Best Tenor Voices
1 Tenore
Jonathan Antoine's solo debut, "Tenore," follows the success he achieved with former singing partner, Charlotte Jaconelli, which includes a top 10 debut on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart and over 200,000 albums sold worldwide. "Tenore" is the result of combined natural talent and strong work ethic; it is our first taste of Jonathan Antoine s potential as he begins his promising solo career.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I believe this young man will be opera's greatest ambassador."
"It has taken me a few days longer than normal to write this review for no other reason than I fear I will not have the words to do this incredible album and this brilliant tenor the justice deserved. The tour de force of Tenore will have you experiencing heights of great joy and haunting sorrow. Jonathan instinctively knows when the "telling of the story" requires power and intensity or should be sweetly gentle."
"It's mature and sophisticated well beyond his 19 years, extremely powerful, gorgeously beautiful, exquisitely tender, heartwrenchingly emotional."
"Someday though I am hoping to watch him as an opera singer in opera houses."
"Plan to be mezmoized by his powerful voice and in awe of how he has complete control of those long wonderful notes and the levels he reaches so effortlessly."
"I was mesmerized by his voice, and probably watched his audition video 50 times or more."
"This is a beautiful album which deserves it's place at #1 in UK Classical Charts - Jonathan now holds the official record at 19 years of age for achieving this!!!"
"The beauty and passion displayed in each track by this young man defy description.He sings so effortlessly. The only thing better than hearing TENORE on CD or download, would be to see JONATHAN ANTOINE in person."
This album honors all those who have served their country in times of war.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"songs from past wars helps recall the sacrifices made by our service people."
"He , with the financial help from some of the parents at St. Michael turned professional and was briefly with the Irish Tenors but had to leave when his Irish mother living in Ireland in the house John bought for her, became gravely ill. , she died weeks later with John at her side."
"Thanks to Amazon for making this John McDermott CD available!"
"He captures and conveys the enduring sadness of the human tragedies and incongruences of war, as well as a compelling appeal to honor and remember the physical and emotional sacrifices that combatants on both sides of the conflict have been forced to make."
"This album is a tribute, not only to those who fought and died for their country, but also to those who lost loved ones in those conflicts."
"Great album I am the announcer for our local Memorial Day Parade so I made a playlist of some of the songs and played them while waiting for our Memorial Day Parade started."
"This is a wonderful CD which I ordered as a gift for a friend who returned from the war in Afghanistan."
"I gave this five stars because it is so beautifully arranged."
Forty years after the Clancy Brothers found popularity singing traditional Irish folksongs to an American audience, along comes the Irish Tenors, the trio of John McDermott , Anthony Kearns, and Ronan Tynan.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I am Irish, and a big fan of Irish music."
"Love the Irish Tenors and the emotion with which they present old classics and newer/unfamiliar songs."
"I bought it because we had been in Ireland and was looking for a CD with the song Grace, about a woman who married one of the members of the Irish Rebellion who was in Kilmainham Jail at the time and was executed hours after they married."
"I bought this for "Toora-Loora-Looral", my father was half irish and a tenor, my earliest memories include him singing this as he walked thru the house in the morning."
"Some of the renderings are so lovely that they brought tears to my eyes: "Believe Me (If All Those Endearing Young Charms)," "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen," "Danny Boy," and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"."
"While eating a late evening meal with my very Irish wife, we happened upon a PBS production of The Three Irish Tenors."
"These singers are just a step higher than most tenors I've heard."
"After enjoying the PBS special, "The Irish Tenors" (can't believe I missed it in March), I could not wait to order the CD."
Best Voices
Jonathan Antoine's solo debut, "Tenore," follows the success he achieved with former singing partner, Charlotte Jaconelli, which includes a top 10 debut on the Billboard Classical Crossover chart and over 200,000 albums sold worldwide. "Tenore" is the result of combined natural talent and strong work ethic; it is our first taste of Jonathan Antoine s potential as he begins his promising solo career.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I believe this young man will be opera's greatest ambassador."
"It has taken me a few days longer than normal to write this review for no other reason than I fear I will not have the words to do this incredible album and this brilliant tenor the justice deserved. The tour de force of Tenore will have you experiencing heights of great joy and haunting sorrow. Jonathan instinctively knows when the "telling of the story" requires power and intensity or should be sweetly gentle."
"It's mature and sophisticated well beyond his 19 years, extremely powerful, gorgeously beautiful, exquisitely tender, heartwrenchingly emotional."
"Someday though I am hoping to watch him as an opera singer in opera houses."
"Plan to be mezmoized by his powerful voice and in awe of how he has complete control of those long wonderful notes and the levels he reaches so effortlessly."
"I was mesmerized by his voice, and probably watched his audition video 50 times or more."
"This is a beautiful album which deserves it's place at #1 in UK Classical Charts - Jonathan now holds the official record at 19 years of age for achieving this!!!"
"The beauty and passion displayed in each track by this young man defy description.He sings so effortlessly. The only thing better than hearing TENORE on CD or download, would be to see JONATHAN ANTOINE in person."
Best Soprano Voices
Yet only a bit more than a generation ago, the possibilities inherent in the long-playing record inspired John Culshaw, a young producer for Decca, to attempt the most ambitious recording project ever contemplated up to that time--a complete studio recording of the Ring . The care lavished on the capture of the music was unmatched at the time of the recording, and still leaves this as one of the best sounding Rings even today, when the oldest part ( Rheingold ) has reached its 40th anniversary.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The Solti Ring is the best recording of the Ring cycle."
"And, to add to that, the world is sorely lackiing of hochdramatische sopranos, true heldentenors, and great bass-baritones to sing the parts of the cycle's most difficult roles--Brunnhilde, Siegfried, and Wotan. Due to this, in order to be able to experience this monumental opus, you must turn to the recordings of the past to sample the greatness of Richard Wagner. With a team that consisted of chorus master Wilhelm Pitz, singers Astrid Varnay, Hans Hotter, Wolfgang Windgassen, Ramon Vinay, Gustav Neidlinger, Gre Brouwenstijn, Martha Modl, and later Birgit Nilsson, Martti Talvela, James King, Leonie Rysanek, and other singers who owned these roles in the Theatre on the Green Hill, plus a plethora of conductors that consisted of Herbert von Karajan, Hans Knappertsbusch, Clemens Krauss, Joseph Keilberth, and Rudolf Kempe (all conductors who by some divine intervention all had last names beginning with "K"), Wieland Wagner unveiled a new and fresh way of Wagner interpretation along with a team of singers and musicians who made this great music sing. Solti leads the Wiener Philharmoniker in a recording that brings the theatrical values of Wagner's operas to the comfort of the living room without the stage noises and other distractions that some listeners seem to detest. Here, you get the steerhorns and tuned anvils and metal bars that Wagner personally requested to be put into the score, in addition to other sound effects that would be impossible to realize in the theater. It is true that while Solti had a heavy hand in this recording in comparison with conductors such as Karajan, Krauss, Bohm, and Boulez who exuded transparency in their readings, he brings everything in the score to life. From the Mime Wanderer riddle scene to the Forging song to the Wotan Erda confrontation and the glorious love duet that ends the opera, Solti gets all the orchestral nuances perfectly. From the haziness of the Norn scene to the Dawn love duet and the Gibichung hall music, and the Waltraute Brunnhilde dialogue, I think Solti captures this Act perfectly. Act 2 is done well too, with Gottlob Frick's menacing Hagen and Neidlinger's definitive Alberich creating a most sinister mood accompanied by Solti's masterly conducting. From the chattering of the Rhinemaidens to Siegfried's death and funeral march to the glorious Immolation Scene, I think this Act III represents Wagner's music at its greatest, and no other recording captures the essence of the final moments of the Ring with all its synthesis of the various leitmotifs in such a moving manner. I have never seen such a glorious cast assembled in the recording studio such as this, and everything from Neidlinger's Alberich, Nilsson's Brunnhilde, Hotter and London's Wotans, Windgassens's Siegfried, Flagstad's Rheingold Fricka and Ludwig's Walkure Fricka, Hoffgen's Erda, King's Siegmund, Crespin's Sieglinde, Frick's Hagen and Hunding, Bohme's characterful Fafner, Sutherland woodbird, Stolze's Mime, and the chattery and lusty Walkures, Norns, and Rheinmaidens is simply a vocal treat. James King is a most moving Siegmund, surpassed only by his Bohm interpretation and possibly Ramon Vinay on a good day, and his Sieglinde, Regine Crespin, is one of the most female and human singers ever to have brought the role to life. With the care lavished on such a great project (Culshaw's attention to the miniscule details in the score), Solti's wonderful conducting, and a cast that truly represents the golden age of Wagner, I would say, this is an essential recording for anyone's collection."
"Being a Chicago native, I've been a fan of Solti for a very long time & his conducting of the Ring cycle is absolutely sensational."
"The cast is simply incredible, featuring the incomparable Birgit Nilsson as Brunnhilde and a wonderful Wolfgang Windgassen as Siegfried."
"Yes, asking a Wagnerian about his/her favorite recording of Der Ring will always produce wildly varying responses, but regardless of what you may read in other reviews, the fact remains that this recording is THE standard Ring, and certinly the right choice for those new to Wagner's masterpiece. As I said in an earlier, anonymous review: "This collection is a must for anyone who wants to embark on a lifelong study of the monumental Ring Cycle."
Best Baritone Voices
Sutherland's second recording of I Puritani is a substantial step beyond her first, thanks largely to the excellent cast assembled around her and to Richard Bonynge's growth in power and subtlety as a conductor.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The cast is in good voice and Bonyage moves them through their paces with his usual expert conducting."
"This CD should be the only version of this opera your order and it is worth every penny paid for this awesome opera."
"Bellini, Pavarotti, Sutherland plus Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov and Bonynge - Can't be beat!"
"Love this opera - this purchase was fantastic!"
"This is definitely the best recording of I Puritani on the market and it is worth the price whether you purchase it new or used...it is definitely worth adding to your collection!"
"Yes, that production had its flaws...Pavarotti's voice cracked, and Sutherland's last note was blood curdling. And the score is just too long...it saps the joy out of the beautiful arias by drawing them out. In summary, the live 1976 performance and Sutherland's 1962 recording made me love this opera."