With a sublime cast and the revolutionary staging by Ulrich Rasche, this Salzburg Festival production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda transforms a bel canto masterpiece into an evening of theatre. The conflict between Maria and Elisabetta becomes tangible through contrasting costumes, a constantly shifting space of rotating platforms, and projected images. Lisette Oropesa's Maria showcases 'a truly wonderful display of vocal intelligence, human warmth and a completely effortless, natural tone' (Süddeutsche Zeitung), while Kate Lindsey's Elisabetta conveys the fury and despair of the English monarch with striking intensity. Under the baton of Antonello Manacorda and with the outstanding contribution of the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, this production conquers through rhythm, movement, and physical presence as expressive forces. 'Lisette Oropesa imbues all of this with vocal mastery and emotion. Beyond pure virtuosity, she shapes the inner workings of the character into operatic drama.' (Der Standard)

With a sublime cast and the revolutionary staging by Ulrich Rasche, this Salzburg Festival production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda transforms a bel canto masterpiece into an evening of theatre. The conflict between Maria and Elisabetta becomes tangible through contrasting costumes, a constantly shifting space of rotating platforms, and projected images. Lisette Oropesa's Maria showcases 'a truly wonderful display of vocal intelligence, human warmth and a completely effortless, natural tone' (Süddeutsche Zeitung), while Kate Lindsey's Elisabetta conveys the fury and despair of the English monarch with striking intensity. Under the baton of Antonello Manacorda and with the outstanding contribution of the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, this production conquers through rhythm, movement, and physical presence as expressive forces. 'Lisette Oropesa imbues all of this with vocal mastery and emotion. Beyond pure virtuosity, she shapes the inner workings of the character into operatic drama.' (Der Standard)

In this album two Swiss musicians - the cellist Andreas Graf and pianist Evelyne Grandy - transform what is essentially a song recital into a programme of lyrical miniatures for cello and piano. They thread their own arrangements of melodies by five fellow Swiss composers through some unfamiliar versions of well-known tunes, casting some long-standing favourites in new light and setting them alongside new delicacies.

The Chinese baritone Wang Huandong has conquered stages across Europe with golden tone, magnificent projection and dynamic stage presence. In this debut recital on record, he presents a personal selection of arias from the bel canto repertoire, including both audience favourites and rarities. Having graduated from his initial training in Beijing, Wang Huandong continued his studies with the tenor Angelo Lofrese. He won prizes in several European competitions before making impressive debuts with major companies such as the Arena di Verona and the Opera National de Bordeaux. He is undoubtedly one of the most exciting operatic talents to emerge from China in recent years, and has specialised in the Romantic Italian tradition from Donizetti to Puccini. This album thus makes a captivating showcase for Wang Huandong, and for the full range of his technical abilities and musicianship. The authenticity of it's style is further enhanced by the participation of the Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria, who are steeped in this style. The conductor Filippo Arlia has his own extensive experience in the field of Italian opera; as does the producer Ra?aele Cacciolla, the resident sound engineer for the Opera alla Scala in Milan. The album opens with the showpiece for Enrico in the first act of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. The sombre atmosphere of 'Cruda e funesta smania' dissolves into the furious outburst of virtuosity in the cabaletta, 'La pietade in suo favor'. Much less familiar is the first-act scena for Severo in Donizetti's Poliuto. Then the aria 'Resta immobile' captures the moment of highest tension at the heart of Rossini's Guillaume Tell, as the eponymous hero attempts to shoot an apple placed on the head of his son. Wang Huandong returns to Donizetti for a pair of contrasting scenes from La Favorita, and then the superb Romanza from the composer's final opera, Dom Sebastian. On more familiar territory, he also presents 'Ah per sempre io ti perdei' from Bellini's last opera, I Puritani. Further demonstrations of Wang Huandong's versatility, adventurousness and Italianate feeling include excerpts from Bellini's Il pirata and Donizetti's Il duca d'Alba, before this showcase concludes in time-honoured fashion with the celebrated 'Largo al factotum' from Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Gaetano Donizetti's tragic opera Maria Stuarda depicts the merciless rivalry between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, who is seen as a martyr facing up to the illegitimate Queen of England. The opera was a victim of censorship at it's premiere and was beset by problems during rehearsals but is now seen as one of Donizetti's great operatic masterpieces. From the flamboyantly lyrical royal confrontations to the poignant final execution scene, this widely acclaimed production by David McVicar features monumental sets and sumptuous Elizabethan costumes, bringing the majesty and stark brutality of Elizabeth I's reign vividly to life.

Gaetano Donizetti's tragic opera Maria Stuarda depicts the merciless rivalry between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, who is seen as a martyr facing up to the illegitimate Queen of England. The opera was a victim of censorship at it's premiere and was beset by problems during rehearsals but is now seen as one of Donizetti's great operatic masterpieces. From the flamboyantly lyrical royal confrontations to the poignant final execution scene, this widely acclaimed production by David McVicar features monumental sets and sumptuous Elizabethan costumes, bringing the majesty and stark brutality of Elizabeth I's reign vividly to life.

This sparkling opera buffa is a premiere from the 2016 Donizetti Festival of Bergamo, with the part of Pasquale in Neapolitan dialect. It is the story of two rich merchant brothers from Lisbon, who are used to weighing everything against their barganing power. Also the marriage of Pasquale's niece Isabella is a "bargain" to them: she must marry another merchant, so as not to break with family tradition. The gags among the various characters are hilarious - especially those between the two brothers, who have competely different characters - creating an almost surreal atmosphere. Olivo, interpreted by Bruno Taddia, is teh real protagonist: as Isabella's father, he portrays a gruff, inflexible man, and does so with self-assurance and ease but never over the top. No less convincing is Filippo Morace as his brother Pasquale: istrionic and exhilarating as a na ctor, musically precise, and excellent in his Neapolitan dialect performance. Laurea Giordano, also thanks to her physique du role, is perfect as Isabella, the heartbroken girl torn between love for the young Camillo and obedience towards her grouchy father.

The thorny subject of marital violence is set against a hilarious backdrop in this one-act farce where, contrary to what we are used to seeing in opera, tenor and baritone do their best to free themselves of the female protagonist, to whom both are married. No doubt, Gaspar's aria on the joys of chastising one's wife in the way she deserves causes a few raised eyebrows nowadays, but the funny side is genuine and the music brilliant, making of this forgotten little opera a true gem. Donizetti composed Rita, ou Le mari battu, which would be staged posthumously at the Opera-comique on 7th May 1860, with Caroline Lefebvre as protagonist. The concise story of the waspish innkeeper Rita, her husband Peppe and first husband Gaspare, the latter believed dead in a shipwreck, unrolls in a single act, effectively divided into eight closed numbers: one aria for each singer, three duets, one trio and the finale. The apex of this delightful divertissement, both from the point of view of the action and the music, is the duet where the two men rival each other, albeit in a way that is diametrically opposed to what we are used to seeing on an operatic stage: instead of contending for the female protagonist, like all respectable tenors and baritones in love, they gamble her away, both desperately trying to lose. The writing is that of a consummate composer, flowing and refined. Characters are portrayed with terse effectiveness, situations never trespass into the grotesque. The result is a perfect balance of all elements, which makes of Rita a small but significant example of Donizetti's musical experience in the 1840s, an experience that can truly be called European.

Featuring:
Conductor: Claudio Scimone
Orchestre de l'Opera de Wallonie
Stage Director: Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera
Scenes: Jean-Guy Lecat
Costume Designer: Fernand Ruiz
Choreographer: Antonaeta Alexieva
Rita - Priscille Laplace
Peppe - Aldo Caputo
Gaspar - Alberto Rinaldi
Opera Royal de Wallonie, 2010

Lily Pons was a miraculous soprano coloratura, and this two-CD set pays exquisite homage to her vast artistic gifts. The informative, beautifully-designed liner notes tell the story of Pons' rise to fame and of her association with conductor (and one-time husband) André Kostelanetz. The tracks were recorded during the 1940's at the height of Pons' artistic powers and celebrity. Thoughtfully re-mastered, each selection is a jewel.
Pons produces notes that seem to come from the heavens, heard most remarkably in her "Caro nome" from 'Rigoletto' and Olympia's aria from 'Les Contes d'Hoffmann.' Never sounding like a robot or a mere technician, she brings her effervescent personality to each work in these recordings.
In addition to arias from the operas Pons regularly performed in repertory at the Met, the set includes other composer's works (Milhaud, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Bishop), all artfully executed. Pons lived during a time when opera singers were viewed as movie stars with great voices to boot. Her star-quality shines through on these discs, and one hopes that such a presence will emerge again in modern times.

As virtually the only serious opera of Donizetti to survive the advent of Verdi and the later Verismo school of Puccini et al, 'Lucia di Lammermoor' was also the most adapted to fit the prevailing notions of style. The late Maria Callas led the rediscovery of Donizetti's skill as a dramatic composer, and her performances of the opera under Serafin and Karajan are very special.
Since Callas, there have been attempts to restore the opera to something like its original form. Charles Mackerras follows Donizetti's original autograph score and offers a reading of the opera in keeping with what is known of performance practice in Donizetti's time. The most apparent results are high notes being taken in head voice rather than chest, most obvious in the male principals; the lower option at the end of arias; and a drastically shortened cadenza at the end of the mad scene.
Andrea Rost gives a strong performance of the title role as does Bruce Ford as Edgardo. The lower voices, Anthony Michaels-Moore and Alastair Miles, are particularly fine. An interesting and successful example of scholarship applied to the basic repertoire.