Thomas Hamlet

With Shakespearian operas all the rage in Paris during the 19th century, Ambroise Thomas and his librettists Michel Carre and Jules Barbier adapted Hamlet to create a romantic spectacle in which the character of Ophelie shines with a haunting radiance. With its virtuosic arias, stunning ensembles and vivid orchestration with the colourful addition of the newly invented saxophone Thomas composed one of the most successful operas in the French repertoire. This is further enhanced by director Cyril Teste s multi-layered production, reinstating its powerful original ending, and including cinematic techniques to create a very palpable hit (bachtrack.com).

This romantic and rarely performed opera by Ambroise Thomas is now available on DVD in a new production from the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Starring Natalie Dessay and Simon Keenlyside, this Hamlet production is guaranteed to become the benchmark for all other Hamlets to come on DVD. Dessay creates a monumental performance of Ophelie, culminating in one of the most gripping Mad Scenes of all time ("Partagez-vous mes fleurs! - Et maintenant écoutez ma chanson !")

Thomas Hampson's acclaimed portrayals of iconic roles in French operatic works have spanned the duration of his singular international career. A longtime champion of French repertoire, he has starred in the title roles of Chausson's Le roi Arthus at Opéra National de Paris; Massenet's Werther (baritone version) at The Metropolitan Opera and Théâtre National du Châtelet; Massenet's Thaïs (Athanaël) at Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Metropolitan Opera; Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Four Villains) at the Royal Opera House - Covent Garden; and Thomas' Hamlet at the Théâtre National du Châtelet. He has also performed in Massenet's Manon (Lescaut), Gounod's Faust (Valentin), Berlioz' Les Troyens (Chorèbe), and Poulenc's Les mamelles de Tirésias (Gendarme). Additionally, Hampson has been featured on critically lauded recordings of Faust, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Thaïs, and Werther. Mr. Hampson carries the title of Commandeur dans l Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the Republic of France.

The two piano concertos of Dmitry Shostakovich may be treated as rare examples of light humor in Shostakovich's output, which requires connecting the mordant Concerto for piano, trumpet, and orchestra in C minor, Op. 35, to the more genuinely humorous Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102. Many performers, naturally enough, connect the two in some way, but Russian pianist Valentina Igoshina takes a different approach: she divorces the two concertos quite thoroughly. In the Concerto No. 1 she emphasizes the manic quality of the music.

Callas fans prefer her "live" recordings to studio outings for their extra charge of intensity, whether the singer's on the operatic stage or in concert, as she is on this disc, which is part of a series of new reissues from EMI. The first four items derive from a 1956 Radio Italiana program; the final six from her first concert in Greece after an absence of 12 years. Of course, Callas fans will want every scrap of salvaged recorded material they can find, but this will hold interest for anyone interested in the Callas phenomenon and great singing. Not that she's in prime voice here, but she never fails to thrill and enlighten.