Musicista e compositore di talento, Paolo Di Sabatino inizia all'età di sei anni a suonare sotto la guida del padre, anch'egli cultore di jazz oltre che di musica classica. Diplomato in pianoforte presso il Conservatorio di Bari nel 1990, dotato di una spiccata sensibilità e ricchezza ritmica, nonché di un pianismo intessuto di grazia ed eleganza, il pianista abruzzese emerge per le sue brillanti qualità dal panorama jazzistico italiano.
The "Orchestrion" was a 19th century hybrid musical instrument that usually contained a wind orchestra, various percussion instruments, and sometimes a piano played by a pinned cylinder or a music roll. Pat Metheny designed and played his own version of one – thanks to a commissioned group of inventors, advanced solenoid switch technology, and pneumatics on the 2010 album Orchestrion. The guitarist's version combined organic instruments - various pianos, basses, rows of tuned bottles, bells, cymbals, and other percussion, with digital technology – guitarbots (including one modeled on Paolo Angeli's guitar), switches, and more. The Orchestrion Project was recorded following Metheny's world tour with the instrument, wherein he discovered more about the instrument and its capabilities for group interplay in a solo setting.
Rosa Ponselle was one of the greatest sopranos of the century and this superb collection of recordings from her prime makes that evident. Some have long been the standards against which all others are judged–the Aida tomb scene with Giovanni Martinelli, the Norma "Casta Diva," and much else. Her famous Norma duet, "Mia, o Norma," with Marion Telvey is here, still striking sparks. Lots of Verdi–the big arias and duets from Aida, Trovatore, and Ernani, all sung in a big, stunningly beautiful voice alive to textual nuances. The arias from Spontini's La Vestale are wondrous, but so are the parlor songs, the 1920s "crossover" equivalents. Marston includes several alternate takes, and the transfers are excellent. This should be a cornerstone of any operatic collection.
Verdi at the Met captures the drama of Verdi's greatest operas as they were performed live at The Metropolitan Opera in New York. These ten recordings cover four decades starting with La Traviata in 1935 and feature some of the best-loved voices and conductors of the twentieth century. The famous pairing of tenor Richard Tucker and baritone Leonard Warren can be heard in Simon Boccanegra and La Forza del Destino.
Tenor Jonathan Tetelman has already earned a reputation in the opera world as a dedicated, distinctive and versatile artist. Having signed an exclusive agreement with DG last autumn, he has now recorded his debut DG album, Arias, released 12 August 2022. With his agile technique, dramatic eloquence and rich palette of vocal colours, Tetelman here inhabits a range of roles from the French and Italian repertoire. DG is pleased to have been able to record the album in the unique acoustics of the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and to work with such supportive partners as the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria and its Music Director Karel Mark Chichon.
Hina Spani (1890–1969) was born Higinia Tuñón in a province of Buenos Aires. She enjoyed a major operatic career centered in Italy during the 1920s and 1930s. Among the great sopranos of her era, Spani shines as brightly as any, yet her celebrity was less well known most likely due to her career being limited mainly to Italy, Spain, and South America, and her only tour to an English-speaking country was in Australia. She made her operatic debut at La Scala in 1915 as Anna in Catalani’s Loreley. She sang at Puccini’s funeral at the Duomo in Milan’s cathedral on 29 November 1924 (and repeated this performance at La Scala a month later) under the baton of Arturo Toscanini, which was a turning point in her career. She created the title role in the world premiere of Respighi’s Maria Egiziaca in 1934 at the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires and performed in the world premiere of Alberto Franchetti’s Glauco. Spani’s voice is of first-rate quality and well-trained, with a beautifully warm tone and an even scale. She began as a lirico-spinto but graduated to dramatic parts and had a vibrant, instantly recognizable voice capable of thrilling the listener in opera or song.
Le Poème Harmonique, one of the most important early music ensembles in France, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. For this occasion ALPHA CLASSICS has compiled twenty CDs from the catalogue in an attractively designed box. Award-winning recordings can be heard, some of them with an unusual repertoire from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. For loyal fans and those who want to become fans!
2017 is the tenth anniversary of the passing of the 20th Century’s most famous tenor – Decca marks this occasion to marvel once again at the sheer quality of the voice of ‘The People’s Tenor’ with a 101-disc collection presenting every role he ever recorded and performed. Every role since his debut recording of La Boh?me in 1961 is included, allowing critics, collectors and opera lovers once more to appreciate his truly exceptional gifts. Every single opera is presented in the best possible audio quality, remastered at Abbey Road under the supervision of former Decca engineers.