Verdi Falstaff

Ambrogio Maestri | Anna Caterina Antonacci | Barbara Frittoli | Bernadette Manca di Nissa | Charlotte Hellekant | Enrique Mazzola | Ernesto Gavazzi | Geraldine McGreevy | Inva Mula-Tchako | Juan Diego Flórez

Reviewed by Alan Blyth in issue: 1/2003

Tchaikovsky Swan Lake & Sleeping Beauty Suites

Philadelphia Orchestra | Riccardo Muti

Muti's new coupling of suites from Tchaikovsky's two major ballets is an attractive one. The ambience of the Fairmount Park...

Reviewed by Ivan March in issue: 3/1985

Debussy (La) Mer; Mahler Symphony No 2

Anna Larsson | Claudio Abbado | Eteri Gvazava | Lucerne Festival Chorus | Lucerne Festival Orchestra

Both packages assume that you already know and love this music: their notes focus exclusively on the activities of Claudio...

Reviewed by David Gutman in issue: 12/2004

Composers Inspired by the Poet Friedrich Hölderlin

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | Claudio Abbado | Johannes M. Kösters | Karita Mattila | Leipzig Radio Chorus

All these works are settings of texts by Friedrich Holderlin, but in contrast with Mitsuko Shirai's absorbing Holderlin song recital...

Reviewed by Michael Oliver in issue: 3/1995

Beethoven Piano Concertos

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | Claudio Abbado | Maurizio Pollini

Whilst Gilels was alive, Pollini was one of the heirs apparent; now that Gilels is gone he is king—in Beethoven,...

Reviewed by Richard Osborne in issue: 6/1994

European Concert 2000 - 10th Anniversary in Berlin

(Eric) Ericson Chamber Choir | Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | Bob Coles | Claudio Abbado | Eike Wilm Schulte | Karita Mattila | Mikhail Pletnev | Swedish Radio Choir | Thomas Moser | Violeta Urmana

In this tenth annual European concert, celebrating the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s foundation, the visual interest lies chiefly in the performers....

Reviewed in issue 5/2001

Beethoven Edition, Vol. 4 - Leonore & Fidelio

Adolf Dallapozza | Alastair Miles | Alfred Sramek | Anna Reynolds | Antonio Madasi | Arno Schellenberg | Catarina Ligendza | Christa Ludwig | Christiane Oelze | Claudio Abbado

The 20-volume Complete Beethoven Edition with with which DG celebrate their own centenary has provided the opportunity for an overview...

Reviewed by hfinch in issue: 13/1997

Tchaikovsky Manfred

Philharmonia Orchestra | Riccardo Muti

One of EMI's earliest digital recordings, made in the Kingsway Hall, now emerges the more vividly on CD. It was...

Reviewed by Ivan March in issue: 2/1987

Mozart Così Fan Tutte

Alessandro Corbelli | Angelika Kirchschlager | Barbara Frittoli | Bo Skovhus | Michael Schade | Monica Bacelli | Riccardo Muti | Roberto de Simone | Vienna State Opera Chorus | Vienna State Opera Orchestra

Così fan tutte maybe, but “thus” do not all producers. That is: they do not usually have all the respect,...

Reviewed by John Steane in issue: 3/2009

VERDI Otello

Aleksandrs Antonenko | Barbara di Castri | Carlo Guelfi | Chicago Children's Choir | Chicago Symphony Chorus | Chicago Symphony Orchestra | David Govertsen | Eric Owens | Francisco Gatell | Krassimira Stoyanova

Here is one of the great Verdi conductors of our time, who is now doing some of the best work...

Reviewed by David Patrick Stearns in issue: 12/2013