Melody Moore, Stefan Pop, Lester Lynch, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Carlo Montanaro – Puccini: Tosca (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:49:26 minutes | 3,82 GB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © PentaTone
The Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and conductor Carlo Montanaro present a powerful interpretation of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, together with a cast of soloists including Melody Moore (Tosca), Ștefan Pop (Cavaradossi) and Lester Lynch (Scarpia). Tosca has been an audience favourite from the onset. Premiered in 1900, it marks the beginning of twentieth- century opera, in which sex, violence and the uncanny abysses of the human psyche would be explored, inspiring composers to expand the musical means of expression in all thinkable ways. Until today, Tosca has lost none of its expressive power, and Puccini’s intricate score deserves to be taken seriously. Its symphonic qualities are fully brought out by the inspired playing of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, led by the seasoned maestro Carlo Montanaro. Melody Moore, Ștefan Pop and Lester Lynch bring the passionate, electrifying score to life with performances of dazzling power. The splendid cast is completed by Kevin Short (Angelotti), Alexander Köpeczi (Un Sagrestano), Colin Judson (Spoletta), Georg Streuber (Sciarrone), Axel Scheidig (Un Carceriere), and Lean Miray Yüksel (Un Pastore). The members of Rundfunkchor Berlin and Kinderchor der Deutschen Oper Berlin add their marvelous choral sound to the recording, culminating in the famous Te Deum.
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Lester Lynch, Kevin Short, The Philadelphia Orchestra & Marin Alsop – Gershwin: Porgy & Bess (Highlights) [Live] (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:06:59 minutes | 1,20 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © PentaTone
The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Marin Alsop present a live recording with highlights of Gershwin’s self-proclaimed American “Folk Opera” Porgy and Bess, together with a stellar cast and the Morgan State University Choir. Since its premiere in 1935, Porgy and Bess has been one of the most significant attempts to – following Antonin Dvor’ak’s famous instruction of 1893 – create American classical music inspired by Afro-American styles such as jazz, spirituals and the blues. It has also proven to be a powerful catalyst for bringing more diverse casts to the opera stage. The hard-knock life at a Charleston waterfront tenement is presented here by an outstanding cast including Lester Lynch (Porgy), Angel Blue (Bess, Clara and Serena), Chauncey Packer (Sportin’ Life) and Kevin Short (Crown, Jake).
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Lisette Oropesa, René Barbera, Lester Lynch, Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden, Dresdner Philharmonie & Daniel Oren – Verdi: La traviata (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 02:14:56 minutes | 4,72 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © PentaTone
The Dresdner Philharmonie, Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden and conductor Daniel Oren present Verdi’s masterpiece La Traviata, together with a stellar cast including René Barbera as Alfredo, Lester Lynch as Germont, and world star soprano Lisette Oropesa as Violetta. Verdi’s opera from 1853 was revolutionary in the sense that it presented a subject of its own time, rather than the usual historically remote stories. Interestingly enough, this tragic story of a woman sacrificing her love to save the honour of her beloved’s family still feels as fresh and topical as ever before, explaining its unrelenting popularity. La Traviata is an endless outpour of memorable melodies with a gripping dramatic pace, as well as a tale that is both heartrending and provocative. The main soprano role gradually shifts from coloratura virtuosity to a more lyrical, dramatic idiom when the tragedy progresses, and this performance shows Oropesa’s fluency in both styles. After having sung the title role in the greatest opera houses worldwide, this studio recording captures her unparalleled interpretation for generations to come.
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