Opera

The Norwegian opera literature is a well concealed and all too little known gem in our national cultural heri­tage. There is general agreement that it begins with the Waldemar Thrane/Henrik Bjerregaard Singspiel Fjeld-eventyret (The Mountain Story) from 1824. And through­out the nineteenth century there were a number of Norwe­gian composers who wrote operas, most of them now long forgotten.

Located somewhere between chamber music and orchestra, since its founding in 2016 the Carinthian-based ensemble minui has dedicated itself with elegance and finesse to the musical possibilities for large chamber music ensembles. While simple reductions of large orchestral works were initially on the programme, opera music gradually became the great passion of ensemble minui. In the arrangements of clarinettist Stefan Potzmann, the nine versatile orchestral musicians offer listeners with their second recording stylish new perspectives on three large-scale opera works, reduced to what is essential for them: the music!

Fabio Biondi (born 15 March 1961) is an Italian violinist and conductor. He is a specialist in Baroque and early music.

The conductor and harpsichordist Bridget Cunningham brings back to life Handel’s pasticcio opera, Caio Fabbricio first performed in London in 1733 and based on an earlier opera by Johann Adolf Hasse (1732). Caio Fabbricio is London Early Opera’s eighth album in the prestigious Handel Series with Signum Records and is a pasticcio opera, a brilliant and well-considered collection of some of the finest 18th century Neapolitan arias by different composers, including Leonardo Vinci and Leonardo Leo, selected and arranged by Handel who composed his own dramatic recitatives.

In another gesture of solidarity with the victims of the war in Ukraine, the Metropolitan Opera and the Polish National Opera will gather leading Ukrainian musicians into the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra for a European and American tour July 28–August 20, including stops in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, before culminating with concerts in New York and Washington, DC.

Lohengrin, WWV 75, is a Romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and its sequel Lohengrin, itself inspired by the epic of Garin le Loherain. It is part of the Knight of the Swan legend.

Maria Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophie Kalogeropoulou), was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini and, further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini; and, in her early career, to the music dramas of Wagner. Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina ("the Divine one").

Opéra sauvage is a 1979 album, by Greek composer and artist Vangelis, of the score for the nature documentary by the same title by French filmmaker Frédéric Rossif. The album sleeve design is by Vangelis himself. Vangelis produced this album during his electro-acoustic period, which was one of the most productive in his musical career.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has established impeccable Mozartian credentials with its award-winning discography, to which Mozart: Opera Arias and Overtures is the latest addition.

If there ever were a testament to Ray Davies' stubbornness and ornery perversity, it's Soap Opera. Released after the draining, two-part, hopelessly muddled rock opera Preservation, Soap Opera is the grandest concept album the Kinks ever made. Davies' tackled a topic that seemed manageable compared to Preservation – how "Ordinary People" escape the doldrums with dreams of stardoms – but conceived the production as a bit of a radio play, with prominent guest vocalists and narration. Improbably, it feels larger, campier, more excessive than Preservation, even if it's considerably more focused and consistent.