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Ponto 50 (4CD) At first it may seem a simple job to make a 4-CD compilation of the best recordings from a collection for a special release such as Ponto - No. 50. However, if you have to make your choice from around 15,000 performances, you soon come into problems. One performance is even better than the other, this one should certainly be included, and soon you find yourself busy for weeks making a compilation, knowing in advance that some opera lovers will wonder why this singer, that composer, or a certain opera has been omitted. Naturally we are very much aware of this. But what prevents you from letting us know your suggestions and wishes via our website? In any case, we have tried to present as many as possible singers performing repertory you wouldn't expect from them or know they had done. Take for example Beverly Sills in Semele by G.F. Handel. These days her vibration would no longer be accepted, but who can equal her technique and her personality on stage? Endless pleasure may not be the best example, but it is what we wish you with these four CDs. The Dutch soprano Gré Brouwenstijn has set a standard with her interpretations of Wagner, especially as Sieglinde in Die Walküre and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser. Her interpretations of Verdi are every bit as good and in Karajan's time she was much loved in Vienna as Tosca. Her Iphigénie was rather criticised by the Dutch press. But to my surprise, after hearing a bonus track from this recording, a number of international music critics wrote that it was the best performance they had ever heard and they wanted to know when the complete recording would be released. The next tracks with a scene from Iphigénie in Aulis are dedicated to Gundula Janowitz. A must for all her fans, including myself. The mezzo-soprano Giulietta Simionato loved the part of Cherubino. Curiously enough her record company paid no attention to this. In my opinion this is precisely the type of voice that suits her: the lyrical mezzo, and what an interpretation! The next recording from Don Giovanni does not quite belong in this collection, but it is a special treat to hear lady crooner No.1 in Mozart alongside the lovely Kathryn Grayson, who was trained as a classical singer. It is always fantastic to hear two great Normas, one in the title role, while the other has to make do with Adalgisa. The part of Adalgisa is certainly not inferior to that of Norma, but it is less rewarding, because she disappears from stage after her second duet with Norma, while the heroin gets to sing and perform some of the most beautiful pages of Bellini, often making you forget what came before. Ghena Dimitrova is much underrated and her many live-recordings show one of the most interesting singers of her time. At present Maria Dragoni is one of the leading divas, however, many opera lovers hardly know her. In future we hope to pay a lot of attention to both Divas. Mara Zampieri is a singer you really must see on stage; it is always an incredible experience. Her voice is just not the kind of voice that comes across on record, but the same can be said of for instance Maria Callas, Magda Olivero and Leyla Gencer. Just listen to her interpretation of the finale from Roberto Devereux and you will understand why we have included this track. Chris Merritt has very successfully survived the move from bel canto tenor to character roles. For example, his interpretation of Loge in Wagner's Rheingold in Amsterdam was unforgettable. He is one of the few tenors who has sung the part of Guglielmo Tell live in the past few years. It is one of the most fascinating recordings by Merritt: the great duet with the New York soprano Aprile Millo, who has many admirers, especially in North America, and who also has not been given all the attention she deserves. For many the recording of Macbeth with the Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya will be a very welcome surprise. Besides the Russian repertory, she loved Verdi and we have a complete Otello (Desdemona) and Falstaff (Alice Ford) in store for you, both sung in Russian. However, this Macbeth was sung in Italian which made her a little unsure of herself. Alongside her you will hear a famous Macbeth by Norman Bailey, who has also really been recorded too little. Every recording by Renata Scotto is a must and this Trovatore is certainly no exception. Personally I find Renata Scotto the most fascinating artist after Maria Callas, especially interpretation-wise. Enthusiasts who are familiar with our productions, know that we have a special liking for Julia Varady. The press compared her performance of Leonara in La Forza del Destino with those by Maria Callas and Leontyne Price. Like many others, the tenor Veriano Lucheti has always been overshadowed by the great three. It is a relief to hear a different voice for a change, especially if it has the quality of Veriano Luchetti's. Desdemona was one of Joan Sutherland's last parts and luckily this performance has survived. It is a unique musical document! One often forgets that Anja Silja started off as Die Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte). She still sang the three parts in Hoffmann, after having sung in Bayreuth for a few years. How often did this singer have to hear that she was ruining her voice? However, she still sings character roles in all the important opera houses. She is also a great personality on stage. Waldemar Kmennt was one of the most favourite tenors in Vienna and a welcome guest at all the important opera houses in the world. The highlight of his career was his Walther von Stolzing in Die Meistersinger by Richard Wagner in Bayreuth. It cannot be compared to the French performance of Hoffmann with Alain Vanzo in the title role. The character and performance of the work are entirely different and Alain Vanzo is beyond comparison. Every recording by this artist is a godsend. From his first note you just know that you are in for something special. He demonstrates that once more in the scene of the Italian singer in Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss. Berlioz in German surely takes some getting used to and is certainly not to everybody's taste. It is not to my taste either, but the tracks on these CDs are an opportunity to hear two celebrities in fine vocal form and it definitely is something special. Margaret Price had one of the finest voices you could imagine, combining accuracy in the high register and allure. Her Tatjana, part of an integral performance, is a good addition to her discography. The recording of Tristan und Isolde was taken off the soundtrack of a film. Montserrat Caballé hardly moves on the stage and vocally it is over the top, but what charisma! As always with this singer, you are just forced to stay and watch. She is seconded by Brigitte Fassbaender whose thoughts I would have liked to have been able to read. Salome with Tito Gobbi as Jochanaan is certainly just as extraordinary. Whatever Gobbi does, he remains a singer/actor and every recording is a surprise. The Capriccio with Claire Watson was the first performance that I saw on stage and it has always stuck in my mind. Certainly not the beautiful voice of a Lisa Della Cassa or the refinement of an Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, nevertheless she is an approachable Gräfin and Donald Grobe is an excellent partner. Naturally Leontyne Price was never an ideal Manon or Butterfly. However, if you like her voice you will forgive her for that. Iris by Mascagni is one of my favourite operas with as one of the highlights this scene from the second act. Again there are hardly any recordings by Adriana Maliponte and I had never heard of Allas Glassman. Jon Vickers is of course not the obvious person for an impassioned Andrea Chenier. It is not disappointing and a recording by Ilva Ligabue is always welcome. Regine Crespin is another of those artists most opera experts do not want to hear anything negative about and rightly so. She has recorded far too little complete works, especially when it comes to the French repertory. One of her last parts was Madame Flora, a horrifying creation which has luckily been transmitted in its entirety. Magda Olivero's voice is hard to characterise. Her voice was also difficult to record, but each part is a jewel of interpretation and leaves an unforgettable impression. Her strength is that she cannot be compared to anybody. It was the producer's highly personal wish to acquaint you with the last two recordings. Marijke van der Lugt was one of the greatest dramatic sopranos from the Netherlands, who became famous as Elektra, Gioconda and Turandot. She had success in Verona with La Gioconda. Personal circumstances prevented her from having an international career. The radio recording of Ariane was a great surprise to everybody and it is still one of the best recordings of this neglected work. In the 50s and 60s Annie Delorie was the most loved and best alto in the Netherlands. Jenufa was one of Gré Brouwenstijn's greatest parts. She sang a series of performances at the Holland Festival both in 1951 and 1960. Laca was sung by Frans Vroons who was considered "the Dutch tenor" in the 50s. The performances were in Dutch and the strange thing was, that for the second series almost only Czech singers were invited, who had to relearn their parts in Dutch and were unintelligible. I hope that you agree with me that, with these four CDs, you have a treasury of opera excerpts in your possession. In the period to come a number of these recordings will be released on CD integrally. So until then please bear with us. Should you have any wishes, please let us know. Enjoy!