Search - Christoph Willibald Gluck, Charles Mackerras, Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra Covent Garden :: Gluck: Alceste

Libretto please.

Ivan W. Caine | Richmond, MA United States | 02/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a moving performance, although the superlatives that have been cited for Janet Baker are excessive. I cannot fathom any offering of an opera which is not among the twenty most popular that lacks a libretto, even if only in the language in which it is sung."

A precious momento of a great moment in the theatre

J. Chiu | Washington, DC | 04/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the kind of recording which convinces you that 'live' opera is inherently superior to studio recording. This 'Alceste' is extraordinarily intense and vivid (it is not simply a well-reheased, letter-perfect document), and a triumph for all the artists concerned. Pride of place yields to the thrilling grandeur and pathos of Janet Baker, perhaps the only recent singer whose centredness and passion in all her various operatic roles could be compared to Callas. The 'noble simplicity' of Greek art was reaffirmed and reinterpreted by Gluck in his retelling of the famous story of Alcestis. Janet Baker, in turn, illuminates the core of Gluck's opera with an incandescant performance that embodies the concept of heroic sacrifice , which the Greek philophers believed could be manifest in men and women alike. This super-budget issue has surprisingly good sound to which your ear will rapidly adjust. For lovers of Gluck, his opera Alceste, and the classical tradition in Western art, this recording is a 'must'."

Alceste is amazing

Isabel B. Spencer | 06/16/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The singing on this CD is terrific. It should be noted that this is the FRENCH version and that no libretto is included. I have thus far been unable to locate the French libretto, although it is the version most frequently performed today. The Italian version is quite different."