STRAUSS: Elektra
Eva Marton (Elektra); Cheryl Studer (Chrysothemis); Marjana Lipovsek (Klytäemnestra); Bernd Weikl (Orest); Hermann Winkler (Aegisth); Bavarian Radio Chorus and Orch/Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond.
EMI CLASSICS 09190 (2 CDs)
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PUCCINI: Turandot
Montserrat Caballé (Turandot); Mirella Freni (Liu); José Carerras (Calaf); Michel Sénéchal (Emperor); Paul Plishka (Timur); Vicente Sardinero (Ping); Remy Corazza (Pang); Ricardo Cassinelli (Pong); Rhin Opera Chorus; Strausbourg Philharmonic Orch/Alain Lombard, cond.
EMI CLASSICS 09173 (2 CDs)
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BRITTEN: Peter Grimes
Anthony Rolfe Johnson (Peter Grimes); Felicity Lott (Ellen Orford); Thomas Allen (Captain Balstrode); Patricia Payne (Auntie); Maria Bovino (Niece 1); Gillian Webster (Niece 2); Stuart Kale (Bob Boles); Stafford Dean (Swallow); Sarah Walker (Mrs. Sedley); Neil Jenkins (Rev. Horace Adams); Simon Keenleyside (Ned Keene); David Wilson-Johnson (Hobson); Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Bernard Haitink, cond.
EMI CLASSICS 09156 (2 CDs)
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GOUNOD: Faust
Placido Domingo (Faust); Mirella Freni (Marguerite); Nicolai Ghiaurov (Mephistopheles); Thomas Allen (Valentin); Michèle Command (Siebel); Jocelyn Taillon (Dame Marthe); Marc Vento (Wagner); Chorus and Orchestra of t he Paris National Opera Theatre/Georges Pretre, cond.
EMI CLASSICS 09166 (2 CDs)
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Here are four more mid-price sets from EMI Classics, major releases when first released, and they have stood the test of time. Marton was considered a leading interpreter of Elektra; at the time of this recording (1990) she still had her powerhouse volume and is, for her, in good form. The remainder of the cast is first rate, but the real star here is Sawallisch (check our feature on ELEKTRA). Turandot, recorded in 1977, receives a rather gentle performance with the superb Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé showing more of the feminine side of the title role than usually heard. Freni and Carreras are equally fine—a somewhat different approach to Puccini's last opera. There's no question that Haitink's darkly powerful and leisurely direction of Britten's Peter Grimes is mightily impressive with a uniformly strong cast headed by Britten specialist Anthony Rolfe Johnson. This Faust isn't particularly idiomatic without a French singer in any of the major roles, but it packs a lot of star power. The Ballet is tacked onto the end of the performance instead of being heard in context.

Audio quality on all of these is excellent. Packaging is minimal with boxes instead of jewel cases. CD notes are brief, but there is a track-by-track synopsis of action. The complete texts are available online at www.theoperaseries.com. This series is a relatively inexpensive way to acquire some major opera recordings of the past.

R.E.B. (March 2007)