Jonas Kaufmann, Camilla Nylund, Andreas Schager & Andrè Schuen Lead New CD/DVD Releases
By Francisco SalazarWelcome back to another look at the latest CD and DVD releases of the week.
This week, audiences will get to hear Jonas Kaufmann’s complete Decca catalog, a new “Tristan und Isolde”, and a Mozart CD.
SO SMOOTH, SO SWEET
Parma Recording releases a collection of vocal works from Harvard University composer Allen Sapp spanning from his early compositions in 1952 to later pieces written in the 1980s. The album features song cycles including “The Lady and the Lute,” “Nursery Rhymes,” “Affliction,” and “Two Songs.” Featured on the album are Chelsea Hart Melcher and Paul Melcher.
Tristan und Isolde
Deutsche Grammophon releases the filmed version of last summer’s Bayreuth Festival production of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” on Blu-ray video. The set provides 3 sound formats, including Dolby Atmos, and an extensive booklet with photos, an insightful conversation about the work and production between director, conductor, and dramaturge, the synopsis, as well as more information.
Icelandic director Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson directs the production, which was conducted by Semyon Bychkov. The title roles were played by Andreas Schager and Camilla Nylund, alongside Günther Groissböck (King Marke), Christa Mayer (Brangäne), and Olafur Sigurdarson (Kurwenal).
Jonas Kaufmann – The Decca Recordings
The recordings on this new 15-CD edition, “Jonas Kaufmann – The Decca Recordings,” are a sonic chronicle of his “Decca years,” although the earliest of the recordings was made for Philips. They span ten years, from 2002 to 2012, and show the celebrated tenor at the height of his art. This period reveals the wide range of Jonas Kaufmann’s artistic output and his incomparable timbre. The set contains three complete opera recordings, Weber’s “Oberon,” Humperdinck’s “Königskinder,” and Beethoven’s “Fidelio.”
The set also includes various recital albums of operatic arias, including 18th and 19th century German repertoire, verismo, “Romantic Arias” and the Wagner recital. Additional “bonus” material recorded at the time of the original recordings, including an aria from Mascagni’s Iris and an ensemble from Puccini’s “La rondine.” It also includes Schubert’s “Die schöne Müllerin” and Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem.”
Mozart
Andrè Schuen releases his album Mozart featuring arias, duets and songs. The album celebrates Schuen’s deep and longstanding relationship to the composer and his birth and creative place, Salzburg. He is joined by Avi Avital, Daniel Heide, Nikola Hillebrad, and Mozarteumorchester Salzburg. Roberto González-Monjas conducts.
In a statement, Schuen said, “I’ve dreamt of recording a Mozart album since the early days of my career.”
