David Werther

Mezzo-soprano singer Héloïse Mas is one of a long line of musicians who have won prizes in Belgium’s prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition while receiving acclaim from the jury, critics and audiences alike. Héloïse Mas stood out: as soon as she appears on stage, she inhabits her role entirely, her golden voice is able to combine tragedy with humour. It is a real privilege to hear such a talented singer at the start of her career; she was in her element, playing her roles without affectation, owning the stage and filling these vast architectural spaces with her powerful, rounded voice, with its irresistibly warm tone and crystal-clear diction that is as seductive in French as it is in Italian or German. It comes as no surprise that the competition jury was just as impressed as the audience!

Brigitte Fassbaender rose to worldwide fame in the role of Octavian in the Strauss/Hofmannsthal comedy Der Rosenkavalier. Fassbaender took her Octavian to all the major centers including London, Milan, Vienna, New York and Tokyo and continued singing the role for over 20 years.

Authoritative and comprehensive, this 55CD set presents a unique period in human history: a period when brilliant recorded sound on LP & CD, plus radio, TV, film and live all combined to offer huge new opportunities for singers, record labels and producers to expand the audience for classical music.

This is a deluxe box set including: Each individual item (complete opera or recital CD) presented in its original artwork, 136 pages hard-back book containing essays, a biography and chronology, rarely-seen photos and also reproductions of revealing correspondence between Maria Callas, Walter Legge and other EMI executives.

Luciano Pavarotti was blessed with one of the most individual, unmistakable and beautiful voices there has ever been. This album contains over 3 hours of music and includes all Pavarotti's opera hits - including Nessun Dorma, his signature aria used as the 1990 FIFA World Cup theme tune and the track that made him a household name as well as all his famous popular songs: O sole mio, Caruso, Santa Lucia, Volare and many more. Other highlights include great duet collaborations with superstar friends Celine Dion, Frank Sinatra, Bono, Eric Clapton,Sting and Lionel Richie plus fellow tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras in the live Three Tenors version of Nessun Dorma. Pavarotti The Greatest Hits is truly the definitive collection of the music of a true legend.