A selection of 'Naples' articles

Spotlight. Surprisingly Excellent - Gerald Fenech recommends music by Martucci. '... Martucci's music is so well crafted with an abundant spring of melody that one never tires of listening to it.'

CD Spotlight. A Trailblazer of Classical Expression - Anett Fodor encourages music enthusiasts to experience 'Il Boemo – The Czech'. '... a gateway, unveiling hidden treasures from a bygone era.'

CD Spotlight. Impassioned Advocacy - Music by Pasquale Anfossi, highly recommended by Gerald Fenech. '... animated performances full of verve and spirit.'

CD Spotlight. More Operatic than Liturgical - Geoff Pearce listens to Mercadante's Messa Solenne. '... a most welcome recording of music by what is today a relatively little-known composer.'

CD Spotlight. A Dark Nordic Kingdom - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to Verdi's 'Gustavo III' ('Un ballo in maschera'). '... a good recording to remember a much expected but somewhat disappointing performance.'

CD Spotlight. Borrowing Music by Other Composers - Gerald Fenech unreservedly recommends the compilation opera 'Caio Fabbricio'. '... brilliant performances from both singers and players ...'

CD Spotlight. A Young Saxon's Occasional Opera - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to 'Enea in Caonia' by Hasse. 'Stefano Montanari conducts ... skilfully, mostly in support of the voices.'

CD Spotlight. Dreams and Tales - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to piano music by Musorgsky and Scriabin played by Michele Campanella. '... the different touch from previous renderings makes this CD very well worth listening to.'

CD Spotlight. Teenage Years - Mendelssohn's String Symphonies, recommended by Gerald Fenech. 'Performances are energetic and inspiring throughout, with a touch of crispness consistently at the centre of things.'

Profile. Francesco Azopardi - A snippet of a Maltese classical composer, introduced by Simon Farrugia

Ensemble. Half and Half - Giuseppe Pennisi is not entirely convinced by Teatro San Carlo di Napoli's new production of Gioacchino Rossini's 'Il Turco in Italia'

Classical music news - February 2021 Obituaries - Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

Ensemble. An Opera for Voices - Giuseppe Pennisi reviews Vincenzo Bellini's rarely-staged 'Il Pirata'

Ensemble. A Delightful Morning - Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja sing live from Caserta in Italy as part of Met Stars Live in Concert, experienced by Maria Nockin

CD Spotlight. In Tune with the Changing Times - Giuseppe Pennisi discovers the eighteenth century Neapolitan composer Girolamo Rossi. '... an important discovery.'

Ensemble. The Dame Wears Black - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on Tchaikovsky's 'Pique Dame' in Naples

Ensemble. Very Sensual - Giuseppe Pennisi steps up to Caetani Castle to listen to madrigals by Gesualdo

CD Spotlight. Lauded all over Europe - Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, recommended by Gerald Fenech. '... performances are passionately committed, resonating continuously the collective emotion that is mystical and festive, painful and joyous, surprising and disturbing.'

Ensemble. Tradition and Passion - Giuseppe Pennisi reviews a revival of Wagner's 'Die Walküre' in Naples

Ensemble. Extreme Tension - Janácek's 'Kát'a Kabanová' impresses Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Almost a World Premiere - Gaspare Spontini's 'Le metamorfosi di Pasquale', heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Blood and Orgasms - Dmitri Shostakovich's 'Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District' in Naples, heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Extreme Tensions - Richard Strauss' 'Elektra', back in Naples, impresses Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Sex, Blood and Power - Tchaikovsky's 'The Enchantress', reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Little to do with Shakespeare - A strong production of Rossini's 'Otello' opens Teatro San Carlo's new season in Naples, reported by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A Different 'Norma' - Giuseppe Pennisi visits Naples

Ensemble. A Triumph - Hans Werner Henze's love for Italy, and 'Gisella!' in Palermo, by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A Bold Decision - 'Il Trovatore' in Naples, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Eros and Gospels - Giuseppe Pennisi was in Naples for Richard Strauss' 'Salome'

Ensemble. Full of Irony - De Giosa's 'Don Checco', heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

CD Spotlight. First Rate - Harp music from early baroque Naples, recommended by Gerald Fenech. 'Margret Köll's performances have an ethereal aura ...'

Ensemble. Vibrant and Wild - Wagner's 'Flying Dutchman' enthralls Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Rhythm and Irony - Eighteenth century Neapolitan cello concertos fascinate Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Philologically Correct - A sexless 'Traviata' opens San Carlo's new season in Naples, experienced by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A Taste for Melody - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on Spontini's recently discovered comedy 'La Fuga in Maschera'

CD Spotlight. Supreme Skill - Leonardo Vinci's 'La Partenope', heard by Robert Anderson. '... Vinci at his best.'

Ensemble. Uneven but Gorgeous - Giuseppe Pennisi reports from Naples on 'I Masnadieri' and 'Die Räuber'

CD Spotlight. Comparing Lockets - Giuseppe Verdi's 'Simon Boccanegra', heard by Robert Anderson. '... Boccanegra is sung by Tito Gobbi, notable in any context ...'

DVD Spotlight. Brilliant Sounds - Pergolesi's 'Adriano in Siria', reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'The music is as bewitching as the story is dotty.'

Ensemble. Tormented Souls - Sex and power in the aftermath of a Middle Eastern war, when 'Semiramide' opens the opera season in Naples, reported by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Patriot and Terrorist? - New aspects of Rossini brought to light at the 2011 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, discussed by Giuseppe Pennisi

DVD Spotlight. Seldom Equalled - Michelangeli plays Beethoven, Galuppi and Scarlatti, and impresses Howard Smith. 'His relentless perfectionism allows him spellbinding precision ...'

DVD Spotlight. Wonderfully Resourceful - Rossini's 'Il Turco in Italia', reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'The orchestra under Antonello Allemandi seem to have relished the evening as much as I did.'

Ensemble. Lasting Magic - Giuseppe Pennisi was at the Italian premiere in Ravenna of Mercadante's 'I Due Figaro'

Ensemble. Original but Controversial - 'Sicilian Vespers' as conceived by Verdi, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Too Clever by Half - A very British version of Mozart's 'Die Entführung aus dem Serail' returns to Rome, experienced by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A Wonderful Rendition - Donizetti's 'Lucia di Lammermoor', enjoyed by Maria Nockin

CD Spotlight. A Magnificent Celebration - Three Rodrigo guitar concertos, enjoyed by Robert Anderson. 'Alfonso Moreno is a superb protagonist, technically impeccable ...'

Ensemble. Drama and Comedy - British humour under the Neapolitan sun, in 'L'Elisir d'Amore' in Rome and San Francisco, by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. The Quality of Mercy - Verdi's 'La Forza del Destino', heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A High-level Production - 'The Merry Widow', heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A Difficult Cocktail - Rossini's 'Moïse et Pharaon', assessed by Giuseppe Pennisi

Heroes Step Up in Crisis - The Muti era lays claim to Chicago, by Barbara Sealock

Ensemble. First Class - The new Palermo production of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville', a casual worker in Almodóvar's Seville, recommended by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Under the Tuscan Sun - Giuseppe Pennisi attends the beginning of the Tiroler Festspiele 2010

Ensemble. Human Nature - A staged 'Così fan tutte' at Severance Hall in Cleveland, enjoyed by Kelly Ferjutz

Dual Personality? - In the 20th anniversary year of Bernstein's death, Giuseppe Pennisi writes about Italy's homage to Lenny

CD Spotlight. Nearly Unknown - Bologna's Renaissance music, heard by Giuseppe Pennisi. '... an efficient and effective local ensemble ...'

Ensemble. The Quality of the Cooks - Verdi comic operas on stage, tasted by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. Alive and Well - Giuseppe Pennisi experiences Zeffirelli's latest 'La traviata'

CD Spotlight. Consistently Refined - Debussy transcriptions, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... these alternatives are never less than striking ...'

Ensemble. Something Different - Rossini's opera 'Ermione', reviewed by Robert Hugill

Ensemble. Operatic Passions - Francesco Cilea's 'Adriana Lecouvreur', reviewed by Robert Hugill

DVD Spotlight. Quicksilver Music - Rossini's 'L'occasione fa il ladro', enjoyed by Robert Anderson. '... a performance of bubbling vitality ...'

Record box. Impressive Refinement - Handel Italian cantatas performed by Arcadia, and reviewed by Patric Standford

Record box - Brilliantly handled. Roderic Dunnett listens to 'La Contadina' by Hasse