Jean Martinon – Quatuors a Cordes Opus 43 et 54 (2000)
Classical/early 20th Century | FLAC lossless | cuesheets+log | covers+booklet | 57m55s | 269mb
Label: Skarbo | cat. no. D SK 4002
| “ | Rodrigo is Handel's fifth opera. His first four operas were written for Hamburg. Almira, the first of them, survives, but Nero, Florindo, and Dafne are almost completely lost. Rodrigo, first performed in the autumn of 1707 (exact date unknown), shows a great advance on Almira after Handel had spent less than a year in Italy; his mature style is already evident... | ” |
| “ | Flavio was one of the operas Handel wrote for the Royal Academy of Music’s company at the King’s Theatre on the Haymarket. It has a character all of its own, very different from that of “Giulio Cesare” which followed it in 1724. Although the plot similarly concerns power and sex, these subjects are treated in a wholly different manner. Some commentators have seen it as almost a comedy. Certainly there are moments that might bring a smile to the face of the audience. These include two successive revenge arias for outraged fathers at the start of the second Act. Also one of the main plot devices relates to who is to have the difficult job of Governor of Britain. There is little else that might be seen as comic to anyone other than many modern opera producers... John Sheppard | ” |
| “ | Recorded at the Edinburgh Festival in 1995, Sir Charles Mackerras led the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Chorus and an outstanding cast, including Bo Skovhus, Alessandro Corbelli, Christine Brewer, Jerry Hadley and Felicity Lott, in an insightful and scholarly performance of Don Giovanni. Renowned Mozart scholar Sir Charles Mackerras masterfully interprets one of the world's most treasured operatic masterpieces. The superb cast beautifully renders the alluring charms and heavy dramatic turns of this celebrated piece. Stanley Sadie, Gramophone. | ” |