Any new “Otello” recording is usually the focus of major conversation. The Verdi and Boito opera is undeniably one of the pinnacle works in the standard repertory, encompassing a vast array of emotional colors with some of the greatest music humankind has ever conjured up. And the world has seen some truly legendary recordings over the past century with some {…}
An Opera Rara is a love letter to Bel Canto fans. Not only does the company research, rediscover, restore, record, and perform the forgotten operatic heritage of the 19th century, but they offer it up to collectors in a vibrant and potent packaging that includes a generous booklet with a extended article about the opera, photos and lithographs from the {…}
As so much of the world hunkers down during a pandemic that has shuttered live music venues for the foreseeable future, there’s no better time than now to discover new music. “Off the Beaten Track” highlights an album of note–not necessarily a new recording, but one that has caught my attention as I explore the universe of classical vocal music. {…}
Russian tenor Dmitry Korchak’s second solo album for Decca, a compilation of romantic French arias, provides an insightful interpretation of French style, dazzling high notes ,and impressive piannismi and diminuedo phrasing. The album presents, with the exception of the less popular Bizet’s aria “À la voix d’un amant fidele,” a selection of the most renowned lyrical and romantic French arias. {…}
Credit: Simon Fowler
It is hard for established labels to profitably market a new release – let alone for an independent one like Prima Classic. Long gone are the days when John Culshaw and Walter Legge spearheaded the industry, setting the standards by which every decade or so had its memorable Violetta. Prima Classics – with its reduced catalogue of only four titles {…}
This point was always going to be reached! The Naïve label’s ambitious and highly commendable mission to record the entire Vivaldi catalogue held by the Italian National Library in Turin at some point was going to come to an end, or, more accurately, a series of endings. With these two recordings “Arie e cantate per contralto,” and “Musica sacra per {…}
In line with its commitment to promote the sidelined repertoire of the 19th century, Opera Rara has released the world premiere recording of “Le Willis,” the one-act opera that Puccini submitted to the Concorso Sonzogno and later turned into the revised version of “Le Villi.” Not only does it testify to the musical panorama of the pre-Verismo decades, it also {…}
UPDATE: This review has been updated to include information about new features. When thinking about how we consume music these days, it is hard to question the fact that we live in a “Spotify World.” The famed subscriber service has dominated the online community with its access to a wide range of music of all kinds and from all places. {…}