This week audiences will get rereleases of Maria Callas’ legendary performances as well as DVDs of two modern productions.

Man Up / Man Down

Sono Luminus releases “Man Up / Man Down,” the debut release from Constellation Men’s Ensemble (CME). Featured on the album are two world premiere recordings, both commissioned by the group for their annual new music weekend, NOVA-New.

The Sono Luminus package for “Man Up / Man Down” includes both CD and Pure Audio Blu-ray with 9.1 Auro-3D and 5.1 Surround Sound versions, as well as the mShuttle application containing FLAC, WAV, and MP3 audio files.

Les Charpentier: Auprès du feu l’on fait l’amour

Unanimously praised by national and international press for their concerts and recordings, Les Épopées weave a musical journey with a rich and moving vision, beyond the borders of notation. Les Épopées present an almost integral compilation of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s songs, “Auprès du feu l’on faitl’amour, Airs sérieux & à boire.”

Bizet: Carmen

Warner Classics will release a Vinyl recording of Maria Callas’ legendary performance. “Carmen” became Callas’ penultimate complete recording of an opera – and her only complete recording of a French opera. With Georges Prêtre, one of her favored conductors, and the ever-stylish Nicolai Gedda as her Don José, she captured every facet of the role. As Gramophone said when the set was first released: “Hers is a Carmen to haunt you.” Those of us who have listened to it know that to be true.

From Studio to Screen

Warner Classics releases Maria Callas’ Iconic Recordings Featured in Films. La Divina’s voice so genuinely captures popular imagination and exerts such an intense fascination that directors has used intensely her recordings to illustrate iconic movie scenes. This collection gathers the most famous uses of Maria Callas’ recordings in movies, from “Philadelphia” and “Fargo” to “The Bridges of Madison County” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.“

Broken Branches

Pentatone releases Broken Branches songs and solo guitar works revolving around ideas of East and West and the concept of the home performed by tenor Karim Sulayman—a first-generation Lebanese American and guitarist Sean Shibe.

Culminating with Benjamin Britten’s Songs from the Chinese, the album contextualizes that song cycle with eastern-influenced Renaissance works by Monteverdi, Caccini, and Dowland; traditional Middle Eastern music; and more recent music by Egyptian singer and composer Sayed Darwish.

Christopher Purves: My Soul, What Fear You

Christopher Purves releases his first song recital album which features lieder by Strauss, Schubert, Pfitzner, Mahler, and others. Simon Lepper accompanies some of the pieces while others have new orchestrations that include accordion, saxophone, guitar, flute, and double bass.

Mechthild

New York-based German composer Reiko Füting releases the world premiere recording of his opera “Mechthild,” with libretto by poet and theologian Christian Lehnert, on New Focus Recordings. Füting’s opera, which was inspired by the Medieval “mystery play,” premiered in Magdeburg, Germany Sept. 16-18, 2022, marking the occasion of the ceremonial reopening of the monastery church and the north wing in the art museum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen Magdeburg.

Das Lied von der Erde

Christian Gerhaher records Gustav Mahler’s song-cycle “Das Lied von der Erde” for his latest release on Sony Classical. Pianist Gerold Huber joins the baritone and tenor Piotr Beczala for this stripped-back traversal of Mahler’s snapshots of life and existence.

This recording is a co-production between Sony Classical and BR-KLASSIK.

Theodora 

Opus Arte releases Handel’s “Theodora” from the Royal Opera in a production by Katie Mitchell. The production stars Julia Bullock, Joyce DiDonato, Jakub Józef Orliński, Ed Lyon, Gyula Orendt, and Thando Mjandana. Harry Bicket conducts.

In its review of the production OperaWire wrote, “Katie Mitchell’s Imaginative Vision is Blessed with Luxury Casting.”

Turandot

C Major Entertainment releases the Gran Teatre del Liceu’s production of “Turandot.” The production stars Iréne Theorin, Chris Merritt, Alexander Vinogradov, Jorge de León, and Ermonela Jaho. Josep Pons conducts the production by Franc Aleu.