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C.P.E. Bach: Fantasias / Häkkinen

Brilliant Classics

$13.99 May 26, 2023

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was widely known for his passionate, incomparable improvisations on the clavichord, most characteristically in the form of free fantasia. His compositions were unique in style, full of contrasts, and universally admired by several generations; the Vienna Classicists, even Beethoven and Schubert, considered him their musical father. Declamatory, improvisatory style is of course the epitaph of all 18th-century music – exemplified in Johann Sebastian Bach's Chromatic Fantasia BWV903, with its central recitative and broken chords audaciously passing through distant harmonies. Johann Nikolaus Forkel, author of the first Bach biography and part of C.P.E. Bach’s literary circles, transmitted a refined version in his manuscript (P 212) and subsequent edition that may derive from a revised original version once in possession of the Bach sons. C.P.E. Bach’s Fantasia in C minor (published in 1753) bears distinct similarities to his father’s Fantasia chromatica, and it has been suggested that it may in fact have been a tombeau to the elder Bach. The deep personal nature and connection between the two works is explicit. For Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and the ‘Bachists’, the most expressive and intimate compositions were reserved for the clavichord. It was in the clavichord that one might ‘find the soundboard of your heart. … Have no regrets when alone under the moonlight you improvise, or refresh your soul on a summer night, or when you celebrate a spring evening; ah! then pine not for the strident harpsichord. See, your clavichord breathes as gently as your heart.’ (Ch.F.D. Schubart: Musikalische Rhapsodien III, 1786) Charles Burney, who visited C.P.E. Bach in Hamburg in 1772, described the composer improvising at his legendary clavichord, built by Gottfried Silbermann: ‘He grew so animated and possessed that he not only played but looked like one inspired. His eyes were fixed, his lower lip fell, and drops of effervescence distilled from his countenance.’ The original 18th-century instruments heard on this recording – from Regensburg, Stockholm and Vienna – demonstrate possibilities the like of which would have been known to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in Berlin and Hamburg and ultimately derive from the Saxon school of G. Silbermann.

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C.P.E. Bach: Fantasias / Häkkinen
Brilliant Classics May 2023
CD
$13.99

Donizetti: Le nozze in villa

Dynamic

$24.99 Oct 15, 2021

Le nozze in villa (‘The Wedding in the Villa’) tells the story of Sabina and the young Claudio. They are in love, but this match goes against the will of her father, who wants her to marry the Schoolmaster Trifoglio. Misunderstandings and tensions between city emancipation and provincial narrow-mindedness are resolved, and romance ultimately triumphs thanks to the alliance of ‘gracefulness, faith and youth’. This early and virtually unknown opera buffa by Donizetti is full of Rossini-influenced lyrical inventiveness and beautiful arias. Specially restored for the 2019 Bergamo Festival, this revival brings out all of the opera’s ‘sparkling spirit and melodiousness’ (bachtrack.com).

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Donizetti: Le nozze in villa
Dynamic Oct 2021
CD
$24.99

Franck: Stradella

Dynamic

$24.99 Apr 29, 2014

"World premiere recording! Cesar Franck's first opera – staged for the first time! Known mainly for the few transcendent, harmonically adventurous instrumental works of his later years, Cesar Franck's first opera was composed when he was barely twenty years of age. Orchestrated by composer Luc Van Hove, from the autographic piano score manuscript. Paolo Arrivabeni conducts the Orchester & Chorus of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie. Stage direction by Jaco van Dormael."

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Franck: Stradella
Dynamic Apr 2014
CD
$24.99

WEBER: Euryanthe
Dynamic Jan 2003
CD
$24.99

Cavalli: Il Giasone

Dynamic

$29.99 May 29, 2012

Francesco Cavalli was the most successful Venetian opera composer of the mid-seventeenth century. This new production is orchestrated and conducted by the internationally reputed baroque specialist Federico Maria Sardelli. It is directed by the young Frenchwoman Mariame Clement, who is currently making a name for herself with her infectious directing in German and French opera houses. The title role is sung by the promising counter-tenor Christophe Dumaux.

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Cavalli: Il Giasone
Dynamic May 2012
CD
$29.99

LIEDERKREIS OPP 24 & 39

HYPERION

$18.33 Oct 09, 2012

Gerald Finley and Julius Drake return to Schumann, following a magisterially intense Dichterliebe which won them a third Gramophone award. Here they focus on the two contrasting Liederkreis (song-circle) cycles based upon texts by Heine and Eichendorff. Heine's poetry in Schumann's Op.24 contains extremes of elation and despair that call all of Finley's considerable dramatic powers into play. Eichendorff's seductive, crepuscular 'night-songs' of Op.39 require the velvety tone for which this singer is equally revered. Separating these two great works are the Sechs Gedichte aus dem Liederbuch eines Malers, which find Schumann in more homespun, folksong-influenced vein.

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LIEDERKREIS OPP 24 & 39
HYPERION Oct 2012
CD
$18.33

Korngold: Das Wunder der Heliane, Op. 20 / Bollon, Freiberg Philharmonic

Naxos

$35.99 Oct 12, 2018

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was at the height of his fame and technical mastery by the time he began work on his fourth opera in 1923. Prominent opera houses clamored to stage his works, and the Viennese premiere of Das Wunder der Heliane (‘The Miracle of Heliane’) featured Lotte Lehmann among its star cast. Its story is one of the redemptive power of love over injustice and adversity, expressed in music that is richly impressionistic and intensely dramatic. Korngold was criticized for resisting the tide of modernist atonality in this opulent score, but its symbolism and compelling romantic atmosphere can be appreciated today more than ever. This Freiburg Opera production has a strong cast topped by soprano Annemarie Kremer, one of the most successful singers in the lyric dramatic soprano repertoire. Award-winning baritone Aris Argiris has established an international career, performing regularly at the world’s most prestigious opera houses.

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Korngold: Das Wunder der Heliane, Op. 20 / Bollon, Freiberg Philharmonic
Naxos Oct 2018
CD
$35.99

Schauensee: Eine Engelberger Talhochzeit

Relief

$33.99 Oct 20, 2023

As of 2023, most of the multitude of manuscripts documenting the extensive oeuvre of the Lucerne-born composer Franz Joseph Leonti Meyer von Schauensee are missing, if not lost forever. For this reason, there is no official catalogue of his works. His opera Die Engelbergische Talhochzeit (the Engelberg valley wedding) was reconstructed and edited by Hans Vogt and Hans Visscher van Gaasbeck in 1935. Acts one and two were performed as an incomplete work under the baton of Hans Vogt during the Swiss National Exhibition in Zurich in 1939. Sometime later, the third act was discovered in the music library of the Benedictine Abbey of St Andrew in Sarnen, following which Hans Vogt arranged the complete opera for a radio broadcast.

This arrangement was recorded under his direction on December 10, 1958, and broadcast for the first time by Radio Basel on April 5, 1959. The opera went on to be performed in various concert halls throughout German-speaking Switzerland. In 1974, Armin Brunner directed the opera at a studio in Zurich for a DRS television broadcast, though significant cuts were made in the recording. In 1982, Talhochzeit was performed by the Zurich Opera at Stadthof 11 (now Theater 11) in Zurich and subsequently on a tour of various Swiss venues.

Performances at the tradition-steeped Kantonsschule Obwalden grammar school in Sarnen in April 2015 (celebrating the 400-year history of the local abbey) and at the Kursaal hall of the Kempinski Palace hotel in Engelberg (marking the 200th anniversary of the accession of Engelberg to the canton of Obwalden) were the first since 1781 to feature the full composition with all its roles and complete text. The sole complete recording of the work is featured on this CD and so is released here for the first time. The bonus tracks on the second CD are likewise without precedent on disc.

Meyer von Schauensee composed a number of small-scale vocal works. The one presented here is titled Modetorheiten – eine Fastnachtsoperette (roughly: fashion fads – a Shrovetide operetta). This work lasts 30 minutes and seems to have been written for some occasion during the locally celebrated Shrovetide carnival of "Fastnacht”.

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Schauensee: Eine Engelberger Talhochzeit
Relief Oct 2023
CD
$33.99

Suitner Conducts Mozart - Opera Highlights
Berlin Classics Nov 2005
CD
$37.99

The Ultimate Operetta Album

Naxos

$29.99 Jun 29, 2010

A beautiful selection of the best-known operetta arias, duets & orchestral music from Vienna' golden age of operetta, including Die Fledermaus, the Merry Widow, the Land of Smiles, the Gypsy Princess, the Gypsy Baron and Countess Maritza.

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The Ultimate Operetta Album
Naxos Jun 2010
CD
$29.99

Weber: Silvana / Kaune, Krapp, Von Bothmer, Schirmer, Munich Radio Orchestra

CPO

$36.99 Apr 14, 2015

It Was in Frankfurt Am Main on 16 September 1810 That Carl Maria Von Weber's Opera Silvana Was First Performed. A Box-Office Hit, Silvana Is Practically Forgotten Today, Even Though It Enjoyed a Very Respectable Performance History. CPO Is Now Releasing the First Recording of the Original Version of Weber's Heroic Opera. The Present Recording Now for the First Time Relies on the Materials for the Critical Scholarly Edition of the Work, Including the Dialogues, As Well As Many Changes Weber Made for the Work's Premiere. The Positive Final Result Is Can Now Be Heard on This Release.

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Weber: Silvana / Kaune, Krapp, Von Bothmer, Schirmer, Munich Radio Orchestra
CPO Apr 2015
CD
$36.99

Telemann: 12 Fantasias / Rienth

Vanitas

$18.99 Aug 17, 2018

Telemann was a musician and composer who lived and worked in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach, Frankfurt/Main, and Hamburg. He is considered the most important German composer of the late baroque era, and an extraordinarily productive musician with an oeuvre of over 3,600 works which cover all genres, including opera. He was one of the few artists of his era who was well respected during his lifetime, and he was able to live comfortably from his work as a musician. He was entirely self-taught, playing a variety of instruments, including the recorder, the violin, and the harpsichord. He was also a great proponent of the recorder, which is why he is often described as the greatest recorder composer. His work for the ‘flauto dolce’ includes solo concerts, suites, sonatas, trio sonatas, as well as extended recorder parts in oratorios, passions, and cantatas. Of special significance are the “12 Fantasias for Solo Flute,” published in Hamburg in 1733, which, along with the “36 Fantasias for Harpsichord,” the “12 Fantasias for Solo Violin,” and the “12 Fantasias for Viola da Gamba,” complement Telemann’s oeuvre for solo instruments without bass accompaniment. The “12 Fantasias” recorded on this album are based on a transposition for treble recorder which is stored in the library of the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Brussels.

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Telemann: 12 Fantasias / Rienth
Vanitas Aug 2018
CD
$18.99

Burgmüller & Schubert: Works for Arpeggione

CPO

$18.99 Oct 21, 2022

Franz Schubert's so-called "Arpeggione Sonata" owes its peculiar name to a long-forgotten string instrument that was usually referred to in Vienna in the 1820s as the "bowed guitar" or "guitar-violoncello". It was an invention of the Viennese instrument maker Georg Stauffer and was quite popular for about a decade. After that, it disappeared into the annals of history. If Schubert had not dedicated his famous sonata to the instrument, the arpeggione would have been long forgotten. But this way, the memory of the instrument was kept alive, albeit often in name only. On this album, we hear the intended instrument.

To complement the great "Arpeggione Sonata", soloist Lorenz Duftschmid has recorded five Schubert songs in instrumental versions (the poems in question are recited before the instrumental version in each case) as well as three nocturnes by an almost forgotten Romantic from the Rhineland: Friedrich Burgmüller. His "Trois Nocturnes", available in versions, sound most beautiful and full of emotion on arpeggione and guitar, the two instruments so closely related.

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Burgmüller & Schubert: Works for Arpeggione
CPO Oct 2022
CD
$18.99

Strauss II-Korngold: Eine Nacht In Venedig / Burkert, Oper Graz

CPO

$18.99 May 03, 2019

Erich Wolfgang Korngold greatly revised the comic operetta A Night in Venice by Johann Strauss (Jr.) on the basis of the libretto version by Ernst Marischka. The original Straussian version initially rapidly made its way around the world, with performances in the lands of the Danube monarchy as well as in Hamburg, Munich, and London and even in New York. Nevertheless, until the end of World War I it experienced only about five hundred performances, which means that it was clearly overshadowed by Die Fledermaus. Again and again the attempt was made to reinterpret the text with interventions revising its content. Erich Wolfgang Korngold took an additional step in 1923, when he not only adapted the text but also changed the original instrumentation and integrated inserts into the work from other operettas by Strauss, for example, from Simplicius (1880). For several reasons Korngold’s revised version was a success when it was performed at the Theater an der Wien on 25 October 1923: the stage set was lavish and magnificent, the new orchestration displayed tonal sophistication, and the great Richard Tauber was heard in the role of the Duke in quest of erotic adventures. A few years later Korngold’s version made its way to the stage of the Vienna State Opera.

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Strauss II-Korngold: Eine Nacht In Venedig / Burkert, Oper Graz
CPO May 2019
CD
$18.99

CONCERTOS - ARIAS - SONATAS
Dynamic Mar 2011
CD
$10.99

BIZET, G.: Don Procopio [Opera]
Dynamic Sep 2003
CD
$18.99

WIENER OPERNFEST 2005
Orfeo Dec 2005
CD
$26.99

Boito: Nerone

Dynamic

DVD

$36.99 Nov 15, 2024

A century after it's world premiere at Teatro all Scala under Arturo Toscanini, conductor Francesco Cilluffo opened the 2024 season of the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari with this acclaimed production of Arrigo Boito's rarely performed Nerone. Set in Rome and focusing on Nero during a time of conflict between belief in Roman Gods and Christianity, Boito's opera displays a forward-looking harmonic palette with an eloquent and masterly handling of large orchestral forces.

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Boito: Nerone
Dynamic Nov 2024
DVD
$36.99

Orphee et Euridice

Dynamic

Blu-Ray

$36.99 Jun 20, 2025

Gluck's Orphee et Euridice is a masterpiece of the operatic canon, inspired by one of the most mysterious and cruel stories in Greek mythology. The gods allow Orpheus to descend into the underworld to revive his beloved wife Eurydice, but on condition that he must not look at her while returning. This production from Florence re-imagines this myth as a story for our times. It explores each character anew, highlighting the music and text as a more sophisticated psychological thriller than previously imagined, creating a moving and transformative narrative with which we can all identify.

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Orphee et Euridice
Dynamic Jun 2025
Blu-Ray
$36.99

Donizetti: L'Ange de Nisida / Tingaud, Donizetti Opera Orchestra [Blu-Ray]

Dynamic

Blu-Ray

$36.99 Oct 16, 2020

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

Gaetano Donizetti's L’Ange de Nisida was commissioned by the director of the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. The libretto was entrusted to Gustave Vaëz and Alphonse Royer, and the opéra en quatre parties was completed in 1840. Unfortunately the theatre went bankrupt and the opera never reached the stage. Donizetti was aware that other venues would have rejected his work as it stood, for both repertoire and censorship reasons (the plot revolved around the King of Naples, Ferdinando d’Aragona, and his mistress). Consequently, he revised the score and incorporated a significant portion of it within his new one, La favorite. The autograph score of L’Ange was subsequently lost and it is only thanks to the painstaking research of musicologist Candida Mantica that it was brought to light again. She took on the huge challenge of classifying the roughly 470 randomly alternate pages of L’Ange de Nisida that had survived at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris; she re-established their original order and finally managed to reconstruct roughly 97 percent of Donizetti’s music. The few gaps in the score were judged as irrelevant by both Mantica and Donizetti Opera, so that the opera was considered a complete work in itself, with no need for additions written by other composers. 180 years after its composition, the opera was finally performed for the first time in its original theatrical form in Donizetti’s native Bergamo, at the construction site of the city theatre bearing his name, a most symbolic coincidence that added emotional value to a long-awaited event. The performance was hailed as a triumph by both the public and the critics and was awarded a special prize at the 39th Franco Abbiati Prize of Italian music critics.

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REVIEW:

The cameras of the filming and the detailed and careful preparation of conductor Tingaud and director Micheli provide viewers of the DVD, through excellent sound and vision, with a more complete visual and aural experience than might have been possible for the real-life audience. Cunningly and efficiently done, both staging and musical interpretation fit the score like a glove. Hugely recommended.

– Gramophone (Editor's Choice, Jan 2021; DVD/Blu-ray of the Month)

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Donizetti: L'Ange de Nisida / Tingaud, Donizetti Opera Orchestra [Blu-Ray]
Dynamic Oct 2020
Blu-Ray
$36.99

ERNANI
Dynamic Jan 2011
DVD
$36.99

Donizetti: Rosmonda d'Inghilterra / Rolli, Donizetti Opera

Dynamic

DVD

$36.99 May 19, 2017

Revived after 171 years in oblivion, the staging of Rosmonda d’Inghilterra at Bergamo’s Teatro Donizetti proved fascinating for the Italian public. From the excellent cast of singers, Jessica Pratt and Eva Mei gave standout performances. The opera revolves around a tale of love and intrigue surrounding the main protagonists- the famous Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, her husband Henry II of England, and the fair Rosamund de Clifford. Rosmonda is the quintessential innocent, unaware that the man she loves is the King of England and that she has unwittingly become a rival to the much-feared Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor, having already had her first marriage annulled for reasons of consanguinity, is unwilling to se her second marriage also fail. Only the faithful page Arturo, secretly in love with Rosmonda, knows that the Queen is aware of her husband’s betrayal; but he too is embroiled in this game of deceit hoping that he will end up winning the girl. The emotional and dramatic development is very effective. There is not a page in this score without some example of brilliant writing, a captivating theme, a moving passage. It all goes to prove how deeply original Donizetti was and how much there is still to be discovered about this underappreciated composer.

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Donizetti: Rosmonda d'Inghilterra / Rolli, Donizetti Opera
Dynamic May 2017
DVD
$36.99

Raff: Benedetto Marcello / Nowak, Southwest German Radio Orchestra

Sterling Records

$32.99 Jan 03, 2020

This new release features a recording from the world premiere performance of the opera in Metzingen Stadthalle, Bad Urach, Germany, October 4th, 2002. The opera is set in Venice in 1727. In the house of Marcello, a musician and poet, two of his pupils Rosana and Faustina wait for their teacher who is late for their singing lesson. Marcello at last arrives, apologizes, and announces that instead of their lessons he wants them to sing for a guest of his, the famous composer Adolph Hasse, from Germany. Rosana sings first: a sad song about unrequited love. Hasse praises her warmly for singing from the heart, whereas Marcello is just puzzled by her sudden ability to find the correct tone. Faustina immediately recognizes that Rosana is singing about her love for Marcello and is irritated that he cannot see it himself. She then sings a joyful song about a nightingale, which leaves both Hasse and Marcello captivated. Hasse expresses his profound admiration for Marcello and she invites him to accompany her to a party that evening. Faustina is preparing for the evening and her thoughts turn to Hasse, and she realizes that she loves him. Hasse has quietly arrived and, overhearing her soliloquy, immediately tells Faustina that he has fallen in love with her too. Marcello, masked, arrives and stands outside Faustina’s rooms, consumed with love for her and intending to sing her a serenade. He hears the gondola bearing Faustina and Hasse approaching, and jealously listens to their loving conversation. Hiding while they enter her apartment, he vows revenge on Hasse. Marcello wants to pick a quarrel and both men draw their swords. Faustina, who has heard the commotion outside, opens her balcony window, sees the events below and collapses with a scream. Hasse leaves, telling Marcello that he may keep his life as a pledge of their friendship…

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Raff: Benedetto Marcello / Nowak, Southwest German Radio Orchestra
Sterling Records Jan 2020
CD
$32.99

Auber: La Part du Diable

Sterling Records

$32.99 May 03, 2024

The minstrel Carlo Broschi has hidden his sister Casilda in a convent to protect her from the machinations of the clergy who wish to make a present of her for King Ferdinand VI. In Carlo's opinion, she is in love with an unknown cavalier - likewise too highborn to have any lawful intentions toward her. Carlo happens upon the King, who is possessed by melancholy and succeeds in cheering him with a song (It was, in fact, Ferdinand's predecessor Philip V, for whom Farinelli was engaged as a music therapist). As a reward, he is invited to the court, where he encounters his sister's lover, Raphael d'Estuniga. Raphael is so despondent over his thwarted passion that he is ready to sell his soul, so Carlo introduces himself as Satan, ready to lend aid for half of his takings. Casilda appeals to Carlo for protection; she has been kidnapped by the priests and brought to the king, who, only recently having recovered his sanity, takes her for a ghost. Carlo leaves to speak with the queen (Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre created this role Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre) and leaves the lovers alone. Raphael, who has obtained an office due to Carlo's influence and has had uncommon luck at gambling, is so confident of supernatural aid that he is nonplussed at the king's entrance, even when the latter orders his death. Carlo attempts to smooth things over by telling the king Raphael is her husband, but the Grand Inquisitor exposes the fabrication, enraging the king against Carlo as well. Things can only be put right by Carlo's revealing all and reminding the king that the queen still suspects nothing. Carlo, who has never hesitated to claim his 50%, tells his future brother-in-law that his share will be Casilda's happiness this time.

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Auber: La Part du Diable
Sterling Records May 2024
CD
$32.99

Auber: Le Maçon (Sung In German)

Orfeo

$16.99 Nov 15, 2019

Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber (1782-1871) was long considered as one of the most typically French and most successful opera composers of the 19th century. His overtures were once favourites of the light Classical repertoire. This opera francais, first performed on 3 May 1825, relates to the venerable tradition of the rescue opera, topical since the French Revolution. Both book and score were equally successful. The opera represents a decisive development in Aubers style, a turning away from imitation of Rossini to Boieldieu’s simplicity and thereby to a specifically French tradition. It was the first of Auber’s mature opera-comiques, an international success, characterized by an Italianate sparkle with French grace and lyricism. The work remained in the repertoire from 1825 to 1896 and was performed 525 times. By the 1850s it had been translated into German, Danish, Swedish, Polish, Czech and Hungarian. On German stages this opera remained one of Auber’s most popular works, given as late as 1950 in Vienna.

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Auber: Le Maçon (Sung In German)
Orfeo Nov 2019
CD
$16.99