New and upcoming CDs, DVDs, and blu-rays

[Adrian]

You've beat me to it, just about to post this pic from Instagram I believe .

Date is



Due for release on 15th May 2020

[MAuer]

Information on some new recordings on the Naxos label gleaned from ads in the June issue of Das Opernglas:

DVD
- Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg
Conductor/orchestra: Donald Runnicles, Orchestra and Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Director: Tobias Kratz
Cast: Emily Magee, David Butt Philip, Elena Tsallagova

- Puccini: Turandot
Conductor/orchestra: Nicola Luisotti, Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Real, Madrid
Director: Robert Wilson
Cast: Iréne Theorin, Gregory Kunde, Yolanda Auyanet, Andrea Mastroni, Raúl Giménez
Released on Bel Air

- Verdi: Il Trovatore (Arena di Verona)
Conductor/orchestra: Pier Giorgio Morandi, Orchestra, Chorus, and Ballet of the Arena di Verona
Production by Franco Zeffirelli
Cast: Yusif Eyvazov, Anna Netrebko, Luca Salsi, Dolora Zajick
Released on C Major

- Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (Salzburg Festival)
Conductor/orchestra: Valery Gergiev, Wiener Philharmoniker
Director: Andreas Kriegenburg
Cast: Luca Salsi, Marina Rebeka, Charles Castronovo, René Pape
Released on C Major

CD
- Telemann: Miriways
Conductor/orchestra: Bernard Labadie, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Cast: André Morsch, Robin Johannsen, Sophie Karthäuser, Anett Fritsch

- Henze: Der Prinz von Homburg
Conductor/orchestra: Cornelius Meister, Stuttgart State Orchestra
Cast: Robin Adams, Stefan Margita, Helene Schneiderman, Michael Ebbecke, Vera-Lotte Bäcker

- Mayr: Le Due Duchesse
Conductor/orchestra: Franz Hauk, Concerto de Basus
Simon Mayr Chorus, Members of the Bavarian State Opera Chorus
Cast: Markus Schäfer, Tina Maria Herbert, Samuel Hesselborn, Andreas Mattesberger, Niklas Mallmann, Young-Jun Ahn, Jaegyeong Jo, Eun-Hye Choi, Anna Feith, Jorg Lindeman, Harald Thum

- Massenet: Don César de Bazan
Conductor/orchestra: Mathieu Romano, Orchestre des Frivolités Parisiennes
Ensemble Aedes
Cast: Laurant Naouri, Elsa Dreisig, Marion Lebegue, Thomas Bettinger, Christian Helmer, Christian Moungoungou

- “Care Pupille”
Samuel Marino (soprano countertenor)
Conductor/orchestra: Michael Hofstetter, Halle Handel Festival Orchestra
Arias by Handel and Gluck

[MAuer]

JK has a new Lied album, “Selige Stunde” (Blissful Hour), due to be released on 4 September.
https://operawire.com/jonas-kaufmann...-lieder-album/

I noticed among the track listings the German folksong “Ännchen von Tharau,” a lovely, touching piece I first heard sung by Fritz Wunderlich. Here it is with English translation:



Definitely want to listen to Kaufmann’s rendition (as well as the Beethoven Lieder he’s recorded on this disc).

[MAuer]

According to a small article in the August issue of Opernwelt, there will be a new studio recording of Fidelio released on the Pentatone label at some point in the future – probably in December, to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. Marek Janowski leads the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra and a cast that includes Lise Davidsen (Leonore), Christian Elsner (Florestan), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Pizarro), Georg Zeppenfeld (Rocco), Christina Landshamer (Marzelline), Cornel Frey (Jaquino), and Günther Groissböck (Don Fernando).

Recording sessions took place back in June in the grand hall of Dresden’s Kulturpalast (Culture Palace) with COVID-19 safety precautions in place – which I gather primarily involved social distancing. Neither Janowski nor the string player visible in the accompanying photo is wearing a face mask. (Obviously, wind instrument players can’t wear masks.) I hope the result will have been worth the risk.

In any case, Davidsen’s fans will no doubt be pleased.

[MAuer]

Deutsche Grammophon has recently released a recording of a concert this past summer at the Wagner villa, Wahnfried, in Bayeuth, with Christian Thielemann conducting musicians from the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and soprano soloist Camilla Nylund. (I’m assuming the size of the orchestra was reduced in conformance with COVID-19 safety protocols.) The program includes the Wesendonck Lieder and the Siegfried Idyll.
https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/e...uth-2020-12124

There is also a new album from soprano Sabine Devieilhe and pianist Alexandre Tharaud, “Chanson d’amour,” on the Erato label with songs by Fauré, Poulenc, Ravel, and Debussy. It’s available in CD, LP, and digital formats.

[MAuer]

A little information on one new and one upcoming release of operatic rarities from the October issue of Das Opernglas:

- Alessandro Melani: L’Empio Punito
Conductor/orchestra: Alessandro Quarta, Reale Festival Baroque Ensemble
Director: Cesare Scarton
Cast: Alessandro Ravasio, Michela Guarrera, Carlotta Colombo, Sabrina Cortese, Mauro Borgioni, Giacomo Nanni, Alessio Tosi, Riccardo Pisani, Luca Cervoni, Maria Elena Pepi, Guglielmo Buonsanti
Dynamic 37871 (1 DVD)
Based on the Spanish play El burlador de Sevilla o convidado de piedra (The seducer of Seville or the stone guest), Melani’s work, which premiered in Rome in 1669, was the first operatic setting of the Don Juan legend.

- Ferdinando Paer: Leonora
When this opera, based on the same source material as Fidelio, was performed in concert format at the recent Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, the reviewer noticed the presence of microphones as well as the microports worn by the soloists, suggesting a CD recording will be forthcoming. Innsbruck used Christian Seidenberg’s new critical edition of Paer’s score, and the performance received a favorable evaluation from the reviewer.
Alessandro De Marchi conducted the Innsbruck Festival Orchestra, with cast members Eleonora Bellocci (Leonora), Paolo Fanale (Florestano), Carlo Allemano (Pizzarro), Renato Girolami (Rocco), Marie Lys (Marcellina), Luigi De Donato (Giacchino), and Kresimir Spicer (Don Fernando).

[MAuer]

More new recordings spotted on advertisements in the November issue of Das Opernglas:

- Diana Damrau: “The Tudor Queens”
Conductor/orchestra: Sir Antonio Pappano, Orchestra and Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome
Erato 9029528093 (1 CD)

- Philippe Jaroussky: “La vanità del mondo”
Conductor/orchestra: Philippe Jaroussky, Artaserse
Opera and oratorio arias by Pietro Torri, Alessandro Scarlatti, Chelleri, Handel, Caldara, Bononcini, Fago, Hasse, and Marcello
Erato 9029517929 (1 CD)

- Fatma Said: “El Nour”
With Vision String Quartet; Malcolm Martineau and Tim Allhoff (pianists), Burcu Karadag (flautist), Rafael Aguirre (guitarist), Henning Sieverts (double bass player), Tamer Pinarbasi (zither player), and Itamar Doari (percussionist)
Songs by French, Spanish, and Egyptian composers
Warner Classics 9029523360 (1 CD)

- Elīna Garanča: “Lieder – Schumann and Brahms”
With Malcolm Martineau (pianist)
Deutsche Grammophon 4839210 (1 CD)

- Rolando Villazón: “Serenata Latina”
With Xavier de Maistre (harpist)
Songs from Latin America
Deutsche Grammophon 4838238 (1 CD)

[MAuer]

A couple more new releases:

- Lawrence Brownlee and Michael Spyres: “Amici & Rivali”
Conductor/orchestra: Corrado Rovaris, Virtuosi Italiani
With Xabier Anduaga (tenor) and Tara Erraught (mezzo soprano)
Arias, duets, and ensembles from Rossini operas
Erato/Warner Classics 9029526947 (1 CD)

- Cecilia Bartoli: “Queen of Baroque”
Various orchestras and conductors
This is a compilation of excerpts from Bartoli’s previous recordings
Decca 4851275 (1 CD)

[MAuer]

Another new recording spotted on an ad in the latest issue of Das Opernglas:

Marina Rebeka: “Credo”
Conductor/orchestra: Modestas Pitrėnas, Sinfonietta Riga
Latvian Radio Choir
Sacred music by Bach, Handel, Caccini, Purcell, Stradella, Albinoni, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Verdi, Mascagni, Gounod, Saint-Saëns, Fauré, and Durante
Prima Classic

[Florestan]

Another new recording spotted on an ad in the latest issue of Das Opernglas:

Marina Rebeka: “Credo”
Conductor/orchestra: Modestas Pitrėnas, Sinfonietta Riga
Latvian Radio Choir
Sacred music by Bach, Handel, Caccini, Purcell, Stradella, Albinoni, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Verdi, Mascagni, Gounod, Saint-Saëns, Fauré, and Durante
Prima Classic

Marina Rebeka starred in one of the best La Traviata DVDs I have ever watched. And it was semi staged production too. IMO she did a wonderful job of portraying Violetta. Whole production is wonderful. Read about it here.
https://operawire.com/maria-rebeka-a...dvd-for-naxos/

[MAuer]

Information on some new recordings spotted on ads in the January-February, 2021, issue of Opera Now:

- Linda Richardson: “Italian Opera Arias”
Conductor/orchestra: John Wilson, Sinfonia of London
Chandos CHAN 20155 (CD)

- Schubert: Winterreise
Roderick Williams (baritone), Iain Burnside (pianist)
Chandos 20163 (CD)

- Sofia Fomina: Medtner Songs
With Alexander Karpeyev (pianist)
Chandos 20171 (CD)

- Christine Rice/Stuart Skelton: “Verklärte Nacht”
Conductor/orchestra: Edward Gardner, BBC Symphony Orchestra
Songs by Schoenberg, Oskar Fried, Lehár, and Korngold
Chandos CHSA 5243 (SACD)

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for the December issue of Opernwelt to arrive . . .

[Florestan]

Well this is really awesome. Two new releases, both Leonore:


Beethoven: Leonore (1805 version)
Due for release on 8th Jan 2021


This next one MAuer introduced us to back in August, when it was posted on You Tube, now to be released on DVD. MAuer said,
"As I soon figured out, this is the 1806 version of Fidelio, which more closely resembles the 1805 Urfassung than the 1814 final version. All of the action takes place on a single multipurpose set featuring a massive structure of "interwoven," sweeping stairways. Costumes are modern; even Marzelline is wearing trousers here. Still, it's a fine cast and Waltz respects both the characters and the story."

Due for release on 8th Jan 2021

[MAuer]

Now this is the way to begin a new year!

That production from Opera Lafayette reuses the same company's staging from performances of Gaveaux's Léonore, and even has the same Florestan (Jean-Michel Richer) and Marceline/Marzelline (Pascale Beaudin).

[Florestan]

Now this is the way to begin a new year!

Yep, and I know where some of my stimulus check is going to be spent!

[Florestan]

I am about to lose my mind. I saw Joyce perform this live a couple years ago at Hill Auditorium and wished so much for a recording with Joyce. Now I have to wait several months! Due out in April: