David Gockley heard the cries of many an opera fan that Pamela Rosenberg had denied them their ‘stars,’ so for his summer season, 2008, he brought them Natalie Dessay, Susan Graham, Ruth Ann Swenson, and Stefan Margita.
Author: James Sohre
BELLINI: Norma
The best thing about this set, a Norma recorded live at the Teatro delle Muse di Ancona in late 2004, is the booklet essay by Marco Beghelli, offered in both English and Italian (no credit to any translator).
MEYERBEER: Semiramide
This Dynamic recording of Meyerbeer’s Semiramide, an opera title more familiar with Rossini’s name appended, mixes the pleasure of a modestly appealing surprise with regret at key aspects of the performance.
Mozart and Lortzing from Hamburg Opera on film
A nostalgic charm permeates these filmed productions from the early 1970s of Lortzing’s Zar und Zimmerman and Mozart’s Die Zauberflˆte, collaborations between the Hamburg State Opera and German TV director Joachim Hess.
Karajan opera highlights on Classics for Pleasure
The opera highlights series from Classics for Pleasure continues its recycling of the EMI catalogue with selections from two of Herbert von Karajan’s recordings.
French Opera highlights on Classics for Pleasure
Consumers might opt for a highlights set instead of a full recording of an opera for many reasons.
THOMSON: The Plow that Broke the Plains
Naxos’s DVD division has already released the performances on this disc of Virgil Thomson’s scores for The Plow that Broke the Plains and The River, as soundtracks for a re-release…
San Diego Opera: Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci
Opera companies often tout new productions as a major attraction of their seasons.
Serafin: Overtures and Preludes
Timeless values of great opera conducting fill this disc of overtures and preludes, all conducted by Tullio Serafin.
HANSON: Merry Mount
A frequent complaint about contemporary operas — or most any after Puccini’s Turandot — is the lack of that memorable lyricism found in the standard repertory.