This is a superb studio recording of Opera North’s splendid semi-staged performances last year [2005] of Bartok’s only opera… The recording is also especially valuable for preserving the wonderful performance by Opera North’s orchestra under the baton of it music director Richard Farnes…Farnes’ control of his forces is supremely impressive… throughout the work.
Sunday Telegraph

Keenlyside, as so often happens in his recordings, is the star here. This is, I believe, his debut in Chandos’ Opera in English series, and worth the long wait. In terrific voice, he projects immediate strength and appeal the moment he begins to sing.
International Record Review

Mackerras and Janet Baker dominate this wonderful performance, but the cast includes Valerie Masterson, Della Jones, Sarah Walker, James Bowman and John Tomlinson, so no wonder it’s a classic
Sunday Telegraph ‘100 Classical Albums you must hear’

"Janacek’s - most unjustly neglected - opera, richly lyricl, more sustained and less fragmented than his later operas, is not just a valuable rarity but makes an ideal introduction to this composer... The warmly atmospheric ... recording made in Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, brings out the unusual opulence of the Janacek sound, yet it allows the words to come over with fine clarity..."

The Penguin Guide - 1000 Greatest Classical Recordings 2011-12

"...this is the best yet of Chandos’s admirable Opera in English series: Parry’s conducting is spacious, but he captures the theatrical frisson of Leoncavallo’s potboiler to perfection. Although this is a studio production, the smell of grease-paint is palpable and Parry wrings all the raw Latin emotion out of this lurid tale of rustic jealousy, sexual betrayal and murder. He has cast the opera intelligently with British singers: it is launched magnificently by Alan Opie’s Prologue, ringingly sung, every word crystal clear, and Dennis O’Neill brings Italianate tone and terrifying intensity to the chief clown, Canio.  Rosa Mannion sings a sweetly lyrical Nedda, but there is a sting in her chest register for her vituperative jibes at the
treacherous hunchback Tonio. A treat..." 

Hugh Canning  - The Times


 

"...He [David Parry] holds the score together quite admirably, with a real sense of theatre. First class recording ..."

Bill Newman - Hi-Fi News - October 1998

"... A highly compelling disc, made more communicative by being sung n English..."

The Penguin Guide - 1000 Greatest Classical Recordings 2011-12
 

‘This is an issue to delight… I look forward to more in the series.’
The Guardian

“Translator David Parry has done very well, making textural sense as well as allowing the musical line the flexibility it requires. The clear diction of the outstanding cast is notable. Brad Cohen’s tempi are excellent. The choir and the Philharmonia perform the music with clarity and sparkle. The recording is first-rate.

James McCarthy

"Falstaff’s great dream of cuckoldry, and Macbeth’s vision of desolate old age are magnificent. So too, are Allen’s lengthier scenes aw the dying Rodrigo from Don Carlos and as Germont père with Claire Rutter’s Violetta, from La traviata."

"...This is singing from an artist who enters the whole being of the characters she portrays just as the LPO enters the worlds of the eight composers"

This is a spectacular demonstration not only of Christine Brewer’s vocal strength with every note firm from top to bottom, but of her extraordinary versatility in this wide range of repertory.
Gramophone

“…It would be hard to imagine a more attractive bass-baritone voice than Finley’s, and his vocal gifts combined with his musical and dramatic acumen make these performances a delight.” “…The London Philharmonic Orchestra plays with precision under conductor Edward Gardner, and the Geoffrey Mitchell Choir provides excellent support, particularly in the Meistersingers excerpt. Chandos’s recording captures a myriad of subtle details found in the colourful orchestral textures…”
“…Finley’s accomplishment with this album is impressive…”
 

Derek Greten-Harrison

"...This is a delightful recital by the up-and-coming tenor Bruce Ford... Ford has an admirable bravura technique, and dazzles in ’Finish this futile argument (Cesa di piu resistere)’ Other gems are a limpid ’None so rare, none so fair’ (M’appari)’ and a mellifluous Lakmé duet with Mary Plazas. Fine accompaniments by superb Geoffrey Mitchell Choir and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Excellent recorded sound... Recommended."

James Camner - Fanfare - July/August 1998

'A most enjoyable disc, all in all, its satisfaction enhanced by solid orchestral playing, excellent sound, and Chandos' deluxe packaging.'
American Record Guide

A fine snapshot of a much-loved soprano in some of her most celebrated roles.
Gramophone

Larmore made her reputation with the Baroque and bel canto repertoires and she turns in handsome accounts of ‘Hence, Iris, away!’ from Semele and Tancredi’s aria ‘Tell me, my beating heart’ (‘Di tanti palpiti’). A pair of numbers from the neglected La favorita are well done too, with a winning legato in the opening of Leonora’s cavatina ‘Oh, my beloved…’ after David Parry has sent the solo harp and horn off into one of Donizetti’s most beguiling melodies. Parry drives the Philharmonia Orchestra on admirably in Leonora’s and Fernando’s duet ‘You, most courteous maiden… My beloved’ (Ah, mio bene’).
International Record Review

‘This is the best that I’ve heard yet in Chandos’ series of Opera in English… Alastair Miles is superb…’
Fanfare on CHAN 3008 (La bohème)

''the Cosi fan tutte trio here is surely one of the best versions on records.'
Gramophone

'Opie has been a faithful servant of opera for Britain for many years, and this sompilation presents him in on impressive form. He dispenses firm tone, well supported , with a ringing top, and he produces long phrases, with a legato helped by clear enunciation which is unhampered by overstressing.'
Gramophone

Two things impress above all – the singers marvellous way with the text, and his use of tone to define character…
Opera Now

'…another in Chandos' splendid Opera in English series…'
BBC Music Magazine on CHAN 3011(2) (Don Pasquale)

‘David Parry’s handling of the score and the LPO’s playing bring out its full vigour and brilliance together with a large measure of the work’s underlying depth …’
Gramophone on CHAN 3036 (Il Trovatore)

The cast is a strong one, with commanding performances from Christine Brewer and Robert Lloyd, as Leonora and the jailer Rocco, and a vivacious Marzellina from Rebecca Evans… But if you want the opera in English this new version, sympathetically and intelligently conducted by David Parry, is impressive.
BBC Music Magazine

…Barry Banks as Ernesto, a performance to compare favourably with those by foreign tenors who have a wider but not necessarily more justified international reputation.
The Times

Barry Banks Nemorino could hardly be better: flexible, secure in intonation and silken in tone… he was an inspired choice for the part.
The Observer

''an exquisite Marguerite from Mary Plazas, who, while singing in English, demonstrates a convincing sense of French style. It's an elegant and immaculate portrayal'
Opera

'…there is much to be enjoyed in the fine performances here, and it is good to hear the work in our own tongue.'
International Record Review

'In the hands of that master Janácek conductor, Sir Charles Mackerras, this Englsih-language recording puts a finger on the work's pulse: it's a truly magnificent performance.'
Gramophone 'Editor's Choice'

This is the latest in the Peter Moores opera in English series, with Cheryl Barker giving a moving and beautifully sung performance as the adorable and tragic Katya, racked with guilt and tormented by emotional repression, surely Janácek’s greatest female creation (and I haven’t forgotten Jenufa). Robert Brubaker is in excellent voice as her lover, the hapless Boris. Jane Henschel is the hellish mother-in-law Kabanicha (perhaps a little too kindly at times). The young lovers Kudrash and Varavara are splendidly portrayed by peter Wedd and Victoria Simmonds. The WNO orchestra knows its Janácek, and Carlo Rizzi conducts a generally fine performance.
Sunday Telegraph

This electrifying performance has been captured in sound that is exceptionally full-bodied, and it also has great immediacy. I very much welcome a recording in English – especially such clear English – but this new set enshrines an account that is altogether exceptional irrespective the language… The cast led by Barker’s stunning Emily Marty, is superb, and Charles Mackerras has probed ever deeper into this astonishing work. The result is one of the great Janacék opera sets.
International Record Review

Chandos continues its admirable Opera in English series with a suitably earthy account of Mascagni’s raw tale of love, jealousy and death in a Sicilian village.
BBC Music Magazine

Josephine Barstow as the assistant prioress brought both a vocal and dramatic command to her role, as did Catrin Wyn-Davies to the central character, Blanche de la Force.
Online Review London

"David Parry and the Philharmonia are the real heroes here. There is a real dramatic flair from the start to the very end of Puccini’s best-loved stage-work... Well worth purchasing ..."

Bill Newman - Hi-Fi News & Reviews - November 1998

 

…this issue should convince doubters of the merits of such a series.
Opera Now

'Eaglen is magnificent as Puccini's eponymous anti-heroine in a fine addition to the Opera in English series.'
Gramophone

…here is an assertion that recorded opera in English translation is alive still. But it is more than that… I maintain that the enterprise has never been more brilliantly done.
Opera

“…The conductor’s hand is so consistently unerring that this recording becomes a prime recommendation…”
                                                       

William R Braun
   

Charles Mackerras does total justice to every episode of full-out, rapturous lyricism, but the performance also boasts just about enough savage intensity to satisfy those who enjoy the work only for its most febrile moments. Fortunately Mackerras’s notably elegant approach keeps something in reserve, with the build-up of tension in each scene always expertly judged… Mackerras coaxes from the Philharmonia a truly splendid cushion of sound to support the singers.
International Record Review

[Susan Patterson]… is in rich, firm voice, soaring over the big ensembles and approaching high notes fearlessly.
Gramophone

‘…the superb conducting of Paul Daniel.’
Classic FM Magazine

'Dennis O'Neill is one of Britain's most Italianate singers, and he is ardent in the lead role, singing with a verbal clarity not always found elsewhere.'
BBC Music Magazine

Alan Opie was everything that he has been for some time now, the finest British Verdi baritone since Peter Glossop.
Seen and Heard

‘Chandos’ outstanding sound allows listeners to hear every note of this recording … Anyone who wants a Rigoletto in English will be happy with this worthy effort.’
American Record Guide on CHAN 3030(2) (Rigoletto)

…a splendid English language performance… the orchestral playing and choral singing are first-rate.
BBC Music Magazine

‘…I cannot think of a performance I have enjoyed more than this one… It is one of the series’ best.’
Gramophone on CHAN 3027(2) (‘The Elixir of Love’)

'His [Tomlinson's] first aria superbly expounds the Dutchman's haunted and accursed character… She [Stemme] sings with radiant intensity and glorious lyrical tone, and her English diction is immaculate. She sings the Ballad magnificently and in the scene in which she pledges to redeem the Dutchman she and Tomlinson make magic.'
Sunday Telegraph

This live BBC broadcast of Claude Debussy’s ground-breaking opera Pelléas and Mélisande was recorded at the Coliseum in 1981. The unique performance is now available on CD for the first time, as part of Chandos’ Opera in English historical series, performed by the English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus under Sir Mark Elder, with the soloists Neil Howlett, Eilene Hannan, and Robert Dean playing out the tragic love triangle.

It is not so much the extremity of emotions in opera that moves us, but their intensity. And intense emotion does not need to be loud, or dramatic. It can be quiet, deep, and profound, as in this operatic masterpiece, based on Maeterlinck’s symbolist drama. With its simple setting of every day words, and slow-burning passion, the opera emerged in the early twentieth century as the very antithesis to the Wagnerian style. In the words of Debussy himself: ‘I imagine a kind of drama quite different from Wagner’s in which music would begin where the words are powerless as an expressive force. Music is made for the inexpressible.’

Debussy purposely avoided elaborate and lyrical language, and wrote in the simplest prose. In fact, most of the characters speak to one another in plain speech, and everything they say is, on the surface, completely transparent. But the waters run deep, and as questions bring about either the wrong reply or no reply at all, the simple language only deepens the obscurity of what is actually being said.

The plot is based on a tragic love triangle. Prince Golaud finds a mysterious young woman, Mélisande, lost in a forest. He marries her and brings her back to the castle of his grandfather, King Arkel of Allemonde. Here Mélisande becomes increasingly attached to Golaud’s half-brother, Pelléas, arousing Golaud’s jealousy. Golaud goes to excessive lengths to find out the truth about the relationship and Pelléas eventually decides to leave the castle, but he arranges to meet Mélisande one last time and the two finally confess their love for each other. Golaud, who has been eavesdropping, rushes out and kills Pelléas. Not long after, having given birth to a daughter, and with Golaud still begging her to tell him ‘the truth’, Mélisande dies.

Having missed the acclaimed ENO production of Lulu, I’m very keen to hear the recording. From the reviews I know I’ll find it enthralling.
Duncan Druce Gramophone 2006 Critic’s Choice

'Even those who normally resist opera in translation should try it: Jeremy Sams's lively translation is so refreshing in the context of a performance outstandingly well cast. David Parry has established his Mozart credentials in earlier issues, and his timing of the comedy here is impeccable'The balance with the soloists is excellent too: words are clear, notably from the men, and the complex plot is well conveyed''
Gramophone

“… Don Carlos has never seemed so grand a tragedy as it does on this set.”
                                                              

Fred Cohn