Opera CDs and MP3s of live performances

Matey

“This is indeed a fantastic Lucia. I will try to brief with this review, as your time is better spent buying and listening to this amazing performance. Joan Sutherland is out-of-this-world here, at least as amazing as in her first Lucia, and the sound quality is great. This recording manages to capture the size of her voice in a way that hundreds of others have failed, and when listening to this with headphones, one can truly begin to understand how large the voice was even this early in her career. The E-flat at the end of \""Spargi d'amaro Pianto\"" is one of the longest she ever did live, long enough, in fact, to rival her studio recording in 1961. Truly a must-have.”

An historic document

“Here's an idiomatic Otello, in which the only Italian is on the podium (Alberto Erede, tautly in charge). This was James King's only performance of Otello in Vienna and he makes a highly dignified Moor of Venice, redeeming some of Boito and Verdi's insufficiency of motivation. King is in terrific voice and if one has heard Helge Roswaenge's Otello, in King one will find a worthy heir to the role. As his ensign, Sandor Solyom-Nagy is not very Italianate of tone quality (he would be shown to greater advantage in the German repertory) but he still makes an effectively insinuating ensign, concealing his villainy behind a veil of bluff sincerity, delivering his most wounding darts as throwaways. Teresa Zylis-Gara is, as ever, an angelic Desdemona, ideal of voice and interpretation. Giuseppe Zampieri's ripe timbre is immediately recognizable as Cassio and Ewald Aichberger is an appropriately puling Roderigo. Some standard cuts are made.The full cast is as follows:Otello: James KingDesdemona; Teresa Zylis-GaraIago: Sandor Solyom-NagyCassio: Giuseppe ZampieriLodovico: Malcolm SmithRoderigo: Ewald AichbergerEmilia: Rohangiz YachmiMontano: Hans ChristianHerald: Georg Tichy”

Another Magnificent Bayreuth Ring Cycle under Knappertsbusch!

“Opera Depot now has all three of Knappertsbusch's Bayreuth Ring cycles available and all Wagner fans are strongly urged to invest in all three, especially since the prices are very reasonable. I've discussed the earlier cycles elsewhere and they are tremendously good. I won't say this one is better, but it has many special moments with a number of portrayals unique to this cycle. One may prefer this or that singer or this or that moment in which ever cycle, but all three are performed at a musical and theatrical level rarely encountered today.Hotter is in fresher, steadier voice in the earlier cycles, but he is still Hotter and that means a lot. Varnay subtly changes her interpretation from cycle to cycle as does Greindl. Vickers and Rysanek are incendiary as the Wälsung twins. Gorr is a commanding, beautiful Fricka. Anderrson is great as Alberich though he doesn't quite have the unique specificity of Neidlinger. Stolze is a deliciously creepy Mime, singing his role more here than he would in subsequent performances. The sound in all three cycles is superb: warm, clear, and detailed.If you love Wagner and the Ring, I urge you to hear all three cycles (1956, 1957, and 1958) under Knappertsbusch. You won't regret it.”

For Berit Lindholm in love

“Great! I heard this wonderful singer live in the seventies and every times I was overwhelmed by her performance. So I am very grateful for these records demonstrating her unforgotten art.Thank you very much!”

Leyla Gencer was a famous

“Leyla Gencer was a famous Norma and this is her Norma at the height of her career. She more than meets the demands of the role: fierce in confrontation, limpid and gentle when required. Her manner of pulling back suddenly on her approach to a top notes to produce an exquisite pianissimo is here particularly telling. The faint catch in the middle of her voice oddly gives her Norma a human and womanly face. Her Pollione is the excellent Bruno Prevedi. His voice big bronze and manly. The Orverso, William Wildermann is rather young sounding and gives an incisive and energetic performance. Adrianna Lazzarini was a famous mezzo and took part in a number of famous studio recordings of the 50's. Hers is unquestionably a front rank voice and she sings Adalgisa as well as anyone but there is the feeling of a "job of work" about her performance. The sound is particularly good. Clean with no sign of distortion and voice and orchestra in excellent balance.”

Martin Ramor

“Great singers. Ward is superb Hollaender, would be nice to hear him alive in any Wagner. Frick also very convincing. The same goes for Jones, young but dramatically convincing Senta with great and beautiful voice. A great treat is also Czech tenor Vilem Prybil as good Erik. There are not many recordings of him, (esp. made in the West), so this is quite a rarity. It was nice to hear Kenneth McDonald as very good Steuermann. Orchestra under Solti is very lively.”

SUPER

“Si la perfection existe alors cette représentation en fait partie. Il y a beaucoup d'enregistrements superbes du Trouvère mais celui-ci est au sommet. Le quatuor vocal est exceptionnel. Le son est excellent.”

Corelli fantastic!!!!!!

“I was there. I had heard Franco in Fanciulla, Chenier, and the Verdi Requiem. I also had most of his recordings. But this Tosca was even more intense. I had wanted to stand up and scream, "Bravo" at the "Vittoria." But I seem to have melted. And later in E Lucevan le Stelle I was held on a vocal tightrope at the incredible PPP. My most awesome opera experience. I had seen Lucia with Sutherland, Faust with Trigle and Domingo and more”

Elektra - an Outside

“I am honored to have my Hamburg Elektra included in Opera Depot. Thank you! I never “stood” and sang the role. Acting is almost as important as singing. In the first scene with Chrysothemis, I ran across the stage and threw myself at her hugging her knees. In the scene towards the end “Ob ich nicht hore...” I sat down on the stage in a “Barlach the Singer” position and sang until “Ich kann mich nicht heben...” then I was on my hands and knees actually singing into the boards! What an interesting life!Not to mention that I always sang piano when marked. And Horst Stein was magnificent.”

Review of Ariadne

“Very good performance, especially Stratas. I wish you had been clearer about the technical aspects about the recording, especially the prologue.The opera in parts is a half a tone sharp.but as I said a very good performance. Darryl Donoian”

Classic performance

“Predictably superb performance from Janet Baker as Dido, and a compelling, more-vulnerable-than-usual Cassandra from Veasey, beautifully sung throughout. Everyone else excellent; notable is that Heather Begg's Anna sounds much firmer here than on the Davis studio account of 1969. A few of the ballets are cut but otherwise this is pretty much complete.”

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.”

Superlative “Giovanni”

““Don Giovanni”, with so many vital characters and such a variety of musical mood, is a most elusive opera, seldom satisfying in the theatre. I have at least thirty recordings of it on my shelves; this live Solti one is one of the few to which I often return, and is in several parts classic, even definitive, certainly worthy of obsession. Those parts range from the dark, dramatically crucial, comic/tragic trios for three bass/baritones to the incomparably celestial trio for Anna (Margaret Price), Elvira (Kiri Te Kanawa), and Ottavio (Stuart Burrows), all in top form and taking the music onto another plane. Soyer is seductive and voracious in voice (as he was in person) as Giovanni. Solti shows the different facets of the opera with great power and colour; every part is extremely well taken.”

Der Reinste Thor!

“This is a beautifully played and paced performance of Wagner's densely composed score. The details of the narrative music come through very clearly with astonishing accuracy as to local detail and emphasis, even more clearly etched than on the iconic 1951 recording. All the singers are magnificent, especially those who took part in that earlier performance. London's Amfortas is scalding; Hotter's Gurnemanz completely commanding; Dalis' Kundry wonderful, and Windgassen's Parsifal (surely WAY too old for such a youthful role?) totally understood. Kurt Bohme sings Titurel (as in cantare) and is wondrously sonorous, without any Bayreuth bark. Knappertsbusch (IMHO) was THE Parsifal conductor; there is just no substitute for experience. All these musicians knew their music and gave their lives to it. Harre ihn, den ich erkor!”

Having seen most of these

“Having seen most of these performances and having missed the broadcast I was happy to buy this.What a wonderful performance, for me the two stand outs are Masterson and Shilling, although this is a wonderfully sung performance by all. Great memories. There is a little dialogue missing.”

Nicholas Allen

“I saved up to travel to London to attend Jurinac's debut as MNrschallin after 20 years as "The Octavian of the Century". I should add that the great Luchino Visconti directed subtly in stunning art nouveau sets. In a telegram afterwards, Hofmannsthal's son acclaimed Jurinac's warmly humoured Marschallin as the closest ever to his father's intentions - a very Maria Theresia-like interpretation as opposed to Schwarzkopf's all-too Parisian version which never received acclaim in Vienna - lovely but wrong. It was a great evening. Sadly, Decca enforced Regine Crespin on Solti for the commercial recording so this is doubly welcome! Thankyou.”

Theodore Shulman

“I have faced a dilemma for many years: I love Jess Thomas and Gerhard Stolze, but I hate Herbert von Karajan. His slow passages always ooze like mud and his fast sections sound like cheap operetta with too much tinsel. For many years the only available recording of SIEGFRIED with Thomas and Stolze has been Karajan's. However, this Bayreuth 1969 performance features Thomas and Stolze, with Lorin Maazel conducting rather than Karajan. Thus, Karajan-haters like me can finally enjoy these two wonderful singers. Stolze is a genius actor who understood the role of Mime better than anyone else on record. Thomas is not loud, but his pitch and enunciation are gorgeous and lieder-lyric and his insight into the character is second to none. (He was a professor of psychology before he was a singer.)The secondary singers are all excellent; even Thomas Stewart sounds more interesting and intelligent in this performance than he usually manages to be. Long-time veterans Josef Greindl and Gustav Neidlinger, who have been Bayreuth mainstay performers since the early 1950s, have aged extremely well and show no sign of weakening or getting bored with their roles. Lorin Maazel's conducting is a pleasure--disciplined but expansive. I especially enjoyed the section in Act 2 where the two nibelungs quarrel over the treasure. Maazel takes this section more quickly than any other performance I have ever heard, placing fearsome demands on the singers' tongue-twisting abilities. Both of them--Stolze and Neidlinger--meet this demand with no problem. All in all, a fantastic performance which no one should miss.”

Frederick

“Absolutely riveting and Stewart’s most thrilling recorded outing in this role. He’s in firm, vibrant voice from top to bottom, tears into the climaxes with startling ferocity, and creates a genuinely innovative characterization: not weary and all-but-hopeless, but fiercely angry and defiant, a latter-day Prometheus. I’ve never heard a more gripping take on the role.As for the supporting cast, Olvis, in his one-and-only Bayreuth season, is an upbeat surprise: a scrappy, high-energy Erik in fresh, free voice. Chookasian is your ultimate contralto Mary, and Greindl is an inexplicable marvel — gnarled and battle-scarred but somehow throughly entertaining in Daland’s operetta turn in Act 2.Which leaves Silja’s Senta: she’s white-toned and shrill during the ballade but increasingly compelling thereafter. As for Suitner and the 1965 Bayreuth band, they plunge in with a vengeance and I was too caught up to argue about a single tempo. The monaural sound is clear and decent.In sum: a powerhouse Dutchman from Stewart and a cracking good all-around performance.”

Mary Costa at last!

“Thank you for this performance from Portland Opera. I think the correct date is June, 1968. Miss Costa is glorious. A favorite of mine since her SF Opera debut as Musetta (1959?). This is a superb representation of why she was so popular on the West Coast. Please, if you could find a recording of her Violetta, Gilda, Manon, anything, please share it. The sound is good, solid FM broadcast. The supporting cast is great. More Costa please!”

Wonderful Faust

“Just briefly, this is a beautiful performance of Faust. Kiri is wonderful as M and Burrows is also perfect as Faust. The sound is great for a live performance. Mackerras leads a very musical production. Do not hesitate to buy this set.”

Suzanne Stultz

“You’ve probably received umpteen replies to your query about whether Nilsson’s 1958 La Scala Turandot was her first ever performance in the role, but just in case: According to her memoirs, La Nilsson: My Life in Opera, she first performed Turandot in Stockholm in 1957. God bless whoever thought of dusting off this opera for her!Cheers, and thanks for your wonderful web site!”

Best all round recording

“This performance was the highest recommendation of M. Owen Lee in his met opera talks and his book on the Meistersinger. I was not disappointed by this purchase. The sound is phenomenal the singers are without exception excellent and the conducting Beautifully recorded recorded”

Kevin Dunn

“A really excellent recording that brings out all the best points of Boulez' conducting: its lightness, delicacy, and the transparency that lets each instrument of the orchestra be properly heard. The principals are on great form, with special honours going to Gwyneth Jones as Brünnhilde - not always pinpoint accurate, but dramatically breathtaking.”

Herrlich!—Himmlisch!—Göttlich

“Wiener under the baton of Karajan is something very interesting to listen to—you could hear the very articulation of the strings, that "character" of the woodwinds, and the triumphant of the brasses. But the absolutepoint to get into this record is the Königin, that "Gruberova" sensation always worth every penny.”

John Querns

“I saw Ursula Schröder-Feinen sing Elektra in 1977 and then she vanished off my radar, for reasons I now understand, until I discovered by chance that very performance of Elektra on CD. I was attracted to this Parsifal because of the soprano. She sings up a storm in the second act and is thrilling. Franz Crass is another favourite as I love his easy, beautiful sound. I tend to favour faster Parsifal performances - I know it's a generalisation, but when it is too slow for me it can drain the drama away and I think it's possible to have the beauty of the music WITH the drama and not instead of the drama. So Sawallisch is a hit too.Highly recommended.”

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.”

Aida/Colon/1971

“Excellent broadcast sound, as the Teatro Colon's normally are, which finds the soloists in fine voice. James King may not be ideal as Radames but his musical intelligence wins out. Martina Arroyo left several broadcast documents of her well-known Aida, and each reminds us what a fluid verdiana she was in her heyday. Cossotto, a famous Amneris, is powerfully declamatory, as expected, and her husband is at her side, as Ramfis. Mastromei is a baritone not as well-known on this side of the Atlantic, but sings strongly. Highly recommended.”

Thrilling

“Just listen to the Boheme excerpts to understand the magic of these singers. It isn't just about the voice--though theirs are supreme--it's about the artist giving himself/herself completely to the music, the intention behind the words, and the other musicians, and the moment in time. You will be moved by Rodolfo and Mimi--their youth, their vulnerability, their passion--as if you had never heard them before.”

NO ONE like Shirley Verrett

“It is so wonderful and valuable to have this collection of stunning performances by one of my most revered artists growing up. The first Azucena I heard was the 1971 Met broadcast with Tucker, Arroyo and Merrill. And then there was Shirley Verrett. So stunning and forceful is her assumption of this great role, I felt spoilt for life. There was no one with such a powerful, gleaming and crazed performance. All the other roles on these cds are superb. And the glimpse of the Carmen with Corelli makes me realize, yet again, that I felt she was unparalleled in this role, too. The reviewer who spotted Elena Obratsova as Ulrica is very correct to my ears. A wonderful performance to be sure, yet I would have liked some of Verrett's Amelia from 1978. That would be a nice rounding out of her Verdi assumptions.”

The Young Carreras at the Top of His Form!

“I must agree with Mr. Giles' review and assessment of Jose Carreras, particularly in the earlier years of his career, which this release showcases! His gorgeous voice excels in the entire program-- arias and duets performed between 1974 and 1977. Lots of other incredible talent here as well-- Freni, Galvany, Caballe, Cotrubas and Katia Ricciarelli, with whom I heard Carreras in "Ballo" in San Francisco in late '77 or early '78. What a night that was!!! The baritone was a superb Russian (who didn't get to come back so much, dammit!) named Yuri Mazurok and the SF Opera debut as Oscar of a young American soprano we met backstage a few days earlier when we went back to pay court to Leontyne Price ("Ariadne"). That young "Oscar" was named Kathleen Battle!Those of you who are not familiar with Carreras' artistry before he stretched himself thin and his unfortunate illness, would do well to obtain this recording.”

Excellent performance tidy sound

“I bought this record beacuse of Gianna Pederzini, because she was the most famous Rosa Mamai in the history of this opera. Though she was a little bit far from her prime she can create an extraordinary atmosphere in her emblematic role. Emma Tegai an unremembered but excellent sopran sings Vivetta with full of passion. Juan Oncina, a tenor I'm not always happy to see in the cast makes here a very good job. In the role of Federico he can combine beauty and elegance with passion. Aldo Protti's voice seems me a little bit lighter than usual but he is radiant as Baldassare. Federico del Cupolo gives a very dramatic reading of this verismo opera. Unfortunately the sound is not the best but acceptable and the singing is enjoyable. Highly recommanded it for the lovers of the verismo.”

memories of a glorious performance which i attended

“performance magnificent recording appalling side 3 tracks 8 and 9 bettertrack 10. lindholm a fabulously exciting singer whom i later saw as chrysothemis (twice) in edinburgh then as Isolde and Brunnhilde at rohcg. After 1982 she disappeared from our shores . Why? Ronnie Byrne Glasgow”

Don't miss this!

“Even if you have several performances of Die Walkure in your collection you will want to hear this one. The cast is close to ideal with tenor Kolbjorn Hoiseth the real surprise as Siegmund. His is a more lyric voice than usually heard in this role but the youthful timbre and vigor of the performance are truly special. Ase Nordmo Lovberg, usually a rather dull interpreter, is here fresh voiced and more involved dramatically while Arne Tyren as Hunding has the darkest most sinister instrument you are likely toever hear in this role, he scared me. As for the rest, they are all in superb form under Michael Gielen's assured conducting, and with all in excellent sound, this performance does Stockholm proud.”

Andrew Valentine

“Great recording with fine soloists. After seeing Amy Shuard many times on stage it is great that her performances are turning up on CD, she is a most exciting Kundry and has the full range of the part, a true dramatic soprano. All the others are well known for their performances in their roles at Bayreuth and else where. Under the exciting direction of Boulez this is a recording to treasure.”

Lucrezia at last!

“Finally after all these years. I found a Sills Lucrezia in GREAT sound!Sills was in great voice for 1976 and Henry Price is so unrecorded,it was a pleasure to hear him again. I am so happy I found Opera Depot! Now if we can find an audible IL Trittico with Sills I would die a happy woman. No singer ever has moved me so. If you cannot find the Trittico I especially would love to own an audible Sour Angelica from Sills. All the ones I have are in horrible sound. Yet I still weep when I hear it. To have it in great sound would be sublime.Oh ...by the by. Some Marilla Devia would be wonderful if you could find some please. GRAZI guys!”

Stunning

“What David McKee and all the other 5-star reviewers say. Vickers is especially astonishing, although all three principals are superb. Kempe combines sweep and gnarliness. A powerful performance in good recorded sound.”

A Star was Born

“In 1957 Wieland Wagner ,after hearing Sandor Konya in multiple Italian and French Operas( in various Opera Houses in Germany ,like Hamburg,Berlin,Munich ,Dresden ) he was sure that this will be the right Lohengrin for his new Staging in Bayreuth in 1958.Konya was too busy and under Contract . In April of 1958 he finally went to Stuttgart to sing the main Sequences out of the Lohengrin Partitur.Wieland was sure he has his new Lohengrin.Konya's Debut in Bayreuth was the absolute Success ,and Wieland Wagner got what he was aiming for. Konya sung in the next Years to come more than 370 times Lohengrin all over the world. Until today he is one of the most exiting and enchanting Lohengrins. His Lyric Heroic Timbre made him very unique as the Swan Knight.Thank you Wieland to find him ,Thank you Sandor for your Art.”

Fabulous Tristan buy

“My favourite Wagner opera and I wasn’t disappointed with this 76 Bayreuth performance under Kleiber. He gets everything right and the lead performers are on top form. Wenkoff is outstanding especially in Act 3. You won’t be disappointed. Great purchase.”

Hotter & Ursuleac

“In March of 1944, a Concert Version of "Der fliegende Holländer" was performed over Munich radio, starring Viorica Ursuleac and Hans Hotter, conducted by Clemens Krauß. Hotter is the classic Dutchman; his portrayal is quite the greatest on commercial recordings.Incontestably, the most controversial element of the set is the Senta of Ursuleac. When this recording was published by Mercury, in 1950, it was the first complete opera to be issued with the diva, and the reception was not very positive, even though it was also the first recording of this opera to be published on LP records. At this distance, we can reconsider Ursuleac's account. The prima donna turned fifty years old the month of this performance, but even in her earliest recordings, one realizes she never had a conventionally-beautiful instrument. Rather, she was a great musician (it is well known that she was Richard Strauss's favorite soprano) and actress. She is sublime in the duet with the Dutchman, passionate in her encounters with Erik, and rises to great, even incomparable, heights in the final scene. As Hotter wrote in his Memoirs, she was simply "incomparable." The next month, the Kammersängerin was to sing another Concert Version, as the Marschallin in "Der Rosenkavalier," with Krauß, in Munich. That rich performance was first issued by Vox, in 1952, and it is dearly hoped Opera Depot will forthwith reissue that fantastic account!”

Karl Heinz Konrad

“Es ist eine gelungen Ring-Aufnahme mit den damaligen besten Sängern. Hervorzuheben sind Birgit Nilsson und Hans Hopf. Hans Hopf zeigt eine beeindruckende Leistung als Siegfried. Er ist wohl der letzte Heldentenor mit baritonaler Stimmfärbung. Birgit Nilsson brilliert durch ihre schöne durchschlagskräftige Sopranstimme. Die Sänger klingen nie angestrengt sonder sind bis zum Ende voll da.”

What might have been with an entire Berlioz "Cleopatre"?!?!

““La Mort de Cleopatre” stands with Dido’s Lament and Isolde’s Liebestod in all of its aching beauty and enveloping splendor. Jones’ early days as a mezzo prove as asset, as she displays a richness that encompasses the low ranging tessitura. On high, she shines. Schippers is masterful; gone far too soon. Sound excellent.CD includes excerpts of young Jones: “Habanera” (1958; student recital in English! A+), Senta’s “Ballad” (1965; good), “Salce & Ave” (1966; Extraordinary! even in veiled recording), “Tu che le vanita” (1967; very good), “O patria mia” (1968; very good).”

A Rare Widow

“I am delighted to find this treasure available at last. Maestro Bonynge and Dame Joan loved operetta and in 1976 presented exciting performances of The Merry Widow in Vancouver. The cast has great fun while not all being quite vocally equal. Margareta Elkins is memorable in her brief role. But no one matches Sutherland in the singing department. She is in superb voice and performs the title role with larger-than-life vocal gestures as it were. Bonynge understands this music and leads the performance with authority. Recommended.”

Souliotis

“I have,until now always been wary of this singer,her studio recordings were not up to scratch,live she is a different animal,then I got a Forza del Destino DVD,and saw how she really was.Personally I think she sang the wrong repertory too soon,exciting though it was,but she shows real class in a lot of what she sings here,I dont know why she was booed so vociferously in Norma,Ive heard far worse in the opera house.Overall I enjoyed the whole disc,and am glad I bought it”

Best remastering

“I own two other versions of the '53 Keilberth ring cycle, the original release on Golden Melodram and the newest, budget release on the Intense Media label. The sound quality on this Opera Depot version is noticeably clearer and more open sounding than the Melodram. The Intense Media version features 'ambience enhancement', a misguided attempt to make this mono recording sound more like stereo. The result does not sound natural at all as it pushes all the voices to the left channel. This seems to bother some people more than others. Personally I hate it.”

Patrick McCabe

“Great performance ? -yes. I do not know whether it was because of her position on stage, but sometimes Dame Joan seemed to ebb and flow a little in volume. It's a small quibble.We in Ireland have always admired Charles Craig, and he does not disappoint here. Just one thing; Is it not a B natural in" Meco all' altar" ?. When I listen to Bonisolli on the live Munich with our great Irish soprano Suzanne Murphy' and Alicia Nafe, his top note in " Meco " is high C on my piano. Charles is a half tone below.I have read with interest Richard's comments re Vanne si mi lascia. I respect his opinion, but I cannot agree. It sounds fine to me and I do not think she screams. Surely Bonynge had a say. Incidentally on the live performance from Tokyo of 30/8/71 with Suliotis and Cecchele, she sings an A natural to the D of Suliotis and it also sounds fine.Anyway, this recording rates a prominent place on any Collector's shelf.”

Di Stefano Otello

“This recording of Di Stefano's only record of Otello is only for his many fans.He gives it all and then some but he is no Otello.The recorded sound is poor because the recorder sounds like it is in the orchestra pit and distant.However who can pass up this CD a great rembrance”

DRAMA

“Heinrich Porges, in his personal written records of the 1876 rehearsals for the first Ring performances at Bayreuth, comments that"When the Rhinedaughters sing individually, the character of a dramatic dialogue must be maintained". Felix Mottl comments, on the Wotan/Fricka scene of Walkure, that "This dialogue must on no account be dragged out, but must remain flowing all the time". I can't ever recall hearing or seeing a Walkure that adheres so closely to these instructions or is as dramatic as this one. Focus is almost entirely directed to the words and the interaction of the characters. That's not to say that the music gets short changed; it's gloriously played with complete conviction. It's one heck of a ride with stunning singing from everyone. Gwynneth Jones in particular provides some ravishing moments, especially in the final scene with her father and with the excellent Peter Hofmann as Siegmund in Act 2.”