
Of the rarities presented in this unusual Russian music collection, the most tantalizing is Gliére’s Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra. Judging by the slight
This Traviata, recorded in 1962, was the first presented uncut, with both verses of the famous arias, intermediary passages, and the inclusion of both Alfredo’s
It’s a little-known fact that Joan Sutherland created the role of Jennifer in Michael Tippett’s masterpiece The Midsummer Marriage at its Covent Garden premiere in
This was Joan Sutherland’s first recorded Traviata. The performance is note-complete, with cabalettas for both Germonts, the second verses of Violetta’s first and last act
This was the last recital Joan Sutherland recorded, in 1985. She retired five years later. By ’85 her voice had thickened somewhat, and there’s an
Is it possible for a version of Gounod’s Faust to satisfy if its principals are innocent of traditional French style and replace clear diction with
This is the first and best of Joan Sutherland’s two recorded Normas. Despite La Stupenda’s aversion to consonants, her singing is stunning in a killer
In 1963, the opera world finally was becoming accustomed to Joan Sutherland, who had become an overnight star four years previously at Covent Garden. Here
This Traviata features a cast headlined by stars of the operatic firmament circa 1962–Joan Sutherland, Carlo Bergonzi, and Robert Merrill. Alas, it’s a Traviata without
At long last Decca reissues Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt’s Vienna Philharmonic Beethoven cycle from the 1960s in full, together with the conductor’s accounts of the concertos, featuring