Top 10 New Opera & Vocal CDs of 2000

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Top 10 New Opera & Vocal CDs of 2000
Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Opera & Vocal Editor, Thomas May Not only have we safely made it into the new millennium, Y2K has turned out to be a mighty fine year for the classical music lover. Along with some truly impressive reissues from the catalog's past treasures, there's been an abundance of new recordings casting light on many different corners. The early-music revival continues in full force, while baroque fans have been multiply rewarded with splendid new accounts of Handel in particular; meanwhile, it's been hard to ignore the claims of contemporary composers with such powerful offerings of music by Ned Rorem, Philip Glass, and Arvo Part. Here are the top 10 Opera & Vocal CDs of 2000 as determined by Amazon.com editor Thomas May. Happy listening!

1. "Handel: Alcina"
Natalie Dessay, Renee Fleming, Susan Graham, et al.; Les Arts Florissants; William Christie, conductor
~MORE With her portrayal of Handel's sorceress Alcina, Renee Fleming scores yet another triumph--and so do her colleagues Susan Graham and Natalie Dessay. One moment seems to top the next as Handel offers aria after aria loaded with exquisite melody. For all of its absurdities of plot, this baroque opera comes deliciously alive in the wise, stylish hands of conductor William Christie and will be considered a cornerstone in the reconsideration of Handel opera currently underway.

2. "Dowland: In Darkness Let Me Dwell"
Hilliard Ensemble; John Potter, tenor
~MORE Centuries before Lennon and McCartney, English Renaissance composer John Dowland was a master of song craft who penned the single most popular tune of his time. His music, steeped in melancholy even deeper than was the fashion of the time, has inspired the Hilliard Ensemble's John Potter and colleagues to perform a visionary collaboration for "In Darkness Let Me Dwell," a collection that imparts the power and profundity of Dowland's music.

3. "Serenade"
David Daniels, countertenor; Martin Katz, piano
~MORE We all know that countertenors have made a notable comeback in our time, but David Daniels isn't about to rest on his laurels. As if his successes this past season weren't enough to set him apart, on this latest recital album Daniels forays beyond the countertenor's stereotypical domain of the baroque to interpret lieder of Beethoven and Schubert as well as French melodies and Vaughan Williams. A stunningly beautiful disc.

4. "Arvo Part: I Am the True Vine"
Pro Arte Singers and Theatre of Voices; Paul Hillier, conductor
~MORE Any new music from Estonian composer Arvo Part is cause for celebration. Gathered on "I Am the True Vine"--a collection of Part's sacred choral music from the 1990s--are three world-premiere pieces, along with a revised version of Pärt's sublime "Berlin Mass."

5. "Wagner: Love Duets"
Deborah Voigt, Placido Domingo; Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra; Antonio Pappano, conductor
~MORE For this pairing of some of the most sublime love music Wagner ever penned--the meeting of Siegfried and Brunnhilde and the doomed "Liebesnacht" of Tristan and Isolde--Deborah Voigt and Placido Domingo are at their white-hot best. Covent Garden's new music director Antonio Pappano leads a thrilling performance that includes the first-ever recording of a rediscovered concert ending for the Tristan duet.

6. "Britten: Billy Budd"
Simon Keenlyside, John Tomlinson, et al.; London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; Richard Hickox, conductor
~MORE Hermann Melville's complex tale of innocence and "obliquity" struck a resonant chord for Benjamin Britten, who was inspired to produce one of his finest stage works (with a libretto by E.M. Forster). This is the first recording of the revised, two-act version of the opera since Britten's own--and it's also one of the best accounts ever, hands down.

7. "Gesualdo: Tenebrae"
Taverner Consort; Andrew Parrott, conductor
~MORE The bizarre individualism of his music--not to mention the sensational circumstances of his life--have bestowed on the aristocrat Carlo Gesualdo an eerily prescient kinship with modernity that few other Renaissance composers share. This is a shatteringly beautiful performance of one of Gesualdo's masterpieces, the music he composed for Good Friday.

8. "Songs of Ned Rorem"
Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano; Malcolm Martineau, piano
~MORE Even amid the current explosion of superb mezzo-soprano voices, Susan Graham stands out as one of today's freshest, most endearing interpreters of Strauss as well as the French art song. Her acute intelligence and exquisite musicality are also just the ticket for the subtle charms of "Songs of Ned Rorem," Graham's newest release of gems by the great writer of American art songs.

9. "Christoph Willibald Gluck: Iphigenie en Tauride" Christine Goerke, Rodney Gilfry, et al.; Boston Baroque; Martin Pearlman, conductor
~MORE Forget the marble poses and alienating antiquity that are the stereotypes dogging Gluck. The dramatic intensity of "Iphigenie en Tauride" is very much the focus in Telarc's new recording, featuring the magnificent Christine Goerke and Rodney Gilfry, and led by Martin Pearlman's incisive and vivid period-instrument approach. The second disc includes a bonus half-hour lecture on the opera.

10. "Glass: Symphony No. 5"
Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Morgan State Choir, et al.; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
~MOREPhilip Glass's mandate for the Salzburg Festival-commissioned "Symphony No. 5" was to celebrate the new millennium. In contrast to the onslaught of kitsch spawned by the calendar turn, the result is one of Glass's most powerful and moving works to date. This vast symphony for large chorus and orchestra is an ambitious and visionary hymn to accumulated wisdoms.

"Handel: Rinaldo"
Cecilia Bartoli, David Daniels, et al.; Academy of Ancient Music; Christopher Hogwood, conductor
~ more
"Rinaldo"--based on Tasso's Crusades epic "Jerusalem Liberated"--was Handel's first opera for London and epitomizes his incomparable theatrical imagination. This recording--taken from the original version of the work from 1711--features a knockout cast headed by Cecilia Bartoli and David Daniels, with Christopher Hogwood leading a performance of head-spinning excitement.

"Massenet: Manon"
Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, et al.; Brussels Theatre de la Monnaie Chorus and Orchestra; Antonio Pappano, conductor
~ more
Thomas Beecham once stated that he would "happily give up all the Brandenburg Concertos for 'Manon.'" In the title role, Angela Gheorghiu pulls off a spectacular triumph that would have made Beecham only intensify his hyperbole. This new recording is also another winner for some of the most visible names in opera today, including Robert Alagna (as the aristocratic des Grieux who becomes humanized through his suffering) and Covent Garden conductor Antonio Pappano.

"Verdi Arias"
Jose Cura, tenor and conductor; Philharmonia Orchestra
~ more
Cura's glorious voice encompasses a rainbow palette of colors, all at the service of Verdi's intense drama--from "Macbeth" to "Forza," "Otello," and more. Thrilling vocal confidence combined with a passionate vocal acting style and an engaging musicality make this a standout in the current crop of Verdi tribute recitals. "We'll Keep a Welcome"
Bryn Terfel, baritone; Welsh National Opera Orchestra; Gareth Jones, conductor
~ more
Bryn is back, and again he explores the fascinating musical aspects of his Welsh heritage. The selections range from hymns, folk songs, art songs, lullabies, and romantic ballads to patriotic songs. Scratch a Welshman--as Terfel is fond of saying--and he'll sing to you.

"Villa-Lobos: Symphony No. 10 (Amerindia)"
Santa Barbara Choral Society and Symphony; Gisele Ben-Dor, conductor
~ more
This extravagant choral symphony/oratorio--subtitled "O Greatest Father of Fathers"--was written to mark the founding of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Villa-Lobos creates a sprawling canvas, setting Indian and Latin texts alike in a festive work of celebration.

"Renee Fleming" cover Renee Fleming, soprano; London Philharmonic Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor
More
It's no surprise that American soprano Fleming continues to hold audiences and critics alike in rapturous thrall. In her new, self-titled recital recording, Fleming--who was named Amazon.com's Opera & Vocal Artist of the Year in 1998 (the year of our Music store's launch)--assembles beloved arias by Puccini, Massenet, and others that reflect the enormous range of her vocal technique, artistic intelligence, and powers of interpretation.

"Jules Massenet: Thais" Renee Fleming, Thomas Hampson, Giuseppe Sabbatini, et al.; Bordeaux Aquitaine Orchestra; Yves Abel, conductor
More
Too long considered a throwaway among Massenet's operas ("We'll just keep the 'Meditation,' thank you"), "Thais" has more to offer than your regular dose of fin-de-siecle, sentimental exoticism. All of this becomes clear from the intensity that Fleming invests in the title role, while Thomas Hampson's tragic monk (a tormented Tannhauser in reverse) makes for much memorable vocal acting.

"1000: A Mass for the End of Time" Anonymous 4
More
It wasn't a spectacular party that the Western world anticipated back at the last millennial turn, but, instead, the end of time itself. The vocal quartet known as Anonymous 4--here introducing new member Jacqueline Horner for the first time on an Anonymous 4 disc--reconstructs the music from this fevered era in "1000: A Mass for the End of Time."

"Verdi" Andrea Bocelli, tenor; Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Zubin Mehta, conductor
More
Already known as a superstar in the domain of crossover music, the Italian tenor continues to focus more intently on the inspiration closest to his heart: opera. "Verdi" features many gems of the art of its namesake, all of which show Verdi's incomparable gift for matching melody to the given dramatic moment. Bocelli here teams up with Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic, who will perform also on the tenor's first release of a full opera--Puccini's "La Boheme"--in November.

"Alfred Schnittke: Concerto for Choir, Requiem" Prague Philharmonic Choir; Jaroslav Brych, conductor
More
Russian composer Schnittke, who died in 1998, was a master of "polystylistic" collage, but the works that are represented here show a notable affinity for long-enduring Slavic traditions. They're also among Schnittke's finest pieces, receiving exemplary performances--his a cappella writing in particular for the "Choir Concerto" adds a powerful and moving new work to that tradition.

"Christoph Willibald Gluck: Iphigenie en Tauride" Christine Goerke, Rodney Gilfry, et al.; Boston Baroque; Martin Pearlman, conductor
More
Forget the marble poses and alienating antiquity that are the stereotypes that dog Gluck. The dramatic intensity of "Iphigenie en Tauride" is very much the focus in Telarc's new recording, which features the magnificent soprano Goerke and baritone Gilfry, all led by Pearlman's incisive and vivid period-instrument approach. The second disc includes a bonus half-hour lecture on the opera.

"Andrea Gabrieli: Missa Pater Peccavi: Motets and Instrumental Music" His Majestys Consort of Voices; His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts; Timothy Roberts, conductor
More
Giovanni has become the most famous of the legendary Gabrieli family, but uncle Andrea also was an integral part of the Venetian music scene that was centered around San Marco. This is the first widely available CD devoted to Andrea Gabrieli's music alone, interspersing instrumental interludes between movements of the luminous "Missa Pater Peccavi.

Looking for essential discs from your favorite eras and genres to fill our your collection? Check out Amazon.com's newly refurbished Essentials by Style to find suggestions for must-have recordings, such as this account of Vivaldi's "Gloria" and "Magnificat" led by Rinaldo Alessandrini.
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"Marcello: Estro Poetico-Armonico"
Cantus Colln; Konrad Junghanel, conductor
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A contemporary of Vivaldi, Benedetto Marcello may not be as well known today, but was a formidable rival on the opera stages of 18th-century Venice. Marcello's attention to text setting is a distinctive feature of his style--as is delightfully evidenced on this recording of five of his settings of the Psalms of David, performed by the Grammy-nominated Cantus Colln.

"Britten: Billy Budd"
Simon Keenlyside, John Tomlinson, et al.; London Symphony
Orchestra and Chorus; Richard Hickox, conductor
cover CD on Sale
Hermann Melville's complex tale of innocence and "obliquity" struck a resonant chord for Benjamin Britten, who was inspired to produce one of his finest stage works (with a libretto by E.M. Forster). This is the first recording of the revised, two-act version of the opera since Britten's own--and it's also one of the best accounts ever, hands down.

"Handel: Opera Arias and Overtures (Vol. 2)"
Emma Kirkby; Roy Goodman, conductor
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When it comes to Handel and opera, Emma Kirkby owns this territory. Just listen to her way with embellishing a da capo aria, and you experience the full glory of her musical imagination. This follow-up to her first volume of Handel arias includes music from less-well-known operas, but you'll want to seek out works such as "Deidamia" and "Lotario" when you hear what Kirkby makes of these pieces. Girl knows how to sing.

"Mozart: The Abduction from the Seraglio"
Hilliard Ensemble
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Mozart had his first real operatic success with this fashionably "exotic" Singspiel from 1782. Charles Mackerras's approach offers a blend of historically informed sensibility and modern instruments, with a rather uneven cast. Not a first choice, but Wolfie lovers will certainly want to try it out.

"John Adams: Harmonium, Excerpts from Nixon in China"
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John Adams conducts his own breakthrough, three-movement setting of John Donne and Emily Dickinson poems, "Harmonium," with the San Francisco Symphony (for whom it was originally composed in 1980). Also included are excerpts from the controversial 1991 opera "The Death of Klinghoffer"--one of the most interesting in a long line of operas "torn from the headlines."

GO ORGANIC
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The unveiling of a new organ in Seattle highlights the instrument's continuing fascination. Since antiquity, the organ has exerted a powerful fascination, serving as muse, liturgical inspiration, and even one-man orchestra in the days before radio and recordings. This summer, Seattle's Benaroya Hall has become an international magnet for lovers of the "king of instruments." In early July, the Seattle Symphony unveiled its new Watjen concert organ, the latest masterpiece of the C.B. Fisk organ-building firm, illustrating the tremendous versatility of the instrument-- and its continuing capacity to inspire composers. Check out our list of great organ music, from the Everest of Bach to avant-garde trends in usage of the instrument. CD on Sale

"Schubert: Schwanengesang"
Bryn Terfel, baritone; Malcolm Martineau, piano CD on Sale
When star baritone Bryn Terfel is singing, you don't need to worry about a lieder recital becoming staid. As with his beautifully sensitive recent disc of Schumann songs, Terfel focuses his arresting vocal power and striking dramatic presence on Schubert's despair-drenched songs, and his ongoing partnership with pianist Malcolm Martineau brings out a rich variety of colors.

"Rameau: Dardanus"
Veronique Gens, John Mark Ainsley, et al.;
Les Musiciens du Louvre; Marc Minkowski, conductor
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Jean-Philippe Rameau was perceived as a revolutionary in his time, and he's in complete command of his art in the all-too-neglected "Dardanus" (based, as usual, on Greek myth, though with lots of his librettist's fantasy mixed in). This is territory that Marc Minkowski has proved he owns, and he leads fellow specialists Veronique Gens and John Mark Ainsley--and of course the quicksilver Musiciens du Louvre--with inspired eloquence and fury. A must-have for baroque-opera lovers.

"Victoria and Palestrina: In Paradisum"
Hilliard Ensemble
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The Hilliards bring together two settings of related texts from the Requiem service by Palestrina and Victoria, performing them in a context to suggest how they would have been heard originally. Their use of the Monastery of St. Gerold's rich sonic profile adds a wonderful dimension as well to the tenor quartet's beautifully balanced strands of melody.

"Verdi Heroines"
Angela Gheorghiu, soprano; Verdi Grand Symphonic Orchestra
Milan; Riccardo Chailly, conductor
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Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu won stardom virtually overnight in 1994 with her still-discussed Violetta in "La Traviata" at Covent Garden. And it is to Verdi she returns in her first solo recital album in more than two years. As in her previous work with conductor Riccardo Chailly, Gheorghiu interprets familiar music--in this case, arias from "Otello," "Rigoletto," "Aida," and many more--with a remarkably fresh sensibility and emotional rapport.

"Serenade"
David Daniels, countertenor; Martin Katz, piano
CD on Sale
We all know that countertenors have made a notable comeback in our time, but David Daniels isn't about to rest on his laurels. As if his successes this past season weren't enough to set him apart, in this latest recital album Daniels forays beyond the countertenor's stereotypical domain of the baroque to interpret lieder of Beethoven and Schubert as well as French melodies and Vaughn Williams. A stunningly beautiful disc.

"Andriessen: Rosa--The Death of a Composer"
Marie Angel et al.; ASKO Ensemble and Schoenberg Ensemble;
Reinbert De Leeuw, conductor
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Dutch avant-garde composer Louis Andriessen has never quite gotten the attention he deserves in the U.S., though his own brand of minimalism and transmogrified jazz can cast a powerful spell. This collaboration with maverick film director Peter Greenaway involves a most bizarre but mesmerizing story of a fictional composer and the very enchantments of art.

"Poulenc: La Voix Humaine"
Jane Rhodes; ORTF National Orchestra; Jean-Pierre Marty, conductor
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An opera about a woman speaking to her ex-lover on the phone? When it's a matter of Francis Poulenc teaming up with Jean Cocteau, the results are not only witty and elegant, but subtly menacing as well. Jane Rhodes stars in another from the superb Memoire Vive series.

DG ORIGINALS SERIES
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Karl Boehm leading Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen in "Tristan und Isolde" from Bayreuth 1966 and the Carlos Kleiber "Freischutz" are just two of the legendary recordings in the Deutsche Grammophon Originals series, which are now available at impossible-to-resist prices.
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GET STARTED IN RENAISSANCE MUSIC
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The age of Michelangelo, El Greco, Shakespeare, and Lorenzo the Magnificent also produced an extraordinary crop of musical masterpieces, the greatest of which were written to adorn the services in cathedrals and royal chapels. Take Amazon.com's tour of the serene yet sophisticated choral music of the Renaissance.
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ROBERT AUBRY DAVIS PRESENTS
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Robert Aubry Davis, host of the long-running "Millennium of Music" series on public radio, also plays guide to the rich heritage of early music in three CD anthologies, including the first volume, "Alleluia" (centered around Christmas music), and the most recent release, "Behold, and See," a collection of music inspired by the Passion and Easter season.
Volume 1
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Volume 2
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Volume 3
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"Penderecki: The Seven Gates of Jerusalem"
Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra; Kazimierz Kord,
conductor
Your price
Krzysztof Penderecki describes "The Seven Gates of Jerusalem" as a symphony--in the choral tradition of Beethoven and Mahler, that is. You might also think of the work as an oratorio, but whatever you call it, this setting of texts from the Psalms and other Old Testament sources is one of the Polish composer's most monumental efforts--in keeping with its goal of celebrating the third millennium of the holy city.

"Songs of Ned Rorem"
Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano; Malcolm Martineau, piano
Your price
Even amid the current explosion of superb mezzo-soprano voices, Susan Graham stands out as one of today's freshest, most endearing interpreters of Strauss as well as the French art song. Her acute intelligence and exquisite musicality are also just the ticket for the subtle charms of these songs of Ned Rorem, Graham's newest release of gems by the great American art songwriter.

"Janacek and Kodaly: Masses"
Westminster Cathedral Choir; James O'Donnell, conductor
Your price
Here you will find a fascinating pairing of church music by two very different masters from the early 20th century. Along with a solemnly turned performance of Kodaly's Missa Brevis for organ and boys' choir is the dramatic Mass setting by Janacek. For those who are belatedly discovering his marvelous trove of operas--one of the great achievements of the lyric stage on the last century--this will be especially appealing.

"Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor"
Renata Scotto, Giuseppe di Stefano, et al.; Chorus and
Orchestra of La Scala; Nino Sanzogno, conductor
Your price
This recording from 1959 features a top-drawer cast including Renata Scotto and Giuseppe di Stefano, with a vintage, briskly paced performance by the forces of La Scala. If you can't be satisfied living with just one "Lucia" on disc, you'll be tempted to give this a try.

"Gesualdo: Tenebrae"
Taverner Consort; Andrew Parrott, conductor
Your price
The bizarre individualism of his music--not to mention the sensational circumstances of his life--have bestowed on the aristocrat Carlo Gesualdo an eerily prescient kinship with modernity that few other Renaissance composers share. This is a shatteringly beautiful performance of one of Gesualdo's masterpieces, the music he composed for Good Friday.

"A Garland for Linda"
John Tavener, Paul McCartney, et al.
Joyful Company of Singers; Peter Broadbent, conductor
Your price
Linda McCartney, who died of cancer in 1998, was by all accounts an extraordinary woman, and "A Garland for Linda" is a moving musical tribute. This collection of choral pieces contains several moments of haunting beauty. Among the nine contemporary British composers featured are Roxanna Panufnik, Giles Swayne, and Paul McCartney himself, who contributes the deeply felt "Nova."

OPERA IN ENGLISH
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The issue of whether to perform operas in their original language has long been hotly debated, with very strong arguments to be made on both sides. But it's hard to imagine a more compelling case for opera in English than the one presented by the Chandos series of classics. Featuring a formidable list of musicians, from Jane Eaglen and Dennis O'Neill to conductor David Parry and the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Opera in English series offers new perspectives on some of the best-loved works in the repertory.
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OPERA ON A BUDGET
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On a tight budget but looking to expand--or even start--your opera collection? Check out Allegro's Opera d'Oro series of live recordings from star performers. Mostly priced at under $10 per set, the series offers a gold mine of bargains. Your price

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