CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Handel - Giulio Cesare (Glyndebourne Opera Festival 2006)

starring: William Christie, Sarah Connolly, Angelika Kirchschlager, Danielle De Niese, Christophe Dumaux
directed by: David McVicar, Robin Lough

Release Date May 16, 2006
Hardly the jejune form of opera that Gluck railed against. Much of the energy for this staging emanates from Danielle De Niese, who surely could charm a eunuch, in the role of Cleopatra. John McVickers is to be praised for this production; Christie also -- as usual.

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Mozart - Don Giovanni / Alvarez, Pieczonka, Antonacci, Kirchschlager, d'Arcangelo, Schade, Regazzo, Selig, Muti, Vienna Opera

starring: Anna Caterina Antonacci, Adrianne Pieczonka, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo, Riccardo Muti, Angelika Kirchschlager

Release Date June 21, 2005
This is a beautiful version of Don Giovanni with a very attractive and
talented cast of singers. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo is such a charming and
wonderful singer. Anna Caterina Antonacci is magnificent, as always.
She makes a strong and sympathetic Donna Elvira. Kirchshlager is
outstanding. Carlos Alvarez, as Don Giovanni, is quite believable!
It may not be "operatically correct" to say so, but he is Sexy!
A fabulous singer, a wonderful actor, and really handsome!
Many a soprano or mezzo would find this Don Giovanni hard to resist.
Also, I personally found the costume changes interesting and
fun. I don't know what all the fuss was about. Opera is entertainment,
and having different interpretations ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Mozart - Exsultate Jubilate, Porpora - Salve Regina, Haydn - Symphony No. 104 'London' / Kirchschlager, Ziesak, Muti, La Scala

starring: Porpora, Mozart, Haydn, Ruth Ziesak, La Scala Opera

Release Date June 15, 2004
This is a beautiful version of Don Giovanni with a very attractive and
talented cast of singers. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo is such a charming and
wonderful singer. Anna Caterina Antonacci is magnificent, as always.
She makes a strong and sympathetic Donna Elvira. Kirchshlager is
outstanding. Carlos Alvarez, as Don Giovanni, is quite believable!
It may not be "operatically correct" to say so, but he is Sexy!
A fabulous singer, a wonderful actor, and really handsome!
Many a soprano or mezzo would find this Don Giovanni hard to resist.
Also, I personally found the costume changes interesting and
fun. I don't know what all the fuss was about. Opera is entertainment,
and having different interpretations ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Presents - Music Meets Business

starring: Angelika Kirchschlager, Branford Marsalis

Release Date March 22, 2005
Contrary to the above review, I find this DVD absolutely fascinating. It should be in the library of anyone aspiring to be a conductor or anyone in management. Orchestral musicians will find it extremely refreshing. It'll forever change the way you think of conductors.

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro

starring: Rosemary Joshua, Luca Pisaroni, Pietro Spagnoli, Annette Dasch, Angelika Kirchschlager
directed by: Jean-Louis Martinoty

Release Date January 16, 2007
First of all, the orchestra is superb, and the singers are all in good voice and exquisitely musical. And this is that rare complete version, which not only contains Basilio's aria, but also Marcellina's as well, which I heard for the first time in this production.

And the singers are also skilled actors, one and all--almost enough to make up for those certain aspects of the casting which don't make sense: when Marcellina and Susanna have their duet, in which Susanna twits Marcellina with being over the hill, it's a bit puzzling that in fact the singer portraying Marcellina is considerably younger than the one playing Susanna--in fact, about the same age as the singer playing Figaro, who is ostensibly her son! Meanwhile, watching "Non piu andrai," it's apparent ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier

starring: Adrianne Pieczonka, Angelika Kirchschlager, Miah Persson, Franz Hawlata, Franz Grundheber
directed by: Robert Carsen

Release Date October 31, 2006
What to make of this production of "Rosenkavalier"...I bought it a couple of years ago, watched it once, and promptly gave it away. This was a most depressing treatment of a beloved opera I have yet seen. I don't mind modern "takes" on old classics, but this was just disheartening. The producers looked like they spent a good deal of money in the sets--particularly the spectacularly oversized first act where you got to see not only the Marschallin's bedroom, but the antechamber as well as the private room from which Ochs entered. However the bedroom soon became an eyesore since it was dominated by this deep red that just swallowed everything (maybe I am exaggerating but that's what I remember the most). The second act was more interesting, but it was set in what seemed to be Faninal's ... Read More: