Famous opera scenes

"Editor's choice: Those seeking virtuoso thrills - those who revel in the pianist's apparent ability to do the impossible - won't be disappointed ... Nor will those looking for subtler examples of technical expertise ... But virtuosity is secondary here. Rather, Lugansky deploys his technical magic - in particular, his sense of colour, his phrasing and his ability to illuminate key details within the most cluttered textures - less to wow the audience than to capture the depth and ambiguity of the dramatic moment ... The sound is excellent as well".

"The results are predictably front-rank. Jordan is one of our finest Wagner conductors today - he knows how it goes, how fast it should go and how to balance it ... Neither he nor his own Paris house orchestra are at all thrown by the lack of singers ... Stemme ... is in superb voice, steely and passionate by turns ... I would put this right up with the old Stokowski Philadelphia and Klemperer records".

"Brünhilde's Immolation ... sung by Nina Stemme with that combination of imperiousness and compassion to have made hers a leading assumption of this role for the present era, while Philippe Jordan secures a powerful and immediate yet not overbearing response in music ... Until that Paris production emerges on DVD, this collection serves as more than the memento of an impressive undertaking".

"Sony's sound is spacious and airy, and matched by playing from the orchestra that is lucid and virtuoso but occasionally lacking in Wagnerian heft. The violins, in particular, strike me as a little short on character ... It's an enjoyable disc, nonetheless, and an impressive showcase for Järvi's band".