Verdi - Nabucco

Conductor: David Parry

Soloists: Alan Opie, Leonardo Capalbo, Alastair Miles, Susan Patterson

Chandos CHAN3136

(Released - November 2006)

Gramophone 'Disc of the Month'

Reviews:

Gramophone: 'Heading the cast is Alan Opie, perhaps giving his best performance to date on disc. He reveals every facet of the troubled King’s character… Susan Gritton… conveys every bit of the anti-heroine’s scheming and unforgiving character sings pretty much all of her taxing part with firm, full tone, then at the close shows suitable remorse in Act 3 finale… Alastair Miles proves his pre-eminence among British basses today in Verdi: every note of his two solos is sung with strength and a feeling for line, and he is as happy on high as below… David Parry makes the most of Verdi’s early, rudimentary style, conducting the piece for all its, supported finely by the Opera North Orchestra.'

BBC Music Magazine: 'The strengths here lie in the secure choral singing and disciplined playing of the Opera North forces and in the conducting of David Parry, who shows a good understanding of how the score should go. The soloists form an effective group.'

International Record Review: 'Alan Opie's Nabucco is a remarkable achievement…All ears, of course, are on the Abigaille, the one Verdi role that makes Lady Macbeth seem a walk in the park, and Susan Patterson does not disappoint. The voice is powerful from top to bottom and she sings fearlessly, snarling the more vicious moments of the text and caressing the softer ones… the minor roles as just as well performed… Opera North's Chorus and Orchestra, wonderfully rehearsed by David Parry, are ideal… Very highly recommended.'

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Bartók - Duke Bluebeard's Castle

Conductor: Richard Farnes

Soloists: John Tomlinson, Sally Burgess

Chandos CHAN3133

(June 2005; released - 1 May 2006)

Chosen as Radio 3's Disc of the Week

Reviews:

BBC Music Magazine: Performance 5 stars; Sound 5 stars: 'This new version based on semi-stagings by Opera North is splendidly recorded, and Farnes coaxes some superb playing from the orchestra...If you want a version in English, it would be hard to imagine it better done (and Mike Ashman's perceptive booklet note is a decided bonus)...'

Independent on Sunday: 5 stars: 'From the murky shadows of the first scene to the heart-stopping opening of the fifth door, Bartók's score is vividly realised by an orchestra on top form...Superbly creepy, and a must-buy even for those who already possess a version in the original Hungarian.'

Yorkshire Evening Post: 'Opera North's semi-staged production of Bartók's grisly story was among their greatest achievements, the performance in Leeds Town Hall later captured on this superb disc. John Tomlinson's Bluebeard is chilling with Sally Burgess a more scheming than innocent Judith in this English translation. Yet it is Opera North's orchestra and conductor, Richard Farnes, that makes it very special, the sheer impact and primary colours in a totally different class to other recordings. Probably the CD of the year.'

Manchester Evening News: 4 stars: 'This one captures its [the opera's] true splendour.' Read the full review.

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Lambert - Romeo and Juliet, Piano Concerto

Conductor: David Lloyd-Jones

Soloist: Jonathan Plowright

Hyperion CDA67545

(Released 1 August 2005)