Paganini Played On Paganini's Violin, Vol. 1

Filmed in HD at a live 2012 performance in the Teatro Carlo Felice, one of the best known and the last of Puccini’s operas “Turandot” is directed and filmed by Giuliano Montaldo in a cast led by Daniela Dessì in the titular role and Mario Malagnini as the Calaf . Based on a 12th century Persian tale, the story of Turandot has long entranced audiences worldwide with its lyrical pageantry and pentatonic laden score containing an astonishing amount of now beloved arias such as “Nessun Dorma” and “In Questa Reggia”. With the Franco Alfano score to the final act and with the Orchestra and Choir of the Teatro Carlo Felice conducted by Donato Renzetti, this production features the acclaimed stage design of Giuliano Montaldo’s. With generous subtitle availability in Italian, English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese and Korean.

The importance of Giovanni Battista Viotti in the history of violin music has long been acknowledged. One of the most original characteristics of these works is the fact that their movements are often linked, thematically, by a certain affinity in their first few bars which makes each work distinctly coherent. Viotti was a very polished composer, gifted with a rich melodic vein and an inborn sense of formal balance.

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Enrico di Borgogna is a melodramma per musica that was premiered in Venice in 1818, marking Donizetti’s stage debut. The plot of this rare opera follows a rather traditional scheme: Enrico wants to defeat the son of the villain who usurped his father’s throne and is about to marry his beloved Elisa. Fortunately, he succeeds in stopping the marriage and regaining his inheritance. This release is a world premiere video recording of the 2018 Donizetti Opera festival performance, which received great reviews for its brilliant staging. Director Silvia Paoli uses a “theatre within the theatre” approach which gives way to moments of sheer humor and amusement: as the curtain opens, the public is brought back to the time of the opera premiere. Played on period instruments by Academia Montis Regalis and conducted by repertoire specialist Alessandro De Marchi, this opera features two prima donnas like Sonia Ganassi and Anna Bonitatibus in the main roles. Extra content: interviews with Conductor Alessandro De Marchi, Sonia Ganassi and Anna Bonitatibus. “This was…a genuinely funny presentation, which had the audience laughing out loud. Everything was treated as a source of fun, from the narrative, and its mix of characters through the theatrical conventions of the time, even poking fun at the singers themselves. It was all staged in a blaze of color, fast-moving action, fabulous costumes and cleverly managed extraneous silliness.” (Operawire) [Anna Bonitatibus] displayed a burnished, deep timbre, sparkling coloratura and wonderful phrasing, confirming her status as the most interesting mezzo of her generation.” (Bachtrack.com) “Sonia Ganassi…has a strong, dynamically versatile and flexible voice which she is able to manage intelligently and with skill. . “(Operawire)

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REVIEW:

A love story with the usual intrigues is at center of the plot of Donizetti’s rediscovered opera Enrico di Borgogna. A lively staging, tight tempi as well as glowing colors from the orchestra, a very good choir and good soloists make this a valuable production.

– Pizzicato

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Also available on standard DVD

Recorded during the 2018 Donizetti Festival, Il Castello di Kenilworth was first staged at Naples’ San Carlo in 1829. Drawn from a novel by Sir Walter Scott and adapted by librettist Leone Tottola, this rare opera was unjustly long neglected. This recording features the original version, with the role of Warney entrusted to a tenor (which the composer changed into a baritone in the 1836 revision of the score).Il Castello di Kenilworth is the first of the several successful works to follow that Donizetti based on British history, introducing the character of Queen Elizabeth I, torn by the inner struggle between a monarch’s duty and a woman’s feelings. The fundamental pivot of the drama is the antagonism between the two female characters who both dwell and suffer in their loneliness, in a male-dominated world. The performance received excellent reviews, praising the richness of the costumes, the sobriety of the stage setting, and, mostly, the vocal and acting skills of the whole cast, which features first-rate singers like opera stars Jessica Pratt and Carmela Remigio, who share the stage with talented tenors Stefan Pop and emerging talent Xabier Anduaga “A first-class cast, with an imaginative production team, under the musical direction of Riccardo Frizza, have been assembled, and it is not an exaggeration to say that together they have produced a compelling case for “Il Castello di Kenilworth” to be given further consideration. […] It was musically engaging, full of bel canto charm, with some wonderful melodies, and notwithstanding its formulaic format, was dramatically convincingly. (Alan Neilson – Operawire)

MEYERBEER: Huguenots (Les)

STRING QUARTETS

Violin Recital: Ricci, Ruggiero - BACH, J.S. / MATTHESON / P

BELLINI, V.: Operas (Complete)

COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS

Tchaikovsky: Oprichnik

The award-winning duo of flautist Silvia Schiaffino and guitarist Renato Procopio present a musical travelogue ranging from Western to Eastern Europe before journeying further afield to Japan, Iran and Korea. As well as masterpieces such as Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances, and a rip-roaring Monti Csardas, this evocative selection includes the colourful and piquant, such as the music of Sakura, as well as Procopio's own vibrant arrangement of Korean folk songs.

Dvořák’s chamber music is amongst the most extensive and significant of the 19th century, and the four surviving piano trios embody his command of the form. The first two were written in rapid succession, with No. 1 in B flat major marrying Schubertian lyricism with Slavic inflexions, serenity with joy. No. 2 in G minor is rather more classically conceived, though it shares the same formal structure as No. 1 and exudes a similar quotient of lyric beauty.

Historical Collection: Performers: Boris Christoff (Bass); Alfredo Kraus (Tenor); Renata Scotto (Soprano) This classical-themed box set presents three archival performances by a trio of opera giants. It begins with Boris Christoff, toplining the 1976 Lugano Recital, with performances of Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Mussorgsky. The Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana lends symphonic accompaniment with Bruno Amaducci conducting. Next up is a 1995 set performed by Alfredo Kraus in Las Palmas; it features performances of Cilea, Mascagni, Offenbach, Puccini, Verdi, Massenet and others. The Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria provides musical support under the baton of Jose Collado. Finally, in a performance held and filmed at the 1984 Tokyo Recital, Renata Scotto interprets pieces by Scarlatti, Respighi, Mascagni and others, while Thomas Fulton accompanies the performances on piano.

Ottorino Respighi's 'mystery in three episodes', Maria egiziaca, started out as a concert triptych. It's intensely dramatic and at times symphonic qualities give it a character somewhere between an oratorio and an opera. Based on the life of Saint Mary of Egypt, the archaic story of Maria egiziaca revolves around faith seen through it's various characters, with Maria's journey from prostitution to sainthood conveyed as an expressive and eloquently immediate musical fresco. This Teatro La Fenice production of Respighi's profoundly moving and deeply sensuous stage work was critically acclaimed.