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Verdi: Macbeth

Luciano Pavarotti

Classical - Released January 1, 1993 | Decca Music Group Ltd.

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Verdi: Macbeth

Europe Galante

Opera - Released November 16, 2018 | Glossa

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A vivid demonstration of how widely Fabio Biondi’s musical imagination runs comes with his new recording of Giuseppe Verdi’s work of genius, Macbeth. It is the original Florentine 1847 version of the work, shorn of the Paris revisions more typically found on record, which Fabio Biondi has opted to conduct, the director believing in its greater dramatic and stylistic coherence. Verdi was of the opinion that the Shakespearean tragedy was “one of the greatest creations of the human spirit” and set himself the task of rendering the fire of its drama into music during and following a period when his physical health had broken down. With its scenes of murder, battle and sleep-walking, brindisi and witches’ choruses all creating a sombre atmosphere drenched with paranoia and a lust for power, the dramatic flow of the opera places vast demands on the soloists, notably upon the unhappy title-role couple. Fabio Biondi’s version comes with baritone Giovanni Meoni, a leading Verdi specialist as Macbeth whilst the larger-than-life role of Lady Macbeth is taken by a noted present-day Salome, Médée (and Medea), the soprano Nadja Michael. Bass Fabrizio Beggi assumes the part of Banquo, both when alive and as a ghost. Important also in the work (and as described by Stefano Russomanno in his accompanying essay) is the chorus, a leading protagonist for the composer, and here the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Choir. Critical also is Verdi’s orchestral writing for Macbeth, introducing rare and radical tonal colourings and Fabio Biondi, directing his Europa Galante from the violin, is just the radical, challenging musical spirit to breathe new life into Verdi’s masterpiece and its search for dramatic truth. © Glossa
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Verdi: Rigoletto

Dmitri Hvorostovsky

Opera - Released November 10, 2017 | Delos

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Nashville is rough on the living, but she really speaks well of the dead, says a country song, and opera is the same way. Recordings by the late Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky have soared on the charts since his untimely death. Along with the superb song album Russia Cast Adrift, this one makes a suitable memorial. Hvorostovsky was never a typical Italian opera baritone, and that was what made his performances of Rigoletto over the years so well loved; they stood apart from the crowd. This version was made in Kaunas, Lithuania (in the Philharmonic Hall -- it is not a live recording), in 2016, after the baritone's diagnosis with brain cancer. Cognoscenti may grouse that at certain junctures Hvorostovsky's voice has less power than formerly (which, at his age, would have been true even without his illness), but the essential qualities that made him a great Rigoletto are on full display here. Where Western baritones sing, Hvorostovsky growls, rasps, and snarls, and the role of the exquisitely bitter jester has rarely come alive as it does here. The rest of the cast is decidedly not as strong; soprano Nadine Sierra can't decide whether Gilda should be a wounded innocent or something more substantial, and her pitches are often less than stable. Yet this is how it should be. With a star of Hvorostovsky's magnitude, the focus should be on the star, and that is where it resides. Clean accompaniment by the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra that effectively stays out of his way is another plus. An essential for Hvorostovsky lovers. © TiVo
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Verdi: Don Carlos

Luigi Roni

Opera - Released January 1, 1979 | Orfeo

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Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Remastered)

Erich Leinsdorf

Classical - Released January 1, 1967 | Sony Classical

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Assoluta

Béatrice Uria-Monzon

Opera - Released May 28, 2021 | Aparté

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“Assoluta”: a term that was given to prima donnas of the nineteenth century, those who sang the parts of the great tragic heroines of that time, their voices characterised by a dark timbre, with a rich, strong low register and the high notes of a soprano – a voice that has now almost disappeared. Béatrice Uria-Monzon, one of its rare representatives, sings here some of the great assoluta roles, including the famous “Casta Diva” by Bellini, in her first solo recording. © Aparté
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Verdi: Falstaff

Herbert von Karajan

Classical - Released March 14, 2011 | Warner Classics

Distinctions Choc de Classica
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The Verdi Album

Sonya Yoncheva

Classical - Released February 2, 2018 | Sony Classical

Hi-Res Booklet
For huge fans of Yoncheva, this is a beautiful collection of some of the Verdian soprano's finest moments. Half of the tracks are great hits: Otello and his famous prayer, Don Carlo, Nabucco, Il Trovatore and La forza del destino, the other half being made up of lesser-known works such as Stiffelio, Luisa Miller or Attila. The Bulgarian soprano (note that she was born in 1981, and is already a star at the peak of her career) demonstrates at once the warmth of her voice, an instrument fallen from heaven, with her mezzo tones and the range of her great lyrical voice, but also her bel canto vocal technique which is deployed to great effect in this brilliant repertoire. More purist listeners might have issues with her way of making her attacks "from below" in the Italian style, but that is her stylistic and technical choice, and it is a choice shared by a good proportion of lyrical singers who work with the Italian repertoire. This studio recording was created in 2017. © SM/Qobuz
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Verdi Rarities

Montserrat Caballé

Classical - Released July 19, 2013 | RCA Red Seal

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Monteverdi: Il quarto libro de madrigali

Collegium Vocale Gent

Classical - Released May 6, 2022 | Phi

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After dedicating many years of his life to the highly-revered music of Claudio Monteverdi, Philippe Herreweghe now offers us his version of the Fourth Book of Madrigals—one of the most innovative and representative works by this genius Italian composer. Sprinkled with audacious harmonics and intense expressiveness that closely mimics the mannerisms of painters and sculptors of the time, this volume clearly announces the culmination of the “seconda pratica” (a new modern way of thinking about music that marked the beginning of the Baroque period).Monteverdi devoted many years to the creation of this Fourth Book which brings the 16th century to a close with great originality of form and a wide variety of styles (a real testament to the spectacular musical evolution that took place over such a small time frame). The use of dissonance is evident from the very first madrigal, Ah dolent partita, with the use of minor seconds plunging the listener into the bottomless abyss of amorous distress.A great lover of Italy and its art, Philippe Herreweghe and the excellent singers of the Collegium Vocale Gent give real vitality to these madrigals. They subtly shape the contrasts, achieving a striking chiaroscuro that emphasises the exaggerated asceticism contained within these 20 sublime pieces. © François Hudry/Qobuz
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Verdi : Aida

Herbert von Karajan

Classical - Released January 1, 1959 | Decca Music Group Ltd.

Distinctions The Qobuz Ideal Discography
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Un jardin à l'italienne (Aria, Cantatas & Madrigals)

William Christie

Classical - Released September 8, 2017 | harmonia mundi

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions 4 étoiles Classica
The six young singers of the Academy of Le Jardin des Voix, selected from several hundred candidates, offer us a musical journey through some of the finest pieces in the Italian repertory, from a Banchieri madrigal to Haydn’s Orlando paladino. Thanks to an outstanding training programme and the musical values transmitted by William Christie and Paul Agnew, here is a chance to discover both some splendid vocal gems and a group of new performers who honour them with talent, grace and humour. Sheer delight! © harmonia mundi
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Verdi: Don Carlo

Luciano Pavarotti/Samuel Ramey/Riccardo Muti/Daniella Dessì/Luciana d'Intino/Paolo Coni

Classical - Released January 1, 1994 | Warner Classics

EMI's release of this 1992 live performance of the standard four-act version of Don Carlo at La Scala makes a strong addition to the catalog. Riccardo Muti's dramatically charged conducting and the energy that comes from live performances play a large part in making this such a compelling version. Muti gives full reign to the grand passions and dramatic contrasts of Verdi's panoramic score, making this one of the most theatrically urgent recordings available. The orchestra of La Scala plays with fiery intensity, and with better intonation and more finesse than in some of its live recordings. The production was clearly organized around Luciano Pavarotti's Don Carlo, and he delivers a performance that's notable for its restraint. This is very much an ensemble opera, and Pavarotti's contribution is that of a team player rather than a superstar scrambling for the spotlight. That being said, his performance is fully and appropriately committed and passionate, and he's in strong voice. The male leads are consistently stellar. Samuel Ramey captures the complexity and conflict of Filippo, and sings with resonance and richness. Paolo Coni had a limited recording career, but he practically steals the show here with the nobility and thrilling vocal power of his Rodrigo. Alexander Anissimov manages to sound both ancient and dangerously powerful, an ideal combination of characteristics for the Inquisitor. Daniela Dessì as Elisabetta and Luciana d'Intino as Eboli are very nearly in the same vocal league as the men. Both have full, penetrating voices, but with an occasional slight edge that keeps their performances from being as fully realized as those of the men. They aren't helped by a recording ambience that's a little too bright. Otherwise, the sound is good for a live recording, with nice balance between the voices and orchestra. Overall, Muti's version is a strong contender in the field of recordings of the opera.© TiVo
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Verdi : Aida (Remastered)

Erich Leinsdorf

Classical - Released January 1, 1971 | Sony Classical

Hi-Res Distinctions 5 de Diapason
« En 1970, neuf ans après la mythique version Solti, Leontyne Price, malgré un médium moins nourri, reste une Aïda d'anthologie, d'une irrésistible sensualité. Sous la baguette experte d'Erich Leinsdorf, à Londres, Grace Bumbry, séduisante et redoutable, Placido Domingo entre vaillance et abandon, Sherill Milnes, père inflexible, sont à sa hauteur.» (Diapason, mars 2018 / Didier Van Moere)
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Verdi : Le Trouvère (Diapason n°609)

Choeur de L'Opera de Vienne

Classical - Released September 25, 2011 | Les Indispensables de Diapason

Booklet Distinctions Diapason d'or
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Verdi: Don Carlo

Coro Lirico Amadeus Teatro Comunale di Modena

Classical - Released April 16, 2014 | C Major

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Puccini: Le Villi

Lorin Maazel

Classical - Released January 1, 1980 | Sony Classical

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L'arte del madrigale

Voces Suaves

Classical - Released November 18, 2016 | Ambronay Éditions

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Eros Live

Eros Ramazzotti

Pop/Rock - Released October 23, 1998 | DDD