Gasparo

The compositions of the great 18th-century flautist Fritz Gasparo have fallen into undeserved neglect, and this brand-new album will come as a welcome revelation to many lovers of this fine instrument. Gasparo lived from 1716 to 1783, and made a major contribution to the development of the flute as well as contributing, in his beautifully written and stylishly expressive Sonatas, a body of work for the instrument which many will wish to acquaint themselves with. We are proud to present on this new-recorded CD the very gifted young flautist Claire Genewein, with Maya Amrein, cello and Nicolette Para-Schivescu harpsichord as continuo. The music is a wonderful example of the High Baroque period at its best; the performances are exemplary, and the recording quality is one of the finest we have produced in recent years. We are very proud of this important record.

The compositions of the great 18th-century flautist Fritz Gasparo have fallen into undeserved neglect, and this brand-new album will come as a welcome revelation to many lovers of this fine instrument. Gasparo lived from 1716 to 1783, and made a major contribution to the development of the flute as well as contributing, in his beautifully written and stylishly expressive Sonatas, a body of work for the instrument which many will wish to acquaint themselves with.

Eve Queler has her shortcomings as a conductor. But a conductor's main task is to make a performance happen, to bring all the elements together, and Ms. Queler has been doing this with scrappy determination for 30 years in her role as music director of the Opera Orchestra of New York. Her invaluable mission has been to present concert performances of little-known or problematic operas with the best casts available.

Maria Callas: The Complete Studio Recordings (1949-1969) - CD 25 of 70
Classical, Opera | CD24 | FLAC LOG CUE | 146 MB | RS |
EMI Classics (3959182) | Release Date: Sep 25, 2007

A true Callas cornucopia, this 70-CD set gathers together everything Maria Callas ever recorded in the studio. That's 26 complete operas (four of which are studio repeats), plus the complete studio recitals made during the legendary soprano's recording career, which lasted from 1949-69. The bonus CD-ROM contains libretti and translations in English, French and German, plus a Callas photo library, while remastered treats include Callas's first recital recording, originally made for the Fonit-Cetra label and featuring arias by Wagner and Bellini. –Barnes & Noble

There is only one studio recording available of Donizetti's La Favorita (Italian version, not the original French language La Favorite) This is a bravura role for Luciano Pavarotti who's voice is certainly at its best here singing the role of Fernando, repertoire that could have been written just for him. The high C's and C#'s are exquisite here. He truly seems to know what he is singing about for this recording and his performance comes accross as very believable because of it. Fiorenza Cossotto is especially moving in her role as the "the favorite," Leonora. I found it unfortunate that she was not in better voice for the first act of this recording. Very disturbing was the love duet with Pavarotti.

For me, this recording represents the absolute epitome of bel canto singing, with Pavarotti spinning endless golden tone as Fernand and Fiorenza Cossotto showcasing that indomitable chest-voice as Leonora.