CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

The #1 Opera Album

by: Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Léo Delibes, Georges Bizet, Umberto Giordano, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Wagner, Gioachino Rossini, Alfredo Catalani, Jacques Offenbach, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Charles Gounod, Gaetano Donizetti, Pietro Mascagni, Antonin Dvorak, Richard Bonynge, Herbert von Karajan, Alberto Erede, Lamberto Gardelli, Giuseppe Patane, John Mauceri, Zubin Mehta, Charles Dutoit, Gyorgy Fischer, Riccardo Chailly, Istvan Kertesz, Leone Magiera, Evelino Pido, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Renée Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Luciano Pavarotti, Jussi Bjorling, Renata Tebaldi

Release Date February 27, 2001
I heard this CD on a PBS pledge drive (it was a premium) and found myself loving every cut on it! I was in my car and just wanted to keep on driving and listening. This is by far my most-played CD - I've had to make it a weekend only listen to prevent getting burned out on it. HIGHLY recommend it. Even if you are unfamiliar with some of the pieces, you will quickly learn to love them. . . . I must end this review - I'm off to listen to the "flower duet" for the 100th time. . .

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

O Holy Night / Luciano Pavarotti / Special Deluxe Edition (Decca)

from: Decca

Release Date October 11, 2005
Pavarotti is in his prime for this one and the selections are both touching and grand. Mille Cherubini, a tender lullaby, is my favorite but his Agnus Dei is rich and grand. The choral backgrounds are also very good. I bought the cassette when it came out in the 70's and I am thrilled that they reissued it as CD to grace my 2007 Christmas .

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Dvorák: The Symphonies

from: Decca

Release Date February 11, 1992
Well since I order this from amazon.com, I
have listen to the whole cycle of symphonies
several times, and what really cought my attention
was his early symphonies, in particular the
story behind the first symphony which I
will not tell you so you can read it in the
detailed liner notes of the CD. I don't think
that I have a particular symphony by Dvorak, I
like, but rather I say that I like them all equally.
At the amazon.com price this is really a bargain,
highly recommended music for all ages and walks of
life. Kertesz and the Brits did a fantastic work.

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

The Greatest Opera Show on Earth

from: Polygram Records

Release Date September 16, 1997
I just bought my second copy of this excellent CD because I literally wore the first one out. No matter how I feel before I play this music, I feel joy whenever I listen to it. Highly recommended to beginners and the more experienced opera listeners as well.

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Essential Rossini

from: Decca

Release Date April 09, 2002
Focusing mainly on Overtures this CD is full of delightful music. Personally I have not graduated to becoming an afficanado of operas so I enjoy these type of CDs a great deal. The performance are all quite good though there are better versions out there for certain pieces. If you are a casual classical music listener, or just not a fan of an entire opera this CD is wonderful. If you are a true devotee of Rossini you probably would prefer to collect these pieces in their full context.

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Rossini - Petit Messe Solonnelle ~ Stabat Mater / Pavarotti, Freni, Lohrenger, Minton, Valentini-Terrani, LSO, Gandolfi, Kertesz

by: Gioachino Rossini, London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra, Romano Gandolfi, Istvan Kertesz, Mirella Freni, Lucia Valentini-Terrani, Luciano Pavarotti, Ruggero Raimondi, Pilar Lorengar, Yvonne Minton, Hans Sotin, Leone Magiera, Vittorio Rosetta, Coro Polifonico del Teatro alla Scala di Milano

Release Date August 26, 1997
The gorgeous Kyrie from the Peit Messe Solonnelle has recently been used to good effect in the film 'Bad Education' prompting me to get to know the piece better and purchase this recording.The whole work is a delight,much lighter in tone and broader in length than the title would suggest.However,i suspect this is not the recording to have(i'm going to try Muti/EMI)as the soloists(a glamorous team)are unfocused and intonation a particular problem.There's a surprisngly tentative feeling about the whole performance.The piano part(a few splashy moments here) is normally taken on 2 pianos but here they make do with 1.....seems a shame to me.
Stabat Mater receives an authorative account,another very approachable work which i shall enjoy getting to know ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Mozart: The Piano Concertos

by: Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Istvan Kertesz, English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Daniel Barenboim, Fou Ts'ong

Release Date June 24, 1997
I am glad to see that this set is popular with Amazon reviewers, since it has been overlooked and underrated over the years. Perahia seems to get all the critical attention.

There seems to be a consensus that since Ashkenazy recorded so much, his work could not be truly distinguished. This set proves that very common myth to be false. The orchestra plays beautifully and seems to be working very intimately with him. His playing is exquisite and very appropriate in style.

Perhaps most important of all, the recorded sound makes this all very immediate. I know of no set of the Mozart concertos that on every level SOUNDS as good. Highly recommended.

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Kodaly: Famous Orchestral Works

by: Kertesz, London Symphony Orchestra

Release Date March 25, 2008
I am glad to see that this set is popular with Amazon reviewers, since it has been overlooked and underrated over the years. Perahia seems to get all the critical attention.

There seems to be a consensus that since Ashkenazy recorded so much, his work could not be truly distinguished. This set proves that very common myth to be false. The orchestra plays beautifully and seems to be working very intimately with him. His playing is exquisite and very appropriate in style.

Perhaps most important of all, the recorded sound makes this all very immediate. I know of no set of the Mozart concertos that on every level SOUNDS as good. Highly recommended.

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20, 23, 24, 26 & 27

from: Decca

Release Date February 12, 2002
These recordings predate today's fads of inserting lots of flashy embellishments, inventing new (usually prolix) cadenzas, imitating the limitations of a pianoforte, accellerating tempi, and producing sparkling Mozart Lite. All Curzon delivers is outstanding playing with plenty of feeling but no fussiness. Curzon knew better than most musicians how to play slow music so it comes across as deep rather than boring, so he doesn't rush the slow movements as so many performers do. He plays the usual Beethoven cadenzas in #20.

All 5 performances are polished to perfection; and the recorded sound, while not state of the art, is very good for its time (1967 - 1970). I respectfully disagree with the reviewer who finds the piano too faint; if anything, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

Movie Adagios

from: Decca

Release Date October 09, 2001
This CD was all that I hoped for. Beautiful, evocative music just made for a relaxing evening at home.