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Verdi - La Forza Del Destino

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 28 Nov 2010 13:32:19 | Comments : 4

Verdi - La Forza Del Destino
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 814.89 MB
James Levine; The London Symphony Orchestra | Released: 1998 | Label: BMG RCA Classics

“Verdi's "La Forza del Destino" is one of the most difficult of his operas to cast properly. The demands of the music for the 5 principals are quite formidable, and require a command of vocalism that only the greatest singers can offer. It further requires the leadership of an immaginative conductor to bring cohesion to "Forza's" somewhat sprawling score. This recording towers over the others in best meeting the aforementioned 'criteria'. Maestro James Levine demonstrates his mastery of the score throughout, creating intimacy in the more personal passages of the opera (no more so than in the moving Convent Scene), contrasted with the bustling energy of scenes in the countryside and battlefield. His conducting has the "sweep" and verve so neccessary to illuminating and energizing the overall (Russian-influenced?) darkness of this turbulent score...”
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Boccherini Luigi - Stabat Mater & String Quintet Op 42.1-2

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 26 Nov 2010 20:42:32 | Comments : 7

Boccherini Luigi - Stabat Mater & String Quintet
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 294.73 MB
Roberta Invernizzi | Released: 2003 | Label: Sony Music

“ Das Ensemble L`Archibudelli um den Cellisten Anner Bylsma hat gemeinsam mit der wunderbaren Sopranistin Roberta Invernizzi die äußerst selten eingespielte Messe von Luigi Boccherini in einer fantastischen Einspielung neu aufgenommen. Trotz minimaler Bestzung ohne Chor und Bläser wird der Hörer von der Dramatik der einzelnen Sätze gefesselt. Rberta Invernizzi bringt mit klarer und feiner Stimme jede einzelne Wendung dieses interessanten Werkes voll zur Geltung und das Streicherensemble brilliert mit kraftvoll zupackendem Ton und wunderbaren langsamen Sätzen. Das Stabat Mater wird ergänzt durch die Streichquintette op. 42. Eine neue Referenzeinspielung der Vivarte- Reihe für alte Musik. ”
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Scarlatti Domenico - Cantate Da Camera

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 25 Nov 2010 21:07:30 | Comments : 1

Scarlatti Domenico - Cantate Da Camera
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 605.69 MB
Daniele Boccaccio | Released: 2008 | Label: Brilliant Classics

“ I can't claim to know much about the human being Domenico Scarlatti -- about his conduct or his mentality, that is -- but I'm not alone. Amazingly little is known about the man, other than his places of residence, except from mentions of him in the surviving correspondence of his friend, the singer Senesino. There are supposedly descendants of his still living in Madrid, and there is an amusing, eccentric portrayal of him in the Portuguese novel, Baltazar and Blimunda, by Jose Saramago. Thus I'm completely unjustified is supposing that he was 'one bizarre dude' even by the standards of musicians. I wonder if he wasn't clinically depressed for much of his life, or suffering from some syndrome that modern pharmacopeia could alleviate. Whatever his mental state, no one could deny that he was "functional" and productive... (amazon.com) ”
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Boccherini, D'Astorga - Stabat Mater - The King's Consort

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 25 Nov 2010 07:09:10 | Comments : 4

Boccherini, D'Astorga - Stabat Mater
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 252.99 MB
Robert King | Released: 2001 | Label: Hyperion UK

“ The music on this disc is surprisingly lovely and varied. I say surprisingly because the only other performance of the Boccherini I am familiar with, on Erato, is fairly staid, safe and dull. However, I shouldn't really be surprised as Boccherini is always rewarding in safe hands, and there aren't many safer than Robert King. On this recording, partly due to its sparse instrumentation, the Boccherini emerges as a sacred chamber opera, quite theatrical in parts, carrying echoes of Pergolesi's famous predecessor. The final "Quando corpus morientur" is filled with pathos, sadness and longing.... ”
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Cavallo Giuseppe - Il Guidizio Universale (The Last Judgement)

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 24 Nov 2010 03:57:47 | Comments : 1

Cavallo Giuseppe - Il Guidizio Universale (The Last Judgement)
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 265.41 MB
Antonio Florio | Released: 2000 | Label: Opus 111

“ The priest Giuseppe Cavallo was Maestro di Canto of the Conservatorio de Santa Maria de Loreto from 1672 until his death in 1684. Otherwise, virtually nothing is known about the composer, and it is only due to the musical archive of the Oratorio di Napoli, a treasure trove of rare scores, that a handful of Cavallo's works survive, including Il Giudizio Universale. This sacred oratorio presents Christ and Saint Michael, a pair of angels, two mortals, and four souls--two damned, two blessed--and begins with Christ commanding the angels to bring on the Last Judgment. What follows is a finely crafted musical drama, except for the confusion caused when the otherwise immaculately presented album fails to reveal which of the seven singers (two sopranos, three tenors, and one bass) is singing which parts. All you can be sure of is that Christ is the excellent bass, Giuseppe Naviglio... --Gary S. Dalkin ”
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Telemann - Die Auferstehung (The Resurrection) TWV 6:7; De Danske, Norske Og Tydske TWV 12:10

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 23 Nov 2010 11:04:34 | Comments : 6

Telemann - Die Auferstehung TWV 6:7; De Danske, Norske Og Tydske TWV 12:10
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 248.43 MB
Ludger Rémy | Released: 1999 | Label: CPO

“ This CD in the CPO label's ongoing rediscovery of Telemann's vocal music includes two 30 minute pieces: The first is a Resurrection oratorio (Die Auferstehung TWV6:7) from 1761 and the second a real rarity commissioned from Telemann by the Kingdom of Denmark in 1757 to a Danish text with a Latin coda (De Danske, Norske og Tydske Underssates Glaede TWV12:10). It has to be said that the cantata is a bit of a novelty, and one detects that Telemann found his lack of Danish inhibited any word painting, but it is still quality Telemann, and the German oratorio is truly lovely in its own right. ”
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Vox Naturalis_Medieval Vocal Music. (4 Cd Set)

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 19 Nov 2010 15:58:26 | Comments : 11

Vox Naturalis. Medieval Vocal Music
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 899.32 MB
Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Dominique Vellard | Released: 2005 | Label: Cantus

“ CD 1: C 9617 Canto Gregoriano. Les tons de la musique. - Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Dominique Vellard CD 2&3: C 9703/4 Le Chant des Cathedrales. Notre Dame, ss. XII-XIV. - Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Dominique Vellard CD 4: C 9624 Guillaume de Machaut - Messe de Nostre Dame - Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Dominique Vellard ”
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Purcell - The Complete Secular Solo Songs

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 17 Nov 2010 06:27:59 | Comments : 5

Purcell - The Complete Secular Solo Songs
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 818,69 MB
The King's Consort, Robert King | Released: 2004 | Label: Hyperion UK

“ King's Consort produces another brilliant interpretation and performance of works by Henry Purcell. This collection of Purcell's solo secular songs (though some, as the previous review mentions, have short duets within them) is superbly sung all around. A note on the vocals, they aren't the most "early music" vocals you'll find. The singers all certainly demand attention, but for me, I think that's perfectly fine. The very subdued singing that some take to Baroque music seems to detract from the emotion of these pieces--emotion that is clearly intended from the text painting. However, they also aren't sung in an unnecessarily grandiose way or with too much drive. Frankly, it's just right. ”
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Mozart - La Clemenza di Tito (Harnoncourt), 2006, DVD5+DVD9

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 16 Nov 2010 05:56:56 | Comments : 2

Mozart - La Clemenza di Tito (Nikolaus Harnoncourt)
720x480 (16:9) 29.97fps 9800Kbps | LPCM (48KHz/1536Kbps), DTS 5.1 | 160 min | 9.78 GB
Classical | Italiano | Label: TDK | Sub: English, French

“ The two trouser roles are marvellously sung and believable! Kasarova and Garanca may not look butch but one won't forget they're playing male characters. And the romantic scenes are tastefully done, and don't look gratuitous (gotta show how Vitellia controls Sesto, after all). There is no nudity in it (Vitellia changes her clothes a lot on stage,but she is always covered). ”
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Scarlatti Alessandro - La Griselda

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 15 Nov 2010 19:02:22 | Comments : 3

Scarlatti Alessandro - La Griselda
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 521,55 MB
Nino Sanzogno | Released: 2001 | Label: Opera D'oro

“ Alessandro Scarlatti was both the most celebrated vocal composer of his day, and one of the most prolific to ever live. In his lifetime (1660-1725) he composed nearly 700 cantatas and 66 operas. He was also far more famous then than his son Domenico, whose harpsichord sonatas today have all but completely eclipsed his father's works.

It is surprising to me that with all the recent interest in Baroque opera this recording has not become better-known. The entire cast (and Mirella Freni in particular) do a tremendous job, proving that La Griselda, Scarlatti's last and finest opera, really does deserve a place in the permanent repetoire. The entire work overflows with moments of breath-stopping beauty and resplendant melody (as in the aria da capo form that Scarlatti helped to popularize)... 		”
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Saverio Mercadante - Pelagio

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 13 Nov 2010 17:20:49 | Comments : 1

Saverio Mercadante - Pelagio
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 546,39 MB
Mariano Rivas; Festival della Valle d’Itria | Released: 2010 | Label: Dynamic

“ The Festival della Valle D'Itria, held every summer in Martina Franca, Italy, is one of the most valuable artistic ventures of our time. I say this, because to my knowledge, this small-scale festival (generally three operas per year) has never lost track of their mission: to research hidden corners of the operatic repertoire and bring long forgotten works (or alternate versions of familiar works) to the stage for reexamination. Founded in 1975, the festival has produced an ever-fascinating list of titles from composers both obscure (last year, they gave Antonio Cagnoni's Re Lear) and familiar (Mozart's Idomeneo in the re-worked version by Richard Strauss or the baritone 'Battistini version' of Massenet's Werther, for example)... ”
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Pergolesi, Scarlatti A. & Leo L. - Stabat Mater; Salve Regina; Messa

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 13 Nov 2010 07:08:11 | Comments : 1

Pergolesi, Scarlatti A. & Leo L. - Stabat Mater; Salve Regina; Messa di S. Emidio
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 826,95 MB
Rinaldo Alessandrini; Fabio Biondi | Released: 2010 | Label: Naïve

“ The legendary Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi was born 300 years ago, in 1710. To mark the anniversary, Naïve re-issues three renowned recordings to feature his choral music, in a specially-priced box set, headed by the Gramophone award-winning version of his Stabat Mater by Rinaldo Alessandrini and Concerto Italiano, considered one of the best ever recorded...

Also featured in the bargain “3 for the price of 1” set are other short pieces by Pergolesi, plus more by Alessandro Scarlatti and Leonardo Leo. 		”
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Hoffmann - Aurora

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 12 Nov 2010 06:09:27 | Comments : 1

E.T.A. Hoffmann - Aurora.Große Romantische Oper
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 643,64 MB
Prof. Dr. Hermann Dechant | Released: 1995 | Label: Bayer

“Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (January 24, 1776 – June 25, 1822), better known by his pen name E.T.A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann), was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. He is the subject and hero of Jacques Offenbach's famous but fictional opera The Tales of Hoffmann, and the author of the novelette The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, on which the famous ballet The Nutcracker is based. The ballet Coppelia is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote. Also Schumann's Kreisleriana is based on one of Hoffmann's characters...”
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Purcell - Dido and Aeneas & Music for The Gordian Knot Unty'd

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 05 Nov 2010 06:03:56 | Comments : 3

Purcell - Dido and Aeneas & Music for The Gordian Knot Unty'd
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 254,93 MB
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan | Released: 1994 | Label: Harmonia Mundi

“ Performing Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas' is a task that has made conductors very curious - the many and varied recordings and performances of it prove it. The circumstances in which the work was originally performed is somewhat vague, the manner of performing Purcell generally is not very clear, the scores found are varied (no manuscript was ever found) and there are two missing parts - the prologue and probably a ballet or choir section at the end of the second act. I have heard several recordings of the work, however, I feel McGegan has done it in a way which sounds just right, as if this is how ot should have been done. First of all, the choice of basing the performance on a couple of the scores found seems to be appropriate, and in my opinion the right mix was done here. Lorraine Hunt makes a brilliant Dido, she has a very dramatic power mixed with a pure voice and a great sense of the time. Lisa Saffer is the most wonderfull Belinda I have ever heard, singing softly and sweetly and expressing the character very strongly. ”
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Concertissimo - Italienische Barockkonzerte - Corelli, Geminiani, Locatelli, Manfredini, Vivaldi

Posted By : ArlegZ | Date : 04 Nov 2010 06:53:34 | Comments : 2

Concertissimo - Corelli, Geminiani, Locatelli, Manfredini, Vivaldi
Classical | EAC | APE, CUE, LOG | Scans | 2,27 GB
Capella Istropolitana, Krecek, Kopelman, Nagy | Released: 2001 | Label: Naxos

“ The chamber orchestra Cappella Istropolitana was founded in 1983, taking its name from the Roman Istropolis, the city on the Danube that is the modern Bratislava, a name that had been perpetuated in the renowned Renaissance Universitas Istropolitana. The orchestra has appeared throughout the world and has won distinction in the recording, broadcasting and television studios, working often under distinguished conductors in a comprehensive repertoire; it has more than ninety CDs to its credit. In 1991 the City Council appointed the orchestra Chamber Orchestra of the City of Bratislava. ”
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