Blu-ray
Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten (Salzburg Festival)
Stephen Gould (The Emperor); Anne Schwanewilms (The Empress); Michaela Schuster (The Nurse); Wolfgang Koch (Barak, the Dyer); Evelyn Herlitzius (Barak's Wife);
"[The Empress] is central throughout, compellingly acted and luminously sung by the marvellous Anne Schwanewilms...Orchestral detail has tremendous clarity and the documentary extra includes pithy insights from cast and crew." (BBC Music Magazine)
Strauss: Elektra (Baden-Baden Festspielhaus)
Linda Watson (Elektra); Jane Henschel (Klytämnestra); Manuela Uhl (Chrysothemis); René Kollo (Aegisth); Albert Dohmen (Orest);
"Never do Christian Thielemann and the Munich Philharmonic overwhelm the singers: they make chamber music, in effect, with no bombast whatever." (International Record Review)
Strauss: Renée Fleming in Concert (Salzburg Festival)
Renée Fleming (Soprano);
"Strauss's ingenious orchestral passages are highlighted." (BBC Music Magazine)
Strauss: Salome (The Royal Opera)
Nadja Michael (Salome); Michaela Schuster (Herodias); Thomas Moser (Herod); Joseph Kaiser (Narraboth); Michael Volle (Jokanaan);
"Nadia Michael's Salome can sing and dance with comparable flair and accuracy. Thomas Moser's Herod is genuinely moving...The orchestra plays spendidly under Philippe Jordan and Jonathan Haswell's photography is more imaginative than the work of his colleague at La Scala." (The Penguin Guide)
Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress (Glyndebourne)
Topi Lehtipuu (Tom Rakewell); Miah Persson (Anne Trulove); Matthew Rose (Nick Shadow);
"Topi Lehtipuu as Tom is very fine too. He captures very well indeed Toms love for Anne, which is genuine and will be his salvation, but which he abandons by weakness of will. Miah Persson is adorable as Anne. She brings out beautifully the vulnerability of the character, but crucially she has brilliantly understood the steely determination present in Annes music, and acts it out, both physically and vocally, to perfection. The smaller roles are beautifully taken, and the chorus sings and acts splendidly. Time and again I was struck, as never before, by the sheer beauty of the sound of this work, and the orchestra plays magnificently under the inspiring direction of Vladimir Jurowski...Rapturously received in many quarters, you are likely to love it or hate it. Either way, there is no question, this life-enhancing DVD from Glyndebourne is truly special and not to be missed." (Musicweb International)
Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress (La Monnaie)
Laura Claycomb (Anne Trulove); Andrew Kennedy (Tom Rakewell); William Shimell (Nick Shadow); Julianne Young (Mother Goose); Dagmar Peckova (Baba the Turk);
"Lepage has forged a reputation as one of the mostvisionary theatre directors of our age...The Rakes Progress is heading our way, and it promises to be ahighlight of the 2007/8 season." (The Sunday Times)