Joaquin Romaguerra as the Wig Maker......Who was he, you may ask, if not familiar with singers in the US.? Romaguerra was to create the role of Pirelli in Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in 1979 and can be heard in the Original Cast Recording - and very good he is, too!”

Walter Hartman

“This is a performance that demonstrates what wonderful performances Zylis-Gara, Mathis, Taddei and Schreier gave in the theater. They are well known for these roles from various studio released recordings and all live up to their excellent reputations here. The novelties are to hear Paskalis and Marton as Giovanni and Donna Anna. Both are very persuasive and satisfying.It is wonderful to hear Marton when she had such control and finesse in her singing. Paskalis sings well and creates a strong characterization.”

notes

“The orchestra: the NHK Symphony Orchestra = NHK交響楽団, from Tokyo. The NHKSO is regarded as the most elite orchestra in Japan. The choir: the selected members from Osaka College of Music and others."Osaka Festival Hall = 大阪フェスティヴァルホール" is the venue.”

A vintage performance.

“This great cast brought Die Fledermaus to life. Highlights are Valerie Masterson as Adele & Ann Hood as Prince Orlovsky both showing their extensive experience in operetta. The recorded sound is of a good calibre. A pleasure to listen to.”

This is a marvelous "Ring"

“I have been listening to this recording almost non-stop for the last few weeks. The audio quality is superb, especially given the limitations of 1953 recording equipment. Mödl's Brunhilde is wonderful, Keilberth's conducting is great, Windgassen is in fine, fresh voice. The big moments, like "Leb wohl," the sword forging song, and the Immolation scene are transcendent. I go back and forth between this recording and the 1953 Clemens Krauss "Ring" with Astrid Varnay, and I can't help but think that the 1953 summer in Bayreuth was a rich time for Wagner devotees and "Ring" aficionados.”

Great recommendation

“Fantastic performance. I remember hearing the broadcasts from Bayreuth but had not remembered how exciting this Ring is. As it says here on Opera Depot, Lindholm and Jones sing with such intensity and excitement but there really are no weak links in this cast. Everyone contributes to a memorable cycle. Highly recommended.”

Convincing version

“It is due to Wieland Wagner creating this shortened version for todays use. Adriano sung by a tenor is much more convincing. The cast with Windgassen, Traxel, Neidlinger and Brivcalne was great -- have seen it.”

A Figaro to cherish

“This was the first Figaro I saw in the opera house (although I knew the work from records) and its memory has vividly remained with me ever since. Hearing it again has only reinforced my affection for the performance. Geraint Evans was the reigning Figaro of the time in London, somewhat dry of voice but always vividly expressive, and Victor Braun was a suave Count. The whole cast was delightfully characterful under the stylish conducting of Colin Davis.But of course, it was Kiri te Kanawa's radiant Countess who stole the show, and she still does on these cds. This was said to be the "breakthrough" performance of Dame Kiri's career, and she surely never did anything better.It's a shame that only Act 2 of this performance is presented in stereo, but the sound throughout is very acceptable. This is an important addition to my collection of Figaros!”

James Mertins

“3 Brunnhilde’s plus 2 in the wings in Jones and Napier.=,would that this was the case today.Voigt ,Watson and Bullock don’t really cut it. Ligendza was a very good soprano but cancelled more times than not, she was scared of the big challenge and it showed.”

Thrilling performance

“Horst Stein is sometimes thougth of as a safe but not the most exciting of conductors. Here however he strikes thrilling form. The performance takes off from the start. Thomas Stewart a wonderful Wotan and as his daughter Berit Lindholm is superb. Often singing at the same time as the mighty Nilsson were we inclined to overlook the glories of Lindholm ? Was there ever a more pasionate Sieglinde than Gwyneth Jones (dont think so) partnered with the excellent Helge Brilioth this recording should be in the collection of every Wagner lover. The sound is excellent.”

Karajan on the top

“This is an interesting document of Maestro von Karajan‘s Salzburg TRISTAN. His conducting and the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic are fabulous! The musical texture of this incomparable masterwork is transparent in a way that makes astonish.Vickers is a wonderful Tristan, but at the end of act three his voice is nearly at an end. Dernesch makes great impression with her Isolde, but is not able to hold on the last note of the Liebestod, which is very disappointing.Ludwig and Berry are top, so is Ridderbusch as Marke.Luxury is also present at the small parts with perfect performances of Peter Schreier, Gerhard Unger and Bernd Weikl.The sound is good.”

Bel Canto Fan

“I tried to write a review earlier but it doesn't appear to have succeeded, so will try again.Very pleased to have found this version of an opera that appears to be under-recorded. Such a strong cast with these two Queens, Gencer and Verrett. Sound is not perfect, but still very good, and does not detract from the very good voices, Would highly recommend to anyone who likes Donizetti's operas.”

A Memorable Rondine

“I was actually at this performance, Portland Opera's 1971 season opener, and to be honest, I've been waiting over 50 years for a chance to revisit what was one of the most affecting nights of my young opera-going life. Rondine wasn't a work often programmed at the time, and beyond the Act I soprano aria few folks really knew it--certainly I didn't; but Stefan Minde clearly believed in the opera and threw his heart and soul into it, creating out of all those charming waltz tunes something much grander and more rhapsodically expressive than the slight operetta it's often seen to be. Costa and Campora are wonderfully in tune with this conception and clearly believe in these characters, singing with both passion and delicacy throughout: Campora's characteristically fruity tenor rings out in the Act II ensembles and is particularly moving in the last act pleas, and Costa (if once or twice a touch under pitch) deploys her lovely instrument with real nuance and feeling, filling out the big arias with rich, affecting tone and ending the drama with a final beautifully floated A-flat which lingers hauntingly in the air--just as it has in my memory for half a century. For me this is obviously a recording of great personal interest, a document of a tremendously moving night of music and song, conjuring up a whole bundle of emotions and images, not least the sight of the audience members around me, all of whom were as ecstatic as I at having made this wonderful operatic discovery and experienced such a surprisingly emotional journey; but I suspect for any listener coming to it now the effect won't be all that different. It just seems an inspired performance, led by two veteran singers in real expressive control of their voices, strongly cast right down the line, and lovingly conducted with unabashed sentiment and romantic flair. I'm so grateful to have this available.”

Stirring performance

“This is an excellent performance of Walkure. As most of the principals can be heard on other complete recordings, I will focus on the distinctive and (for me) unexpected feature here: Sylvia Fisher's Sieglinde. I think of this artist primarily in terms of her connection with Benjamin Britten's music. But her voice, as displayed here, is a fulsome instrument with a silvery sheen, and she has the power and, most importantly, the spirit for the Walsung sister. Her dramatic commitment, style, and vocal ability together make a striking contribution to the performance. Brava!”

Great Manon

“I like beautiful voice of Caballe as Manon. That is her second great recording of Manon (first is her Manon from New Orleans 1967 on VAI). I like Vanzo and his rendition of Des Grieux two arias, his French style and noble phrasing. I enjoyed rich, powerful voices of John Derrenkamp as Lescaut and Felix Giband as Comte des Grieux. It is vivid, dynamic recording under competent conductor Anton Guadagno (especially first CD is nicely done). It is great to hear La Superba as Manon in her native Barcelona. Sound is good, also.”

Brian Morgan

“It was Giuditta Pasta who, in 1830, created the rôle of the ill-fated queen in Donizetti's masterpiece, "Anna Bolena," the character of whom bears little resemblance to the treacherous historical figure. In 1957, Maria Callas scored one of her greatest triumphs with the rôle at the Teatro alla Scala, in Luchino Visconti's production. Leyla Gencer, Beverly Sills, and Renata Scotto followed as important interpreters of Bolena.In November of 1975, Mme Scotto assumed the part for the Dallas Civic Opera. The following month, James DeBlasis staged the work for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, with Scotto, Susanne Marsee, and Samuel Ramey in the leading rôles, with the late Julius Rudel conducting; the recording under review emanates from the electrifying performance of December 16th. The soprano presents a gripping account of the eponymous part. She was entering the phase of her really great career as one of the important singing-actresses of the era. She was to have sung the opera again, in 1979, for the San Francisco Opera, but the management rather infamously changed it to "La Gioconda." By then, we would have probably experienced a "come scritto" traversal, since that had happily become her wont. Here, we have the usual cuts and interpolations of the time.Miss Marsee's interpretation of Giovanna (Jane) Seymour is thrilling. The greatest singing-actress among mezzo-sopranos, she is heard here in extremis, and is heart-rending in her unfortunate predicament as one of the countless victims of Enrico (Henry) VIII. Having sung the rôle opposite Miss Sills, she is a suitable rival for La Scotto, as well. In fact, though her répertoire extended from the Baroque to dodecaphony, she considered this (in 2012) to be "the most difficult opera I sang because of the length of the rôle and the tessitura."As the cruel Enrico, Samuel Ramey makes a towering impression, heard here only two years after his New York City Opera début, and in his only appearances opposite Mme Scotto. The voice seems limitless in size and force. The remainder of the cast is excellent, and Rudel conducts with his accustomed distinction.”

Das Rheingold

“RECORDING IS GOOD. KARAJAN, THE ORCHESTRA AND IN GENERAL THE SINGERS ARE MAGNIFICENT. THE GERMAN STYLE OF KARAJAN, REMEMBER HANS KNAPPERTSBSCH. THIS VERSION I QUALIFY IT AS EXCELLENT.”

Fantastic Orchestral playing, great sound

“The sound of this recording is really excellent. The orchestral playing is superb and balance with the singers for the most part is well-recorded.The singers are good, Schwarzenberg is a silvery-voiced Chrysostemis, and Eckert's Klytämnestra is powerful. Ludmila Dvorakova is good in the role, except the very highest notes are under strain - understandable! I was left feeling that she got through it very well, but I missed some of the other absolute fliers in the role - Anja Silja's live version on sale here blew me away for example. Her Orest scene is fantasic, maybe becuase ot avoids all the very highest notes, and she really draws you in to the emotion of that scene. The male characters are a bit one-size-fits-all but no complaints.The orchestra is super. Not sorry I spent the moneyStill. Excellent sound, a good live performance, a must have for Dvorakova fans”

My Recent Purchase, detailed above

“London. I have been unable to download this purchase. I would appreciate your help, as I have paid for it in full, I asked for your assistance a month ago, but no human being has replied. You have my details - godfreybarker@aol.com, +44 7968 064888. I would be grateful if you can override your computer and get this frustrated download through to me. Godfrey Barker, 9 May 2024”

Magnificent

“Many opera-goers, whether seasoned Wagnerians or not, rate performances by the WNO under Goodall as among the most memorable of their lives. This recording helps one understand why. The cast may all not be particularly well-known to international collectors, but, inspired by Goodall, rise magnificently to the challenges of the score. I was particularly taken with Kathryn Harries’s fresh-voiced Sieglinde, while Warren Ellsworth has a youthful firmness of tone that supports a fine characterisation. Anne Evans is also in glorious voice, again younger-sounding than many rivals on disc. Philip Joll conveys Wotan’s vulnerability, but there is authority there too. Fine, detailed sound makes it even easier to hear Goodall’s understanding of the score: tempi that are occasionally on the slow side, by modern standards, actually enhance rather than diminish the drama. A triumph.”

Famous performance in great sound

“This BORGIA has been around for a very long time and issued on several bootleg labels. It is an aural souvenir, in lovely broadcast sound, of that starry night in Carnegie Hall in 1965 when Caballe, long trodding the boards in Basle, unexpectedly became an 'overnight' sensation. Subbing for a pregnant Marilyn Horne-- who was still singing some soprano roles at this point-- Caballe mesmerized and enchanted the somewhat reserved New York audience. From there on in, the performance has become legendary. Everyone sings well, but this is decidedly Montsi's night. On the strengths of this one evening, Rudolf Bing hurriedly got her under contract for a Met debut in FAUST that December (the same evening that Sherrill Milnes was beginning his Met career), and soon the recording companies, beginning with RCA, came calling, as well. If you have never heard this operatic time capsule, I encourage you to do so now. You, too, will be under the spell of the young Caballe in no time!”

If Berlioz had written “Götterdämmerung”...

“… you might have had something like this! All joking aside, there are few comparisons to be made with the Wagner, despite the same source material. Reyer’s librettists constructed an epic, but human drama solidly in the style of French ‘grand opéra’. To put the piece in context, Berlioz’s Trojans dates from 1858, Reyer completed “Sigurd” in 1867 (but it was not premiered until 1883), and Wagner’s complete Ring cycle was premiered in 1876. Funnily enough, Brunehild’s first words are an almost exact copy of Brünnhilde’s in “Siegfried”. However, as mentioned, Reyer’s opera is a consistent alternation of big, often ceremonial choral scenes with private interactions between the main characters. Gunther and his sister Hilde have big parts, there is also Ute, Hilde’s mother, who supplies the potion - closer to the Nibelung legend source. The ballet music from the end of Act 2, and that of the wedding celebrations in Act 3, has been cut, but it’s still a solid 3 hours of well-written, if not always memorable, music, which does owe a distinct debt to Berlioz. There is quite a clear echo of “Les Troyens” in Act 1 particularly.As to the performance and recording, the latter is good, as you would expect from a radio broadcast. The casting is, frankly, sheer luxury, some of the best French singers of the period, and chorus and orchestra are expertly directed by Manuel Rosenthal. Guy Chauvet can be a bit of an acquired taste, but he’s well up to the demands of the title role, while of the others, Robert Massard and Denise Scharley are especially commanding. And the diction, all round, is just fabulous! All in all, a persuasive account of an opera worth discovering.”

Hans Kuschinsky

“I have already had my tape recording of the opening night of the Munich Opera Festival since its broadcast on 7/10/1977 on radio, but I wanted to have it on CD. That proves how much I appreciate this performance in spite of all the others which have been released since then, e.g. Böhm, Haitink, Bychkov.Why? It is all about two singers rarely recorded: Lilian Sukis and Peter Lindroos. Even after listening to them after some time I am again deeply emotionally touched by their rendering. Lindroos gives lies to the wide-spread opinion that Strauss did not write well for tenors, because he sings Apollo effortlessly with a belcanto-like approach. His god is heroic and vulnerable at the same time. Sukis is pleasantly natural with a beautiful tone in all registers. The rest of the cast shows the high standard of the Munich Opera with Schreier, Wenkel and the orchestra, also present in Haitink's studio recording five years later, Nikolaus Hillebrand (Peneios), Nöcker, Orth and even Erika Köth. And there is Wolfgang Sawallisch - the outstanding conductor, not only for Strauss.So treat yourself to a great listening experience of bucolic tragedy.”

A Neblett show

“Excellent performance. Though Anton Guadagno was not a Wagner specialist, he was a good and experienced conductor who knows how to to manage an opera. The orchestra and especially the choir are not Bayreuth level but they made an acceptable job. William Wildermann is a good but not very good Daland and the two tenors are also fine. Fortunately there are two real stars who make this performance really extraordinary. Carol Neblett and Norman Bailey belong to the best Sentas and Dutchmen I have ever heard. Bailey’s voice is perfect for the Dutchman and he is able to express all the nuances of this role. But the true hero of this performace is Carol Neblett a few years before her MET debut in the same role. She is simple shining. A wonder. Listening her singing and acting I don’t understand why she didn’t become a superstar. Due to her production this performance is really a treasure. Highly recommended.”

Bjorling in fine form

“There are two complete live performances of Björling’s Duke of Mantova; 1945 at the Met and this one from Stockholm in 1957. In 1945 he was in fantastic voice with incredibly brilliant and ringing top B’s. That one has yet to be equalled by anyone. 12 years later he is almost just as ravishing. Only the conclusion of La donna è mobile is somewhat below his usual standards. He makes up for that in the rest of the performance which is throughout marked with superb vocalism. Bjorling is the draw on every recording he makes his presence. His voice was one of a kind. Effortless from top to bottom. Dramatic when requiered. Faultless? No, he could be more cynical as the Duke. If any Italian could beat him at anything, it would be that. Vocally, Bjorling stands alone. At the top.”

Michael Asser

“A fine recording of Vickers' final London performances of Aeneas, here with the marvellous Dido of Janet Baker. These two great singers, so very different, match surprisingly well, and they make much of the English translation, in which Vickers is clearly more comfortable than when singing in French as in the studio recording of 1969. Davis is of course hors concours conducting Berlioz, and the rest of the cast is well up to Covent Garden's usual high standard of the time.”

Amazing performance

“I think this performance of Gotterdammerung is a revelation and Grob-Prandl obviously amongst the greatest of Brunnhildes. A real discovery for a Wagnerian who thought he knew everything about post war performances of The Ring.”

A RECORDING WORTH CROWING ABOUT = 4 stars

“Le Coq d'Or (The Golden Cockerel) is Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's most familiar opera, but that doesn't make it anyway as familiar as, say, Verdi's Aida. Nevertheless, the work, designed as a mocking portrayal of Czar Nicholas II, is jam-packed with musical orientalisms (or what R-K may have conceived as orientalisms) and contains one of the all-time great coloratura soprano showpieces. “The Hymn to the Sun.“ In this English-language 1971 production of the N. Y. City Opera capably led by Julius Rudel, the star of the performance is unquestionably Beverly Sills who nails the stratospheric role of the Queen of Shemakha. As King Dodon , we have bass Norman Treigle, who is ok, but not as memorable as Boris Christoff on an Italian recording of a decade earlier. Enrico di Giuseppe as the Astrologer does as well as anybody in the vocally high-flying role. An essential for fans of the late, great, Ms. Sills.”

Anja Silja, Salomé, Marie, Lulu and some others for ever

“Thanks to Andy for celebrating Anja Silja’s birthday. The catalog he offers is very interesting and is roughly representative of the artist's repertoire, at least between around 1960 and 1975. Anja Silja is a star in the opera world. She was said to be the German Callas. I do not believe so. Callas was a great tragedian who revived 19th century Italian romantic operas. But Anja Silja was above all the first modern singer and for a long time the only one. She is a great actress and has phenomenal vocal capacities, from the soprano colorature to the soprano dramatic. I think that since a decade, some singers who have some similar qualities: C Schäfer, M Petersen and B Hannigan. But Anja Silja actually includes them all by her very wide repertoire. She has been accompanied my life when listening to the opera : Bayreuth’s broadcasts since 1961. Then Salomé, Walküre, Marie (Wozzeck), Emilia Marty (Aix and Lyon), Geschwitz, Kostelnika, die Ame (Die Frau), sister Marie, Erwartung, Schönberg’s lieder, Pierrot Lunaire (Aix and Lyon). I had the chance to have some exchanges with her. What a personality, a very clear her roles. One can add to Andy’s catalogue, the video of Wieland Wagner's Lulu, Fidelio and various sequences on YOUTUBE, recordings of Tristan in Naple and Salomé in Vienna and the remarkable recordings with Christoph von Dohnanyi of Wozzeck, Lulu and Erwartung. What an outstanding artist! Anja Silja… Salomé, Marie, Lulu forever. Ewig, ewig, ewig….”

ONE OF THE GREAT WOZZECKS!!

“Aside from the incredibly great singing in all the roles, Sanzogno's conducting rivals the best!! He studied with Hermann Scherchen which may explain the wealth of probing detail exposed at every measure. The sound is excellent and should not be a factor. I far prefer this Italian Wozzeck to the one conducted by Bohm.”

Great Performance of the 'Vier Letztes'!

“A really wonderful performance of the 'Vier Letzte Lieder'. After a bit of a rough start, Curtin soars vocally, and is wonderfully expressive. The Act II of 'Tosca' finds everybody not quite in top form, but totally committed dramatically.”

Christa Ludwig as Ariadne

“As You mentioned already: Christa Ludwig ceased to sing Ariadne after one performance and was replaced by Hildegard Hillebrecht. So this is a very rare recording and I am glad to have it. In 1964 I attended the Salzburg Festival, having no billet for Ariadne but a very nice women gave me (free of charge) their place. Probably because she wanted to see Mrs.Ludwig but the cast hade already changed. Anyway the representation was great (with Dr.Karl Böhm, Reri Gris:t and all others) and this recording is it also.”

the ld curiosity shop

“I don't want to be harsh, but the sound quality is poor. Some might call it indecipherable. Is the performance worth working through? If you know Parsifal well and are really interested in Stokowski, these are precious documents. He was an amazing conductor of late Romantic opera and we can only dream about what a complete Wagner would have sounded like under his direction. But listening to this is a chore.”

Excellent as far as it goes........

“I don't know because I have not been able to download Die Walküre bcause the site says I have downloaded it already five times. I HAVE NOT! In fact I have been unable to download it even once. I' d be glad to write a proper review, if someone cam resolve this problem!!! The file was a Flac zip”

I must confess, I bought

“I must confess, I bought it for a friend who loves the Britten War Requiem and I haven't passed it on to him yet for his opinion.I must also confess, I'm not a great fan of this work but I thought this was the best version I have yet heard and the quality was excellent.”

Purcell honored

“This is a treasurable "Dido and Aeneas." John Pritchard conducts a robust reading, incisively accented. While it avoids Romanticism, neither is there any Early Musicke pussyfooting. As might be expected, Janet Baker is the Dido of one's dreams, the regality of her diction abetted by the inbuilt melancholy of her timbre. Alas, Thomas Hemsley is a venerable-sounding Aeneas but the role is brief and there are compensations in the heart Sailor of young Ryland Davies and the surprisingly alluring-sounding Sorceress of Yvonne Minton. One can have obtain this as your basic "Dido" and sleep easily. The recorded sound is very 'present' without even a hint of overload. Well done, Opera Depot.”

So glad I purchased this!

“This is one of the best performances of Das Rheingold I've heard! The entire cast is first rate, even the small parts (including one of the most memborable Froh's ever in Han Hopf). I've never been a huge fan of Theo Adam, but here his characteristic wobble is almost wholely absent. And, as Andy mentioned above, it's a real treat to hear him spar with Stolze's characterful Loge, instead of the dull demi-god Windgassen gave us. Klobucar was new to me, but he gives a juicy, red meat performance of the score. The sound is also excellent, and so far I've only listened to the mp3. Highly recommended!”

brush up your Mozart

“The first night of Ponelle/Karajan Figaro in very good sound. Karajan delivers a swift performance without any sloppiness and with very good singer-actors. The cast seems to be a deliberate alternative to Viennese style, some singers on the acting (Stratas, Montarsolo), some on the vocal side (Berganza, Herwood). There might be a more idiomatic Italian than Berry gave, but his Figaro is, however, the self-confident male center of the performance.”

Donald Honan

“hehe! Since I don’t speak German and don’t understand more than a few words when I hear them, I won’t mind a bit! Besides, when SHE’s singing it’s like Sutherland or Horne – It’s the telephone book?? So what???”

EXCELLENT LIVE TROVATORE

“Funnily I recently reviewed this as a result of a request by email, but it must have got lost in transit. I like this as I am familiar with the principals with the exception of Kosseva. The singing all-round is up to the highest standard. Bonisolli is very good although I have a sneaking feeling that he was'nt in his usual free voice on the night-something that can happen, but he had such a secure technique. He sometimes sounded a little heavy in the middle. The 29- year old Ricciarelli is excellent and handles D'amor sull'ali rosee with ease, always my criterion. Mastromei is a competent di Luna, as is Kosseva in the taxing Azucena.The musical direction and Orchestra and chorus are fine, although I thought Weikert took Di quella pira at a much faster tempo than the rest of the opera.One little crib! Track 6 on disc 2-Quale d'armi fragor, although listed is missing. However it does not take from my overall satiusfaction./”