CD/DVD
Vickers’ Moor revisited and Domingo’s “Otello” farewell
With DVD, Otello finally has the right medium to appreciate Verdi’s masterpiece in all its rich detail and full glory. An operatic milestone with a supreme blend of music and theater, Otello…
Sun Aug 23, 2009
at 5:20 pm
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A Daring Turn of the “Ring”
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (“The Copenhagen Ring”) Decca 0743264 (7- DVD set)
Half a century ago the first studio recording of Wagner’s Der Ring…
Fri Apr 03, 2009
at 1:12 pm
2 Comments
A time for Butterflys
At the movies, the recent live transmission of Madama Butterfly from the Metropolitan Opera House marked the beginning of a time for Butterflys. The stunning production by late British film director…
Wed Mar 18, 2009
at 9:46 am
4 Comments
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson—an artist for the ages, remembered at Ravinia
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson was a rara avis, not the promotional diva du jour ,but a complete artist. Essentially American in every sense, she had impeccable musicianship and one of…
Sun Mar 08, 2009
at 10:30 am
4 Comments
New “Amahl” makes a timely Christmas treat
It’s hard to believe there was once a time when a commercial television network would not only air regular classical performances but actually commission a new opera and broadcast it…
Fri Dec 19, 2008
at 1:40 pm
1 Comment
Fleming soars in Strauss songs
Is there a finer wedding of voice to composer today than Renee Fleming to Richard Strauss? The opulence, radiant tone, and strain of sadness in Fleming’s timbre…
Sun Nov 30, 2008
at 4:10 pm
1 Comment
American string quartets, lost and found
The string quartet has occupied a strange place in the American musical landscape. While it was the medium of choice for the deepest and most profound thoughts of Beethoven, Schubert,…
Thu Sep 11, 2008
at 9:16 pm
1 Comment
A big box for an exquisite vox
Remember Caballé? Remember the LP? If you don’t, now is the time to refresh your memory The lady is celebrating her 75th birthday and Sony/BMG has released a 15-CD…
Tue Aug 26, 2008
at 5:55 pm
5 Comments
A box of Heifetz
I waited so long to write about the Jascha Heifetz Sony Original Jacket Collection ($79.98 at Amazon) that the label has since released three more sets of Eugene Ormandy, Montserrat…
Wed Aug 20, 2008
at 11:57 pm
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"Boheme" times two
Puccini: La Boheme.
Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, Nicole Cabell, Boaz Daniel
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Bertrand de Billy (Deutsche Grammophon)
Puccini: La Boheme
Norah Amsellem, Marcus Haddock, Georgia…
Sat Jul 26, 2008
at 6:35 pm
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Sounds of near-silence
Feldman: The Viola in My Life I-IV
Marek Konstantynowicz
Cikada Ensemble
Norwegian Radio Orchestra/Christian Eggen
(ECM)
The art of Morton Feldman, like the man himself, is a study in…
Sat Jul 19, 2008
at 2:47 pm
No Comments
Copland from the Heartland
Copland: The Tender Land Suite; Piano Concerto; Old American Songs, Sets 1 and 2.
Benjamin Pasternack, pianist
St. Charles Singers
Robert Hanson/Elgin Symphony Orchestra
Naxos
The Naxos label’s invaluable American Classics…
Fri Jul 11, 2008
at 12:51 am
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CD Review
Amazing Grace: A Gospel and Bluegrass Journey
Seraphic Fire
Patrick Dupre Quigley, artistic director
Folk, bluegrass and gospel normally fall far outside the Classical Review’s charge. But even if this…
Sun Jul 06, 2008
at 6:59 pm
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CD Review Lara goes Australian
Hindson: Violin Concerto; Corigliano: Suite from The Red Violin; Liszt/Kennedy-St. John: Totentanz.
Lara St. John
Sarah Ioannides/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Ancalagon)
With her latest CD, Lara St. John serves up the…
Fri Jul 04, 2008
at 8:16 pm
No Comments
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