CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor / Bonfadelli, Alvarez, Frontali, Olivieri, Palazzi, Fournillier, Genoa Opera

starring: Donizetti, Marcelo Alvarez, Stefania Bonfadelli, Patrick Fournillier, Roberto Frontali

Release Date October 19, 2004
I seem to begin watching every opera nowadays with a critical eye, as I did this one. But, within a very short time, I was completely taken in. Roberto Frontali as Enrico was rivetting as a singer and villain. Stefania Bonfadelli, with her expressive doe-like eyes, was superb. She sang and acted the entire opera with unfading energy and precision. Her duet with the flute was magnificent. Her entire performance was magnificent. She deserves ten stars. Marcelo Alvarez as Edgardo exceeded my expectations, too. He was also excellent. The rest of the cast and the chorus were terrific also.

Highly recommended!

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Verdi - Falstaff / Muti, Maestri, Frittoli, Florez, Frontali, Antonacci, Busseto Teatro Verdi

starring: Barbara Frittoli, Ambrogio Maestri, Juan Diego Florez, Roberto Frontali, Riccardo Muti

Release Date November 18, 2003
Famous Verdi`s operatic last words: "Tutto nel mondo e burla, l`uomo e nato burlone burlon" would translate in something like "Everything in this world is a tease. Human beings were born teasers". Everytime I listen at this opera I get the strange feeling that indeed, old Verdi has been teasing us with an opera that breaks every single stylistic paradigm, demonstrating to the hypercritical young composers of his times (including Arrigo Boito himself) that old Verdi could rule even on the territory of the verismo. If I should have to define Falstaff with a single word that would be: "Exquisite". The monumental darkness of Othello and the Requiem are left behind and Falstaff rises as a completely fresh, "young" and enlightened approach to the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Verdi Box Set: Falstaff, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore

starring: Marcelo Alvarez, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Bryn Terfel, Jose Cura, Christine Schafer
directed by: David McVicar

Release Date June 26, 2007
Famous Verdi`s operatic last words: "Tutto nel mondo e burla, l`uomo e nato burlone burlon" would translate in something like "Everything in this world is a tease. Human beings were born teasers". Everytime I listen at this opera I get the strange feeling that indeed, old Verdi has been teasing us with an opera that breaks every single stylistic paradigm, demonstrating to the hypercritical young composers of his times (including Arrigo Boito himself) that old Verdi could rule even on the territory of the verismo. If I should have to define Falstaff with a single word that would be: "Exquisite". The monumental darkness of Othello and the Requiem are left behind and Falstaff rises as a completely fresh, "young" and enlightened approach to the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

New Year's Concert 2007 - Teatro La Fenice

starring: Dimitra Theodossiou, Giuseppe Filianoti, Roberto Frontali, Massimo Quarta, Kazushi Ono

Release Date April 24, 2007
Famous Verdi`s operatic last words: "Tutto nel mondo e burla, l`uomo e nato burlone burlon" would translate in something like "Everything in this world is a tease. Human beings were born teasers". Everytime I listen at this opera I get the strange feeling that indeed, old Verdi has been teasing us with an opera that breaks every single stylistic paradigm, demonstrating to the hypercritical young composers of his times (including Arrigo Boito himself) that old Verdi could rule even on the territory of the verismo. If I should have to define Falstaff with a single word that would be: "Exquisite". The monumental darkness of Othello and the Requiem are left behind and Falstaff rises as a completely fresh, "young" and enlightened approach to the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Falstaff

starring: Ambrosio Maestri, Roberto Frontali, Juan Diego Flórez, Barbara Frittoli, Inva Mula
directed by: Pierre Cavassilas

Release Date
Famous Verdi`s operatic last words: "Tutto nel mondo e burla, l`uomo e nato burlone burlon" would translate in something like "Everything in this world is a tease. Human beings were born teasers". Everytime I listen at this opera I get the strange feeling that indeed, old Verdi has been teasing us with an opera that breaks every single stylistic paradigm, demonstrating to the hypercritical young composers of his times (including Arrigo Boito himself) that old Verdi could rule even on the territory of the verismo. If I should have to define Falstaff with a single word that would be: "Exquisite". The monumental darkness of Othello and the Requiem are left behind and Falstaff rises as a completely fresh, "young" and enlightened approach to the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

La Traviata (Ws Sub Ac3 Dts)

starring: Angela Gheorghiu, Ramon Vargas, Roberto Frontali, Lorin Maazel
directed by: Liliana Cavani

Release Date September 30, 2008
Famous Verdi`s operatic last words: "Tutto nel mondo e burla, l`uomo e nato burlone burlon" would translate in something like "Everything in this world is a tease. Human beings were born teasers". Everytime I listen at this opera I get the strange feeling that indeed, old Verdi has been teasing us with an opera that breaks every single stylistic paradigm, demonstrating to the hypercritical young composers of his times (including Arrigo Boito himself) that old Verdi could rule even on the territory of the verismo. If I should have to define Falstaff with a single word that would be: "Exquisite". The monumental darkness of Othello and the Requiem are left behind and Falstaff rises as a completely fresh, "young" and enlightened approach to the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Falstaff

starring: Bryn Terfel, Barbara Frittoli, Roberto Frontali, Désirée Rancatore, Kenneth Tarver
directed by: Humphrey Burton

Release Date
Famous Verdi`s operatic last words: "Tutto nel mondo e burla, l`uomo e nato burlone burlon" would translate in something like "Everything in this world is a tease. Human beings were born teasers". Everytime I listen at this opera I get the strange feeling that indeed, old Verdi has been teasing us with an opera that breaks every single stylistic paradigm, demonstrating to the hypercritical young composers of his times (including Arrigo Boito himself) that old Verdi could rule even on the territory of the verismo. If I should have to define Falstaff with a single word that would be: "Exquisite". The monumental darkness of Othello and the Requiem are left behind and Falstaff rises as a completely fresh, "young" and enlightened approach to the ... Read More: