Rarely has a single performance so cornered the discographic record of an opera as Claudio Abbado’s “Simon Boccanegra” from 1977. And my use of the possessive is, in this case, far from aleatory: Abbado lays claim to the score with an authority scarcely less than Verdi’s own—or would Hugo Shirley otherwise have spoken in superlatives so unsparingly when Gramophone revisited {…}
Marina Rebeka and Ludovic Tézier need little introduction. Simply put, they are two of the most important Verdi singers of our time. The two have sung several of the composer’s works, with Rebeka becoming the go-to soprano of the composer’s early works requiring Bel Canto agility, while Tézier has dominated many of the composer’s most dramatic operas. Recently they made {…}
(Prima Classics) Few operas have so inextricably been linked with the name of Maria Callas as “Norma.” The first perhaps in a line of 20th century Neoclassicists, she dusted off every inch of (pseudo-)Romantic mannerism and histrionics, restituting to the playbills an uncompromisingly sympathetic interpretation of tragic grandeur, as if sprung from the pen of Jean Racine himself. Callas’s following {…}
“Essence” is Marina Rebeka’s fifth solo recital on her very own label, “Prima Classic.” Although it was recorded all the way back in 2021, the album was released only last November; its program therefore does not reflect the soprano’s current engagements nor does it acknowledge her accomplishments in the French repertory. Instead, it presents like a best-of compilation, with arias {…}
Prima Classic has announced a new recording of Bellini’s “Il Pirata.” The new recording stars Javier Camarena, Marina Rebeka, and Franco Vassallo performing the leading roles and was recorded at Bellini’s homeland, Catania, with the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Massimo Bellini, under the baton of Fabrizio Maria Carminati. The new recording features an uncut edition including all the repetitions, {…}
Prima Classic has announced a new recording of Bellini’s “Il Pirata.” The new recording will star Javier Camarena as Gualtiero, Marina Rebeka as Imogene, and Franco Vassallo as Ernesto. Fabrizio Carminati conducts L’Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania with Antonio Di Matteo, Sonia Fortunato, and Gustavo De Gennaro rounding out the cast. Camarena has performed the work {…}
While soprano Marina Rebeka has taken on a slew of roles in her career, it is fair to say that few have had as big an impact as that of Violetta in “La Traviata.” It is a role that she has dominated in over 18 different productions over the better part of the last decade. It is one that she {…}
Prima Classic has announced a new recording of Verdi’s “La Traviata.” The company announced that on Nov. 1, 2019, it will release its first complete opera recording. “La Traviata” will star Marina Rebeka, Charles Castronovo, and George Petean and will be conducted by Michael Balke. They will be joined by the Latvian Festival Orchestra and State Choir Latvia. The new {…}
Prima Classic has announced Levy Sekgapane’s first solo album. The new album, entitled “Giovin Fiamma,” will represent the second album for the start-up company and will showcase the tenor in arias by Rossini. The recording will be dedicated to arias from “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” “Zelmira,” “Otello,” “La Donna del Lago,” “La Cenerentola,” “L’Italiana in Algeri,” and “Semiramide” among others. {…}
