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.
Category: Reviews
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.
Pl·cido Domingoís miraculous autumn
On the barren stage: a few chairs, a dark-gold hectoplasm projected on the wood panels of the acoustic chamber – nothing more.
See Venice and then die
For the belated Spanish premiere of Brittenís Death in Venice, 35 years after its creation in Aldeburgh, Barcelona seems a felicitous choice.
Songs by Henry & William Lawes
With this recording of songs by Henry & William Lawes, musical brothers who flourished in Caroline England, countertenor Robin Blaze with lutenist Elizabeth Kenny continue their exploration of early English song for Hyperion, and the results are stunning.
Star Power in Paris “Capuleti”
For Belliniís ìI Capuleti e i Montecchi,î Paris Opera peopled its revival with plenty of star power.
Opera with a human heart
When the Ringling Brothers folded their tents, opera took over. AÔda with elephants, and Walk¸re with real horses.
St. Francis in Amsterdam
It is a bit hard to know what to make of Olivier Messiaenís colossal piece ìSaint FranÁois díAssise,î beautifully mounted by Netherlands Opera.
Zurich Has Malibran to Thank
If you are going to produce Jacques Fromental Halevyís forgotten opera ìClari,î I urge you to first make sure you have a signature on the contact from a superstar with the firepower of Cecilia Bartoli.
Joye: Les plaintes de Gilles de Bins dit Binchois
The title of this recording ìJoy: the Laments of Gilles Binchoisî introduces a seeming contradiction, one that plays on a contemporaneous description of the composer as “pÈre de joyeusetË”óthe father of joyóin tension with an affinity for melancholy in his works.