CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Puccini - Gianni Schicchi / Corbelli, Palmer, Giordano, Matthews, McLaughlin, Jurowski, Glyndebourne Opera

starring: Massimo Giordano, Felicity Palmer, Alessandro Corbelli, Vladimir Jurowski, Marie McLaughlin

Release Date July 19, 2005
This is a truly brilliant production of Puccini's comic masterpiece. Although this one-acter, the third in Puccini's "Il Trittico" (trilogy) of one-act operas dealing with the subject of death, is less than an hour long, it packs a more than satisfying punch in the way of great music, well-drawn characters, and entertaining plot.

Annabel Arden has done a marvelous job in drawing out the dark side of humanity in the story, which keeps this production from veering into caricature and slapstick; yet humor is still here in abundance. Vladimir Jurowski leads the London Philharmonic in a brilliant, well-paced reading of Puccini's motif-packed score.

In the title role, Alessandro Corbelli once more shows us why he is considered ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Johann Strauss II - Die Fledermaus / Armstrong, Allen, Petrova, Ernman, Hagegard, Jurowski (Glyndebourne Festival Opera)

starring: Vladimir Jurowski, Pamela Armstrong, Thomas Allen, Lyubov Petrova, Malena Ernman
directed by: Stephen Lawless, Francesca Kemp

Release Date March 16, 2004
This is an extremely entertaining performance. All the characters are wonderful and so right for their roles. My only complaint is they shortened Frosh's role to next to nothing and I've always enjoyed the actor who gives a new interpretation to this wonderfully comic role. It has been updated with beautiful costumes and a trememdous revolving set which is a subtle suggestion of a jail all the way through the opera. I think almost anyone would enjoy this beautiful and clever production.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Rachmaninov - The Miserly Knight / Vladimir Jurowski , Sergei Leiferkus, London Philharmonic Orchestra , Opus Arte

starring: Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Leiferkus, Vladimir Jurowski
directed by: Annabel Arden

Release Date July 29, 2008
This is an extremely entertaining performance. All the characters are wonderful and so right for their roles. My only complaint is they shortened Frosh's role to next to nothing and I've always enjoyed the actor who gives a new interpretation to this wonderfully comic role. It has been updated with beautiful costumes and a trememdous revolving set which is a subtle suggestion of a jail all the way through the opera. I think almost anyone would enjoy this beautiful and clever production.

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Rachmaninov - The Miserly Knight / Leiferkus, Berkeley-Steele, Schagidullin, Voynarovskiy, Mikhailov, Jurowski, Glyndebourne Opera

starring: Sergei Leiferkus, Richard Berkeley-Steele, Maxim Mikhailov, Vladimir Jurowski, Albert Schagidullin

Release Date July 19, 2005
Not much of a plot, but who cares. The music is great and the signing just beautiful. The long monologue (about 24 minutes) is opera at its best. The soul, and not necessarily the best moral one, put in music.
worth listening many times.