LUDVIG VAN BEETHOVEN

"first class modern sound and cast to a standard I would of thought unachievable .. his [Davis’s] tempos are surprisingly fleet and there is an elemental energy to his conducting that propels the drama inexorably forward ... she [Brewer] sings the notes more effortlessly, and with thrilling attack at the top of her range, than any other contemporary Leonore ... Vocally, the big surprise is the sensitively and heroically sung Florestan of the Canadian tenor John Mac Master ... unmissable"

"a stellar cast headed by that fine American soprano Christine Brewer … Canadian tenor John Mac Master’s Florestan is every stave a match for Brewer’s powerful, affecting Leonora, with the LSO chorus in especially fine voice as Davis mines the visionary depths of Beethoven’s wondrous score"

"Smart people have long admired Christine Brewer for her power, clarity and good musical sense … this splendid soprano, who sings here with great beauty. Mr Mac Master removes the role – rescues it, some might say – from Wagnerian thickness. The sound is clear, with the svelteness of a Verdi tenor but steadfast under pressure …
Mr MacMaster and Mr Davis ride the music gloriously"

"Critical superlatives rained on the concert performances of Fidelio last May; this recording made at the time shows they were not exagerrated ... Fidelio is often let down by the Florestan but not in this case where Canadian tenor John Mac Master brings an almost Vickers-like intensity and lyricism. It is at moments like these that Beethoven’s opera is out on its own"              *****

" ... Colin Davis’s conducting of the London Symphony Orchestra and the vocal forces is so impressive that it ranks with the greatest accounts I have ever heard of this work, or of almost anything ... Davis’s interpretation is stupendous, weighty but moving forward with immense dramatic force, and with by far the greatest amount of orchestral detail that I have heard ... Christine Brewer is a great Fidelio, her big voice under perfect control, electrifying at climaxes."

Disc of the Month

Best of 2007 Classical CDs
"This thrilling performance was given in the Barbican last May when Sir Colin excelled himself in the power and nobility of his interpretation, with the LSO interrific form, and the American soprano Christine Brewer sang with gleaming white-hot tone as Leonore. The final paean of joy at liberation is overwhelming. First-class recording quality."