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Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Teatro Real)
Marcelo Álvarez (Riccardo); Violeta Urmana (Amelia); Marco Vratogna (Renato); Elena Zaremba (Ulrico);
"Marcelo Álvarez surely has the most beautiful tenor voice to be heard today in any opera house Violeta Urmana is one of the few dramatic sopranos regularly active just now and it is a pleasure to listen to her in such a demanding part as Amelia...Young Alessandra Marianelli made an exemplary Oscar, both as an actress and as a very accomplished singer. The role fits her like a glove and she was perfect...The orchestra gave a very good performance and the Chorus was on top form." (Seen and Heard International)
Wagner: Das Liebesverbot (Teatro Real)
Manuela Uhl (Isabella); Christopher Maltman (Friedrich); Peter Lodahl (Lucio); Ilker Arcayürek (Claudio); Ante Jerkunica (Brighella); Ivor Bolton (Conductor); Kasper Holten (Director);
"Seen and Heard International" (...The production by Kasper Holten is excellent: fun, imaginative, lively, and beautifully suited to a comic opera)
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Bayreuth Festival)
Samuel Youn (Der Holländer); Franz-Josef Selig (Daland ); Ricarda Merbeth (Senta ); Tomislav Mužek (Erik ); Christa Mayer (Mary ); Benjamin Bruns (Der Steuermann);
"... one revels in Christian Thielemann's masterly handling of the Overture's tempo modifications and, thereafter, the lustrous sonorities that support the singers in this single-act version of the opera... Youn is a particular revelation, with bass qualities to establish the character's emotional weight but also effective baritonal colours that convey anguish with great specificity." (Gramophone)
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (De Nederlandse Opera)
Robert Lloyd (Daland); Catherine Naglestad (Senta); Marco Jentzsch (Erik); Marina Prudenskaja (Mary); Oliver Ringelhahn (Der Steuermann Dalands); Juha Uusitalo (Der Holländer);
"...must give utmost praise to conductor Hartmut Haenchen, who offers a whip-smart account of the score..." (International Record Review)
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Bayreuth Festival)
Franz Hawlata (Hans Sachs); Artur Korn (Veit Pogner); Michael Volle (Sixtus Beckmesser); Klaus Florian Vogt (Walther Von Stolzing); Norbert Ernst (David); Michaela Kaune (Eva);
"'Meistersinger' that's on an entirely new Wagnerian scale...it is full of smart ideas and moments of effective theater." (The Washington Post)
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Glyndebourne)
Gerald Finley (Hans Sachs); Marco Jentzsch (Walther von Stolzing); Johannes Martin Kränzle (Sixtus Beckmesser); Anna Gabler (Eva); Alastair Miles (Veit Pogner); Topi Lehtipuu (David);
"McVicar has put on a great show with style, intelligence and insight." (The Daily Telegraph)