John Rawnsley

The "100 Years of Italian Opera" series released by Opera Rara is unique in the annals of opera recordings. However, this installment is especially exciting as it documents the evolution of Italian opera during the 1820's, the decade when romanticism truly began to come into its own on the operatic stage. Opera Rara has lovingly compiled a variety of arcana written by composers famous and forgotten. Included is everything from overtures to arias, duets, ensembles, and entire scenes.

Fast, funny and furious, Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia" boasts a torrent of sparkling music, while John Cox's production - sometimes outrageously boisterous, sometimes subtly inventive - adds its own distinctive lustre to this comic masterpiece. Rossini's most popular opera tells the story of a flightly young ward, the jealous old guardian who wishes to marry her and the romantic aristocratic young lover who, with the assistance of the local barber and several clever disguises, carries her off from under her guardian's nose. American soprano Maria Ewing excels as a bewitching Rosina, and John Rawnsley gives a virtuoso performance as the witty barber, Figaro.

By Jacques Offenbach. Seeking to exorcise the failure of his current love affair, the poet Hoffmann tells the story of his three past loves - the doll-like Olympia, the high-class courtesan Giulietta, and the ambitious but delicate Antonia - and recalls how each was thwarted by the evil influence of his rival. In this production by the distinguished film director, John Schlesinger, with spectacular designs by Maria Björnson and William Dudley, Offenbach's nightmare world is brought to life. The all-star cast is headed by Placido Domingo as Hoffmann: his three loves are Ileana Cotrubas, Agnes Baltsa and Luciana Serra and the manifestations of his rival are sung by Geraint Evans, Robert Lloyd, Siegmund Nimsgern and Nicola Ghiuselev. The score, which includes such favorites as the "Barcarolle" and the "Doll's Song", is conducted by Georges Prêtre.