The composer of Les huguenots and L’Africaine was already an accomplished master at age 26, as this first-rate recording reveals.
Naxos
Classical CD Review: A Simon Mayr Comic Opera That’s Really Funny — and Performed with Flair
At this point in his career, Mayr is contributing to the development of the musicodramatic conventions that would set the stage for the masterpieces of Donizetti, Bellini, and Verdi.
Opera Album Review: Rossini’s Splendid Passover Opera for Paris — “Moïse et Pharaon”
Just in time for Passover: another fine world-premiere Rossini recording, the 1827 French version of his Moses-in-Egypt opera.
Listening During Covid, Part 5: New and Forgotten Repertory Brings Unexpected Delights
Musicians active in Boston, Washington DC, and Australia discover previously unrecorded gems, including works by women composers and composers of color.
Classical Album Review: Chamber Orchestra of New York plays Ottorino Respighi’s “Concerto all’antica” and “Ancient Airs and Dances, Suites nos. 1-3”
There are some smartly colored and well-handled performances here, but it’s hard to get past the recording’s unsatisfactory acoustics.
Opera Album Review: Donizetti’s Teacher Takes Center Stage — Mayr’s “I Cherusci”
This splendid world-premiere recording proves that, as an opera composer, Johann Simon Mayr had “the whole package.”
Opera Album Review: Before “Carmen,” There Was Massenet’s Spanish-Tinged “Don César de Bazan”
World premiere recording of an utterly delicious 1872 comic opera, recorded without spoken dialogue, so you can just revel in the music and the singing.
Classical Album Review: John Adams Orchestral Works
My Father Knew Charles Ives and Harmonielehre make an excellent pairing on the Nashville Symphony Orchestra’s new, all-Adams album led by music director Giancarlo Guerrero.
Classical CD Reviews: Michael Daugherty’s “This Land Sings,” Ethel Smyth’s “The Prison,” and David Lang’s “prisoner of the state”
A welcome political homage to Woody Guthrie, a new recording of Ethel Smyth’s 1931 choral symphony makes a strong case for a full reconsideration of her output, and David Lang’s rejiggering of Beethoven’s Fidelio is both stirring and timeless.
Opera Album Review: A Version of One of Rossini’s Finest — Recorded on CD for the First Time
Rossini’s Zelmira is a powerhouse opera that features two coloratura tenors and equally demanding roles for soprano and mezzo.