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Featured artist
Catarina Ligendza
This week we are looking back at the career of Swedish dramatic soprano Catarina Ligendza. Born in Stockholm to soprano Brita Hertzberg and tenor Einar Beyron, she went on to sing at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, La Scala and the Bayreuth Festival, where she became particularly admired for her Wagner roles, including Brünnhilde and Isolde. She was a favorite collaborator of Carlos Kleiber, particularly in the role of Isolde.
In celebration, we are offering 40% off all of her recordings.
Catarina Ligendza
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New Titles Added
120 New "Coming Soon" Titles
I have added 120 new titles to our “Coming Soon” collection, including several recordings that have never been available before.
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Free Streaming Recordings
Every week we offer 12 new titles available to stream for free
Compilation: Amy Shuard
Excerpts from Macbeth, Walküre, Götterdämmerung, Katya Kabanova, Tristan & more
Compilation: Anne Evans
Excerpts from Temistocle, Die Fledermaus, Dalibor, La Traviata, Lohengrin, Walküre, Elektra & Die Frau ohne Schatten
Compilation: Martina Arroyo in Concert
Amsterdam, 1967. BONUS: Martina Arroyo Sings Verdi
Donizetti: Maria Stuarda (In English)
Baker, Tinsley, Erwin, Garrard; Mackerras. London, 1973
Mozart: Così fan tutte (In English)
Harwood, Baker, Curragh, Westi, Van Der Bilt, Shirley-Quirk; Gibson. Glasgow, 1969
Spotlight: George London
From Our Collectors
Five-Star Reviews
Opera lovers share their discoveries from the catalogue.
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.”
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.”
Martin Ramor
“It is great recording. I like all singers, chorus and orchestra. I like Cox - he is very noble Parsifal and does a great job singing, the same goes for Shuard. Now I should not be surprised anymore. Before operadepot Cd's I knew only a few recorded arias by her. Now I can really enjoy this great dramatic soprano. Orchestra is great, sublime, energetic. It is real joy to listen to Orchestra de Bayreuther Festspiele under Boulez.”
John Stanton
“Electra is today one of Strauss' most popular operas although it was not initially well received. It is a voice killer for the soprano singing Electra, the music elemental and exciting as if there is no structural filter between the emotions and the music. A short opera in seven scenes, Straussian lyricism arrives only in the sixth scene with Elektra's recognition of Orestes. The Elekta here is Birgit Nilsson, her phenomenal tireless voice, silver and pure soaring above the orchestra. Her Klytamnestra is the wonderful mezzo Vioica Cortez, powerful and dynamic, her German incisive and cleanily articulated. Her scene with Nilsson is magnificent. In this company Ingrid Bjoner's lighter toned and vulnerable sounding Chrysothemis is a bonus.The sound of this concert performance is excellent - a couple of startling moments of drop out not withstanding.”
David McKee
“This is eloquent testimony to Georg Solti's ability to forge a first-class Wagnerian ensemble at Covent Garden, drawing upon Commonwealth. The Brits hold their own against two of the most incisive Bayreuth 'ringers' (in more than one sense) that Solti could have imported. Gerhard Stolze is in his most beguiling form here, much preferable to his studio recording with Karajan, and Gustav Neidlinger continues to define himself as the Alberich for the ages. David Ward sings Wotan with ease, if lacking the individuality of Thomas Stewart and Hans Hotter (although Ward would easily be preferable to Hotter at this juncture in history). In addition to Josephine Veasey's commanding Fricka, we encounter strength in virtually every supporting role, including John Lanigan's Mime and even Michael Langdon's rather courtly Fafner. Only John Dobson's Froh lets the side down. Chalk this up as a "win" for the home team.”
Robert Eddison
“Picking up on David L.'s review (with which I wholeheartedly agree), he comments on Robert Eddison's [not 'Edison'] introduction appearing to be cut off. Not so. What actually seems to have happened is that the actor comes in a mite too early with the phrase 'Music sounds' (end of track 2), quickly corrects himself [we hear 'Mu...'] and then comes in correctly just after the orchestra steals in (start of track 3). A tiny slip and not problematic, especially from such a great actor whom I saw several times in plays; always charismatic...and he was also (of course) the Grail Knight in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, quite stealing the film in the last scenes! I saw David Ward many times at both the Royal Opera and English National Opera, including as Bluebeard at the Coliseum with Ava June - around the same time as this Festival Hall concert, I think. He was magnificently enigmatic in his characterisation, whilst the familiar sonority of his beautiful basso cantante just rolled on and on!What a pleasure to hear this performance!”
EXCEPTIONAL MUST HEAR/BUY
“If this had been around when I bought my first recording back in the early 1970s (Bohm's recorded in 1966 in Bayreuth) I doubt I would ever have felt a need to seek out any other recordings. It is a truly magnificent performance. I read recently that Kleiber spent much time before the initial run in 1974 studying the score in minute detail as well as exploring every aspect of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus familiarising himself with the sound of the place. It shows. Act 2 has a miraculous stillness to it contrasting the amazing tension in Act 1 and the desperation in Act 3. Wenkof in Act 3 is unequalled by anyone anywhere and Ligendza unleashes a gloriously full, bright, unforced sound in the Liebestod. It's a must have.”
Bel Canto Fan
“If you like the Bel Canto period, this is for you. Two amazing female leads and a very good cast overall. The sound is also very, very good. We tend to forget now-a-days how good those singers were, and they didn't have the microphones and recording equipment that we have today..”
A magnificent Meistersinger
“A captivating performance, holding the attention and delight throughout its four/plus hours. The cast sang with convincing character and beauty, and the score was realised with unmatched tempos and dynamics by Kubelik and his orchestra. The best Meistersinger von Nürnberg I’ve had the pleasure to hear.”
Vintage performance
“1953 must have been one of the great Bayreuth seasons. The Krauss Ring and Parsifal are glorious and rightly celebrated, but this Tristan has maybe gone under the radar - undeservedly so. The sound is consistently excellent, allowing a considerable amount of orchestral detail to come through. Varnay is in astonishing voice and seems fully inside the part, though both she and Vinay very occasionally have to signal for the prompter. Vinay’s stamina is particularly welcome in Act 3, but there’s tonal beauty as well. Weber maintains a sense of anguished dignity throughout, and no collector is going to be unduly deterred by the one or two moments in Act 2 where his vocal pitch seems briefly to waver. I’d never heard Jochum in this work before, but it strikes me as a powerful and convincing reading. Huge thanks for making this available.”
This is a really excellent
“This is a really excellent performance of this work. Everyone is in top form. Ghiaurov and Cossotto are well known in these roles and are excellent here. Gencer, Prevedi and Bruscantini never got to record these roles and how wonderful it is to have them here. Gencer always amazes me. She is so unique and marvelous with stupendous pianissimos. Sound is very good.”
The Real Deal!
“The audio quality is surprisingly good for the 1957 (or so) time period. The excellent mostly Italian cast perform with an Italian vocal technique that I don’t hear enough of in today’s vocal techniques— a certain body and heart connection and parlato that convey a deeper passion. I also like that the CDS are packaged with the color photo and cast list. In learning one of the main roles for an Italian performance, this CD is a tremendous help. Grazie!”
Kozub
“I bought this Meistersinger for Ernst Kozub. Not gonna lie, I think he sounds sketchy in the first act (he’s fine in the prize song). I didn’t care. Fans, huh? It was human of him. In fact, I found it a useful reminder what a high- wire act singing opera is. The rest of the cast is inhumanly perfect. Great set.”
This Dynamic Forza is a Sleeper!
“A Sleeper is usually defined as something that is an unexpected success. This performance defines the term. Brouwenstijn was always known as a fine singer, but she is chameleon-like here in her ability to handle the Verdi style. In a word, she is thrilling. The top soars just where it needs to, the phrasing is grand, and she always conveys Leonora's desperate”
Kenneth Sherrill
“This performance is a barn-burner. Thrilling, exciting wonderful. Very Italian, not very French. It grabs you by the seat of your pants and leaves you exhausted at the end. I wish I had been in the house to hear it. Curiously, I once saw Corelli do it in French with Rosalilnd Elias in a Met in the Parks performance. I've never forgotten the intensity of that performance but, all in all, this is a better quartet. It's a feast for the ears.”
Beautiful Missa Solemnis
“This performance is wonderful. A radio broadcast with very good sound. Horenstein broadly paces the Mass to excellent effect. The chorus is a tad muddy but that is to be expected from a 1958 radio broadcast. Soloists are also excellent with my favorite Stich Randall heavenly in her solos. Thank you for making this available.”
The most nuanced, singable, intelligent RHEINGOLD I have ever heard
“Andy (who runs OperaDepot) suggested, in his review, that this recording shows that Ferdinand Frantz may be "one of the finest Wotan's of the 20th Century". Andy is WRONG. In fact, this recording shows that Ferdinand Frantz is UNQUESTIONABLY THE VERY finest Wotan of the 20th Century. The only other possible candidate for the title would be Hans Hotter, and Frantz is better than Hotter in several ways: Frantz' voice is sharper, the tone more resonant and penetrating than Hotter's, his vibrato is tighter and more consistent, and most of all, Franz has more personal discipline--Hotter's performances tend to be quirky, he lets his personality in, so that his Wotan is more Hotter's character than Wagner's. In contrast, Frantz is so faithful and honest that some critics accused him of lacking imagination. In fact he has deep imagination, but less inappropriate flashiness. As another reviewer said, the other singers are all so fantastic that there's really no point in describing them all individually here. I'll just mention the two giants: in other recordings, the characters often seem one-dimensional--Fasolt wants Freia, that's all, and Fafner want's gold, that's all--but here both Gottlob Frick and Josef Greindl act with unusual subtlety and nuance. Both are willing to sing SOFTLY when appropriate. Finally, Schuchter does an excellent job, his conducting is very smart, and he does not drag in the slow seections as many otoher conductors do.Zero flaws. The best.”
Excellent. Was thinking of attending
“Excellent. Was thinking of attending when it was first announced. I'm a huge Resnik fan and she doesn't disappoint. Add King and Borkh at the top of their game under Solti and you get one truly memorable Frau. I'd have wanted the sound to be as memorable but it more than puts the excitement across”
Exciting Performance in Very Good Sound!
“Grace Bumbry began to experiment with soprano roles in the early 70s, encouraged by some conductors who wanted to hear her in roles like Salome and Lady Macbeth. She was always a risk-taker on stage; sometimes she made the high notes, sometimes she didn't, but there was a strong personality there that made one sit up and take notice. This Bologna performance finds her in excellent voice. She easily rips through Lady Macbeth's coloratura and provides many exciting moments. She interpolates a high D-flat at the end of Act One and successfully essays the written one at the end of the Sleepwalking Scene. Her voice goes sharp here and there and I can't say she brings any specific interpretive profile to the role (not like Callas, Varnay, and Verrett for example). But she is the evening's prima donna: she knows it and so will you.Bruson is heard in his best form, the tone smooth and patrician from top to bottom. His last act aria wins him an ovation (I encored it, it's that good). Ferrin and Saldari are first-rate in their roles. Too bad we're not told who the Dama is as she is terrific, soaring with Bumbry on the top C in the first act finale. Gatti leads an exciting performance that includes the ballet. The sound, probably from a house tape is also very good though when the singers move upstage they're harder to hear.Lovers of the opera and the singers should get this!”
A total delight, wonderfully alive
“A total delight, wonderfully alive The conducting and singing are superb. The whole thing, including the spoken dialogue in a language don't speak, sounds just the way it should: like a party.”
Jim Martin
“This is a MUST HAVE for every serious opera lover. I have had this performance on various media (reel-to-reel, cassette, cd) since about 1974. The sound has always been aweful as so many outdoor theatre performances can be. I have always felt the performance was excellent, who can outdo Siepi as Mefistofeles? Merighi has a beautiful voice even though he has an annoying tendancy to sing flat in the bridge area. Vajna has a suitable voice for Elena (she badly misses the high C at the end of the ensemble, that aside, her performance is dramatic and riveting). The true star, however is the indomitable Olivero, the last great versimo singer. Having seen her live in this role as well as many others, her interpretations, even on cd, leave one spell-bound, they are unforgettable. The sound on this recording is amazing, it sounds as though it was transferred right from the original. The great performance coupled with the great sound makes this a “desert island” choice for all opera lovers who want the best of the best.”
Memorable Don Carlos
“This is a real collector's item. On the one hand are famous performances by Domingo and Ghiaurov who are well represented on commercial recordings and equally good here, and on the other hand there are vivid performances by Christa Ludwig (Eboli) and Hans Hotter (Grand Inquisitor) who never recorded their roles. Add to this the fine Posa of Kostas Paskalis and at this early stage of her career a very well sung Elisabetta from Gwyneth Jones, and the result is an immensely thoughtful view of this brooding work . For me, Klobucar's sensitive conducting set the seal on this memorable performance .This being 1967, the sound is limited (but very acceptable) mono and the four-act version of the opera is used as was then the custom.”
Andy
“I read his article in Opera News in which he justified his withdrawal by siting his religious misgivings. I have to say that I don’t believe a word of it. He withdrew because in 1973 there was no way he could cope with the tessitura. Richard Cassilly told me that he was offered the cover of this production (he sang in earlier performances.) Initially he thought that the offer was an insult, but his agent convinced him to take it stating that there was no way Vickers would go through with it. A smart move…I mean no disrespect to Mr. Vickers who is one of my favorite singers and in the end I applaud him for realizing his limitations.”
Cose d'altri tempi.
“Nessuno oggi canta così. Questo può bastare. Che l'edizione di Bonynge sia tagliata o altro non toglie nulla al fascino dell'esecuzione. Vivaddio non ci sono strumenti cosiddetti "originali" che sono una sciagura, sembrando sempre orchestre di chitarre. Sutherland meravigliosa, irreale, stratosferica e coloratissima, una vera regina. Tourangeau anche lei nella parte e lo stesso dicasi per la Lucia Popp, meno tedesca del solito. Bonynge grande accompagnatore, in queste opere bisogna saperlo fare e lui e' maestro anche nel clavicembalo di solito, e ottimo concertatore. A quei tempi Handel si faceva così e storcere il naso e' assolutamente ridicolo. E' meglio ascoltare la Sutherland con Bonynge o la Jarusski con gli odierni?”
One of the all-time great “Otellos”
“In the years 1970-80, the world had three top Otellos: in order of seniority, Jon Vickers, Carlo Cossutta, and Placido Domingo. They all sang more than one revival of the opera at Covent Garden; it was a luxury to compare them then, but now they represent a collective peak never subsequently matched. (Domingo’s Otello, new that decade, continued into the 1990s.) Cossutta’s voice was huge, virile, sexy, baritonal, passionate, and he was the only one of the three to bring Italian diction and placement to the part; I hear here why I adored him then, and surrender again. The surprise of this revival was that Te Kanawa, who had just sung Desdemona at the New York Met with Vickers, seemed to have a voice as large as both Cossutta and Cappucilli. It was the most vocally ample “Otello” I have ever known, and all three voices combined beauty with eloquence. This was the era when Cappucilli moved from his former dull efficiency to a new interpretative intensity: the dark power and easily biting diction of his Iago amazed. But the greatest factor here is Charles Mackerras. Listen to the astounding power of the whole orchestra under the “Sì, pel ciel” duet; and the phenomenal grace of the woodwind at many points; the conviction and sweep of the whole. Colin Davis and Carlos Kleiber conducted superb revivals in those years; I already knew my Toscanini and Serafin recordings; but I understand increasingly now why 1974 reviews said that this was the greatest “Otello” heard since De Sabata.”
Important documentary
“This is audio gold. It is an example of the BBC Third Programme at its best at a time, long gone, where in depth and searching, opinionated documentaries were the norm. The patient and thorough analysis of the working progress is incredibly enlightening, with every stage of the development of the staging of the scene between Telramund and Ortrud carefully delineated. Wieland's own input is marvelously energetic and searching. As in a good radio doc the whole event comes vividly to life in the mind's eye. The comments by Dalis and Vinay are so profound and the intellect of these two artists is very evident. It's a shame that there's not more of Wieland speaking, but what is said is so pertinent it doesn't seem to matter. What a revolution in operatic staging was going on back then! And to think that when Dalis was unwell, and had to cancel (what a shame for her after doing 14 hours of intensive work on a 20 minute scene) an artist of the stature of Astrid Varnay was waiting in the wings to step in! Very, very strongly recommended to anyone interested in or working in our profession!”
The sailor...
“...is Donald Pilley (according to the Radio Times). Not a name I know at all. But here is the man himself, talking about the early days of ENO https://youtu.be/Btin7S9FMDc and https://youtu.be/drRh7dkJos0”
Jerry V
“Gwyneth Jones is my favorite Brunnhilde of all time. On these cds she is in top form. Vocally her voice is as warm, even and expressive as Flagstads.It’s as huge as Nilssons with breathtaking high notes…and she as exciting as Varnay but with a more beautiful and rounded sound..and if you watch the video she is a superb actress filled with rare beauty…”
Sublime Thomas Allen
“I purchased this recording to listen to Thomas Allen singing Paolo and it was well above expecations. His wonderful English diction and artful, knavish interpretation never let you down. Only 27 years-old at this time, his artistry is already reaching at its highest.”
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”
A Nilsson, you mustn´t miss ...
“... and there is not so much to add to this recording, it´s just one of the greatest (ever) sopranos in an exceptionally good performance ... and Ulfung adds sth like "another" - let´s say: nuanced - aspect to the role her Mario. I really love this rendition since I recorded it in 2018 from a broadcast of P2, Swedish radio, for Nilsson´s sake in the first place and for Saeden´s part as Scarpia, which leads to one of the best 2nd acts.Get it, where you can, preferably here at OperaDepot :-) and while you can, before it vanishes again in the void of highly praised and hard to get rarities.”
GIOACHINO ROSSINI'S SEMIRAMIDE
“I AM TERRIBLY SORRY FOR THE TYPO MISTAKES... SO... SEMIRAMIDE IS JOAN SUTHERLAND AND JOAN SUTHERLAND IS SEMIRAMIDE. A(NOTHER) MUST HAVE! THE TENOR'S NAME IS RAIMONDI, NOT ROLANDI. THANK YOU SO MUCH!”
Sergey Khokhlov
“I do like it, because Flagstad is in her best voice. It's a very rare recording. It's only highlights, there are neither Brunnhilde and Waltraute duet (only final part) nor wedding scene. The sound is good enough for those years. I enjoy listening to it.”
Essential listening for Knights of the Grail
“Vickers Parsifal is unique and one of the best recordings of the role. Quality of other performances unduplicable today. Parsifal has been fortunate in available recordings, so if you haven't heard this classic performance yet, you now have no excuse but to add this experience at this excellent price point. Sound is very good for the historically-minded.”
David
“This is an excellent Tosca, surprising because I’d always thought Pobbe was mediocre. Her voice takes a while to warm up, but she manages the top C’s well enough and always conveys what she is supposed to be singing about. The murder of Scarpia is done with great gusto and her discovery of Mario’s death is electrifying. Raimondi sings very well (he really was taken for granted) and MacNeil is a malevolent Scarpia. This performance catches him before the wobble that afflicted him in later years took over. The sound is excellent. The sidebreak is poor; it should have taken place between the first and second acts, not in the middle of the Tosca/Scarpia interrogation scene. Oh well…”
Nuno Almeida
“This is a great performance of Salome. Jones is still a very underrated singer and I personally think that she was one of the most gifted singing actresses of her time. Her Salome (here she is in much better vocal shape than in the Böhm recording from Hamburg) is fantastic, only Behrens with Karajan could surpass her. The conducting is also of a very high quality, Dohnányi certainly knew what he wanted both from singers and from the orchestra”
Femmes folles
“16 Avril 1975 J'y étais Soirée en présence de Giscard et Walter Scheel marquée par une panne électrique au beau milieu (la radio a dû faire un montage) . Les 3 dames sont en forme exceptionnelle, Nilsson plus fouillée que dans les années 60, Rysanek et Varnay ont marqué leurs rôles à jamais . Böhm toujours chez lui dans cette oeuvre estimait avoir ici sa meilleure distribution .”
An excellent Parsifal
“Although Boulez was still finding his marks at that stage, this is, for me, his ultimate Parsifal and a welcome illustration that another way is possible as compared to Knappertsbusch’s outstanding, slow, highly religious approach. A ‘human’ Parsifal much like his Ring cycle. It is also a fantastic opportunity to hear Astrid Varnay’s much under-recorded Kundry. 1966 was late for her and it shows - high notes are shouted rather than sung, but always perfectly on pitch... and the character is fascinating. The emphasis she puts on key words and phrases shows a deep bond with the role and profound understanding of the wretched Kundry. As for Konya he is in his best voice - just as ethereal yet strong and powerful as he was when impersonating Parsifal’s son, Lohengrin. Greindl, unfortunately, is in raucous voice but his gruff interpretation fits well with Boulez’s conception. And Thomas Stewart is an affecting Amfortas. The sound is very good - thank you for making this available in FLAC format! All in all - must have... all the more welcome here as the Golden Melodram commercial set has long been unavailable.”
Falstaff - Scottish Opera 1966
“This is a lovely performance featuring a cast of nearly all British Singers. Geraint Evans was the ideal Falstaff . The Australian John Shaw is a perfect foil. The French Luisa Bosabalian is a fluttery but enchanting Alice Ford. Elizabeth Robson and Duncan Robertson are lovely young lovers Nanetta and Fenton. Minor roles - so important to support the principals - provide strong support. The parts are sung by francis Egerton, Ian Wallace and Dennis Brandt. a fine , mainly British cast. I cannot fault this set which is in very good sound.”
There are many moments to be deprived of the heart in this performance, indeed.
“A quite lively, captivating performance with an invincible fleet of legendary quality singers under the direction of a Wagner expert conductor. It could be said that a good, typical example of the golden days of the 1960s-70s in Bayreuth. Moreover, fortunately this recording has even pretty good comfortable stereo sounds.In my opinion, Hans Wallat's talent as a Wagnerian should be regarded more highly. Every his recordings available at Opera Depot are splendid. I love his unfaltering eloquence almost as much as an outstanding musical phrasing of Horst Stein. It's a great pity that Wallat was not given the opportunities to conduct in the Bayreuth's pit except for Meistersinger 1970 and Dutchman 1971 after all.”
Salzburg FIDELIO 1969
“Excellent performance, note-complete, in beautiful broadcast sound! While some listeners may prefer a different tone quality in the title role, Ingrid Bjoner shines, bringing voluminous reserves of sound to her music. Known for her Turandot-- which she broadcast from the Met in the 1970s-- she is just as powerful and fearless as Beethoven's loyal heroine. The voice can be slightly glassy, in common with many Nordic singers, but her determination, musically and dramatically, wins the day. Her spoken dialogue, while perhaps not as incisive as some of her colleagues,' is nonetheless phonated with bite and strength. James King is equally fine, singing with his customary heroic ring, and impressing, as he always did, with his stamina and with a consistently manly core to the voice. The lovely Swiss soprano Edith Mathis is surely the perfect Marzelline, Franz Crass her lovably kind father, and luxury casting, certainly, to have both Ingvar Wixell and Tom Krause as villain and overlord, respectively. It is at times easy to overlook Karl Boehm's achievements outside the Straussian canon, but here he is in his element. He brings symphonic expertise to the score-- the Leonore no. 3 is perfectly measured and played-- and otherwise guides with a knowing hand and pulse. As expected, the Wiener Philharmoniker more than lives up to its storied reputation, as well, under Boehm's leadership. This superb performance-- a time capsule of a period long vanished-- is one to which I will return often, as I predict others will, too. Highly recommended!”
Brian Lowery
“I have almost 20 different recordings of Macbeth, and this CD is one of my favorites. The three main characters are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (of course), plus the witches! Paskalis and Barstow are very good as Macbeth and his wife, but the witches chorus in this recording is the best on any that I know. Many times in other recordings, the witches mumble and often don’t sound menacing or evil. On this recording they sound scary without being excessively dramatic. I also like Morris in the brief role of Banquo. I highly recommend.”
FIDELIO IN ITALIANO? SI!
“This is likely a RAI Roma broadcast, with actors (uncredited) doubling the singers in dialogue, which is kept to a sensible measure. Gui leads a briskly paced reading, placing the score firmly in the classical school. None of the melodrama is lost. If anything, the precision of singers and orchestra adds immediacy to the action. The cast is uniformly superb. Dow is lyric and brilliant with a gleaming top. Gasperoni rivals any other “Marcellina”, blending beautifully with Dow in ensemble. Berdini blends lyricism and heroic ring. Christoff is father and confessor, soulful and intimate. Taddei is a terrific blackguard of a villain. Monti personifies humility and charm. Calabrese is excellent. Sound very good.”
Mefistofele with Alfredo Kraus
“All of the CDs I ordered were absolutely perfect. Of course a tape of 1969 has not the same quality as on of 1999. So I was and am very happy to posses this recording. As a personal friend of the late Alfredo Kraus I love his singing in an opera he did only a few times. Also Agostino Ferrin is wonderfull as Mefistofele - a much underestimated bass. Kind regardsMarkus Roth”
divino Corelli und Top Sound
“Ton Qualität ist ausgezeichnet gut.Interpretation-die Stimmen sind absolut, das Schauspiel ist vollkommen - man braucht und will keine andere Interpretation mehr, es kann nix besseres sein.”
Yigit Gunsoy
“HiThis is indeed the last ever operatic performance of Giulietta Simionato.She had asked the Scala management what was on the roaster on that specific date as it was her 30th year at La Scala. 30 years ago she had sung one of the flower maidens in Parsifal and she wanted to bid farewell to La Scala again on that very same day. The management informed her that there was nothing at La Scala but however there wa La Clemenza di Tito at Piccola Scala. She asked if the whole cast was definite and they replied that only Servile was not casted. She insisted on singing the part, the management contracted her without understanding her insistence on such a small role. At the opening night, she told to her wig maker that this would be the last ever operatic performance of hers so she wanted her hair to be perfect! Soon the rumor spread to the audience and she was called to innumerable curtain calls and there were many who crid and cheered her.So nice to have this historic recording! Many thanks!Yigit Gunsoy”
Why write anything if you do not understand the work ANTHONY WILLIS
“Writing a review which really has no content is better left out. ANTHONY WILLIS says himself he does not like/understand Janacek so why write an review, just silly.There are few singer why performed with such intensity as Pauline Tinsley who nails this performance. Armstrongkeeps the tension going and Barstow sings a great vulnerable Jenufa. A recording as good, if not better, than any other commercially recorded version”
THRILLING LIVE PERFORMANCE
“This is a treasure. Yes, it's late Tebaldi, but her legato is firm and expressive. And, her exploitation of lower register communicates the great regret her character is later burdened with. Domingo is at his height and Sordello steals vocal honors with his richly colored voice. The sound is good.”
