Today's Highlights

Beatrice di Tenda by Bellini
A beautiful and unjustly neglected opera.It contains gorgeous melodies, great arias and exciting finales. Joan Sutherland made the role very much her own in the early 1960's. This first studio recording made in 1966 still standswell. Sutherland captures the character's sadness and dignity well with beautiful and poised singing and naturally shines in cabalettas. The unkown Cornelius Opthof holds himself very well next to Sutherland with a secure top and incisive phrasing as the wicked Fillipo. As the second couple we have a fiery Josephine Veasey as Agnese and a very young Luciano Pavarotti as Orombello. Excellent sound and briskly conducted by Richard Bonynge.

verdi's Il Trovatore
Leontyne Price, Franco Bonisolli, Piero Cappuccilli, Elena Obrazova and Karajan at the baton. Interestingly, in November 2005 BBC CD Review pundit Hilary Finch tacitly revoked her earlier pronouncements in "Gramophone" and chose this as her favourite version. I bought and I enjoyed it as a result, while still acknowledging that there is some audible evidence of the ravages time had wrought on Price's voice; it is a little husky but there is still a majestic and stately grandeur in her smoky tone. I do not agree with the opnion that a cast like Bonisolli, Cappuccilli, Obratsova and Raimondi is not up to international standard or that Karajan is "glib", even if I do accept that the 1970 Mehta account is superior and that Karajan's conducting is more visceral in the 50's version - but I like to hear an interpretation which provides a subtler alternative to the usual "gung-ho" approach. It's such a pleasure to hear an orchestra caress this music instead of banging the hell out of it and there is a depth and richness in the strings so often missing in more provincial bands - and let's face it, most orchestras can sound provincial next to the Berlin Philharmonic. Bonisolli's baritonal heft is very welcome, as is his willngness to sing tenderly. There is a temptation to characterise him as a grand-standing clown on account of his ability and willingness to prolong barn-storming top C's but he's much more than that. Obratsova's vast, even crude, voice with its booming lower register and secure top notes provides real thrills in a role to which she is perfectly suited and in which she rivals Cossotto for sheer visceral attack. Both Raimondi and Cappuccilli are a little too soft-grained but again, it's a change to hear these roles so carefully sung, with attention to the subtlety of dynamics and phrasing which Karajan's more relaxed tempi evidently encourage. Yet there's no lack of brio in the opening to Act 3; Karajan brings much more energy to the score.

Wagner's Tristan Und Isole
Solti's Tristan und Isolde (1960)is one of the great Wagner recordings, capturing Nilsson at her very zenith, partnered with a most impassioned Tristan, Fritz Uhl. Resnik is the most intense Branganae on disc, with her Act II interjections hair-raisingly beautiful, yet still menacing. Nilsson shows her absolute mastery of this most difficult soprano role, both vocally and dramatically, with Solti proving to to be a more congenial counterpoint than Bohn from 1966, who rushes things along too often. Fritz Uhl is an authentic heldentenor who has a innate feel for the role - his Act III is among the finest on disc. The remastered recording belies its 40 some odd years and sounds quite impressive, with a perfect balance between soloists and orchestra - John Culshaw knew how to produce his Wagner and Strauss! A must have recording for any serious Wagnerite.

Night Music
Mompou Plays Mompou These are performances from the mid 70s recorded by mompou himself (in his early 80s, but his technique is great). Four CDs of introspective, deceptively simple, beautiful music. He's been compared to the Impressionist and Satie... this is Spanish impressionism and I find it less tiring and repeatitive than much of Satie's work. Recording quality is very good... not excellent. If you have not discovered Mompou's work and enjoy solo piano, this is your chance.

Plus much more before and in-between...

Wagner's Lohengrin Live From Berlin 1982

With the wonderful James King, Caterina Ligendza, Bengt Rundgren, Janis Martin, Franz Ferdinand Nentwig Dir: Silvio Varviso Berlin, Deutsche Oper Orchestra & Chorus.

Highlight Of The Day - Ariadne Auf Naxos

Strauss' Ariade Auf Naxos from June 11, 1944 which was Richard Strauss' 80th birthday.

With this stellar cast: Max Lorenz Maria Reining Alda Noni Irmgard Seefried Paul Schöffler Erich Kunz, Alfred Muzzarelli, Elisabeth Rutgers, Emmy Loose Dir: Karl Böhm Vienna State Opera Orchestra The stars were in alignment for Strauss's 80th birthday. According to a Time magazine article from 1944, the Nazis were intent on punishing the 80 year old Richard Strauss for consorting with and attempting to protect Jews (his daughter-in-law, her mother, and his grandchildren). The plan was to punish Strauss, denying him the festivities the Reich's most famous composer merited on this important birthday. They reconsidered when it became clear that ignoring Strauss, their most internationally celebrated composer, might not look good to the watching world. Plus, the Nazis would be missing a valuable propaganda opportunity. In this live 1944 recording, Max Lorenz demonstrates why he was Hitler's favorite heldentenor, and why Bayreuth could not function without him. He sings in tune, doesn't sound strained, and has a big, beautiful open sound that he maintains control over. His vocal resonance and amplitude are unbelievable. Especially in the finale, he sings like a god. While the birthday performance came off magnificently, Strauss was ultimately unable to save a family member, the grandmother of his daughter-in-law, who perished in the camps.

A True Hero. One Of The Best Heldentenors Ever Was Gay And Did Not Hide It In Spite Of The Nazis.

Max Lorenz (born Max Sülzenfuß; 10 May 1901 – 11 January 1975) was a German heroic tenor famous for Wagner roles. Lorenz was born in Düsseldorf, and studied with Ernst Grenzebach in Berlin in the 1920s. He made his debut at the Semperoper in Dresden in 1927, becoming a principal tenor. From 1929 to 1944 he was a member of the ensemble at the Berlin State Opera, appearing also at the New York Metropolitan Opera (1931–34), the Bayreuth Festspielhaus (1933–39, 1952, 1954) and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (1934 and 1937). He sang, too, at the Vienna State Opera (1929–33, 1936–44, 1954). Lorenz was homosexual, but from 1932 he was married to Charlotte (Lotte) Appel, who was Jewish and was aware of his homosexuality. His homosexuality was almost tolerated by the Nazis as a well-known secret. When Lorenz had to appear in court because of an affair with a young man, Hitler advised Winifred Wagner, the director of the Bayreuth Festival, that Lorenz would not be suitable for the Festival. Wagner answered that in that case she might close the Festival because, without Lorenz, "Bayreuth can't be done."[1] As for his Jewish wife, Lorenz insisted on being open about his marriage, which was taken as a provocation by the Nazis. When Lorenz was away from his house, the SS burst in and tried to take his wife and mother-in-law away. At the last moment they were prevented from doing so when Lotte Lorenz was able to make a phone call to the sister of Hermann Göring. The SS was ordered to leave their residence and not to bother the two women. Göring stated in a letter of 21 March 1943 that Lorenz was under his personal protection and that no action should be taken against him, his wife, or her mother. Audiences at the Salzburg Festival also heard him, and he created roles in such post-World War II works as Gottfried von Einem’s Der Prozess (Josef K, 1953), Rolf Liebermann’s Penelope (1954) and Rudolf Wagner-Régeny’s Das Bergwerk zu Falun (1961). Lorez was a Heldontenor. With a rich, dark, powerful and dramatic voice. As its name implies, the Heldentenor (English: heroic tenor) vocal fach features in the German romantic operatic repertoire. The Heldentenor is the German equivalent of the tenore drammatico, however with a more baritonal quality: the typical Wagnerian protagonist. The keystone of the heldentenor's repertoire is arguably Wagner's Siegfried, an extremely demanding role requiring a wide vocal range and great power, plus tremendous stamina and acting ability. Often the heldentenor is a baritone who has transitioned to this fach or tenors who have been misidentified as baritones. Therefore the heldentenor voice might or might not have facility up to high B or C. The repertoire, however, rarely calls for such high notes. Lorenz's operatic and recital career lasted almost three decades. He became known as one of the world's leading heldentenors, particularly renowned for his performances as Tristan, Walther and Siegfried (in Siegfried and Götterdämmerung). He was also a notable Otello, Bacchus and Herod. At his best in the 1920s and 1930s, Lorenz possessed a powerful, ringing voice which he used in an impassioned manner. Some of his recordings of operatic arias have been issued on CD. Notably, he was recorded live in a performance of Die Meistersinger at the Bayreuth Festival, under the baton of the celebrated conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler. Max Lorenz died in Salzburg and is buried at the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna (group 40, grave.

Today's XXth Century Treats

Oliver Messian's Catalogue d'oiseaux-La fauvette des jardins with Anatol Ugorski.

Also Leonard Bernstein, The Early Years with Lenny himself and the RCA Oechestra under the baton of Aron Copland.

Highlits Of The Day

After our two Stabat Mater by Pergolesi and Rossini we launch our back to back operas starting with Ricciarelli and a stunning Cossotto in Puccini's Suor Angekica,

Followed by Purcell's Dido & Aeneas with Susan Graham.

Verdi's Ballo In Maschera with Dominga Arroyo and Muti. Thomas'Mignon with Marilyn Horne, follows and tonight we have two wonderful Wager treats. Old vs new. Jonas Kaufmann in Lohengrin from Alla Scala opening night performance 7/12/12.

Then Max Lorenz under Heger in Wagner's Tristan Und Isolde.

Hppy Bithday Wulfie...

Celebrating the biggest genius' birthday,Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Tune in and pay a minute of homage...

A Different Sunday Classic

Fron Dusty to Dee-Lite

ABClassics Highlight Of The Day-Maria Callas' Legendary performance Of Il Pirata Carnigie Hall 1959

Soprano Maria Callas makes her Carnegie Hall debut on January 27, performing the role of Imogene in a production of Bellini’s Il Pirata by the American Opera Society.The cast include also: Pier Miranda Ferraro, Costantino Ego, Glade Peterson, Chester Watson, Regina Sarfaty, American Opera Society Orchestra. American Opera Society Chorus, under the baton of Nicola Rescigno.