D E C C A

English Decca's two-for-one struts the label "Caractère" - which in French means orginality, allure and Gallic individuality. Decca's double-header was first based on the affinities of Decca's artists with French musical tastes. Thus "Caractère" linked Pascal Rogé to Debussy or Ravel, Monteux to Beethoven; Sir Georg Solti to Wagner Preludes. This series was subsequently known in the UK and the USA as DOUBLE DECCA.

More recently, Decca has released a number of operas - but only in France - in their recent "twofer" series "Rouge Opéra", where you can find the Solti-Nilsson performances ofSalome and Elektra, the Tebaldi-Bergonzi La Bohème, Sutherland's Lakmé or even her Tales of Hoffman with Domingo, and that's only the tip of the iceberg - you can even find Sir Colin Davis's first recording of Béatrice et Bénédict, an Operanet choice for the 101 Best. This month's "Smart Buys" on Decca include:
J.R.