"The role of Queen Elisabeth [in "Roberto Devereux"] was probably
the biggest challenge I faced in my career: 50 pounds of costumes,
grotesque makeup, a role that was [vocally] very heavy for me and
that I really had never tried out on any other stage. Every singer
has in the back of her head two or three performances where she feels
she accomplished everything she set out to do. And on the opening
night of Devereux I turned to my mother and said, 'There! Show me
somebody who can top that.' That was one of three times in my entire
life that I ever felt that way."
NEW AND NOTABLE
"Haydn: Armida"
Cecilia Bartoli, Christoph Pregardien, et al.; Concentus Musicus
Wien; Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor
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It's been the long-standing consensus that in the realm of opera,
Mozart traveled light years beyond his good friend Franz Joseph
Haydn. Yet that doesn't mean the latter's own operatic creations
should be written off. For a taste, and for a fuller understanding
of a composer whose genius remains strangely underrated, try out
Nikolaus Harnoncourt's bristling account of one of Haydn's best
operas, featuring mezzo Cecilia Bartoli in exceptional form.
"The Golden Harvest"
The Boston Camerata; Joel Cohen, conductor
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This is a beautiful and nicely conceived anthology. Its topic is
Shaker music going back to the mid-19th century. The Boston Camerata
performs in various configurations, from solo to group settings,
coloring the music with a diversity of textures.
"Reinhard Keiser: Croesus"
Roman Trekel, Dorothea Roschmann, et al.; Akademie fur Alte Musik;
Rene Jacobs, conductor
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A decade older than J.S. Bach, baroque composer Reinhard Keiser
flourished during a vigorous period of opera making in Hamburg that
focused not on the court but on the public. In this new recording of
Keiser's opera about the vanity of vanities, "Croesus," Rene Jacobs
and colleagues reveal just how vibrant was this pocket of creativity,
which has been unjustly diminished by subsequent biases in music
history.
"Thomas Beveridge: Yizkor Requiem"
Christine Goerke, Alberto Mizrahi, et al; Washington Choral Arts
Society; Norman Scribner, conductor
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When contemporary composer Thomas Beveridge set out to cope with the
death of his parents, the result--signified in the ecumenical
title--was a sacred choral work drawing on both Jewish and Christian
liturgies, including the Jewish Yizkor memorial service. This
performance is another triumph for Naxos's American Classics series.
"The Complete Works of J.S. Bach: Edition Bachakademie"
Helmuth Rilling, conductor, et al.
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Just in case you haven't reached your full satiety level with
J.S. Bach--and who really can?--the lovingly prepared complete Bach
edition issued by Germany's Hanssler label is now available. Along
with conductor Helmuth Rilling as presiding spirit, the 172-CD set
features such artists as Trevor Pinnock, Yevgeny Koroliov, Andrea
Marcon, and many others.
OPERA & VOCAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR: DAVID DANIELS
The future looks bright for opera's once-endangered species, the
countertenor--a voice that only recently was considered a relic of
the baroque past. And in the year 2000, the stage belonged to David
Daniels, who has become its superstar exemplar in recordings such as
that of Handel's "Rinaldo." Daniels's recital "Serenade" numbers
among the top 10 new Opera & Vocal CDs of 2000, and Daniels himself
is the Opera & Vocal Artist of the Year.
To sample Daniels in Handel's oratorio "L'Allegro, Il Penseroso ed il
Moderato," follow this link:
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INTRODUCTION TO PUCCINI
With the release of Andrea Bocelli's first full-length opera
recording, "La Boheme," many music lovers who've never encountered a
complete opera before will take the plunge. And in his tragicomic
portrait of the lives of a circle of young bohemians, Giacomo Puccini
created what is in many ways the quintessential opera--which also
became the inspiration for one of the most successful musicals of the
1990s, "Rent." "La Boheme" makes a perfect entree for the budding
opera lover. Try out our Get Started in Classical feature--which
includes an audio tour--and explore Puccini's "La Boheme."
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HYPERION EDITION OF THE COMPLETE SONGS OF SCHUBERT
One of the great projects in the history of recording has recently
been completed: Hyperion's Schubert Edition, a 37-volume labor of
love that covers the entire lyrical output of perhaps the world's
greatest songwriter. Guided by pianist Graham Johnson, the Schubert
Edition showcases the talent of such leading lieder interpreters as
Janet Baker, Ian Bostridge, John Mark Ainsley, and many more.
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MORE DIGITAL DOWNLOADS
For this pairing of some of the most sublime love music Wagner ever
penned--the meeting of Siegfried and Brunnhilde from the Ring Cycle
and the doomed "Night of Love" of Tristan and Isolde--Deborah Voigt
and Placido Domingo are at their white-hot best. The recording is one
of our top 10 Opera & Vocal releases for 2000. Download two excerpts
from these thrilling Wagnerians, under the baton of Antonio Pappano.
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EMI/ANGEL RECORDS STORE
EMI's vast catalog includes some of the greatest legends in recorded
classical music, such as the incomparable diva Maria Callas--and this
anthology of the soprano is a perfect introduction to what made her
art a matter of groundbreaking significance. It's just one part of
our EMI Store, which includes other legendary artists, great
bargains, digital downloads, and more.
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