Operas
The longing to overcome human boundaries lead the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to begin an experiment that formed a threat to the whole of humanity, and whose scientific results still do today. The question of the moral implications of the atomic bomb is raised in John Adams' opera, just as much as that of the influence on the private lives of the main characters. Dr. Atomic is the fifth work to result from almost twenty years of collaboration between the American composer and his fellow American director and Erasmus Prize-winner Peter Sellars.
Bonus features:
- Interview with Peter Sellars.
- Illustrated synopsis
Bonus features:
- Interview with Peter Sellars.
- Illustrated synopsis
Enjoy the world premiere of the full and original version of Merlin by Isaac Albeniz, over a century after he completed the work. Albeniz composed this 'Wagnerian' opera to an English libretto by his patron Francis Burdett Money-Coutts between 1898 and 1902. Many believed the score was lost, until the conductor Jose De Eusebio reconstructed it from various manuscript sources and publishers' proofs. For this stunning production director John Drew created a world of magic and fantasy, using evocative sets, and splendid lighting.
Bonus feature:
- Interviews with David Wilson-Johnson, Eva Marton and conductor Jose de Eusebio
Bonus feature:
- Interviews with David Wilson-Johnson, Eva Marton and conductor Jose de Eusebio
"Those in search of a thoroughly teutonic Fidelio should speed to Covent Garden. The new production, comes via the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels. It moves swiftly and surely, is powerfully cast and is conducted with fine muscular authority by Christoph von Dohnányi"
- The Times
- The Times
Bellini, unlike many of his colleagues - among them Donizetti - did not have to endure the disappointments and difficulties of rising from the ranks. His Bianca e Gernando , in 1826, was well received at Naples's Teatro San Carlo, and one year later, at the age of twenty-six, the composer triumphed at Milan's La Scala with Il Pirata . Norma is not only the high point of Bellini's artistic parabola but also the quintessence of Italian belcanto.
This video was recorded at the Massimo Bellini theatre of Catania, native town of the great Sicilian composer, and features, in the title role, the famous Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou, one of today’s best interpreters of Norma.
This video was recorded at the Massimo Bellini theatre of Catania, native town of the great Sicilian composer, and features, in the title role, the famous Greek soprano Dimitra Theodossiou, one of today’s best interpreters of Norma.
Berg was conscripted during the 1914-18 war and acquired from his experiences the compassion and loathing to write his first, terrifyingly great opera, about a soldier tormented and mocked by his superiors until he loses his reason, cutting the throat of his mistress, and drowning himself. A devious world destroys Wozzeck's sense of identity and turns him into a murderer.
This brutalisation is made palpable in Peter Mussbach's highly-stylised production which, in its expressionistic artificiality, heightens the emotional intensity of this searing work. In his hands Wozzeck becomes an agonising lament over lost innocence. Mussbach is a master of visual and dramatic effect and the impact of his staging is enhanced by the framing opportunities afforded by video recording under studio conditions. Surfaces are steeply raked and blaze in primary colours; perspectives are flattened and distorted; space is confined; decoration has been stripped away; character is manifested through costumes, masks, make-up, movement; the particular stands for the collective.
Dale Duesing, as Wozzeck, is a charismatic central figure, an agile performer, restless and tormented. The role of Marie is taken by Kristine Ciesinski, a consummate singer and actress of Berg's work. Mussbach's Hauptmann...
This brutalisation is made palpable in Peter Mussbach's highly-stylised production which, in its expressionistic artificiality, heightens the emotional intensity of this searing work. In his hands Wozzeck becomes an agonising lament over lost innocence. Mussbach is a master of visual and dramatic effect and the impact of his staging is enhanced by the framing opportunities afforded by video recording under studio conditions. Surfaces are steeply raked and blaze in primary colours; perspectives are flattened and distorted; space is confined; decoration has been stripped away; character is manifested through costumes, masks, make-up, movement; the particular stands for the collective.
Dale Duesing, as Wozzeck, is a charismatic central figure, an agile performer, restless and tormented. The role of Marie is taken by Kristine Ciesinski, a consummate singer and actress of Berg's work. Mussbach's Hauptmann...
Tom Cairns' cinematic film of Bernstein's chamber opera features a young and vibrant cast, set in the Fifties. This biting satire on American suburban married life stars Stephanie Novacek as Dinah and Karl Daymond as Sam, facing a serious communication breakdown - he is obsessed with his achievements in work and sport: she seeks escapism via therapy and the magical world of the latest movie release, Trouble in Tahiti . Inspired by jazz and American musical comedy, the score is a path-breaking fusion of lyric art with popular entertainment.
Bonus features:
- Introduction to Trouble in Tahiti
- Not Particularly Romantic - Humphrey Burton, Bernstein's biographer, comments on the composer's life and the significance of Trouble in Tahiti.
- A Very Testing Piece - Conductor Paul Daniel on the performance and background of the opera
Bonus features:
- Introduction to Trouble in Tahiti
- Not Particularly Romantic - Humphrey Burton, Bernstein's biographer, comments on the composer's life and the significance of Trouble in Tahiti.
- A Very Testing Piece - Conductor Paul Daniel on the performance and background of the opera
This world premiere of a gripping new work by composer Harrison Birtwistle and librettist David Harsent, commissioned by The Royal Opera, brings the monstrous, Greek mythological character to the stage. The Minotaur, part man, part beast, trapped in his labyrinth and constrained by his bloodthirsty role there, longs to discover his true identity and his own voice. Athens must pay a blood sacrifice to Crete and among the innocents is Theseus, who has come to challenge the violent Minotaur, but who also attracts the attention of Ariadne, half-sister and keeper of the monster; it is with her help he succeeds.
Bonus features:
- Documentary - Myth is Universal .
- Illustrated synopsis.
Bonus features:
- Documentary - Myth is Universal .
- Illustrated synopsis.
From the Glyndebourne Opera House…An exhilarating new Carmen from Glyndebourne. Director David McVicar describes Carmen as "the first ever musical", and in his new production, with Anne Sofie von Otter in the title role, Carmen is restored to the original Opera Comique as Bizet wrote it, stripping away subsequent re-workings which turned it into a grand opera. Philippe Jordan makes his Glyndebourne debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Glyndebourne Chorus and a cast that includes Marcus Haddock, Laurent Naouri and Lisa Milne.
Bonus features:
- Costume design
- How to fight on stage
- Illustrated synopsis
- The cast and their characters
- Choreographing Carmen
- The Gardens of Glyndebourne
Bonus features:
- Costume design
- How to fight on stage
- Illustrated synopsis
- The cast and their characters
- Choreographing Carmen
- The Gardens of Glyndebourne
The libretto, by Henri Meilac and Ludovic Halévy, is based on a novella by Prosper Mérimée. The first performance of Carmen on 3 March 1875, produced such a hostile reaction that Bizet left Paris physically and psychologically ill, and died only three months later on 3 June 1875, following two serious heart attacks. The massive scandal of the premiere may have been partially the result of Bizet's attempt to reform the Opéra Comique genre, yet it must still be said that Carmen is operatic history's most famous example of a failure being corrected by the passage of time: Carmen is now one of the most frequently performed operas in the world.
The major Spanish actress and producer Nuria Espert was brought in for the production at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1991, while the authentic Flamenco choreography comes from Cristina Hoyos and is danced by, among others, Juan Ortego. For the musical side of this successful production Zubin Mehta had top vocalists at his disposal to perform the roles of Carmen, Don José and Escamillo.
The major Spanish actress and producer Nuria Espert was brought in for the production at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1991, while the authentic Flamenco choreography comes from Cristina Hoyos and is danced by, among others, Juan Ortego. For the musical side of this successful production Zubin Mehta had top vocalists at his disposal to perform the roles of Carmen, Don José and Escamillo.
Bizet's passionate tale of the self-willed gypsy woman Carmen is certainly one of the most popular works in the history of opera. It shows how a cigar factory worker in Seville enchants and bewitches the men around her. Melodies like Carmen's legendary 'Habanera'or Escamillo's 'Toreador March' are well known tunes all over the world. The Opéra Comique in Paris commissioned George Bizet to write Carmen in 1872 and Bizet's music portrays the characters with care and reveals itself to both the most naïve and the most sophisticated listener. The wild-romantic Roman quarry of St. Margarethen provided the perfect backdrop for this live recording of one of the key works of the so-called 'Hispanismo'-style. The film captures a summer's evening in 2005 when thousands of spectators gathered at one of Europe's most important open-air festivals, visited by 220.000 opera lovers annually. This exciting production brought horses, pyrotechnical special effects and more than 400 participants onto the stage.
Arrigo Boito's treatment of the Faust legend is imaginative yet also faithful to Goethe's original conception, and the score is memorable for its rich orchestral sounds, beautifully punctuated with lyrical passages and choral interludes.
Robert Carsen's sumptuous, post-modern production of Mefistofele is a gloriously decadent and theatrically stunning realisation, and the San Francisco Opera's performance has been unanimously acclaimed in both Paris and San Francisco.
Samuel Ramey, in the title role, has won both critical and overwhelming popular approval.
Robert Carsen's sumptuous, post-modern production of Mefistofele is a gloriously decadent and theatrically stunning realisation, and the San Francisco Opera's performance has been unanimously acclaimed in both Paris and San Francisco.
Samuel Ramey, in the title role, has won both critical and overwhelming popular approval.
A cast of luminaries supported by the English National Opera gives a profound and masterful reading of Britten's gripping opera of sadism and injustice aboard a British man-o'-war. This production reunites Tim Albery's direction with the phenomenal talent of Philip Langridge, often acclaimed as a natural successor to Peter Pears. The libretto, by E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier, is based on the literary masterpiece by Herman Melville and tells the tale of a young seaman, Billy Budd, who is persecuted malevolently by his master-at-arms, Claggart. Accused of mutiny, the stammering Budd accidentally strikes Claggart dead and the tormented Captain Vere has no alternative but to hang him. The opera explores many universal themes - the individual at odds with society, the corruption of innocence, the continual conflict of good and evil - which no doubt lay close to the heart of Britten's own pacifism and are themes common to much of his dramatic music.
This production has Britain's leading operatic baritone, Thomas Allen, in one of his most distinguished roles, as Billy. He is noted not only for his superb abilities as a singer, but also for his acting skills, particularly necessary for the demanding role of the naive and virtuous character of Billy Budd. Philip Langridge as...
This production has Britain's leading operatic baritone, Thomas Allen, in one of his most distinguished roles, as Billy. He is noted not only for his superb abilities as a singer, but also for his acting skills, particularly necessary for the demanding role of the naive and virtuous character of Billy Budd. Philip Langridge as...
Perhaps it was Luchino Visconti's inspired cinematic version of Thomas Mann's stories which finally prompted the most distinguished English composer of the 20th century to adapt Death In Venice for the musical stage too. Indeed, it appears to be something which he had been considering for several years. Three years after the premiere of the film – and equally three years prior to his death – Britten succeeded with his last music drama in making a connection between opera and dance which was as innovative as it was unconventional, but which was also an outstanding success in every way.
This production by the Glyndebourne Touring Opera dates back to October 1989. The world's press praised the quality of the production (Stephen Lawless) and its choreography (Martha Clarke) as it did the exceptional performances by the musicians and vocalists, in particular Robert Tear as Gustav von Aschenbach.
This production by the Glyndebourne Touring Opera dates back to October 1989. The world's press praised the quality of the production (Stephen Lawless) and its choreography (Martha Clarke) as it did the exceptional performances by the musicians and vocalists, in particular Robert Tear as Gustav von Aschenbach.
Gloriana came into being when Benjamin Britten was asked to compose an opera to celebrate the Coronation of HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. He took as his starting point Lytton Strachey's Elizabeth and Essex , which had much interested him when he first read it. He had at once seen in it the possibility of an operatic theme and the Coronation provided the right occasion for him to return to it. The tragic relationship between the ageing Queen and the brilliant young Earl of Essex provided Britten with great scope for his strong sense of theatre and this opera combines scenes of great pageantry with moments of private reflection. This contrast vividly depicts Queen Elizabeth’s dilemma – the conflict of duty and personal love. The opera traces the downfall of the Earl of Essex who, presuming upon his privilege as the Queen's favourite, forces a tragedy upon them both. Elizabeth I never forgot that she as the Queen and that, as a woman, she had to show that she could rule with no less authority and decision than a man, so she felt compelled to sentence Essex to death when he failed her and endangered the country.
This specially-staged studio recording of the English National Opera's highly-acclaimed production of Benjamin Britten's work features outstanding performances by Jean Rigby as Lucretia and Richard Van Allan as Collatinus. Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Kathryn Harries sing the Male and Female Chorus who poignantly comment on the brutal rape of Lucretia by Tarquinius, Prince of Rome. With its bare scrubbed boards, its sliding screens – against which the characters sometimes appear in silhouette – and its high-railed gantry from which the Chorus observe, both Graham Vick's staging and Russell Craig's severe designs have a cool, elegant simplicity. With no extraneous movement or gesture to distract the eye, everything is focused with a luminous intensity on the ritualistically compact unfolding of the drama and the inescapable fate of her characters. This ascetic production tellingly matches the austere restraint of Britten's first chamber opera, scored with sparse texture for a mere twelve instruments, a limitation over which Britten triumphed to produce music of deeply moving intensity.
This innovative production is a fine example of the exciting and imaginative work that is characteristic of the English National Opera.
This innovative production is a fine example of the exciting and imaginative work that is characteristic of the English National Opera.
Peter Grimes encapsulates many of the themes that preoccupy Britten's dramatic works - the vulnerability of innocence, the abuse of power and the suspectibility of the outsider to the pressures of of society.
Not since Peter Pears recording, with Britten, at Convent Garden have we been treated to a Grimes of such intelligence and complexity.
Director Tim Albery approaches this music theatre with great sensitivity, allowing both the music and the vocal line their individual space to unfold. David Atherton and the orchestra of the ENO, clearly understand how to drive the music's expressive power.
Not since Peter Pears recording, with Britten, at Convent Garden have we been treated to a Grimes of such intelligence and complexity.
Director Tim Albery approaches this music theatre with great sensitivity, allowing both the music and the vocal line their individual space to unfold. David Atherton and the orchestra of the ENO, clearly understand how to drive the music's expressive power.
Under the baton of Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, a new generation of singers gave fresh life to Cilea's most polished work in January 2000. Daniela Dessì, appearing at La Scala for the first time in the title role, was singled out for praise in the Italian press: while La Repubblica admired the "sensual tones" of her singing, La Nazione called it an interpretation which "touched the audience's heart". At her side are two of the finest Russian singers on the international stage today: Sergei Larin as Maurizio is heard in a role that sits perfectly for his voice, while Olga Borodina threatens to steal the show as the jealous Princess.
Il matrimonio segreto is Cimarosa's most famous opera buffa and it is one of the few comic operas to have maintained its place in the repertoire until today. At its first performance in 1792, Austrian emperor Leopold II is reputed to have liked this masterpiece so much that he ordered the musicians to play it again from the beginning! Michael Hampe's elegant, colourful production had already won international acclaim when staged in Paris, Stockholm and London - where it won the Olivier Award for Best Opera Production. His stage direction is sensitive to the music's flow and brings a welcome clarity to the many twists and deceptions in the plot. This recording comes live from the exquisite palace rococo theatre at the Schwetzingen Festival in 1986. The Drottningholm Court Theatre Orchestra, an outstanding orchestra for early music, is specialized in music of the 17th and 18th century - their authentic interpretation sounds extremely fresh and colourful, and the playing is always full of energy and contrasts.
During the 1920s Vladimir Dechevov (1889 – 1955) was regarded as one of the most promising younger Soviet composers. Darius Milhaud, who made his acquaintance in 1926 during a visit to Leningrad, praised him in the French press as a "genius" and "extremely original". However, subsequent attempts to make his compositions better known abroad were unsuccessful. In 1929 followed Dechevov's best-known composition: Ice and Steel . But such were the ideological tensions of this period that this avant-garde work soon disappeared from the public stage. Although Dechevov was one of the chief proponents of the left wing musical avant-garde in the 1920s and explicitly came out in favour of critical appropriation of elements from Western modernism, he was not subjected to direct ideological attacks during the Stalinist era. Neither, however, despite clearly moderating his compositional style, did he succeed in obtaining a prominent position in the conformist musical culture of socialist realism that held sway after 1932. It was only after the outbreak of the Second World War that he started once again to produce major works of his own: ballet music based on classical materials and patriotic tone poems. However, these did not prevent his name from increasingly being forgotten.
"…Riccardo Muti conducts Don Pasquale in Ravenna - a great celebration for everyone." This press quote from the Italian music magazine Il giornale della musica hit the mark exactly. Watching this realistic, young and vital production, directed by the 21 year old Andrea da Rosa and listening to a high potential and unspent young cast, you feel how powerful, charming and timeless this score by Donizetti is. This production was recorded during the Ravenna Festival in the gorgeous and patriarchal Teatro Dante Alighieri, in December 2006. Maestro Riccardo Muti shows one more time, what it means to perform an Italian opera with a young and professional Italian cast – an outstanding and breathtaking performance and really, "a great celebration for everyone".
Based on Victor Hugo's most sensational play, Lucrece Borgia , a scandalous tale of murder, torture, incest, homosexuality, drunkenness and orgies, Donizetti's opera is one of the great masterpieces of Italian bel canto repertoire. While omitting some of its more excessive elements, the libretto by Felice Romani inspired Donizetti to compose superb arias, duets, ensembles and choruses, bringing each act to a stirring conclusion. Beautifully costumed and designed, brimming with high drama and pathos, this production stars in the infamous title role Greek diva Dimitra Theodossiou, praised for her stupendous acting and singing in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux .
Two queens on one island. A recipe for disaster. Especially as both have a legitimate claim to the other's throne. They are, after all, related… So power and politics are the name of the game. And, for reasons of state, one of the heads that wears a crown has to roll.
Maria Stuarda was laid to rest for more than a hundred years, finally being revived in 1958 in Bergamo under conductor Oliviero de Fabritiis. However the real breakthrough for the opera finally came with Giorgio de Lullo's Florentine production for the Maggio Musicale in 1967 (with set design and costumes by Pier Luigi Pizzi, director, set designer and costume designer at La Scala in 2008). As the two queens, Leyla Gencer and Shirley Verrett, set the vocal standards. Since then, the triumph of Maria Stuarda has been unstoppable. Various top interpreters have taken on the vocal and acting challenges of the main roles, including Montserrat Caballe, Beverly Sills, Janet Baker, Rosalind Plowright, Joan Sutherland, Huguette Tourangeau, Maria Chiara, Edita Gruberova and Agnes Baltsa. Mariella Devia as Maria and Anna Caterina Antonacci as Elisabetta have now also added their names to this illustrious list.
Bonus feature:
- Maria Stuarda - Backstage
Maria Stuarda was laid to rest for more than a hundred years, finally being revived in 1958 in Bergamo under conductor Oliviero de Fabritiis. However the real breakthrough for the opera finally came with Giorgio de Lullo's Florentine production for the Maggio Musicale in 1967 (with set design and costumes by Pier Luigi Pizzi, director, set designer and costume designer at La Scala in 2008). As the two queens, Leyla Gencer and Shirley Verrett, set the vocal standards. Since then, the triumph of Maria Stuarda has been unstoppable. Various top interpreters have taken on the vocal and acting challenges of the main roles, including Montserrat Caballe, Beverly Sills, Janet Baker, Rosalind Plowright, Joan Sutherland, Huguette Tourangeau, Maria Chiara, Edita Gruberova and Agnes Baltsa. Mariella Devia as Maria and Anna Caterina Antonacci as Elisabetta have now also added their names to this illustrious list.
Bonus feature:
- Maria Stuarda - Backstage
In Donizetti's opera Maria Stuarda the roles of the doomed queen and her cousin, Elizabeth I, have been taken by some of the greatest divas, from Malibran to Gruberova and Tosi to Baltsa, each revelling in the high drama of their tragically linked fates. "Contributing greatly to the success of the work, the young Maestro Riccardo Frizza revealed himself as a deep and sensitive interpreter of this score, managing to capture all the nuances of Donizetti's music… Laura Polverelli portrayed with elegance and pride the character of Elizabeth, her furies, doubts and jealousies; Maria Pia Piscitelli was a wonderful Maria Stuarda, passionate, sorrowful, proud, dignified when sentenced to death, recalling her past sins yet conscious of her innocence" (MusiCulturA)
With the release of this Maria Stuarda , recorded live in 2001, Dynamic makes an historic move, becoming the first Italian label to produce a DVD opera.
This very high quality production by Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo features, in the roles of the two queens, Carmela Remigio (Maria Stuarda) and Sonia Ganassi (Elisabetta), two great artists here making a fine display of their excellent vocal and acting skills. Francesco Esposito's direction and costumes, and Italo Grassi's sets are very effective and superbly highlighted by the filming.
What makes this release even more interesting is the use of a new critical edition made by the renowned Swedish musicologist Anders Wiklund for Casa Ricordi.
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Carmela Remigio, Sonia Ganassi, Fabrizio Maria Carminati, Francesco Esposito, and Italo Grassi.
This very high quality production by Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo features, in the roles of the two queens, Carmela Remigio (Maria Stuarda) and Sonia Ganassi (Elisabetta), two great artists here making a fine display of their excellent vocal and acting skills. Francesco Esposito's direction and costumes, and Italo Grassi's sets are very effective and superbly highlighted by the filming.
What makes this release even more interesting is the use of a new critical edition made by the renowned Swedish musicologist Anders Wiklund for Casa Ricordi.
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Carmela Remigio, Sonia Ganassi, Fabrizio Maria Carminati, Francesco Esposito, and Italo Grassi.
In recent years not only music festivals but also important opera theatres have turned their attention towards the neglected masterpieces of the lyrical repertoire. Thus also Venice's Teatro La Fenice, in a commendable effort, staged this Pia de' Tolomei by Donizetti, with some of the best singers available today for this type of repertoire. Initial response to this opera, which was performed for the first time in 1837, was ambiguous, so much so that Donizetti re-worked it as many as three times. The version here recorded is that of the critical edition recently published by Ricordi, with the tragic finale originally conceived by the composer. The listener will undoubtedly wonder, once more, at Donizetti's wealth of melodic inspiration, especially when it comes to the character of Pia, wonderfully interpreted, here, by Patrizia Ciofi.
One of Donizetti's most emotionally raw operas, Roberto Devereux ossia Il conte di Essex was also the third to be loosely based on episodes in the life of Queen Elizabeth I. It deals with the love of Elizabeth and her favourite, the Earl of Essex, perhaps most tellingly expressed in the Act I duet, Nascondi, frena i palpiti, o misero mio core (Hide, hold back your palpitation, oh my wretched heart!) Elizabeth's subsequent abdication is, however, a matter of dramatic licence, yet provides a memorable operatic conclusion to this tragedy of love and jealousy as she despairs at the death of her lover – Quel sangue versato al ciel s'innalza (The blood that is spilt rises up to Heaven.) Directed by Francesco Bellotto, this was the inaugural production of the Bergamo Music Festival 2006, featuring the Greek soprano and leading Donizetti specialist, Dimitra Theodossiou, and the young American baritone Andrew Schroeder, both in superb voice.
Opera North's enchanting staging of The Adventures of Pinocchio , Jonathan Dove's 21st opera, is a wittily inventive feast for the eyes and ears. A full-length, through-composed grand opera with 29 characters, a sizeable chorus and a profound symphonic score, it is overflowing with visual delights, and children will love it! A sublime achievement by Martin Duncan and team, this production shines a bright new light on Collodi's dream-like original story, full of charm, darkness and magic. The superb ensemble stars Victoria Simmonds in the title role, and the orchestra and chorus respond splendidly under David Parry's vibrant baton.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Thoughts on The Adventures of Pinocchio - Interviews with the composer, the librettist, the stage director, and the musical director
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Thoughts on The Adventures of Pinocchio - Interviews with the composer, the librettist, the stage director, and the musical director
This centenary performance of Umberto Giordano's Marcella was prepared from the composer's manuscript, the score and parts having been destroyed during World War II. Recalling Verdi's La Traviata and Puccini's La Rondine , as well as Giordano's own Andrea Chenier and Fedora , Marcella is the story of a poor girl and a painter whose idyllic affair is shattered when events reveal that her true love is actually a prince incognito.
The preocupation of the composer of "minimal music", Philip Glass, with Indian music and his interest in Gandhi began in 1966 during his first visit to India where he met Ravi Shankar. Since then, the rhythmic figures of Indian music have exercised a significant influence on his music which has a strong meditative and almost hypnotic effect through the repetitive sequences of tones with minimal changes. Glass's work needs time to unfold its hypnotic effect and fascination. With his second opera Glass didn't want to draw a historic portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. Instead he used the example of Gandhi's work during the last years between 1893 and 1914 in South Africa to draw an outline of the current worldwide political and religious problems. In South Africa Gandhi formulated his theory of passive resistance and civil disobedience known as Satyagraha as a reaction to the government's discrimination against the Indian population evidenced by its denial of basic rights such as the right to vote.
Harry Kupfer's version of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice , originally conceived for the Berlin Komische Oper and now in the repertory of The Royal Opera, won the Olivier Award for "Most Outstanding Achievement in Opera".
According to legend, Orpheus' magical power as a musician enabled him to regain his wife from the dead on condition that he did not look at her on the journey back from Hades - a condition it proved impossible to fulfil. In Harry Kupfer's updated version, Orfeo, in leather jacket, trainers and jeans, sees his Euridice die in a street accident. Succumbing to depression, he languishes in Hades - a psychiatric hospital - before taking his electric guitar to charm the beasts in an inner-city concrete jungle. Hans Schavernoch has designed an ingenious set with projected imagery on revolving screens and mirrors.
The German male alto, Jochen Kowalski, gives a virtuoso performance as the tormented Orfeo, with the young British soprano Gillian Webster as Euridice.
According to legend, Orpheus' magical power as a musician enabled him to regain his wife from the dead on condition that he did not look at her on the journey back from Hades - a condition it proved impossible to fulfil. In Harry Kupfer's updated version, Orfeo, in leather jacket, trainers and jeans, sees his Euridice die in a street accident. Succumbing to depression, he languishes in Hades - a psychiatric hospital - before taking his electric guitar to charm the beasts in an inner-city concrete jungle. Hans Schavernoch has designed an ingenious set with projected imagery on revolving screens and mirrors.
The German male alto, Jochen Kowalski, gives a virtuoso performance as the tormented Orfeo, with the young British soprano Gillian Webster as Euridice.
George Frideric Handel's Admeto is considered one of the most successful operas produced in the first half of the 18th century. Along with Radamisto , Giulio Cesare , Tamerlano , Rodelinda and Alessandro , which were also written in this period, Admeto belongs to Handel's so-called 'London operas' - works he composed for the Royal Academy of Music. Though born in Halle, Germany, Handel spent most of his adult life in London and became a British subject in 1727.
Axel Kohler, the celebrated counter-tenor who is active in Munich, Halle and Berlin – now also well known for his work as a director - has brought Admeto into the modern era in timeless style by the skilful application of imaginative theatrical digressions. Kohler's production at the Halle Opernhaus revisits a work that encompasses comedy, tragedy and almost absurd grotesqueness and gives it a convincing metaphor in the form of a modern hospital.
Axel Kohler, the celebrated counter-tenor who is active in Munich, Halle and Berlin – now also well known for his work as a director - has brought Admeto into the modern era in timeless style by the skilful application of imaginative theatrical digressions. Kohler's production at the Halle Opernhaus revisits a work that encompasses comedy, tragedy and almost absurd grotesqueness and gives it a convincing metaphor in the form of a modern hospital.
Agrippina was staged for the first time in late December 1709 - or possibly at the beginning of 1710 - at Venice's Teatro San Grisostomo and met with enormous success, as testified by twenty-seven following performances, a record number even for 18th-century standards. Agrippina 's triumph sanctioned Handel's definitive investiture as an operatic composer. After nearly 300 years this opera appears as a masterpiece of 18th-century music and an innovative work, considering that when Handel composed it he was just twenty-four years old. The composer's melodic creativity and sense of theatre are quite remarkable. The cast, conducted by Jean-Claude Malgoire, includes Véronique Gens in the title role.
Composed when he was just twenty-four, Agrippina was Handel's first theatrical success and is a sparkling example of his early work. It is full of his fresh, exuberantly inventive music and employs one of the finest librettos with which George Frederic Handel ever worked. The opera was composed and first performed in Venice in 1709 and, in a witty plot by an Italian cardinal, it tells the farcical story of the private lives of two ruthless figures in roman history, Nero and his mother Agrippina, and how they become entangled with the innocent Ottone and his lover Poppea. Typically for a Handel opera, the work is centred on a series of towering arias designed to show off the virtuosity of the singers. This beautiful production by renowned opera director Michael Hampe was recorded at the exquisite 18th century palace theatre during the Schwetzingen Festival in1985. It combines the atmosphere of a true Baroque opera with an elegant, colourful staging and brilliant musicianship. The London Baroque Players, an outstanding orchestra for early music, which specializes in the music of the 17th and 18th century, joins an accomplished cast of singers, all baroque specialists.
English National Opera first mounted David Alden's production of Ariodante , one of Handel's greatest masterpieces, in 1993. It met with unanimous critical and popular acclaim - "a baroque triumph" (The Times); "Enthralling from start to finish" (Financial Times); "If anyone wants proof Handel is a great composer, here's the evidence" (The Guardian); "The orchestral playing was sublime, the singing unforgettably beautiful" (Daily Express).
The 1996 revival of Ariodante features many of the leading singers from the original 1993 production, from whom Alden drew performances of characteristic intensity: Ann Murray in the alto castrato title role, Lesley Garrett as Dalinda, Joan Rodgers as Ginevra, Christopher Robson as Polinesso and Paul Nilon as Lurcanio. Ivor Bolton conducts.
The 1996 revival of Ariodante features many of the leading singers from the original 1993 production, from whom Alden drew performances of characteristic intensity: Ann Murray in the alto castrato title role, Lesley Garrett as Dalinda, Joan Rodgers as Ginevra, Christopher Robson as Polinesso and Paul Nilon as Lurcanio. Ivor Bolton conducts.
Dame Janet Baker, in one of her greatest roles, leads a cast of some of Britain's finest interpeters of baroque opera and their performance under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras is one of the highest musical excellence. This video is a studio recording of John Copley's acclaimed English National Opera production.
The opera was first performed in 1724 at the Haymarket Theatre in London using castrati singers in the heroes' roles. This production follows modern practice in using women in these parts. Dame Janet's virtuoso role as Julius Caesar has been heralded as a masterful recreation of the music which Handel wrote for the finest singers of his time.
The opera was first performed in 1724 at the Haymarket Theatre in London using castrati singers in the heroes' roles. This production follows modern practice in using women in these parts. Dame Janet's virtuoso role as Julius Caesar has been heralded as a masterful recreation of the music which Handel wrote for the finest singers of his time.
Nicholas Hytner's highly innovative production of Handel's comic opera won the coveted Laurence Olivier Opera Award. This live recording from the English National Opera stars Ann Murray as Xerxes, whose love for Romilda, sung by Valerie Masterson, sets off a series of love intrigues. The designer, David Fielding, has produced a stunning and elegant series of curious and absorbing images, creating a world of its own and recreating the culture of Vauxhall Gardens in Handel's own time. Sir Charles Mackerras conducts the English National Opera orchestra in an edition prepared by himself.
Teatro Real's majestic production of Handel's vivid tragedy, Tamerlano , stars a Lear-like Placido Domingo as the Turkish Sultan Bajazet, caught between pride, love and loyalty. Displaying the uniquely heroic quality of his voice, Domingo heads a superb cast, including Sara Mingardo, Monica Bacelli and Ingela Bohlin, all magnificently responsive to Paul McCreesh's authentic and luminous interpretation of the score. The stunning theatrical staging by Graham Vick provides a splendid setting for the characters and for designer Richard Hudson's extravagant Baroque-Islamic costumes, emphasising the brilliance of one of Handel's finest dramatic achievements.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Interview with Paul McCreesh.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Interview with Paul McCreesh.
Handel's five act opera Teseo was premièred in 1713 at the Queen's Theatre in London. After flopping with his previous work Il pastor fido Handel tied up to his big success Rinaldo and again created an opera with a heroic subject, sophisticated stagecraft and a big orchestra.
The Italian librettist Niccolo Haym based the libretto on Philippe Quinault's Thesée , which has originally been created for Jean Baptiste Lully's homonymous opera. Teseo has inherited many qualities of the French tragédie lyrique style, such as the five-act structure, big arias in the middle of scenes (meaning that characters do not have to leave the stage after their arias), a secondary romantic couple, many short arias and recitatives and many accompanied recitatives.
In 1947 the opera was rediscovered and staged for the first time after Handel's death at the Göttinger Händelfestpiele, followed by a production at the Goethe-Theater Bad Lauchstädt and few others. Finally, in 2004 Handel's jewel of operatic work was performed at the beautiful setting of the Schlosstheater Potsdam under the direction of Axel Köhler.
The cast leaded by Jacek Laszczkowski, who is singing the title role and has been chosen as Singer of the Year 2003 by the German magazine Opernwelt is outstanding. Also,...
The Italian librettist Niccolo Haym based the libretto on Philippe Quinault's Thesée , which has originally been created for Jean Baptiste Lully's homonymous opera. Teseo has inherited many qualities of the French tragédie lyrique style, such as the five-act structure, big arias in the middle of scenes (meaning that characters do not have to leave the stage after their arias), a secondary romantic couple, many short arias and recitatives and many accompanied recitatives.
In 1947 the opera was rediscovered and staged for the first time after Handel's death at the Göttinger Händelfestpiele, followed by a production at the Goethe-Theater Bad Lauchstädt and few others. Finally, in 2004 Handel's jewel of operatic work was performed at the beautiful setting of the Schlosstheater Potsdam under the direction of Axel Köhler.
The cast leaded by Jacek Laszczkowski, who is singing the title role and has been chosen as Singer of the Year 2003 by the German magazine Opernwelt is outstanding. Also,...
Bo Holten's new opera The Visit of the Royal Physician was a great success with both audience and reviewers at the premiere in 2009. It is a tragic love story from one of the most dramatic periods in the history of Denmark, when new ideas almost overturned the social order. It is the 1770s, and the young, idealistic doctor Struensee dreams of creating a new and better world. He is given the chance to put his ideas into practice when, almost by coincidence, he becomes royal physician to the insane King Christian VII. Soon he is also the lover of the young Queen Caroline Mathilde. The result is a disaster for all those involved – while the old order is allowed to endure. The Visit of the Royal Physician is based on the best-selling novel by Per Olov Enquist. The performance was recorded at the Opera in Copenhagen and is conducted by the composer.
Hansel und Gretel is a fairy-tale opera (Marchenspiel) by Engelbert Humperdinck to a libretto by his sister Adelheid Wette. The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister, who approached him about writing music for songs that she had written for her children for Christmas based on Hansel and Gretel . After several revisions, the musical sketches and the songs were turned into a full-scale opera.
Hansel und Gretel has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances, and it is often performed at Christmas time. It is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes, one of the most famous being the prayer from act II.
A family classic, it grew out of a set of incidental music and, written between 1890 and 1893, it was first performed on 23 December 1893 under Richard Strauss in Weimar. The form in which the story is used in the opera derives from the collection of Ludwig Bechstein. Gertrud, the desperate mother, sends her hungry children into the wood to pick strawberries, unaware of the danger to which she exposes them until Peter, the broombinder, returns and is shocked at what she has done; both anxious parents immediately set out to find them. The thoroughly happy ending introduces another significant variation to the familiar...
Hansel und Gretel has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances, and it is often performed at Christmas time. It is much admired for its folk music-inspired themes, one of the most famous being the prayer from act II.
A family classic, it grew out of a set of incidental music and, written between 1890 and 1893, it was first performed on 23 December 1893 under Richard Strauss in Weimar. The form in which the story is used in the opera derives from the collection of Ludwig Bechstein. Gertrud, the desperate mother, sends her hungry children into the wood to pick strawberries, unaware of the danger to which she exposes them until Peter, the broombinder, returns and is shocked at what she has done; both anxious parents immediately set out to find them. The thoroughly happy ending introduces another significant variation to the familiar...
First staged at the Weimar Court Theatre under the baton of Richard Strauss in 1893, who hailed it as "a masterpiece of the highest quality", Humperdinck's debut opera Hänsel und Gretel has remained a solid favourite since its 1893 première. Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) transformed Grimm's beloved fairy tale Hänsel und Gretel into opera entertainment for everyone from young children to the serious music lover; this is a tumultuous and joyful production for both children and adults. Director Katharina Thalbach cheerfully evokes a magic world of woodland sprites and candy dreams and creates an enchanting fantasy world filled with high spirits, fairytale fantasy and genial comedy. Recorded live at the world-famous Dresden Semperoper in December 2006, the production is also musically of the highest rank, with international soloists in the main roles, accompanied by the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under Michael Hofstetter.
Besides being one of the most important Czech composers, Leoš Janáček is also among the most individual opera composers of the twentieth century, without whom one could hardly imagine the development of contemporary music. His nine stage works in particular have carried his homeland's life and customs, and also folk melodies and musical language, out into the world.
Leoš Janáček wrote the libretto for the Cunning Little Vixen himself, based on Rudolf Tešnohlidek's story of the same name, Příhody lišky Bystroušky (literally: 'The adventures of the vixen Bystrushka'). The first performance on 6 November 1924 at the Brno National Theatre was a great artistic success, and international acclaim followed with its legendary staging in 1956, at the Comic Opera in Berlin.
Leoš Janáček wrote the libretto for the Cunning Little Vixen himself, based on Rudolf Tešnohlidek's story of the same name, Příhody lišky Bystroušky (literally: 'The adventures of the vixen Bystrushka'). The first performance on 6 November 1924 at the Brno National Theatre was a great artistic success, and international acclaim followed with its legendary staging in 1956, at the Comic Opera in Berlin.
Jenufa tells a heartbreaking story of rural life in the 19th century: a baby is killed to protect a young girl's honour. This tragedy befalls the family of the old miller, the Grandmother Buryjovka, a respected figure in a small country village. The pressure of the extremely closed, morally repressive and hypocritical society leads the protagonists to inexorably holding to such traditional values as honour and respect, no matter what the costs.
The production, sung in the original Czech, was directed by French-Austrian opera director Olivier Tambosi. His version of the work was first produced at the Metropolitan Opera New York in 2003 to high acclaim and was revived there at the beginning of 2007. In 2005 it was staged in Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu – once again proving the opera house to be Spain's most successful and internationally renowned stage.
The production, sung in the original Czech, was directed by French-Austrian opera director Olivier Tambosi. His version of the work was first produced at the Metropolitan Opera New York in 2003 to high acclaim and was revived there at the beginning of 2007. In 2005 it was staged in Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu – once again proving the opera house to be Spain's most successful and internationally renowned stage.
A religious mystery opera. A magnificent doomsday vision. A full length nightmare.
Dacapo' Records' very first opera DVD features Rued Langgaard's powerful vision of the coming of Antikrist in the spectacular co-production with the Royal Danish Opera and the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) from 2002. No punches are pulled as the composer's breathtaking revelation unfolds with its intriguing allegorical characters and its powerful statement about the moral decay of modern society.
Bonus feature:
-Langgaard and Antikrist
Dacapo' Records' very first opera DVD features Rued Langgaard's powerful vision of the coming of Antikrist in the spectacular co-production with the Royal Danish Opera and the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) from 2002. No punches are pulled as the composer's breathtaking revelation unfolds with its intriguing allegorical characters and its powerful statement about the moral decay of modern society.
Bonus feature:
-Langgaard and Antikrist
The Merry Widow (Die Lustige Witwe) had its premiere at Vienna's Theater an der Wien in 1905. The operetta, which tells the story of a wealthy widow in search of a new husband was a major success for its composer Franz Lehár (1870-1948) and quickly travelled to London and became a major Broadway sensation. Often called 'The Queen of Operettas', this is certainly the most celebrated and successful show of its kind ever written. The melodies and songs - "Vilja", "The Merry Widow Waltz" or "You'll Find Me At Maxim's", to name but a few - are lovingly played and sung the whole world over. Combined with the frivolous Paris-set story line they make the operetta a sure box-office attraction. Frequently staged in an abridged version, this production from the Staatsoper Dresden features many musical numbers that are usually omitted. With Petra-Maria Schnitzer and Bo Skovhus the cast includes some of the most prestigious singers of the younger generation under the expert leadership of conductor Manfred Honeck. This staging by the famous opera director Jérôme Savary makes the Merry Widow a very colourful and a subtle tribute to the golden age of Hollywood, congenially directed for video by Don Kent, who has garnered much respect as TV director.
In his position as the king's composer, Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) created the opera Persée for Louis XIV. The opera was considered the crowning achievement of 17th century French music theatre and was widely recognized as Lully's greatest work. Filled with dancing, fight scenes, monsters and special effects, this truly spectacular music drama recounts the thrilling story of Perseus, son of Zeus and heroic vanquisher of the snake-haired Gorgon Medusa. More than half a century after its premiere, Louis XV chose "Persée" to open the new Royal Opera House at the Chateau de Versailles, an event that formed part of the celebrations for the future Louis XVI's marriage to Marie Antoinette. Recorded live at the Elgin Theatre, Toronto in April 2004, this staging is a dazzling spectacle of gods and goddesses, dancing scenes, flying machines and monsters with fight scenes and special effects inspired by designs from the original 17th century performance. The excellent singer-actors and the "Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir" are leading specialists in early music.
An opera with a rich vein of musical ideas; sumptuous and original sets; a little-known German Romantic composer; high-level interpreters (among them Anna Caterina Antonacci): these are the ingredients of Hans Heiling , staged in 2004 in Cagliari under the scrupulous and refined baton of Renato Palumbo. There is no doubt that this timeless story of gnomes and spirits, love and suffering, supernatural powers and mortal beauty will captivate many opera lovers.
Pietro Mascagni explored many different musical styles, from the verismo of his ever-popular Cavalleria rusticana to the sentimental lyricism of Lodoletta . Amica was composed at breakneck speed, reaching completion only a month before its Monte Carlo première in 1905 conducted by the composer, and combined a return to 'realism' with a more sophisticated style of writing. Its extravagant scenic and vocal demands contributed to the opera's neglect until recent times. Set in the Savoy mountains around 1900, Amica is a 'dramatic poem in two acts' involving two brothers, Giorgio and Rinaldo, whose love for the same woman, Amica, culminates in tragedy. While today numbering among his least performed works, Amica was initially a triumph, praised for its 'passionate accent' and 'impulsive sincerity' by a contemporary critic, and deemed 'most worthy of re-evaluation' according to the composer's biographer Roger Flury.
Giancarlo del Monaco's acclaimed new production elegantly intertwines Mascagni's and Leoncavallo's well-loved operas, masterpieces which brought new levels of realism into opera through their so-called verismo style. Jesus Lopez Cobos directs a double cast of outstanding talent in this recording.
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Giancarlo del Monaco, Jesus Lopez Cobos, Violeta Urmana, Vincenzo La Scola, Vladimir Galouzine and Maria Bayo
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Giancarlo del Monaco, Jesus Lopez Cobos, Violeta Urmana, Vincenzo La Scola, Vladimir Galouzine and Maria Bayo
Every operatic composer has a title that marks a turning point, one that raises him from being almost unknown to sudden fame. For Bellini, in 1827, this was Il Pirata , for Verdi, in 1842, Nabucco . For Massenet this opera was Le Roi de Lahore . Performed for the first time in 1877 at the Palais Garnier to a resounding success - the opera ran to no fewer than 57 performances in the great Paris opera house within two years - this work contains all the characteristic elements of grand-opéra: marches and solemn processions, a ballet, use of countless extras, spectacular choral scenes, concertante sections of great length, a general exotic tint that was much appreciated at the time and a great wealth of melodic invention. The present Venetian production features a high quality cast and documents the last performance of the late conductor Marcello Viotti, who had made the critical edition of the score.
Jules Massenet's opera Werther belongs to the most favourite works of French repertoire. It is in the first wave of German Romantic literature that Massenet found the source for his doubtless most powerful work – and certainly his most popular! Might the French musician have detected in his own life the inspiration for these pages about the tormented fate of Werther and Charlotte, of their impossible love, their sighs, their unhappiness? Rarely has the author of Manon found a more poignant or fitting touch, leading the listener right inside the tempestuous soul of his characters.
It was first performed in 1892 in Vienna, and based on a famous novel by J.W.Goethe The Sorrows of Young Werther . The story of the main character Werther takes place around 1772 in Wetzlar near Frankfurt, and unveils a touching drama of two young hearts who were not allowed to find happiness, because of the conventions of the period and family conditions. When Werther meets Charlotte, he falls in love with her at first sight but is desolated after finding out she is about to marry someone else. Charlotte's jolly and optimistic sister Sophie hides her feelings she secretly cherishes towards Werther who is hopelessly infatuated with Charlotte and has numerous times, to no avail, attempted to...
It was first performed in 1892 in Vienna, and based on a famous novel by J.W.Goethe The Sorrows of Young Werther . The story of the main character Werther takes place around 1772 in Wetzlar near Frankfurt, and unveils a touching drama of two young hearts who were not allowed to find happiness, because of the conventions of the period and family conditions. When Werther meets Charlotte, he falls in love with her at first sight but is desolated after finding out she is about to marry someone else. Charlotte's jolly and optimistic sister Sophie hides her feelings she secretly cherishes towards Werther who is hopelessly infatuated with Charlotte and has numerous times, to no avail, attempted to...
Messiaen's breathtakingly intense opera on the life of St. Francis of Assisi stars Rod Gilfry as the charismatic visionary, beguiled by the glory of creation, yet fearful of both its imperfections and its transience. Pierre Audi's thoroughly engaging production for The Netherlands Opera brings out the naive imagery, the grandeur, and above all the vast tenderness of the resplendent score, revealed as a grandiose ritual with the meaning and purpose of life as its central theme. But the real drama of the work takes place in the orchestra. Elevated to stupendous heights by the sublimely inspired Ingo Metzmacher, The Hague Philharmonic and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera combine forces with a brilliant cast to produce the finest possible musical pilgrimage.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis.
- Interviews : The Children
- Interviews : The Message
- Interviews : "A Chamber Piece … Really"
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis.
- Interviews : The Children
- Interviews : The Message
- Interviews : "A Chamber Piece … Really"
Eugene Scribe had presented the composer with the drama L'Africaine together with a libretto for Le Prophete as early as 1838. The world premier on 28 April 1865 was one of the outstanding social events of the Second Empire. L'Africaine was first performed at San Francisco Opera on 3 November 1972, the current performance, in the original French version, is a revival of the new production of the grande opera created by the opera house for its programme in September 1988.
In some respects, Monteverdi's Orfeo (1607) is to the history of Italian opera what Dante's Divine Comedy is to the history of Italian literature: a masterpiece that stands at the very beginning of the journey. With Orfeo and the operas that followed it, Monteverdi had the substantial merit of immediately demonstrating the infinite possibilities of this new genre, which would leave an imprint on three centuries of European culture. In the present edition the French conductor Jean-Claude Malgoire is at the head of a cast of Baroque opera specialists.
Monteverdi's operatic scene for three voices Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda , with a libretto drawns from Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata , is a vivid romance set against the backdrop of the First Crusade, in which the noble knight Tancredi fights a duel with a supposed Saracen warrior only to discover, too late, that the vanquished opponent dying in his arms is non other than his beloved Clorinda in disguise. In this dramatic and intimate performance, staged with precision by Pierre Audi, musical director David Porcelijn gives great attention to the phrasing and dynamic demands of the score, leading the ASKO Ensemble and the singers to transparent brilliance.
Bonus feature:
- Introduction to Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clarinda by Roeland Hazendonk
Bonus feature:
- Introduction to Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clarinda by Roeland Hazendonk
Almost four decades before creating his Poppea , Monteverdi wrote in the preface to his fifth book of madrigals, "The modern composer must create his works solely on the basis of the truth" – a credo to which the music of his final opera is utterly faithful.
Poppea is a potent work from opera's first true creator and pioneering genius. The fact that, at the close of this highly charged dramma in musica , he allows evil to triumph over good (albeit temporarily), has frequently led to his being decried as amoral.
Monteverdi's timeless masterpiece, which creates a modern, deep involvement in performers and audiences alike, is brilliantly captured in this live recording of Pierre Audi's moving and beautifully styled production from Het Muziektheater Amsterdam.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Introduction to L'incoronazione di Poppea - featuring interviews with Pierre Audi, Christophe Rousset and members of the cast.
Poppea is a potent work from opera's first true creator and pioneering genius. The fact that, at the close of this highly charged dramma in musica , he allows evil to triumph over good (albeit temporarily), has frequently led to his being decried as amoral.
Monteverdi's timeless masterpiece, which creates a modern, deep involvement in performers and audiences alike, is brilliantly captured in this live recording of Pierre Audi's moving and beautifully styled production from Het Muziektheater Amsterdam.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Introduction to L'incoronazione di Poppea - featuring interviews with Pierre Audi, Christophe Rousset and members of the cast.
Intense and refined performances by an inspired cast, led by a profound and commanding John Mark Ainsley as the legendary tragic musician, are sustained with fluent ease and obvious affection by the ensemble under Stephen Stubbs. The beautifully styled, evocative stage production, rich with Pierre Audi's trademark symbolism, accentuates the solemn serenity of Monteverdi's most famous work to create a moving and timeless experience.
Bonus features:
- The Magic of Mozart : Interviews with Antonio Pappano, David McVicar and principal cast.
- Illustrated synopsis
- Introduction to the opera featuring interviews with Pierre Audi, Stephen Stubbs and members of the cast
Bonus features:
- The Magic of Mozart : Interviews with Antonio Pappano, David McVicar and principal cast.
- Illustrated synopsis
- Introduction to the opera featuring interviews with Pierre Audi, Stephen Stubbs and members of the cast
In his penultimate opera, based on text adapted from Homer's Odyssey , Monteverdi ventures further than ever before into the depths of human emotion. In this dramma in musica human frailty falls victim to time, fortune and love. Gods and humans, comic and intensely serious characters plus spectacular scenic effects are brought together in a wonderfully rich and effective texture. Pierre Audi's highly stylised and timeless production is captured here in a live recording from Het Muziektheater Amsterdam.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Introduction to Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria - including interviews with Glen Wilson and Pierre Audi.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Introduction to Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria - including interviews with Glen Wilson and Pierre Audi.
Based on the Greek legend of Ulysses and his return to Ithaca after years at the Trojans wars, the opera Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria is one of the earliest opera of its kind ever written.
Monteverdi's music is of transcendental beauty. He took what had previously been rather monotonous, one-dimensional music drama and enriched it with a full musical expression complementing a coherent dramatic experience, picking up the existing art of drama. With full justification, he can therefore be called the real founder of opera.
This seminal 1973 production is directed by Peter Hall and conducted by Raymond Leppard at the National Theatre. The terrific cast and crew, particularly the outstanding Janet Baker, stage an impassioned production that is accentuated by the gorgeous visual design.
Monteverdi's music is of transcendental beauty. He took what had previously been rather monotonous, one-dimensional music drama and enriched it with a full musical expression complementing a coherent dramatic experience, picking up the existing art of drama. With full justification, he can therefore be called the real founder of opera.
This seminal 1973 production is directed by Peter Hall and conducted by Raymond Leppard at the National Theatre. The terrific cast and crew, particularly the outstanding Janet Baker, stage an impassioned production that is accentuated by the gorgeous visual design.
La Clemenza di Tito was commissioned to celebrate the coronation of the Emperor Leopold II as King of Bohemia in 1791, and was written in eighteen days. Nicholas Hytner's elegant new staging, performed in the original Italian language, was premiered during the Mozart Bicentenary season at Glyndebourne on 28th June, 1991. An impressive cast is led by Philip Langridge (Tito), Ashley Putnam (Vitellia) and Diana Montague (Sesto). New recitatives, to replace those written by Mozart's pupil Süssmayr, were commissioned from composer Stephen Oliver for this production. Andrew Davis conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Commissioned for the coronation of Leopold II in Prague, Mozart's last opera is a deep, humane reflection on relationships, power and forgiveness. With the composition of some of the most beautiful passages in his oeuvre, Mozart has succeeded in giving this opera seria both a noble sobriety and transparent instrumentation, to which this commanding production by the Hermann partnership does full justice on all levels. Susan Graham's most extraordinary Sesto and Christoph Pregardien's superb Tito set the standard for this riveting Opera National de Paris performance, conducted by the outstanding Sylvain Cambreling.
Bonus features:
- A masterpiece revisited - a documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with Ursel and Karl-Ernst Herrmann, Sylvain Cambreling, Susan Graham, Christoph Pregardien, Hannah Ester Minutillo, Ekaterina Siurina, Catherine Naglestad and Gerard Mortier
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- A masterpiece revisited - a documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with Ursel and Karl-Ernst Herrmann, Sylvain Cambreling, Susan Graham, Christoph Pregardien, Hannah Ester Minutillo, Ekaterina Siurina, Catherine Naglestad and Gerard Mortier
- Illustrated Synopsis
The old philosopher Don Alfonso enrages his two friends, the officers Ferrando and Guglielmo, with his claim that their fiancées will sooner or later be unfaithful to them - like all women. He proposes a wager, which the two friends accept. They swear on their honour as soldiers that they will prove him wrong and that Dorabella and Fiordiligi are not like "all women".
The immaculately restored eighteenth-century Court Theatre at the country residence of the Swedish Royal Family is the ideal home for period opera. Ever since Drottningholm Court Theatre was rediscovered in the 1920s, it has served as a living memorial to the fabulous extravagance of courtly entertainment and provided the wherewithal for the recreation of the spectacular scenic transformations of the seventeenth and eighteenth century operatic repertoire. The conductor Arnold Östman was appointed Drottningholm's Artistic Director in 1980 and immediately set about establishing a Drottningholm Mozart style, attempting to recapture an authentic flavour through detailed historical research and the use of period instruments. He collaborates with German producer Willy Decker on this ever-popular Mozart comedy with an extensively rehearsed cast of young Swedish singers who "…proved a triumph of stylish...
The immaculately restored eighteenth-century Court Theatre at the country residence of the Swedish Royal Family is the ideal home for period opera. Ever since Drottningholm Court Theatre was rediscovered in the 1920s, it has served as a living memorial to the fabulous extravagance of courtly entertainment and provided the wherewithal for the recreation of the spectacular scenic transformations of the seventeenth and eighteenth century operatic repertoire. The conductor Arnold Östman was appointed Drottningholm's Artistic Director in 1980 and immediately set about establishing a Drottningholm Mozart style, attempting to recapture an authentic flavour through detailed historical research and the use of period instruments. He collaborates with German producer Willy Decker on this ever-popular Mozart comedy with an extensively rehearsed cast of young Swedish singers who "…proved a triumph of stylish...
Riccardo Muti's conducting of one of Mozart's most beloved operas was hailed in the press for its "freshness, rapidity and wit" and for "its wonderfully balanced rollercoaster of emotions". Muti's authoritative approach to Mozart's music and the remarkably homogeneous team of international soloists were equally applauded. The outstanding performances by four of today's leading Mozart singers - Barbara Frittoli Angelika Kirchschlager, Bo Skovhus and Michael Schade - were matched by the thoroughly musical approach to Mozart's score taken by director Roberto de Simone. Così fan tutte is one of Mozart's most beloved operas. Così was written quickly, over the autumn and winter months 1789 and premiered on January 26, 1790, on the eve of the Mozart's 34th birthday. Muti gives both the musicians and the audience time to appreciate Mozart's music in all its beauty, formal mastery and, above all, its endless variety of depiction of human foibles. He manages to achieve a wonderful and entirely Mozartian balance between seriousness and comedy, between depth of emotion and Mediterranean light-heartedness. A co-production of Wiener Staatsoper with the Wiener Festwochen, this performance was recorded live at the Theater an der Wien in 1996: a grand night at the opera!
Lluis Pasqual's powerful new production for the Spanish capital sets da Ponte's timeless story of sleaze and seduction into the dark world of 1940s Spain. Carlos Alvarez, in the title role, toys with the affections of Donna Anna, Zerlina and the Spanish lady Donna Elvira, before his overpowering methods finally bring his own destruction.
Bonus feature:
- Interview with Carlos Alvarez
Bonus feature:
- Interview with Carlos Alvarez
Johan Simons' feisty production of Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail is an intelligently innovative account of Mozart's 1782 comic tale of abduction, love, loyalty and forgiveness. Kurt Rydl's Osmin is hilarious, with just the right edge of latent thuggery; Mojca Erdmann's smart and cheeky Blonde sports a red riding coat, high latex boots and a belt that she is not afraid to use on the men! Laura Aikin's Konstanze, torn between true love and obligation, reveals a vast range of human emotions and Edgaras Montvidas' Belmonte portrays his coming-of-age with clarity and genuine charisma. The performance is whipped up to a feverish pitch in the pit by Constantinos Carydis, the orchestra and chorus responding with fleet virtuosity. This ground-breaking performance delivers everything one could wish for from a Mozart opera, combining thrilling energy with a profound sense of lyrical beauty and truth.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis and cast gallery.
- Interviews with the cast.
- Behind the scenes documentary.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis and cast gallery.
- Interviews with the cast.
- Behind the scenes documentary.
Set in the exotic seraglio of the Pasha Selim, the story revolves around the rescue of the lovely Constanze by her lover Belmonte – a tale of love, bravery and forgiveness. In this work, Mozart breaks new ground in introducing dramatically rounded characters with recognisably human feelings and weaknesses. The work influenced and changed the nature of opera throughout Europe.
This charming production from Drottningholm does full justice to Mozart's score. Arnold Östman's deliberate conducting combined with Carl Friedrich Oberle's design demonstrates that this really is "an eternal masterpiece of music drama by a youthful, exuberant composer who suddenly found his individual voice and style in the field of opera with this particular work" (Opera now)
This charming production from Drottningholm does full justice to Mozart's score. Arnold Östman's deliberate conducting combined with Carl Friedrich Oberle's design demonstrates that this really is "an eternal masterpiece of music drama by a youthful, exuberant composer who suddenly found his individual voice and style in the field of opera with this particular work" (Opera now)
Mozart's charming opera tells the story of a Countess who disguises herself as a gardener in order to find and forgive her lover, who thinks he has killed her in a quarrel. The score is one of real musical delights with uncommonly rich and full orchestration and prominent parts for wind in particular. Arnold Ostman conducts this Goran Jarvefelt production in which the countess is played by Britt-Marie Aruhn.
With this wonderful production, Mozart's "Munich" opera returns to the place where it was first performed in 1781, the lovingly restored Cuvilliés Theatre, a veritable jewel of Rococo architecture. In Dieter Dorn's production, the characters are real people of flesh and blood, their emotions and conflicts intelligible to every member of the audience. The cast includes some of the finest Mozart singers of our day, headed by the British tenor John Mark Ainsley in the title role, while Kent Nagano in the orchestra pit appears to unleash an elemental force of nature.
Even though in recent years Idomeneo has been staged more frequently, this Mozart masterpiece can hardly be counted among the operas (the Da Ponte trilogy in primis) that made of the Salzburg composer one of the greatest operatic composers of all times. Yet Idomeneo was, in its day, a revolutionary work, animated by music that appears remarkably innovative and profoundly theatrical.
Lorenzo da Ponte's libretto and Mozart's music were to transform the stock characters of the opera buffa tradition into real human beings, making Le Nozze di Figaro one of the most sophisticated operas of all time. A charming, expressive and witty Figaro, Lorenzo Regazzo leads a sparkling cast to illustrate superbly the timeless humanity of this masterpiece. Christoph Marthaler's take on Mozart's classic is both daringly original and highly contemporary, the setting transposed to a wedding-dress shop lit with neon lights and a shabby register office.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- A Day of Real Madness – A documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with the cast and creative crew
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- A Day of Real Madness – A documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with the cast and creative crew
In David McVicar's spellbinding production of Le nozze di Figaro the break-down of the relationship between Finley's suave, dashingly self-absorbed Count and Roschmann's passionately dignified Countess lies at the heart of the opera. The struggle to rekindle their love contrasts tragic-comically with the sexy ease between a feisty Figaro (Erwin Schrott) and a sassy Susanna (Miah Persson) is starkly absent, and the tenacious spark that remains between Marcellina (Graciela Araya) and Bartolo (Jonathan Veira). Antonio Pappano conducts (and accompanies the recitatives) with invigorating wit and emotional depth, allowing the ensemble to capture the moments of dramatic tension to perfection and engaging fully with the rhythm of an already classic production, captured in High Definition video and surround sound.
Bonus features:
- The Magic of Mozart - Interviews with Antonio Pappano, David McVicar and principal cast.
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- The Magic of Mozart - Interviews with Antonio Pappano, David McVicar and principal cast.
- Illustrated Synopsis
Die Zauberflöte is the artistic and philosophical testament of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who died a few weeks after the work's première in Vienna.
Intertwining music of awesome purity and beauty with the conventions of the singspiel - a popular form of musical comedy – Mozart's final operatic legacy to the world explores Man's search for the truth and his confusion between the forces of dark and light and the final utopian resolution of seemingly irreconcilable elements.
Because of the opera's relationship to freemasonry, commentators have identified Tamino with the Emperor Joseph II, Pamina with the Austrian people, Sarastro with Ignaz von Born, Monostatos with the clergy and the Queen of the Night with the Empress Maria Theresa.
Whichever level one approaches Die Zauberflöte on, it remains a great work in the spirit of the Enlightenment as well as a delightful fairy-tale. Nothing is so simple as to be absolutely clear-cut. In life, the serious and the comic often intermingle in a way that is disconcerting. In Die Zauberflöte , Mozart succeeds in combining these two elements in a way which has never been surpassed.
The light and vibrant presentation of the Scandinavian cast - internationally renowned bass Lászlo Polgár is the only non-Scandinavian...
Intertwining music of awesome purity and beauty with the conventions of the singspiel - a popular form of musical comedy – Mozart's final operatic legacy to the world explores Man's search for the truth and his confusion between the forces of dark and light and the final utopian resolution of seemingly irreconcilable elements.
Because of the opera's relationship to freemasonry, commentators have identified Tamino with the Emperor Joseph II, Pamina with the Austrian people, Sarastro with Ignaz von Born, Monostatos with the clergy and the Queen of the Night with the Empress Maria Theresa.
Whichever level one approaches Die Zauberflöte on, it remains a great work in the spirit of the Enlightenment as well as a delightful fairy-tale. Nothing is so simple as to be absolutely clear-cut. In life, the serious and the comic often intermingle in a way that is disconcerting. In Die Zauberflöte , Mozart succeeds in combining these two elements in a way which has never been surpassed.
The light and vibrant presentation of the Scandinavian cast - internationally renowned bass Lászlo Polgár is the only non-Scandinavian...
Mussorgsky's loveless and brutal drama of the transformation of Russian society, which led to the rule of Peter the Great within the epic history of Russia, is powerfully modernised through Stein Winge's dramatic and uncompromising production. Performing the version completed by Shostakovich, the outstanding Russian-dominated cast and the orchestra and chorus of the Liceu are led by Michael Boder.
Bonus features:
- Interview with Michael Boder.
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- Interview with Michael Boder.
- Illustrated Synopsis
This production of Carl Nielsen's treasured opera Maskarade bears witness to the spectacular 2006 staging at the Royal Danish Opera by top director Kasper Bech Holten and chief conductor Michael Schonwandt. The immortal story of old Jeronimus versus the young rebels is given new life in impressive surroundings while still continuing the proud traditions of the Royal Danish Opera, featuring the strongest Maskarade cast in living memory.
Bonus features:
- Introduction to Maskarade
- The Making of Maskarade
Bonus features:
- Introduction to Maskarade
- The Making of Maskarade
On This Planet is a journey through life from birth to death. But it is no ordinary journey. It has been set to text and music by the composer Anders Nordentoft, it is performed by the musician Thomas Sandberg; on stage Martin Tulinius has created a unique unity of video, computer graphics, sound and light – just as the music mixes different genres. Anders Nordentoft’s past as a rock musician is combined with his classical training in a brand new musical universe where the concept of crossover is no longer adequate as a label.
Thomas Sandberg is well known in Scandinavia as an unusual mixture of performance artist, percussionist, clown and sound artist. Together with Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen he creates a symbiosis of the human voice and instrumental sound where texts by Anders Nordentoft and the West Indian poet Derek Walcott meet. With On This Planet we enter the same universe as Twin Peaks and Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom , where anything can happen and nothing is what it seems. This suspense-filled universe is given musical nerve by Anders Nordentoft in a mixture of rock, jazz, blues and modern music. There are no borders On This Planet . Anything can happen.
Bonus features:
- From music paper to orchestra - Documentary on...
Thomas Sandberg is well known in Scandinavia as an unusual mixture of performance artist, percussionist, clown and sound artist. Together with Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen he creates a symbiosis of the human voice and instrumental sound where texts by Anders Nordentoft and the West Indian poet Derek Walcott meet. With On This Planet we enter the same universe as Twin Peaks and Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom , where anything can happen and nothing is what it seems. This suspense-filled universe is given musical nerve by Anders Nordentoft in a mixture of rock, jazz, blues and modern music. There are no borders On This Planet . Anything can happen.
Bonus features:
- From music paper to orchestra - Documentary on...
Giancarlo Del Monaco's passionate and intelligent production of Jacques Offenbach's magnum opus creates a climactic kaleidoscope of deep and convincing emotions. A highly credible incarnation of the pitiable Kleinzach he sings about, Aquiles Machado is the poet who loses his romantic idealism, his reflection and finally his soul to a 'trio of charming enchantresses'. Conductor Alain Guingal inspires the superbly dramatic cast, including Maria Bayo, Milagros Poblador, Valentina Kutzarova and Katharine Goeldner, in an outstanding recording.
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Maria Bayo, Aquiles Machado and Juan Carlos Matellanes
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Maria Bayo, Aquiles Machado and Juan Carlos Matellanes
- Illustrated Synopsis
Les Contes d'Hoffmann is a great, unfinished masterpiece. In 1880 Offenbach's health began to deteriorate rapidly. Les Contes d'Hoffmann had already been programmed for the 1880/81 season of the Opéra-Comique but Offenbach was having a hard time finishing it and worked only in the moments of respite from his illness. He died on 5 October, leaving the opera incomplete (we still do not know to what extent). And so Ernest Guiraud, a "specialist" who had already transformed into recitatives the spoken parts of Bizet's Carmen , was called to finish the task. The opera was first staged at the Opéra-Comique on 10 February 1881 and met with great success. Soon it was being performed in the most important theatres of the world.
This edition has an Italian cast of exceptional quality, in which stand out the amazing voice of Desirée Rancatore, the extraordinary artistry of Ruggiero Raimondi and the fascinating direction of Pier Luigi Pizzi.Pizzi, one of today's most creative directors.
This edition has an Italian cast of exceptional quality, in which stand out the amazing voice of Desirée Rancatore, the extraordinary artistry of Ruggiero Raimondi and the fascinating direction of Pier Luigi Pizzi.Pizzi, one of today's most creative directors.
As Malibrans brings up the dark side of a Diva, her voice and her role as an opera personage.
In the great majority of traditional opera librettos, the female personage is always destined to submission or condemned to death. Through opera history and also in real life, these "Divas" with their divine voices, fantasized as goddesses, were often driven to lose their sanity.
As Malibrans does not present a linear narration, however, a great part of reconstructed images are based on the cult figure of Maria Malibran. She becomes the archetype of the theme and represents a new type of woman born before 1830.
Bonus features:
- The Making of As Malibrans
- Noturno de um piano
- Revenge of Medea
- Nenhuma mulher civilizada faria isso
In the great majority of traditional opera librettos, the female personage is always destined to submission or condemned to death. Through opera history and also in real life, these "Divas" with their divine voices, fantasized as goddesses, were often driven to lose their sanity.
As Malibrans does not present a linear narration, however, a great part of reconstructed images are based on the cult figure of Maria Malibran. She becomes the archetype of the theme and represents a new type of woman born before 1830.
Bonus features:
- The Making of As Malibrans
- Noturno de um piano
- Revenge of Medea
- Nenhuma mulher civilizada faria isso
Fata Morgana means mirage and visions of the subconscious, and is also the druid witch who represents divine wisdom, depositary of the primitive revelation.
According to Stephen Hawking, the world we live in, with its planets and galaxies, is contained within an enormous bubble, whose surface gives off other smaller bubbles that occasionally give rise to new universes. This concept is the central idea of this magical opera: a bubble, symbolizing birth, rebirth, the bubble of space, time.
Jocy de Oliveira believes Liturgia do Espaco to be a "cosmic allegory," questioning human beings in the light of the celestial spectacle. T.S. Eliot gave her the first key: "Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future."
Bonus features:
- The Making of Fata Morgana
- The Making of Liturgia do Espaco
According to Stephen Hawking, the world we live in, with its planets and galaxies, is contained within an enormous bubble, whose surface gives off other smaller bubbles that occasionally give rise to new universes. This concept is the central idea of this magical opera: a bubble, symbolizing birth, rebirth, the bubble of space, time.
Jocy de Oliveira believes Liturgia do Espaco to be a "cosmic allegory," questioning human beings in the light of the celestial spectacle. T.S. Eliot gave her the first key: "Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future."
Bonus features:
- The Making of Fata Morgana
- The Making of Liturgia do Espaco
Inori to the sacred prostitute represents a return to the ritual, in search of the mythical, of the symbol, of the eternal. This rite of passage is tender, painful, erotic, hallucinating, violent, sanctifying, involving the personage in solitude of his being, in a net between the profane and the sacred.
The center of this rite is the myth of the sacred prostitute. To restore her figure means to regain the true feminine with inherent values, now lost in modern society. To recreate the image of the Goddess in our time is to reformulate totally our thinking, directing ourselves to a more human and integrated world.
In this path, the magic of the encounter is like a language of the initiated which integrates words and phonemes from primitive people, extinct people, future people.
Illud Tempus means time now and always in Latin. It also represents the atemporal telling of dreams, of unconscious time when God was a woman, a contemporary fairy tale.
Spoken words in different languages are used not only to tell these stories but also weaving intelligible phonemic texts combining sonic and semantic results.
Focusing on texts that expresses the female psyche through times, Illud Tempus explores, through music, theater, and body expression, this variety and diversity...
The center of this rite is the myth of the sacred prostitute. To restore her figure means to regain the true feminine with inherent values, now lost in modern society. To recreate the image of the Goddess in our time is to reformulate totally our thinking, directing ourselves to a more human and integrated world.
In this path, the magic of the encounter is like a language of the initiated which integrates words and phonemes from primitive people, extinct people, future people.
Illud Tempus means time now and always in Latin. It also represents the atemporal telling of dreams, of unconscious time when God was a woman, a contemporary fairy tale.
Spoken words in different languages are used not only to tell these stories but also weaving intelligible phonemic texts combining sonic and semantic results.
Focusing on texts that expresses the female psyche through times, Illud Tempus explores, through music, theater, and body expression, this variety and diversity...
Kseni is a foreign woman who comes from another place, another time, another culture... Kseni is someone who thinks differently and fights for the right to be different. It explores the myth of Medea in a different light, capturing eternal conflicts transposed to our time. It revisits primordial questions that reside in human relationships and within ourselves. It is a reflection on this timeless myth transported to the political and cultural reality of the world today.
Bonus features:
The Making of Kseni, A Estrangeira
The Making of Kseni, Die Fremde
Bonus features:
The Making of Kseni, A Estrangeira
The Making of Kseni, Die Fremde
John Gay (1685-1732), a genial poet and playwright with a talent for satire, got the idea for The Beggar's Opera from his friend, the satirist Jonathan Swift, who had mentioned to him that "A Newgate pastoral might make a pretty sort of thing". It was staged by the actor-manager John Rich (who introduced pantomime to England) and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, making, it was said, "Gay rich and Rich gay". In general, ballad opera, set among London's criminal classes and full of satirical jibes about corruption in high places, suited English taste better than Handel's heroic operas by the 1720s.
Created specially for television, this Beggar's Opera captures the quality and satiric edge of the Hogarth engravings which influenced Gay's original version. The characters of this highly-spirited comedy of London low-life thrived on thieving, lechery and deceit: Peachum, the receiver of stolen goods, shops his clients when it suits him; Macheath, the highwayman, has married Polly Peachum but is promised to Lucy Lockit; Lucy tries to poison her rival, Polly; Peachum and Lockit can both profit from Macheath's demise and so he is brought to the gallows through his lecherous exploits. Lust, greed and corruption abound in this exuberant piece of popular theatre.
The music...
Created specially for television, this Beggar's Opera captures the quality and satiric edge of the Hogarth engravings which influenced Gay's original version. The characters of this highly-spirited comedy of London low-life thrived on thieving, lechery and deceit: Peachum, the receiver of stolen goods, shops his clients when it suits him; Macheath, the highwayman, has married Polly Peachum but is promised to Lucy Lockit; Lucy tries to poison her rival, Polly; Peachum and Lockit can both profit from Macheath's demise and so he is brought to the gallows through his lecherous exploits. Lust, greed and corruption abound in this exuberant piece of popular theatre.
The music...
Written in 1998, Petitgirard's opera differs from David Lynch's cult film in offering an entirely different perspective on the tale of Joseph Merrick, born in 1863 with horrific deformities, exhibited as a freak at the circus, taken in by Dr. Treves at the London Hospital and subsequently afforded celebrity status. Where the film is based largely on Dr. Treves' memoirs, the opera is based on biographies of Joseph Merrick giving his character a more central focus than in the film.
When Canadian opera director Robert Carsen produced his intense and cogent staging of Francis Poulenc's compelling opera Les Dialogues des Carmelites at the Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam in 2001, it impressed audiences and critics alike, and also gained the interest of Riccardo Muti, then musical director of La Scala in Milan. He arranged for the production to be staged by the famous Milanese opera company in 2004. Muti himself conducted Orchestra and Chorus of the Scala and a superb, handpicked cast of singers.
In this production the clash between religion and revolution is made strikingly clear from the outset. Robert Carsen introduces the chorus as a mass of nameless individuals whose silence makes them all the more threatening and who later develop into a crowd and finally into a bloodthirsty mob. This provides the staging with its outer framework. Internally, by contrast, the work is held together by the theme of fear: the opera confronts us with the searing sounds of dying, and the fear that permeates the entire piece proves ultimately to be the mortal anguish of an age that is moving inexorably to its end.
In this production the clash between religion and revolution is made strikingly clear from the outset. Robert Carsen introduces the chorus as a mass of nameless individuals whose silence makes them all the more threatening and who later develop into a crowd and finally into a bloodthirsty mob. This provides the staging with its outer framework. Internally, by contrast, the work is held together by the theme of fear: the opera confronts us with the searing sounds of dying, and the fear that permeates the entire piece proves ultimately to be the mortal anguish of an age that is moving inexorably to its end.
Prokofiev's enchantingly surreal commedia dell'arte masterwork is turned into a spectacular triumph of total theatre in this vital production from the Amsterdam Muziektheater. De Nederlandse Opera has chosen to use the more flexible French libretto of the 1921 premiere, a pertinent choice which has the advantage of accentuating the aesthetic common ground shared by Prokofiev and Les Six .
Stephane Deneve's brilliant musical direction inspires outstanding performances from the soloists and the superb Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, enhanced by the smart, blockbusting staging of Laurent Pelly and the exquisite sets of Chantal Thomas, which propel this feverish fable to great heights.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Introduction to L'amour des 3 Oranges - including interviews with main members of the cast and the artistic team
Stephane Deneve's brilliant musical direction inspires outstanding performances from the soloists and the superb Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, enhanced by the smart, blockbusting staging of Laurent Pelly and the exquisite sets of Chantal Thomas, which propel this feverish fable to great heights.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Introduction to L'amour des 3 Oranges - including interviews with main members of the cast and the artistic team
Prokofiev's disturbingly enigmatic opera, The Fiery Angel , was never performed in his lifetime - considered too decadent by Stalin and his successors - but David Freeman's imaginative production asserts it as one of the composer's greatest masterpieces.
Ostensibly, it is a tale of religious hysteria and demonic possession, but the novel, by the Russian decadent Valéry Bryusov, from which the opera is derived, also explores symbolically the love triangle endured by the writer himself, inspired by the self-destructive figure of his lover, the poet Nina Petrovskaya.
David Freeman has completely entered into this opera's strangely unnerving world. Evil is all around us and in his sensational production the image is taken quite literally.
Ostensibly, it is a tale of religious hysteria and demonic possession, but the novel, by the Russian decadent Valéry Bryusov, from which the opera is derived, also explores symbolically the love triangle endured by the writer himself, inspired by the self-destructive figure of his lover, the poet Nina Petrovskaya.
David Freeman has completely entered into this opera's strangely unnerving world. Evil is all around us and in his sensational production the image is taken quite literally.
Sergei Prokofiev devoted the last twelve years of his life to War and Peace . Having completed the first version (containing eleven scenes) unusually quickly, the composer continued working on the opera over the next ten years. Consequently, the work has appeared in different versions and orchestrations.
Tolstoy's massive chronicle of Russian family life during and after the Napoleonic Wars is one of the greatest novels in world literature and is very close to the hearts and experiences of the Russian people. During World War II, another 'great patriotic war', the Soviet authorities, in the face of the Nazi invasion, pasted pages of Tolstoy's book on to public buildings. Writing his final opera during this momentous period, Prokofiev very skilfully captured Tolstoy's piercing insight into human nature, choosing dramatic key moments from Tolstoy to reflect private and public destinies against a background of Russia under threat.
The greatest landmark in the stage history of the opera came with the 1991 production at the Mariinsky Theatre, when Prokoviev's complete score was performed for the first time with no cuts. This production, staged at the start of the third millennium, presents a fresh reading of Prokofiev's masterpiece.
Tolstoy's massive chronicle of Russian family life during and after the Napoleonic Wars is one of the greatest novels in world literature and is very close to the hearts and experiences of the Russian people. During World War II, another 'great patriotic war', the Soviet authorities, in the face of the Nazi invasion, pasted pages of Tolstoy's book on to public buildings. Writing his final opera during this momentous period, Prokofiev very skilfully captured Tolstoy's piercing insight into human nature, choosing dramatic key moments from Tolstoy to reflect private and public destinies against a background of Russia under threat.
The greatest landmark in the stage history of the opera came with the 1991 production at the Mariinsky Theatre, when Prokoviev's complete score was performed for the first time with no cuts. This production, staged at the start of the third millennium, presents a fresh reading of Prokofiev's masterpiece.
" La Boheme , which opened at the San Francisco Opera House Wednesday night [Nov 19, 1988], starred international recording star Luciano Pavarotti as Rodolfo and Mirella Freni as Mimi, who both had their debut with the company 21 years ago in the same roles."
- Opera review, November 1988
- Opera review, November 1988
Giancarlo del Monaco's one million euro cinematic production of Puccini's popular masterpiece takes its place among the great interpretations of modern times. Jesus Lopez Cobos directs an outstanding cast, led by Inva Mula and Aquiles Machado as Mimi and Rodolfo, in a landmark recording.
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated Synopsis
Robert Wilson's pure and highly stylised 2003 production enhances the timeless beauty of Puccini's moving Japanese tragedy. Cheryl Barker and Martin Thompson lead an inspired cast in a highly charged recording from the Amsterdam Muziektheater with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by a masterful and passionate Edo de Waart.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Introduction to the Madama Butterfly - interviews with Robert Wilson, Edo De Waart and the cast
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Introduction to the Madama Butterfly - interviews with Robert Wilson, Edo De Waart and the cast
Giacomo Puccini, the most significant Italian opera composer to follow in the footsteps of Giuseppe Verdi, discovered the foundation for Madam Butterfly in London where he had traveled for the first performance of his Tosca in June 1900. Puccini immediately recognized the moving effect of the tragic single-act drama, and towards the end of the year he decided to use it as the basis for an opera. (The plot of the opera is set "in Nagasaki around 1900".) A car accident in February 1903 prevented the composer from working for a considerable period; however, he noted the completion of Butterfly on 28 December. The first performance at Milan's Scala nearly two months later (17 February 1904) belongs among operatic history's great premiere scandals. Puccini withdrew the work, divided its two acts into three, added the tenor aria "Addio fiorito asil", and abbreviated parts. Performances in Brescia (May 1904), Paris (1906) and Berlin (1907) marked the work's rise to success, which belongs to a tradition of operas based on exhilarating, exotic, oriental themes. The Scala production of 1986 is characterized by an authentic Far Eastern flair. The Japanese director Keita Asari had at his disposal a décor and costumes team and two exceptional vocalists to perform the main roles from...
On the anniversary of the first success of Madama Butterfly in Brescia on 28 May 1904, Placido Domingo conducted, from the podium of Torre del Lago Puccini, Daniela Dessì, Fabio Armilato and Juan Pons in a new production by Stefano Monti with sets designed by Arnaldo Pomodoro and costumes of Maison Gattinoni.
Manon Lescaut , Puccini's first major success, is a work of impassioned emotions based on the 18th-century novel by Abbe Prevost, depicting the doomed infatuation of Chevalier des Grieux for beautiful, fun-loving Manon. Puccini clothes the story in warmly passionate music that makes a direct appeal to the listener's emotions. "Manon", wrote Puccini to his publisher Giulio Ricordi in 1889, "is a heroine I believe in and therefore she cannot fail to win the heart of the public." This turned out to be a truly prophetic statement since none of Puccini's other world successes were received on their first nights as rapturously as Manon Lescaut . The popularity of Puccini's great masterpiece has never waned and the production at the Chemnitz Opera House was hailed as "a magnificent event" and "moments we go to the opera for."
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Bernhard Helmich, Ansgar Weigner, Frank Beermann, Astrid Weber
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Bernhard Helmich, Ansgar Weigner, Frank Beermann, Astrid Weber
La Fenice's 2008 schedule includes a special treat for opera-goers: a production of Puccini's seldom-performed opera: La Rondine (The Swallow). The score of the operetta-like three-act "lyrical comedy", which tells the story of the love between Magda and Ruggero, must be one of Puccini's most subtle creations. The light, bubbling music reveals levels of artistry and complexity that few composers have ever matched.
Milan-born conductor Carlo Rizzi has worked with the world's leading orchestras since 1982 – from Los Angeles and Chicago to Zurich, Milan and Salzburg, where he conducted a much-acclaimed production of La Traviata with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon in 2005.
Graham Vick, a highly experienced opera director, who also is something of a "Britpop" enthusiast, has directed productions at the New York Met, Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera and the Royal Opera House, London. In Glyndebourne, where he was director of produc-tions from 1994 to 2000, he was responsible, amongst other things, for staging Cosi fan tutte , Don Giovanni and Pelleas et Melisande .
Milan-born conductor Carlo Rizzi has worked with the world's leading orchestras since 1982 – from Los Angeles and Chicago to Zurich, Milan and Salzburg, where he conducted a much-acclaimed production of La Traviata with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon in 2005.
Graham Vick, a highly experienced opera director, who also is something of a "Britpop" enthusiast, has directed productions at the New York Met, Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera and the Royal Opera House, London. In Glyndebourne, where he was director of produc-tions from 1994 to 2000, he was responsible, amongst other things, for staging Cosi fan tutte , Don Giovanni and Pelleas et Melisande .
Although one of his most consistently lyrical operas, La rondine (The Swallow) remains one of Puccini's least known. Dissatisfied with the result of his work, Puccini wrote three versions, with two different endings, and continued to make further revisions up to his death in 1924. The innovative 2007 production at the Torre del Lago Giacomo Puccini Festival, presented here, is in effect a fourth version, which combines Acts I and II of the first version (1917), with Lorenzo Ferrero’s 1994 orchestration of parts of the Finale of Act III of the incomplete third version (1921), some of which had survived only in piano score, as well as Ruggero's Act I romanza, Parigi e la citta dei desideri , from the second version (1920).
With a sparkling score reminiscent of Franz Lehar and Richard Strauss, La rondine , set in mid-19th century Paris, tells the story of Magda de Civry, a young courtesan who falls in love one evening with Ruggero Lastouc, the handsome son of a childhood friend of her protector, Rambaldo Fernandez. Although Magda believes that her compromised social position prevents their marrying, in Puccini's third version it is Ruggero who leaves Magda when he discovers that she is the mistress of Rambaldo.
With a sparkling score reminiscent of Franz Lehar and Richard Strauss, La rondine , set in mid-19th century Paris, tells the story of Magda de Civry, a young courtesan who falls in love one evening with Ruggero Lastouc, the handsome son of a childhood friend of her protector, Rambaldo Fernandez. Although Magda believes that her compromised social position prevents their marrying, in Puccini's third version it is Ruggero who leaves Magda when he discovers that she is the mistress of Rambaldo.
Daniela Dessi takes the title role in Nuria Espert's new production of Puccini's fiery Roman melodrama of lust, betrayal and revenge.
A new production by the internationally acclaimed director Nuria Espert for the Teatro Real, Madrid, in a beautifully intense and dramatic classical style. The lighting by Vinicio Cheli increases the atmosphere of a performance which is destined as a benchmark for twenty-first century productions. Based on the theatre play La Tosca , by Victorien Sardou and first performed at the Teatro Costanzi de Roma on 14th January 1900. Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
Bonus feature:
- Interviews with Daniela Dessi and Fabio Armiliato, Ruggero Raimondi, Maurizio Benini, and Nuria Espert
A new production by the internationally acclaimed director Nuria Espert for the Teatro Real, Madrid, in a beautifully intense and dramatic classical style. The lighting by Vinicio Cheli increases the atmosphere of a performance which is destined as a benchmark for twenty-first century productions. Based on the theatre play La Tosca , by Victorien Sardou and first performed at the Teatro Costanzi de Roma on 14th January 1900. Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
Bonus feature:
- Interviews with Daniela Dessi and Fabio Armiliato, Ruggero Raimondi, Maurizio Benini, and Nuria Espert
The story of the beautiful but cruel princess Turandot, who had her suitors beheaded if they failed to solve her three riddles, has a unique place among Puccini’s works. Turandot shows the composer's ability to reflect the musical trends of his time more convincingly than any of his other operas. Here he combines advanced techniques with his own idiom without compromising the foundations of the traditional melodramma. Even today, and in spite of its wealth of inspired melodies (among them Calaf's aria "Nessun dorma" in the third act), the opera's chief fascination remains its clever, imaginative tonality and subtle instrumentation.
Filmed in 2004, this production of Turandot was first staged in 1999 to inaugurate the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, which was reopening after repairs to extensive fire damage.
The director, Núria Espert, retained the lavish settings traditionally associated with the opera: the magnificent sets are the work of Ezio Frigerio, while the costumes were designed by Franca Squarciapino. None the less, Espert's approach to the work is founded on the doubts that the composer himself expressed about the final scene of the work. In Espert's conception of the piece, Turandot remains incapable of turning into an ordinary, docile woman...
Filmed in 2004, this production of Turandot was first staged in 1999 to inaugurate the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, which was reopening after repairs to extensive fire damage.
The director, Núria Espert, retained the lavish settings traditionally associated with the opera: the magnificent sets are the work of Ezio Frigerio, while the costumes were designed by Franca Squarciapino. None the less, Espert's approach to the work is founded on the doubts that the composer himself expressed about the final scene of the work. In Espert's conception of the piece, Turandot remains incapable of turning into an ordinary, docile woman...
The star-studded vocal ensemble, under the direction of internationally renowned director David Runnicles, guarantees a satisfactory interpretation of Puccini's majestic opera. The aria, "Nessun dorma," which has now become a global hit, is sung by the young Indiana-born tenor Michael Sylvester as Calaf. At the vanguard of the contemporary art genre, David Hockney has been hired as both director and designer to contribute his experience to this well-staged opera project.
This acclaimed production of Henry Purcell's best-known opera, King Arthur comes live from the Salzburg Festival 2004. Composed in 1691, the work can be described as the first ever musical - drama, music, dance and stage effects are all combined in one Gesamtkunstwerk . Drama is coupled with opera; courtly dance rhythms with a farcical, bucolic play and the myth of national grandeur is treated with biting satire, thus creating a brilliant synthesis of the arts or, as conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt describes it, "the first musical in history". The world-famous baroque specialist gathered a musical dream-team made up of his own orchestra, the Concentus musicus Wien and the best singers on the baroque scene. Barbara Bonney, Isabel Rey and Michael Schade – all highly acclaimed artists – took on the singing while a set of eminent actors played out the story on the stage. Harnoncourt and stage director Jürgen Flimm created a surprisingly concise version of the complicated story of the British King Arthur and his opponent Oswald.
The new production of Purcell's The Fairy Queen launched in 1995 by the English National Opera (ENO) was received with great enthusiasm by both the public and musical press. This atmospheric production was prepared by David Pountney, Robert Israel created the stage set, Dunya Ramicova was responsible for costume design and Quinny Sacks was responsible for the choreography of the dance roles as well as the numerous breathtaking ballet scenes. Under the musical direction of Nicholas Kok, the English National Orchestra played baroque music which was as crystal clear as it was expressively infectious. Next to outstanding performers of the dancing roles such as Puck (Simon Rice) and the Indian boy (Arthur Pita), an entire armada of excellent singers was summoned up such as one seldom experiences together on the baroque opera stage. These included Yvonne Kenny as Titania, Thomas Randle as Oberon and Richard Van Allan as King Theseus. Jonathan Best, with his comic portrayal of the drunken poet, was loved by the audience and praised highly by the press, while other singers like Michael Chance, Mary Hegarthy, Janis Kelly, Marc Le Brocq and Christopher Ross all contributed their talents to produce an unusual musical theatre experience that has been masterfully preserved on this video.
William Christie and Les Arts Florissants propel this exuberant production of Jean-Philippe Rameau's second opera to great heights. Andrei Serban's extravagant, highly baroque staging presents the four exotic love stories in a fantastic operatic spectacle. In Le Turc genereux Osman sets free his captive, Emilie, whom he loves, so that she may be reunited with her former lover, Valere; Les Incas de Perou is all about the rivalry of the Inca Huascar and the Spaniard Don Carlos, both in pursuit of Princess Phani; Les Fleurs offers a Persian love intrigue, as the Sultana Fatima tries to detect whether her husband Tacmas has his eye on the lovely Atalide; and Les Sauvages takes us to North America, where a Spaniard and a Frenchman compete for the love of Zima, daughter of a native chief, who prefers one of her own people.
Bonus features:
- Swinging Rameau – A 50-minute documentary analysis featuring interviews with William Christie, Nicolas Rivenq, Blanca Li, Andrei Serban, Paul Agnew, Patricia Petibon
Bonus features:
- Swinging Rameau – A 50-minute documentary analysis featuring interviews with William Christie, Nicolas Rivenq, Blanca Li, Andrei Serban, Paul Agnew, Patricia Petibon
Director Robert Carsen and his creative team flood the stage with summer blossoms, drifts of autumn leaves, winter snows and thunderous spring storms. The cast of 140 are attired in elegant costumes inspired by late 1940s Dior. This mythical tale of a young queen, Alphise, determined to abdicate rather than contemplate an enforced marriage to a descendant of Boreas, is nothing less than highly-charged.
Ground-breaking modern dance ensemble La La La Human Steps, choreographed by Édouard Lock, perform dance divertissements in this strikingly beautiful staging.
Bonus feature:
The Triumph of Love – 60 minute documentary on the background of the production, including interviews with Robert Carsen, William Christie, Barbara Bonney, Paul Agnew and Laurent Naouri and other members of the cast.
Ground-breaking modern dance ensemble La La La Human Steps, choreographed by Édouard Lock, perform dance divertissements in this strikingly beautiful staging.
Bonus feature:
The Triumph of Love – 60 minute documentary on the background of the production, including interviews with Robert Carsen, William Christie, Barbara Bonney, Paul Agnew and Laurent Naouri and other members of the cast.
Inspired by a fable by La Fontaine, Rameau produced perhaps his most brilliant music for his penultimate great work, blending reality and the surreal on several levels. This passionate new production by Jose Montalvo, stunningly choreographed by Montalvo and Dominique Hervieu, sets new standards in entertainment, charm and ingenuity. The sharp and spectacular multimedia staging does full justice to Rameau's dazzling burlesque, confirming Olivier Rouviere's statement that ' Les Paladins is the last laugh of a witty 77-year old composer'. Recorded live in 2004 at the Paris Theatre du Chatelet, both the virtuoso cast and Les Arts Florissants are in top form, clearly enjoying themselves in the masterful hands of William Christie.
Bonus feature:
- Baroque that rocks! – A documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz featuring interviews with William Christie, Dominique Hervieu, Topi Lehtipuu, Stephanie d'Oustrac and other members of the cast
Bonus feature:
- Baroque that rocks! – A documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz featuring interviews with William Christie, Dominique Hervieu, Topi Lehtipuu, Stephanie d'Oustrac and other members of the cast
Making full use of Drottningholm Theatre's unique 17th century Baroque theatre machinery, as well as his deep creative understanding of the profound drama of the work, stage director Pierre Audi creates a production of Zoroastre that completely accords with the spirit of Rameau. True to the form of the tragedie lyrique, choreographer Amir Hosseinpour's dances perfectly match the weight and meaning of both plot and music. The ensemble, Les Talens Lyriques, reinforced with musicians from the Drottningholm Court Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, is expertly and passionately led into the musical stratosphere by musical director Christophe Rousset. This intensely dramatic production is captured live in vibrant High Definition video and true surround sound.
Bonus features:
- Zoroastre: Discovering an opera - a documentary by Olivier Simonnet
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- Zoroastre: Discovering an opera - a documentary by Olivier Simonnet
- Illustrated Synopsis
Created specially for television and recorded in studio, this short opera by one of today's most eminent Finnish composers is based on a Christmas story by the American writer O. Henry.
Rautavaara sets The Gift of the Magi in a poor district of Helsinki in the 1920s. Snow covers the ground and the poor tenants of Mr Salomon's building live in fear of eviction. Minna (Pia Freund) and Joel (Jaako Kortekangas), two young newly-weds, are having trouble paying their rent, let alone buying Christmas presents. Yet they both long to give the other something special as an expression of their love.
So that she can buy Joel a chain for his watch, his most treasured possession, Minna sells her beautiful hair. Joel adores his wife's shining locks and parts with his watch so that he can purchase the magnificent set of jewelled combs she covets. Though their gifts are now useless, their joy in each other's love is precious beyond value. In the words of O. Henry: "Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the wisest. Everywhere they are the wisest. They are the magi."
The telling of the story is unsentimental, Hannu Heikinheimo's staging exquisitely observed, and Rautavaara's music powerfully compelling. The Christmas message finds a truly imaginative and unequivocal...
Rautavaara sets The Gift of the Magi in a poor district of Helsinki in the 1920s. Snow covers the ground and the poor tenants of Mr Salomon's building live in fear of eviction. Minna (Pia Freund) and Joel (Jaako Kortekangas), two young newly-weds, are having trouble paying their rent, let alone buying Christmas presents. Yet they both long to give the other something special as an expression of their love.
So that she can buy Joel a chain for his watch, his most treasured possession, Minna sells her beautiful hair. Joel adores his wife's shining locks and parts with his watch so that he can purchase the magnificent set of jewelled combs she covets. Though their gifts are now useless, their joy in each other's love is precious beyond value. In the words of O. Henry: "Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the wisest. Everywhere they are the wisest. They are the magi."
The telling of the story is unsentimental, Hannu Heikinheimo's staging exquisitely observed, and Rautavaara's music powerfully compelling. The Christmas message finds a truly imaginative and unequivocal...
For his first opera production, Dario Fo, the theatre director known for his brilliant wit, chose to stage Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, for the Netherlands Opera. First mounted in 1987, it was a huge success and a live recording of its revival in May 1992, the 200th anniversary of Rossini's birth, has been made.
Fo has said that 'Rossini is the musician of eating and love. He composes music rich in herbs and aromas, in which you find olives, tomatoes, fish, grapes, roses and rosemary, sheets and tablecloths, dry wine and the laughter of girls.' His Barbiere is a joyful carnival. During the overture he fills the stage with carnival revellers and immediately the commedia dell'arte origins of opera buffa are restored. Visual theatrics abound, never at the expense of the music, but highlighting it, engaging the eye as well as the ear. Fo addresses the heart more than the intellect and Rossini's comedy comes up dazzling and vital.
Fo has said that 'Rossini is the musician of eating and love. He composes music rich in herbs and aromas, in which you find olives, tomatoes, fish, grapes, roses and rosemary, sheets and tablecloths, dry wine and the laughter of girls.' His Barbiere is a joyful carnival. During the overture he fills the stage with carnival revellers and immediately the commedia dell'arte origins of opera buffa are restored. Visual theatrics abound, never at the expense of the music, but highlighting it, engaging the eye as well as the ear. Fo addresses the heart more than the intellect and Rossini's comedy comes up dazzling and vital.
The press enthusiastically declared this Barber of Seville a "firework display of exhilarating comedy" and praised the "unforced liveliness" of the cast. EuroArts releases this highly acclaimed staging of one of the most popular operas ever written. Vesselina Kasarova is the undisputed star of this production - she shines musically and dramatically in the part of Rosina, one of her signature roles, which she has since been invited to sing in many major opera houses from Vienna to New York. Recorded live at the Zurich Opera in April 2001, the cast was led by Manuel Lanza as Figaro, Reinaldo Macias as the Count, Carlos Chausson as Bartolo and Nicolai Ghiaurov as Basilio and Nello Santi, a "singer-conductor" in the best Italian tradition, roused his orchestra to precise, vivacious performance.
The plot of La cambiale di matrimonio , which Rossini composed when he was just eighteen years old, revolves around the farcical attempts of Tobia Mill, a rich English merchant, to combine business with pleasure by forcing his daughter, the lovely Fanny ("the merchandise") to marry Slook, his rich colonial correspondent from America, by means of a bill of exchange. Eventually it is the gallant Slook himself who persuades Mill to allow Fanny to marry her true love, Edoardo Milfort. This Rossini Opera Festival – Pesaro production features two well-established singers, Desiree Rancatore and Saimir Pirgu, who are joined by three promising young singers: Fabio Maria Capitanucci, Enrico Maria Marabelli and Maria Gortsevskaya.
La Cenerentola is one of those Rossini operas that cannot be forced into a stylistic straightjacket. An opera buffa with tragic overtones, a comedy with magical nuances, a parable in which one character – Alidoro – pulls all the strings. The fairy tale transcends character comedy to become a baroque allegory whose finale is a vindication of Ferretti's subtitle La bontà in trionfo : "the triumph of good". For the 1988 Salzburg festival, Michael Hampe staged La Cenerentola with the assistance of stage and costume designer Mauro Pagano and lighting designer Hans Toelstede. His approach highlights not so much the fairy tale as Rossini's underlying satirical commentary on the society of his times and human relationships. A star cast including Ann Murray as Angelina and Francisco Araiza as Don Ramiro ensure musical quality, as does Rossini expert Riccardo Chailly's conducting of the Vienna State Choir and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Paul Curran's production, originally created for Naples in 2004, and presented to rapturous acclaim in Genoa in May 2006, finds a rather unusual setting for this moral tale. He sets the story in the year 1912, in his own words, 'because I wanted to draw attention to social conflicts, and this was a period when class differences were very real'. The setting inspires some Art nouveau imagery in Pasquale Grossi's set designs, while Zaira De Vincentiis's costumes evoke both an elegant sophistication for the prince and Cinderella and a comic exaggeration on the sides of Don Magnifico and his daughters.
The 20th century setting works well as the social differences become immediately palpable for modern audiences, lending the main theme of forgiveness and reconciliation even more prominence. However, the comic side of the opera does not go missing and the clown-like choreographies for the duets, trios etc. dramatises the absurdities of the "bad" characters' behaviour.
Making his operatic debut in Genoa with this production, conductor Renato Palumbo – recently appointed Artistic Director for the Deutsche Oper Berlin – used Alberto Zedda's critical edition of Rossini's work. He was praised in the Italian press for his 'rapid, clearly-defined interpretation of the...
The 20th century setting works well as the social differences become immediately palpable for modern audiences, lending the main theme of forgiveness and reconciliation even more prominence. However, the comic side of the opera does not go missing and the clown-like choreographies for the duets, trios etc. dramatises the absurdities of the "bad" characters' behaviour.
Making his operatic debut in Genoa with this production, conductor Renato Palumbo – recently appointed Artistic Director for the Deutsche Oper Berlin – used Alberto Zedda's critical edition of Rossini's work. He was praised in the Italian press for his 'rapid, clearly-defined interpretation of the...
This Cologne Opera production, one of Rossini's most brilliant compositions, was directed by Michael Hampe and boasts a star-studded cast with Ileana Cotrubas, Carlos Feller, David Kuebler and Alberto Rinaldi.
Rossini's opera is a perennial favourite and tells the story of a servant girl, accused of stealing a silver spoon. She is brought to trial by the Justice of the Peace, whose advances she has repulsed, and is condemned to death. Tragedy turns to comedy when, just before the execution is due to take place, it is discovered that the real thief is a magpie.
Bruno Bartoletti conducts this lively and colourful production, designed by Mauro Pagano.
Rossini's opera is a perennial favourite and tells the story of a servant girl, accused of stealing a silver spoon. She is brought to trial by the Justice of the Peace, whose advances she has repulsed, and is condemned to death. Tragedy turns to comedy when, just before the execution is due to take place, it is discovered that the real thief is a magpie.
Bruno Bartoletti conducts this lively and colourful production, designed by Mauro Pagano.
It was customary for Rossini to modify his scores and develop second and third versions for theatres that wanted to stage his operas. The Maometto II here recorded corresponds only in part to the original score (Naples, 1820), which is the version generally performed nowadays; it is, instead, the revision made for Venice's Teatro La Fenice staged on 26 December 1822 as opening title of the 1823 Carnival season, the same season which, on 3 February 3, would also see the debut of Semiramide . For Venice Rossini tried to soften the monolithic character of his Neapolitan score, introducing an opening symphony, making changes - some of them quite substantial - to the score and, especially, giving the plot a happy ending. The title role is sung by the young Italian bass Lorenzo Regazzo; Claudio Scimone, on the podium, is responsible for the revision of the score.
L'occasione fa il ladro is one of the five one-act operas - farsa giocosa - in which the teenage Rossini first demonstrated his operatic genius. This farce about arranged marriages, role reversals and other amorous confusions is, in musical terms, by far the most riotous of these five operatic jewels – all performed in the intricately decorated Rococo Theatre at Schwetzingen Palace. Renowned opera director Michael Hampe's sparkling production is perfectly suited to the small stage of the historic theatre. Recorded live in 1992 with an excellent cast of principals led by Susan Patterson, Robert Gambill and Natale de Carolis, and Gianluigi Gelmetti's refreshingly fast-paced leadership of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra maintains the light musical touch of this "joyous farce" while at the same time setting a benchmark for the reading of these tiny gems among Rossini's operas.
The renowned Rossini expert Alberto Zedda, inspired by the creative brilliance of Pier Luigi Pizzi's production, leads a fizzing account of Rossini's 1812 comic opera – the composer's first La Scala commission.
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Alberto Zedda and Pier Luigi Pizzi
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Alberto Zedda and Pier Luigi Pizzi
- Illustrated Synopsis
Il signor Bruschino is the last of the five one-act operas - farsa giocosa - in which the young Rossini first demonstrated his operatic genius. Among the 'peculiarities', which caused a sensation at its premiere 1813, was the daring experiment in search of new tonal effects in the overture, during which the second violins are required to tap their bows on their music stands. The opera is a mixture of saucy elegance, sizzling wittiness, cheeky orchestration and also some touching lyricism. It was realised to perfection in the small, jewel-like Rococo Theatre in Schwetzingen Palace, which was built in 1752. The stage is small and the beautifully elegant and this shining production by Michael Hampe, recorded in May 1989, provides one and a half hours of the entertaining story about "the son won in a game" as it is subtitled. The staging transfers to the screen perfectly and the cast of principals, led by Alessandro Corbelli, Alberto Rinaldi and Amelia Felle provide musical excellence together with the flexible Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra under Gianluigi Gelmetti.
Originally created for the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro 1999, this staging by Pier Luigi Pizzi was subsequently revived in Pesaro before travelling on to Rome and – due to its ongoing success – to the renowned Maggio Musicale Florence.
The opera – a tragic story of love against all political odds in medieval Sicily - includes the popular "Di tanti palpiti" (After such beating of the heart), sung by the Norman knight Tancredi of the title when he secretly lands again in Syracuse after having been exiled. Because he is in love with the daughter of the current ruler, his arrival has repercussions amongst the leading families that finally lead to his death.
Pier Luigi Pizzi’s severe classical imagery plays on the contrast of black and white of the factions in Syracuse against the red that characterizes the returning hero. Visually, it is overwhelmingly architectural – a mixture of columns, reliefs and an altar – and even nature is used for geometric and symbolic effect when, at the sound of the music of Tancredi’s homecoming, the magically limpid introduction to "Oh patria! dolce e ingrata patria", a solitary olive tree appears in silhouette. The similar textural clarity of the revelatory scene of Tancredi's death, with...
The opera – a tragic story of love against all political odds in medieval Sicily - includes the popular "Di tanti palpiti" (After such beating of the heart), sung by the Norman knight Tancredi of the title when he secretly lands again in Syracuse after having been exiled. Because he is in love with the daughter of the current ruler, his arrival has repercussions amongst the leading families that finally lead to his death.
Pier Luigi Pizzi’s severe classical imagery plays on the contrast of black and white of the factions in Syracuse against the red that characterizes the returning hero. Visually, it is overwhelmingly architectural – a mixture of columns, reliefs and an altar – and even nature is used for geometric and symbolic effect when, at the sound of the music of Tancredi’s homecoming, the magically limpid introduction to "Oh patria! dolce e ingrata patria", a solitary olive tree appears in silhouette. The similar textural clarity of the revelatory scene of Tancredi's death, with...
Filmed live in 2007 at the prestigious Rossini Opera Festival in the composer's birthplace, Pesaro, Il Turco in Italia is a madcap ensemble opera with an inspired score that boasts music of both comic genius and extraordinary beauty. Set in Naples, it spins a crazy tale around a poet who uses the romantic entanglements of the inhabitants with a Turkish prince as inspiration for the plot of his next play. Ultimately, life imitates art as all ends happily, but not before a planned abduction leads to a chaotic situation of mistaken identity…
Alain Maratrat's highly original and clever production of Il Viaggio a Reims , developed over several seasons by the Theatre du Chatelet and the Mariinsky Theatre, took both theatres by storm. A radiant Valery Gergiev whips up a cast of brilliant young singers from the Academy of the Mariinsky Theatre to unbelievable heights in a colourful, witty rendering that reinvigorates Rossini's last Italian opera.
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated Synopsis
This recording features the world premiere of Aulis Sallinen fifth opera: The Palace.
The opera is based on the libretto by the distinguished writers Hans-Magnus Enzensberger and Irene Dische. Inspired by Mozart's Entfuhrung aus dem Serail and Ryszard Kapuscinski's The Emperor , they created a satirical story of the collapse of a thoroughly corrupt court. It shows how absurd an autocrat can get in the setting of ludicrous ceremonies and bizarre rules of precedence.
Sallinen's music is like a kaleidoscope: rich, multi-coloured and many faceted. It is instantly appreciable and approachable. The production by Kalle Holmberg earned thunderous ovations from audience and critics alike.
Bonus feature:
- Making of The Palace
The opera is based on the libretto by the distinguished writers Hans-Magnus Enzensberger and Irene Dische. Inspired by Mozart's Entfuhrung aus dem Serail and Ryszard Kapuscinski's The Emperor , they created a satirical story of the collapse of a thoroughly corrupt court. It shows how absurd an autocrat can get in the setting of ludicrous ceremonies and bizarre rules of precedence.
Sallinen's music is like a kaleidoscope: rich, multi-coloured and many faceted. It is instantly appreciable and approachable. The production by Kalle Holmberg earned thunderous ovations from audience and critics alike.
Bonus feature:
- Making of The Palace
Live from Salzburg, the opening production of the Festival 2005 and a long forgotten masterpiece: Franz Schreker's three-act opera Die Gezeichneten . Composed and first performed during the last stages of the First World War, the demanding piece - it requires more than thirty solo roles and vast orchestral resources - enjoyed great success in the 1920s. Schreker (1878–1934), one of the most frequently played composers of his time, wrote his own libretto for the opera - a story of longing for an Elysium that is plunged into the most brutal and bloody reality – and set it to a score that has a delightful Mediterranean sheen. However, he and his works were banned during the Nazi regime and as early as 1933, he was dismissed from his post as director of the Berlin Academy of Music. The inspiring task of reviving the opera as the finale of a series of operas banned by the Nazis at the Salzburg Festival was tackled by the acclaimed Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and an excellent cast in which the soprano Anne Schwanewilms stood out for her amazing vocal radiance and mesmerizing stage presence. Kent Nagano, frequent guest conductor at the festival and specialist in 20th century repertoire, led a beautifully paced reading, showing an intuitive feel for Schreker's...
Most of Schubert's operas were written without a specific commission, in the hope that, once completed, some theatre might find them interesting simply by virtue of their musical value. This unrealistic optimism proved almost always wrong and Schubert suffered bitter disappointments, very often working for nothing. Begun on 20 September 1821, Alfonso und Estrella was completed on 27 February 1822 but was first staged, on the initiative of Franz Liszt, only in 1854, after Schubert's death. Alfonso und Estrella has the characteristic climate of a romantische Oper. If it is true that Schubert lacks the sense of theatre which is typical of the best operatic composers of his day (for example Weber), the power of his creativity and beauty of many arias cannot be denied.
Shostakovich's musically brilliant and ingeniously panoramic opera about love, lust, power and oppression is fabulously well played by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mariss Jansons in this authoritative production. Stage director Martin Kusej builds on formidable musical strengths to forge a relentless drama that explores with emotional conviction the shadowy, layered boundaries between victims and perpetrators. First-rate protagonist Eva-Maria Westbroek is phenomenal in her gripping interpretation of Katarina, compelling the entire cast, including the choir, to almost unbearable realism in their portrayal of timeless human weaknesses.
WARNING : The strengths of this highly acclaimed production are largely due to its brutal and graphic portrayal of human emotions. Please be aware that the production contains stroboscopic light effects, nudity and scenes of a sexual nature.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- The Tragedy of Katerina Ismailova - A documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with Martin Kusej, Mariss Jansons and leading members of the cast
WARNING : The strengths of this highly acclaimed production are largely due to its brutal and graphic portrayal of human emotions. Please be aware that the production contains stroboscopic light effects, nudity and scenes of a sexual nature.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- The Tragedy of Katerina Ismailova - A documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with Martin Kusej, Mariss Jansons and leading members of the cast
After its first performance in Vienna, the operetta Die Fledermaus set out to conquer the world. It is one of the few operettas which are regularly staged by the great opera houses of the world such as the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Milan Scala, The Staatsoper in Vienna and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. In 1977 John Cox directed the piece in London with a lavish production using a stage set of Julia Trevelyan Oman. On New Year's Eve of 1990 this production gave the luxurious setting for Joan Sutherland's farewell from her London audience which had admired the singer since her great success at this famous opera house in the fifties. The glittering party in the second act of Die Fledermaus reached its high point during her tumultuously applauded appearance and the engagement of her friends and colleagues Luciano Pavarotti and Marilyn Horne with whom she had often appeared together on stage.
Capriccio is somewhat unique in the opera repertoire. This "conversation piece for music in one act" was written in 1942 during Strauss' later years and concerns an intellectual discussion at a soiree about whether words or music are the most important in opera, thus an opera itself. Strauss himself feared that the public at large would not know how to take this "treat for cultural connoisseurs" - but he was wrong. His theatrical "theatrical fugue" was to become one of the most frequently performed of his late works.
This production provides a wonderful showcase for the inimitable Kiri Te Kanawa, a Strauss specialist, who sparkles her way through the role of the humoured and charming countess torn between two suitors.
This production provides a wonderful showcase for the inimitable Kiri Te Kanawa, a Strauss specialist, who sparkles her way through the role of the humoured and charming countess torn between two suitors.
The creation of Daphne was not a simple affair, especially for what concerned the poetic text (due to the modest talent of the librettist Joseph Gregor), but on 15 October 1938 the opera was finally premiered at Dresden's Staatstheater. On the podium was the young conductor Karl Bohm. Daphne is a masterpiece of early 20th-century vocal music. Structured in a single act, this opera is a solid work with a rich musical vein. Strauss's orchestration appears, as always, remarkably refined. The vocal writing is demanding for all the main characters, but especially so for the protagonist, here interpreted by a magnificent June Anderson. Filmed in high definition at Venice's La Fenice, the present production is directed by Paul Curran.
This Vienna State Opera production of Strauss's opera of revenge, torment, violence and horror, is directed by Harry Kupfer as a tale of tyranny and bloodshed. His bold and terrifying concept is reiterated in Hans Schavernoch's cavernous decor. He opens with an abattoir, the five maids piling dripping chunks of carcasses into borrows, and closes with a more human slaughterhouse as Orestes raises his bloody hands to heaven.
Conducting his first Strauss opera, Claudio Abbado wrings a harrowing performance from the peerless Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The music is infused with an eeriness and neurosis that heightens the emotions on stage. In the title role, Eva Marton gives an uninhibited and exultant performance, matched by that of Brigitte Fassbaender as her mother, Klytemnestra, murderer and widow of Agamemnon. Bejewelled from head to foot and consumed by the flames of guilt-ridden insanity, Fassbaender sings as if truly possessed. The more lyrical role of Chrysothemis is sung by Cheryl Studer, with a ragged and single-minded Orestes played by Franz Grundheber.
Conducting his first Strauss opera, Claudio Abbado wrings a harrowing performance from the peerless Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The music is infused with an eeriness and neurosis that heightens the emotions on stage. In the title role, Eva Marton gives an uninhibited and exultant performance, matched by that of Brigitte Fassbaender as her mother, Klytemnestra, murderer and widow of Agamemnon. Bejewelled from head to foot and consumed by the flames of guilt-ridden insanity, Fassbaender sings as if truly possessed. The more lyrical role of Chrysothemis is sung by Cheryl Studer, with a ragged and single-minded Orestes played by Franz Grundheber.
The 2004 staging of Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier was one of the most talked about productions of recent Salzburg festival years. The musical comedy has a deep-rooted performance tradition at the Salzburg Festival, but Robert Carsen's new reading opened up a new view of this operatic staple while Semyon Bychkov leading the Vienna Philharmonic and a cast of internationally renowned singers guaranteed a high musical standard.
Director Robert Carsen and his designer Peter Pabst adopted an approach to the piece that asked questions about the setting. Were Hofmannsthal (the librettist) and Strauss offering a nostalgic transfiguration of Maria Theresa's Vienna in the work or were they attempting to portray the decadent, valedictory atmosphere of the dying Habsburg monarchy? Both clearly came down in favour of the second of these interpretations: they transferred the action to the time at which the opera was written, to the final years of the Habsburg monarchy, shortly before the outbreak of the First World War.
Carsen marked the work with a coherent vision, cleverly holding its three acts and almost 200 stage personnel together. The wide stage of the Großes Festspielhaus allowed him to keep the main action centre-stage, while the surrounding spaces were used to comment on the...
Director Robert Carsen and his designer Peter Pabst adopted an approach to the piece that asked questions about the setting. Were Hofmannsthal (the librettist) and Strauss offering a nostalgic transfiguration of Maria Theresa's Vienna in the work or were they attempting to portray the decadent, valedictory atmosphere of the dying Habsburg monarchy? Both clearly came down in favour of the second of these interpretations: they transferred the action to the time at which the opera was written, to the final years of the Habsburg monarchy, shortly before the outbreak of the First World War.
Carsen marked the work with a coherent vision, cleverly holding its three acts and almost 200 stage personnel together. The wide stage of the Großes Festspielhaus allowed him to keep the main action centre-stage, while the surrounding spaces were used to comment on the...
David McVicar's powerful 2008 production of Oscar Wilde's bible-based drama takes the controversially disturbing film Salo as its visual reference, setting it in a debauched palace in Nazi Germany. Strauss's ravishing and voluptuous score adds to the sexual alchemy conjured by an international cast led by Nadja Michael in the title role.
WARNING: Contains nudity and scenes of violence.
Bonus features:
- Documentary – David McVicar: A work in process .
- Illustrated Synopsis
WARNING: Contains nudity and scenes of violence.
Bonus features:
- Documentary – David McVicar: A work in process .
- Illustrated Synopsis
Stravinsky's masterwork The Rake's Progress , created for La Fenice in Venice in 1951, is based on a libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, inspired by a series of 18th century prints by William Hogarth. This amazing production from La Monnaie–De Munt 'jazzifies' the setting by replacing Hogarth's sin city, London, with 1950s Las Vegas, turning it into a glittering, cinematic gallery of tableaux vivants inspired by the early days of television. Staged by one of the most visionary theatre directors of our age, the Quebecois Robert Lepage, the neo-classical morality tale truly becomes a grand spectacle . Lepage's visual imagination works its magic superbly, while Kazushi Ono's energetic musical direction drives the sparkling ensemble to exhilarating heights.
Bonus features:
- Interview with stage director Robert Lepage.
- Behind the scenes and rehearsal footage.
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- Interview with stage director Robert Lepage.
- Behind the scenes and rehearsal footage.
- Illustrated Synopsis
In 1951, in Venice, Igor Stravinsky conducted the premiere of his only full-length opera The Rake's Progress . He had conceived the idea for this work after visiting the Chicago Art Institute in 1947, where he came upon a series of eight satirical engravings of the same title, created by the English painter and copperplate engraver William Hogarth in 1735. On the recommendation of his neighbour Aldous Huxley, Stravinsky asked W. H. Auden to write an opera libretto for him, which was ready by late February 1948.
Peter Mussbach's production was first performed at the 1996 Salzburg Festival. Sylvain Cambreling directed the choir of the Vienna State Opera and the Camerata Academica. The soloists included Jonathan Best (Trulove), Dawn Upshaw (Anne Trulove) and Jerry Hadley (Tom Rakewell).
Peter Mussbach's production was first performed at the 1996 Salzburg Festival. Sylvain Cambreling directed the choir of the Vienna State Opera and the Camerata Academica. The soloists included Jonathan Best (Trulove), Dawn Upshaw (Anne Trulove) and Jerry Hadley (Tom Rakewell).
Tchaikovsky is regarded as Russia's great symphonist. In his music he succeeded in creating a synthesis between the national musical language of Russia and the compositional forms and techniques of western European romanticism. His works are distinguished by rich melodic passages, parts of which are full of the deepest melancholy, interspersed with cheerful, dance-like, sections drawn from Russian folk music. His great operas Eugene Onegin and Pique Dame reveal a fascinating artistry that uses expressive, highly dramatic characters and scenes. Pique Dame was written quickly, in the spring of 1890 in Florence, and its first performance took place the same year at the Marinsky theatre in St. Petersburg. The production recorded here received the highest acclaim for its outstanding interpretation at the 1992 Glyndebourne Festival. The London Philharmonic under Andrew Davis accompanied a cast which included Sergei Leiferkus (Count Tomsky) and Dimitri Kharitonov (Prince Jeletzky).
Luther is a two-act opera by Finnish composer and conductor Kari Tikka who also wrote the libretto in collaboration with Jussi Tapola. It tells the life story of the German theologian and church reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546).
This live recording was made in May 2003 at the Temppeliaukion Kirkko ("Rock Church") in Helsinki, where the work had its world première in December 2000. The Finnish National Opera production is staged by Jussi Tapola, with conductor Kari Tikka leading a cast of soloists from the Opera.
Bonus features:
- An introduction to Luther
- A visit to the Temppeliaukio Church
This live recording was made in May 2003 at the Temppeliaukion Kirkko ("Rock Church") in Helsinki, where the work had its world première in December 2000. The Finnish National Opera production is staged by Jussi Tapola, with conductor Kari Tikka leading a cast of soloists from the Opera.
Bonus features:
- An introduction to Luther
- A visit to the Temppeliaukio Church
The re-telling of part of the original epic legend of Troy follows the Homeric characters through their love, loyalties and vengeance – leading to the final slaughter of King Priam at the altar of his burning city. The opera also speaks of the inevitability and futility of war.
Rodney Macann heads a strong cast in the title role, giving a compelling performance as Priam, alongside Sarah Walker's moving portrayal of Hector's wife, Andromache. Howard Haskin plays Priam's rebellious son Paris, who elopes with Helen, wife of the Greek King of Sparta, thus instigating the great Trojan war.
Nicholas Hytner's innovative production is matched by the starkly stylised setting designed by David Fielding, which creates a timeless arena of war. Minimal costume and colour, frozen action and white light further enhance Tippett's marvellously sparse music played with fearless conviction and driving impetus by the youthful Kent Opera Orchestra under the direction of Roger Norrington.
Rodney Macann heads a strong cast in the title role, giving a compelling performance as Priam, alongside Sarah Walker's moving portrayal of Hector's wife, Andromache. Howard Haskin plays Priam's rebellious son Paris, who elopes with Helen, wife of the Greek King of Sparta, thus instigating the great Trojan war.
Nicholas Hytner's innovative production is matched by the starkly stylised setting designed by David Fielding, which creates a timeless arena of war. Minimal costume and colour, frozen action and white light further enhance Tippett's marvellously sparse music played with fearless conviction and driving impetus by the youthful Kent Opera Orchestra under the direction of Roger Norrington.
Placido Domingo heads an internationally renowned cast in Emilio Sagi's stylish new production for Madrid's Teatro Real of Moreno Torroba's enduring Zarzuela, whose story itself is set in the Spanish capital. Jesus Lopez Cobos conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real.
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Placido Domingo, Emilio Sagi and Jesus Lopez Cobos
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- Interviews with Placido Domingo, Emilio Sagi and Jesus Lopez Cobos
- Illustrated Synopsis
Turnage's operatic retelling of Oedipus the King, moved to present-day London Greek , first performed in 1988, was composed on behalf of the Munich Biennale and is based on Steven Berkoff's adaptation of Oedipus the King to a modern setting. It received its premiere in Munich and won the prizes for best opera and best libretto. It is a typical example of Turnage's determinedly urban type of music. His compositional style is not consistently tonal, but remains accessible, colourful, often with aggressive effects, but always retaining an underlying lyricism, at times with a powerful dramatic impact and emotional power.
Cult director Robert Wilson's highly stylised and intensely dramatic staging brings a Zen-like tranquillity to Verdi's great opera concerning the conflict between individual aspiration, tradition and duty. His visually calm, yet emotionally taut, direction is emphasised by outstanding performances from the cast and the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of La Monnaie-De Munt under the commanding and inspired musical direction of Kazushi Ono. Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, La Monnaie-De Munt in Brussels, this riveting and painstakingly beautiful production, reminiscent at times of Japanese Noh theatre, offers a new and thought-provoking experience of a masterpiece.
This magnificent production of Verdi's most-loved masterpiece was a triumphant success when it opened at La Scala in December 1985 and Luciano Pavarotti's long-awaited performance as Radames - his first in Italy - was greeted with rapturous applause. In this live recording of that production, Pavarotti heads an exceptional cast with Ghena Dimitrova, Maria Chiara, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Juan Pons all in peak form. Lorin Maazel's reading of the score shows a rare understanding of Verdi's music.
Filmed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, Daniela Dessi, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Fabio Armiliato, Juan Pons and Roberto Scandiuzzi lead the cast in the renowned period production filmed in 2003 against the historic paper trompe-l'oeil sets painted between 1936-45 by Josep Mestres Cabanes, the last representative of the old Catalan school of scenography. Mestres Cabanes worked on his Aida vision for eight years. The opulent staging he created in 1945 is here in every detail. The seven magnificent sets he painted for Aida in 1945 have been subtly and painstakingly restored by Jordi Castells and his team - revealing the palaces, temples and surroundings of Memphis and Thebes which the set designer had wanted to evoke in his historical yet also fantasy-like vision.
These fascinating sets are not just realistic - but also magical in the theatrical sense. Mestres Cabanes loved the theatre which he had been exploring for over a quarter of a century. His sets are dramatic and visceral, conceived for stage action, conveying the dynamic tensions proper to each part of the work – intimate, epic, severe, sensual, troubled and tragic.
Bonus features:
- Scenographer Josep Mestres Cabanes at the Liceu
- Illustrated synopsis
These fascinating sets are not just realistic - but also magical in the theatrical sense. Mestres Cabanes loved the theatre which he had been exploring for over a quarter of a century. His sets are dramatic and visceral, conceived for stage action, conveying the dynamic tensions proper to each part of the work – intimate, epic, severe, sensual, troubled and tragic.
Bonus features:
- Scenographer Josep Mestres Cabanes at the Liceu
- Illustrated synopsis
Filmed live at the Leipzig Opera in November 2005, this recording of Verdi's famous Un Ballo in Maschera , brings a lively musical evening. Riccardo Chailly, who made a critically acclaimed start in his position as General Music Director of the Leipzig Opera with this staging, directs the Gewandhausorchestra and a cast of experienced Verdi singers in a collaboration between the Zurich and Leipzig Operas. Un ballo in maschera - a story of love, power and political murder in 19th century United States of America - is as exciting as a thriller, but with a passion that can only be experienced in a Verdi opera. The Italian film director Ermanno Olmi ( The Legend of the Holy Drinker, The Tree of Wooden Clogs ) staged it accordingly. The amazing visual effects in this production were created by the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodore who designed the fantastic colourful set and costumes.
Il Corsaro is still one of Verdi's less known and performed operas. Chronologically speaking, it belongs to the famous "years in the galley", even though it dates from a period (the autumn of 1848) when the composer's name, in Italy, could already be considered established. Although this is considered one of Verdi's minor works, there are many exciting and poignant passages in it, and the tight dramatic action makes for music that has a pressing and incisive rhythm. The renowned baritone Renato Bruson and conductor Renato Palumbo stand out in the cast and this recording makes the most of Lamberto Puggelli's beautiful sets.
The premiere of Ernani at Venices' Teatro La Fenice in 1844 failed to come up to Verdi's expectations, primarily because of the poor health of some of the singers. Both critics and audiences, however, soon warmed to Ernani , especially after the following performances. The opera contains some of Verdi's most successful, impassioned arias (first and foremost Elvira's cavatina and Silva's cantabile) and clearly denoted an evolution in terms of dramatic structure, more cohesive and with lesser use of blocks of closed numbers. Despite a turbulent 'premiere', Ernani became a real international success, beginning with the felicitous Vienna productions of May/June 1844. The cast of this Teatro Regio of Parma production features some of today's best singers for this type of repertoire.
The main characters are sung by leading exponents of their respective roles, including Barbara Frittoli, who sang Alice in the production that marked the reopening of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The action revolves around Ruggero Raimondi, one of the foremost Falstaffs of recent years. Raimondi first sang the role, one of a small number of purely baritone parts in his repertoire, in 1986, and then waited until the end of the 1990s before taking it up again under Claudio Abbado in Berlin. He values the part for the way Falstaff "takes part in the action both comically and dramatically, and perhaps this is the real strength and beauty of the role."
Adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor , Falstaff was Verdi's last opera and one of his few comedies. It was also the third of Verdi's operas to be based on a Shakespearean play, and like his first adaptation of the English playwright, Macbeth , it concludes with a fugue, the famous "Tutto nel mondo e burla" (All the world's a joke). The successful first performance took place at La Scala in Milan in 1893. While not as immensely popular as the works that immediately preceded it ( Aida and Otello ) Falstaff's refinement and melodic invention have made it a long term favourite...
Adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor , Falstaff was Verdi's last opera and one of his few comedies. It was also the third of Verdi's operas to be based on a Shakespearean play, and like his first adaptation of the English playwright, Macbeth , it concludes with a fugue, the famous "Tutto nel mondo e burla" (All the world's a joke). The successful first performance took place at La Scala in Milan in 1893. While not as immensely popular as the works that immediately preceded it ( Aida and Otello ) Falstaff's refinement and melodic invention have made it a long term favourite...
Based on Schiller's Kabale und Liebe (Intrigue and Love) , Verdi's tragic melodramma Luisa Miller revolves around the loves of the heroine of the title and Rodolfo, son of Count Walter, and the machinations of the Count's steward, Wurm, who wants Luisa for himself, resulting in the death of all three. Directed by Arnaud Bernard, who took as his inspiration Bernardo Bertolucci's 1976 film 1900 , this La Fenice production is led by the outstanding Bulgarian soprano Darina Takova whose intense characterisation of Luisa emphasizes the heroine's inner torture, and Giuseppe Sabbatini who brings a thrilling theatricality to the role of Rodolfo, especially in the most famous aria from the opera, "Quando le sere al placido".
Macbeth signifies the beginning of Verdi's life-long preoccupation with William Shakespeare where he came close to emulating the master with his congenial composition of Othello and whom he even surpassed with Falstaff . Aware of the great musical as well as literary challenge, Verdi wrote the scenario himself and essentially concentrated the piece on three main protagonists: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the prophecy of the witches… During the first performance on 14 March 1847 in Florence the audience reacted with great displeasure. The piece only gradually established itself in the world of opera. Luca Ronconi's new production of Verdi's early masterpiece which was first performed in June 1987 at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin was received in Germany and around the world with great praise.
This epic opera inspired by Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece was written in 1847, but did not receive its British premiere until 1938 when it was presented for the first time at Glyndebourne.
The tragedy is a penetrating, concentrated, and harrowing study of the ambition of Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. In the end both seem to verge on hallucination and madness as they recoil from the mayhem they have created around them.
The production features an outstanding international cast, with the Greek baritone Kostas Paskalis in the title role and British star Josephine Barstow making an exciting debut as Lady Macbeth. Proceedings are conducted by the sympathetic baton of John Prithard. The designer, Emanuele Luzzati, has created a series of stunning visual impressions, including the chilling witches' chorus, the sumptuous banquet at which Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo and Lady Macbeth's heart-rending sleepwalking scene.
The tragedy is a penetrating, concentrated, and harrowing study of the ambition of Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. In the end both seem to verge on hallucination and madness as they recoil from the mayhem they have created around them.
The production features an outstanding international cast, with the Greek baritone Kostas Paskalis in the title role and British star Josephine Barstow making an exciting debut as Lady Macbeth. Proceedings are conducted by the sympathetic baton of John Prithard. The designer, Emanuele Luzzati, has created a series of stunning visual impressions, including the chilling witches' chorus, the sumptuous banquet at which Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo and Lady Macbeth's heart-rending sleepwalking scene.
Carlos Alvarez takes the title role in the first of Verdi's Shakespearean operas, with Maria Guleghina as the manipulative wife whose desire to gain the Scottish throne drives her husband to murder and leaves both with blood on their hands. Bruno Campanella conducts the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2004 recording of Phyllida Lloyd's powerful production, first staged at London's Royal Opera House.
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated Synopsis
Verdi was justifiably pleased with Macbeth , his tenth opera and his first on a Shakespearian subject – it would long remain his own favourite among his 'early period' operas. Eighteen years later, at the invitation of the Theatre Lyrique in Paris, he substantially revised the score, and this version (sung in Italian) is presented here in Pier Luigi Pizzi's visually arresting 2007 production. The talented young cast is headed by Giuseppe Altomare as Macbeth, one of Verdi's most profoundly modern anti-heroes – a political animal driven to bloody regicide yet doomed by his very success – with Olha Zhuravel as his obsessively ambitious wife, driven to madness by her own guilt.
Macbeth occupies a special place in Verdi's overall output: it is his only opera without an amorous intrigue, and it is also his first Shakespearean opera. Shakespeare was one of his "favourite poets," the composer admitted, "a poet whose works I have had in my hands from my earliest youth and one whom I read and reread constantly."
This staging of the four-act dramatic opera that tells the story of the Scottish nobleman Macbeth, who is corrupted by power and loses his wife, his sanity and finally his life to his ambitions. The plot, set in Scotland in the middle of the 11th century, represents Verdi's advance into realism. He developed a completely new approach to characterization, in which characters and actions are treated with a hitherto unprecedented degree of realism and began to explore his own scenario for the first time.
Thus a staging as close to the plot and its psychological context becomes inevitable. Internationally renowned film director Liliana Cavani (best known for the 1974 film Night Porter with Charlotte Rampling) takes the conflict of a man torn between two female force fields at face value and shows Lady Macbeth's lascivious insinuations and the seductive prophecies of the witches as elements of the pitfalls that both real and our subconscious...
This staging of the four-act dramatic opera that tells the story of the Scottish nobleman Macbeth, who is corrupted by power and loses his wife, his sanity and finally his life to his ambitions. The plot, set in Scotland in the middle of the 11th century, represents Verdi's advance into realism. He developed a completely new approach to characterization, in which characters and actions are treated with a hitherto unprecedented degree of realism and began to explore his own scenario for the first time.
Thus a staging as close to the plot and its psychological context becomes inevitable. Internationally renowned film director Liliana Cavani (best known for the 1974 film Night Porter with Charlotte Rampling) takes the conflict of a man torn between two female force fields at face value and shows Lady Macbeth's lascivious insinuations and the seductive prophecies of the witches as elements of the pitfalls that both real and our subconscious...
In 1901, when Giuseppe Verdi's coffin was transferred to its interim resting-place, the 250,000 mourners burst into a song. Now, guess which one? Of course: "Va, pensiero, sull' ali dorate".
After all, Nabucco means "Va pensiero", "Va pensiero" means Verdi, and Verdi means Italy. The liberal republican Verdi became a patriotic figurehead and was hailed by many Italians the maestro della rivoluzione and the spiritual father of the longed for renaissance.
No wonder the Teatro Municipale di Piacenza chose one of Verdi's masterpieces to celebrate their Bicentenary.
Italian Ambrogio Maestri leads a superb cast in the title role as Nabucco. The highly acclaimed Verdi-singer is considered to be one of the finest baritones of his generation. Andrea Gruber, praised by The Financial Times for her "marvellous freedom and generosity of tone" set a course as his counter part, the Georgian bass Paata Burchuladze portrays a very impressive Zaccharia.
After all, Nabucco means "Va pensiero", "Va pensiero" means Verdi, and Verdi means Italy. The liberal republican Verdi became a patriotic figurehead and was hailed by many Italians the maestro della rivoluzione and the spiritual father of the longed for renaissance.
No wonder the Teatro Municipale di Piacenza chose one of Verdi's masterpieces to celebrate their Bicentenary.
Italian Ambrogio Maestri leads a superb cast in the title role as Nabucco. The highly acclaimed Verdi-singer is considered to be one of the finest baritones of his generation. Andrea Gruber, praised by The Financial Times for her "marvellous freedom and generosity of tone" set a course as his counter part, the Georgian bass Paata Burchuladze portrays a very impressive Zaccharia.
Verdi's first published opera, written in his 20s, already shows the instinctive melodic gift and heightened sense of drama which was to make him a giant among composers of grand opera. Set in 13th century Italy, Oberto was first performed at La Scala, Milan in 1839 - 54 years before his last opera was premiered there - and prepared the way for a lifetime's work which would culminate in some of the finest music ever written.
Bonus feature:
- Interview with Yves Abel
Bonus feature:
- Interview with Yves Abel
The first of Verdi's two late Shakespearian operas stands as one of the great masterpieces of grand opera. Jose Cura, ranked among the world's leading interpreters of Verdi's music, takes the title role in Willy Decker's profound and intense production, recorded live at the Liceu, Barcelona in 2006.
Bonus features:
- Introduction to Otello
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- Introduction to Otello
- Illustrated Synopsis
Sliding marble walls, a mosaic-like floor, a leafless tree centre-stage, elegant costumes – with its young cast and a superlative performance by Roberto Frontali as Simon Boccanegra, this production has all the ingredients to leave a lasting impression. The Italian baritone is a regular guest at the world's major opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala Milan, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Zurich Opera House, the Staatsoper Berlin and Dresden's Semperoper. Born in 1979 and already principal conductor in Bologna, Michele Mariotti directs the ensemble in a bravura performance.
Simon Boccanegra is perhaps not one of Verdi's best-known operas. The composer himself returned to revise the work on several occasions. The original opera was premiered in Venice in 1857, this revised version not until 1881. Although never considered one of Verdi's crowd pullers, it remains one of the composer's most beautiful creations. Verdi's music underpins this human drama in all its surprising twists and turns…
Simon Boccanegra is perhaps not one of Verdi's best-known operas. The composer himself returned to revise the work on several occasions. The original opera was premiered in Venice in 1857, this revised version not until 1881. Although never considered one of Verdi's crowd pullers, it remains one of the composer's most beautiful creations. Verdi's music underpins this human drama in all its surprising twists and turns…
One of the lesser known works by Giuseppe Verdi, Simon Boccanegra is regarded by most opera lovers as one of his finest. The action takes place in the 14th century and deals with the political and personal rivalry between the corsair Simon Boccanegra, who has been elected Doge of Genoa with the help of the plebeian vote, and the local nobleman, Jacopo Fiesco.
The staging was directed by one of the giants of the European theatre, Peter Stein, who ran the Berliner Schaubühne between 1970 and 1985, and later became theatre director at the Salzburg Festival. His production of Simon Boccanegra was first seen at the 2000 Salzburg Easter Festival. Two years later he developed the production in Vienna, using the same sets and costumes as in Salzburg. His fondness for atmospherically dense spaces in which the characters can fully develop is particularly well brought out in his Vienna production, not least because he had at his disposal two remarkable singing actors for the principal male roles - American baritone Thomas Hampson as Simon Boccanegra and Ferruccio Furlanetto who plays Jacopo Fiesco.
The staging was directed by one of the giants of the European theatre, Peter Stein, who ran the Berliner Schaubühne between 1970 and 1985, and later became theatre director at the Salzburg Festival. His production of Simon Boccanegra was first seen at the 2000 Salzburg Easter Festival. Two years later he developed the production in Vienna, using the same sets and costumes as in Salzburg. His fondness for atmospherically dense spaces in which the characters can fully develop is particularly well brought out in his Vienna production, not least because he had at his disposal two remarkable singing actors for the principal male roles - American baritone Thomas Hampson as Simon Boccanegra and Ferruccio Furlanetto who plays Jacopo Fiesco.
La Traviata represents a milestone in musical history, marking a move from Romantic opera towards a greater degree of realism. For the first time ever, contemporary material and figures had been chosen as the basis for an opera. A real prostitute, tuberculosis, a so-called man of honour whose provincial morality collides with the more flexible and superficial world of the French capital, money, bourgeois righteousness versus high-society superficiality and decadence – themes such as these have become well established on the operatic stage since then.
The legendary soprano Rosa Ponselle was right when she said of the huge range demanded of the title role, from the brilliance of Act I to the pure lyricism of the final "Addio del passato" that anyone singing Violetta should have four voices – a different one for each scene…
Liliana Cavani and Dante Ferretti's Traviata production was revived in the summer of 2007. The title role was sung for the first time at La Scala by the Romanian star soprano Angela Gheorghiu, who sings and plays the title role of Violetta overwhelmingly, with the Mexican tenor Ramon Vargas as Alfredo. Giorgio Germont was sung by Italian Roberto Frontali. The conductor Lorin Maazel reaped massive protests from the audience by...
The legendary soprano Rosa Ponselle was right when she said of the huge range demanded of the title role, from the brilliance of Act I to the pure lyricism of the final "Addio del passato" that anyone singing Violetta should have four voices – a different one for each scene…
Liliana Cavani and Dante Ferretti's Traviata production was revived in the summer of 2007. The title role was sung for the first time at La Scala by the Romanian star soprano Angela Gheorghiu, who sings and plays the title role of Violetta overwhelmingly, with the Mexican tenor Ramon Vargas as Alfredo. Giorgio Germont was sung by Italian Roberto Frontali. The conductor Lorin Maazel reaped massive protests from the audience by...
Norah Amsellem as Violetta leads a cast of outstanding talent in Pier Luigi Pizzi's beautiful production. Jesus Lopez Cobos conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real (Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Chorus) in an acclaimed reading of one of Verdi's greatest works.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Insights from Jesus Lopez Cobos, Norah Amsellem, Jose Bros and Renato Bruson
Bonus features:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Insights from Jesus Lopez Cobos, Norah Amsellem, Jose Bros and Renato Bruson
A gigantic blood-red monster, made of steel and flames, floating on the still waters of Lake Constance - this is Robert Carsen's unconventional vision of the setting of Verdi's masterpiece Il Trovatore for the 60th anniversary of the Bregenz Festival. In this threatening set of fire and metal, designed by Paul Steinberg, the characters burn with the passions they experience – love, hatred, sexual desire and revenge – and which eventually destroy them. The live recording of this most spectacular outdoor production combines astonishing images, relevant reflections on today's world and superb musical expression from the soloists and the world-renowned Wiener Symphoniker Orchestra, inspired by musical director Thomas Rosner.
Bonus features:
- A Stage on a Lake - a documentary including interviews with the stage director and set designer
- Illustrated Synopsis
Bonus features:
- A Stage on a Lake - a documentary including interviews with the stage director and set designer
- Illustrated Synopsis
Certainly more than just the composer of the Four Seasons , Vivaldi also wrote hundreds of largely famous instrumental works, and his glorious church music is well known; but it wasn't until recent decades that his operas – of which he is said to have written more than fifty – were resurrected. Orlando furioso occupies a central and very significant place among Vivaldi's works. Not only does the whole score of this opera demonstrate its composer's full, creative maturity, but its outstanding features are also an extraordinary musical beauty, an attractive recitative line, and a balance between the various parts of the dramatic and musical whole. This exceptional musical achievement was no doubt partly due to the famous theme of the original story, as well as the literary and dramatic qualities of a first-rate libretto. Pier Luigi Pizzi's 1979 production of Orlando furioso in Verona marked the beginning of contemporary international interest in Antonio Vivaldi's operas. Ten years later the same director once more produced this work at the San Francisco Opera. A Californian public greeted the baroque magnificence of this production with great enthusiasm, and both the daily and specialist press outdid each other in eulogies of praise for the director, his new...
Many consider Claude Vivier the greatest composer Canada has yet produced. Gyorgy Ligeti once called him 'the finest French composer of his generation'. A pupil under Gilles Tremblay and Karlheinz Stockhausen, he soon created his own dazzling vocal and orchestral language, profoundly marked by his travels to the Far East. The interweaving of his personal and professional life, of the real and the imaginary, reveals a compelling global awareness, deep human compassion and a universal quest for ultimate enlightenment. Vivier himself pursued this journey of discovery, until his tragic murder in Paris at the age of thirty-four.
The two parts of Reves d'un Marco Polo are like shadow and light, forming a dreamlike ritualistic experience and encompassing stage productions of his finest compositions. Pierre Audi's superb and moving staging is complemented by refined, passionate musical direction from Reinbert de Leeuw, leading the soloists, the Asko Ensemble and the Schonberg Ensemble to great heights.
Bonus features:
- Claude Vivier - a spellbinding and insightful 60-minute documentary by Cherry Duyns, from his acclaimed contemporary composer portrait series, on the life and work of Claude Vivier, including rare footage, interviews with conductor Reinbert de Leeuw and...
The two parts of Reves d'un Marco Polo are like shadow and light, forming a dreamlike ritualistic experience and encompassing stage productions of his finest compositions. Pierre Audi's superb and moving staging is complemented by refined, passionate musical direction from Reinbert de Leeuw, leading the soloists, the Asko Ensemble and the Schonberg Ensemble to great heights.
Bonus features:
- Claude Vivier - a spellbinding and insightful 60-minute documentary by Cherry Duyns, from his acclaimed contemporary composer portrait series, on the life and work of Claude Vivier, including rare footage, interviews with conductor Reinbert de Leeuw and...
A bleak wind chord of E flat minor opens Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung . It establishes the dominant atmosphere of the piece from its first bar: twilight, a deceptive half-light, prevails. Shadowy figures stumble towards the abyss. The last evening of the Ring is one of plotting and betrayal, of ominous oaths, a chilling lust for power, abuse and humiliation – and, also, of a superbly staged apocalypse, when the beings and things destined for destruction shine brightly for one last time. The leitmotivs and thematic ideas from throughout the whole tetralogy recur in Götterdämmerung , intensified and woven into a musical web from which there can be no escape. Everything appears to fit together fatally with everything else. There is nothing more to be done. The net of catastrophe is knotted too fatefully for that, both musically and dramatically. When Wagner sat down to write a prose outline of what turned out as the last part of the Ring , he called it Siegfried's Death . That was in the year of revolutions, 1848. The new title, usually translated as Twilight of the Gods , came later (Bernard Shaw called it Night Falls on the Gods but that never caught on). All the threads of the drama run now towards the hero's fall. The death of Siegfried precipitates the...
In the final part of Wagner's epic cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen , Siegfried's world descends into falsehood and betrayal before his cursed life is ended by a single spear. Fate ignites the final conflagration, which sets the world to await its new beginning. Filmed at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2004, Harry Kupfer's stunning production, first staged in Berlin, numbers among the greatest productions of modern times.
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
With powerful conviction, Nikolaus Lehnhoff interprets Wagner's Lohengrin as the dramatic struggle of masculine and feminine, revenge and compassion. Powerfully acted, almost like a Strindberg play, and musically of the highest order, this Lohengrin from the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden will be a benchmark production for decades. With his extraordinarily transparent interpretation of the title role, Klaus Florian Vogt leads an inspired cast to visionary realms that are rarely touched. The monumental sets by Stephan Braunfels and Kent Nagano’s sublimely well-balanced musical interpretation complete a deeply moving total-theatre experience.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Never Shalt Thou Ask of Me - A documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Stephan Braunfels, Bettina Walter, Kent Nagano and leading members of the cast
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Never Shalt Thou Ask of Me - A documentary film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Stephan Braunfels, Bettina Walter, Kent Nagano and leading members of the cast
Peter Konwitschny's celebrated and innovative staging of Wagner's Lohengrin was recorded at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in 2006, where it was revived as an unconventional and spectacular view on the piece. Originally staged in Hamburg in 1998, it won not only the leading German theatrical award, Bayerische Theaterpreis , but also international critical acclaim. Director Peter Konwitschny has long been hailed a master interpreter of Wagner and his opera stagings have always been regarded as trendsetters within the Wagner community. This production was no different - he set the story of Elsa and the swan-drawn knight, Lohengrin, in a classroom at school. Although it was genuinely surprising to see the people of Brabant wearing school uniforms and short trousers in front of a blackboard, it was far more than just a directorial idea - the piece suddenly acquired a rare new lightness, its action driven on by enthusiasm and elan. Konwitschny distanced himself from all the interpretative conventions that otherwise weigh so heavily upon the work, removing himself from the otherworldly fairytale that is normally conjured up in a series of beautiful stage pictures. Supported by a cast of renowned Wagner singers including John Treleaven, Emily Magee and Luana DeVol, the...
Parsifal, Wagner's last opera, was premiered in Bayreuth in 1882. In the fifty years of his artistic life Wagner did not only mature and outline more and more clearly the aesthetic ideals that formed the intellectual substratum of his composing activity but definitely upset the course of the history of music and of the music theatre. The wide range of his cultural interests, his operational daring, ability to blend elements of different origin, complete rejection of any form of operatic routine and grandiosity of conception make of each and every opera that he wrote a sort of artistic case in its own, where the experiences of previous works are salvaged or abandoned according to the expressive needs, which are never subordinate to contingent necessities. Performing this complex work is no simple task, but the cast on stage at Teatro La Fenice in Venice did so with flying colours.
Outside Germany, the name Weimar tends to evoke mixed feelings and pictures of German history of the last hundred years. Within Germany, Weimar means a town in the state of Thuringia arguably saturated with the "Deutsche Kultur" of the "Weimarer Klassik", the legendary Bauhaus, and finally the life and work of Franz Liszt and his son in law Richard Wagner. In Weimar Richard Wagner began composing the first part of his RING-cycle, Das Rheingold . In 2008 the Nationaltheater Weimar started a new production of this unique tetralogy. The conductor is Carl St. Clair, a former student of Leonard Bernstein. With Michael Schulz' fine and highly intelligent staging this new "Ring" production becomes an outstanding document of contemporary opera theatre.
Richard Wagner's tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen , in which Power and Love are presented as mutually exclusive ideas, is always a huge challenge for any opera house. Das Rheingold is the opening of this extraordinary production of The Ring from Het Muziektheater Amsterdam, with the orchestra taking its place both in the pit and on the astonishing stage.
The fantastic stage direction by Pierre Audi succeeds in forging a profound unity combining the lyrical, mythical and philosophical qualities of Wagner's work. Breathtaking sets by George Tsypin, superb costumes by Oscar-winner Eiko Ishioka and the passionate performances of the soloists and Residentie Orchestra under the inspired guest conductor Hartmut Haenchen all contribute to an intense total experience that will leave a permanent impression. This production of The Ring of the Nibelungen is based on the new collected works of Richard Wagner.
Bonus features:
- The forging of the Ring - a documentary introduction to Wagner's Ring from Het Muziektheater Amsterdam, including interviews with Hartmut Haenchen, Pierre Audi and the principal cast
- Illustrated Synopsis
The fantastic stage direction by Pierre Audi succeeds in forging a profound unity combining the lyrical, mythical and philosophical qualities of Wagner's work. Breathtaking sets by George Tsypin, superb costumes by Oscar-winner Eiko Ishioka and the passionate performances of the soloists and Residentie Orchestra under the inspired guest conductor Hartmut Haenchen all contribute to an intense total experience that will leave a permanent impression. This production of The Ring of the Nibelungen is based on the new collected works of Richard Wagner.
Bonus features:
- The forging of the Ring - a documentary introduction to Wagner's Ring from Het Muziektheater Amsterdam, including interviews with Hartmut Haenchen, Pierre Audi and the principal cast
- Illustrated Synopsis
The prologue to Wagner's giant masterpiece Der Ring des Nibelungen unfolds the beginning of an epic journey when Alberich seizes the ring of gold, its awesome power unleashing an unstoppable story of deceit, destruction, death and transfiguring love. Filmed at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2004, Harry Kupfer's stunning production first staged in Berlin numbers among the greatest productions of modern times.
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung reflects the composer's autobiography as much as the political turmoil of his times. As work progressed, another figure grew to be as important as the hero Siegfried, the god Wotan, the mouthpiece for Wagner's ideas. "He's exactly like us: he is the sum of today's intellectual consciousness, whereas Siegfried is what we hope the human being of the future will be, but who cannot be fashioned by us, and who must make himself by means of our destruction!" Our own doom as the basis of a happier future? Second 'day' – and third part – of Richard Wagner's 'Ring', the musical saga that its author spent more than a quarter of a century composing. It follows the rise of a young hero, Siegfried, the illegitimate son of the twins whose story we were told in Die Walküre . On the one hand, there is learning about life, glorying in nature and in the emotions, as opposed to those of calculation and greed on the other. This episode shows how Wagner was intent on changing society, on showing that a different kind of man can exist, that the mercenary petit bourgeois world can be replaced by greater humanity and freedom.
In the third part of the epic cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen , Siegfried pursues his path to manhood. As parental love dissipates and is replaced by romantic love and desire, Wagner reflects on the experience of human life and the fact of mortality. This remarkable production of The Ring , from Het Muziektheater Amsterdam, in which Pierre Audi places the orchestra on the symbolically ring-shaped stage, blends the lyrical, mythical and philosophical qualities of Wagner's work into a profound unity. Astonishing sets by George Tsypin and fabulous costumes by Oscar-winning Eiko Ishioka, combined with passionate singing from the soloists and dramatic playing from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under the rigorous control of Hartmut Haenchen, create an intense and highly memorable experience. This production of The Ring of the Nibelung is based on the new Complete Edition of the works of Richard Wagner.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Introduction to Siegfried - with presenter Michael Zeeman, composer Peter-Jan Wagemans and pianist Stefan Mickisch
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Introduction to Siegfried - with presenter Michael Zeeman, composer Peter-Jan Wagemans and pianist Stefan Mickisch
In the third work of Wagner's epic cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen , Siegmund's shattered sword is forged once again and kills the dragon that guards the ring. When Siegfried seizes the ring, he also receives its curse as he continues his fiery adventure of discovery and love. Filmed at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2004, Harry Kupfer's stunning production, first staged in Berlin, numbers among the greatest productions of modern times.
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
After Nikolaus Lehnhoff's great success with Parsifal, Lohengrin and Tristan und Isolde this is his highly acclaimed Tannhauser co-produced with De Nederlandse Opera and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.
Nikolaus Lehnhoff's production is based on the Paris version by Richard Wagner with an extended Venusberg scene and a ballet very surprisingly choreographed by Amir Hosseinpour and Jonathan Lunn. The minimalist staging and Raimund Bauer's ingenious sets make this a Tannhauser for our time. The cast as always with Lehnhoff has nothing to match these days.
Bonus features:
- Tannhauser – The Revolutionary includes interviews with stage director, conductor and cast as well as backstage material.
Nikolaus Lehnhoff's production is based on the Paris version by Richard Wagner with an extended Venusberg scene and a ballet very surprisingly choreographed by Amir Hosseinpour and Jonathan Lunn. The minimalist staging and Raimund Bauer's ingenious sets make this a Tannhauser for our time. The cast as always with Lehnhoff has nothing to match these days.
Bonus features:
- Tannhauser – The Revolutionary includes interviews with stage director, conductor and cast as well as backstage material.
The double title of the opera Tannhäuser oder der Sängerkrieg auf der Wartburg , which had its grand premiere on 19 October 1845 under Wagner's direction in the Hoftheater in Dresden, is already an indication of how Wagner's work unites two circles of material whose tradition stems from separate sources. The figure of the minnesinger is an historical fact and his episodes are documented with the Tannhäuserlied as far back as 1520. In a musical sense, the contrast between diatonicism and chromaticism is symbolic of two different worlds. Wagner revised the original work from 1845 in 1847, among other things, by changing the finale and then adapted the opera once again for a Paris production in 1861 (this is the "Parisian version" with additions).
David Alden's new production by the Bavarian State Opera at the National Theater in Munich, which premiered at the opera festival on 6 July 1994, was celebrated by audiences and music journals alike as a milestone of contemporary Wagner adoptions. Zubin Mehta conducted this focused yet enchanting musical interpretation.
David Alden's new production by the Bavarian State Opera at the National Theater in Munich, which premiered at the opera festival on 6 July 1994, was celebrated by audiences and music journals alike as a milestone of contemporary Wagner adoptions. Zubin Mehta conducted this focused yet enchanting musical interpretation.
"There are no bounds to the longing, the desire, the bliss, and the anguish of love. The world, power, fame, glory, honor, chivalry, loyalty, friendship… all are swept away. Only one thing is left alive… yearning, yearning, insatiable desire…" Richard Wagner
Of all operas, perhaps the one that least needs ingenious extramusical assistance is ‚ Tristan , this aurally erotic work that speaks so vividly to the listener's inner eye. Wagner's score is simply more illustrative and sensuously pictorial than any series of stage pictures could be. Golo Berg's sensuous conducting of the Dessau Philharmonic, continually presses that truth home. He leads the orchestra in a lithe and propulsive performance that shows unusual consideration for the wonderful voices of the singers. A sensational opera night at a small German opera company.
Of all operas, perhaps the one that least needs ingenious extramusical assistance is ‚ Tristan , this aurally erotic work that speaks so vividly to the listener's inner eye. Wagner's score is simply more illustrative and sensuously pictorial than any series of stage pictures could be. Golo Berg's sensuous conducting of the Dessau Philharmonic, continually presses that truth home. He leads the orchestra in a lithe and propulsive performance that shows unusual consideration for the wonderful voices of the singers. A sensational opera night at a small German opera company.
Glyndebourne's celebrated production of Nikolaus Lehnhoff's Tristan und Isolde is a supremely intelligent achievement; gravely beautiful, haunting and meditative, it is deeply reflective rather than visceral, fortified by Roland Aeschlimann's stunningly effective set, a womb-like space through which the protagonists move like gods. Conductor Jiri Belohlavek mirrors Lehnhoff's approach in his sophisticated plumbing of the score's depths, with every shift in texture carefully laid bare by an inspired London Philharmonic Orchestra. Nina Stemme's Isolde and Robert Gambill's Tristan , both gloriously lyrical, are matched by superb performances from Rene Pape as the betrayed and vulnerable King Marke and Bo Skovhus as Kurwenal , deeply touching in his helpless devotion to Tristan.
Bonus features:
- Trimborn on Tristan – a talk about the musicological and philosophical backgrounds of Tristan und Isolde .
- Do I Hear the Light? - A film by Reiner E. Moritz.
- Illustrated synopsis
Bonus features:
- Trimborn on Tristan – a talk about the musicological and philosophical backgrounds of Tristan und Isolde .
- Do I Hear the Light? - A film by Reiner E. Moritz.
- Illustrated synopsis
John Treleaven and Deborah Polaski lead an outstanding cast in Wagner's operatic tour de force based on the medieval voyager legend of Sir Tristan and Isolde, Princess of Ireland, who unknowingly offers the knight a love potion in place of the poison she had intended should kill them both. Bertrand de Billy conducts the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in an acclaimed production.
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
"The free man must be his own maker"
Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung reflects the composer's autobiography as much as the political turmoil of his times. As work progressed, another figure grew to be as important as the hero Siegfried, the god Wotan, the mouthpiece for Wagner's ideas. "He's exactly like us: he is the sum of today's intellectual consciousness, whereas Siegfried is what we hope the human being of the future will be, but who cannot be fashioned by us, and who must make himself by means of our destruction!" Our own doom as the basis of a happier future?
Wagner dressed this Herculean task musically in the spreading, shimmering web of his leitmotivic working (there are approximately 20 distinct motives in Die Walküre ). Dramaturgically, the conversational style of Das Rheingold gives way to the tone of bourgeois tragedy: incestuous passion, more than one form of deep-seated marital antagonism, and a lot of talk, a lot of self-justification in the form of recapitulation. This, the First Day of the tetralogy ( Das Rheingold being a "preliminary evening"), was without doubt the "most moving, the most tragic" of all Wagner's works in the view of his wife Cosima, expressed in her diary on 31 August 1873. The text of Die Walküre was finished on 1 July...
Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung reflects the composer's autobiography as much as the political turmoil of his times. As work progressed, another figure grew to be as important as the hero Siegfried, the god Wotan, the mouthpiece for Wagner's ideas. "He's exactly like us: he is the sum of today's intellectual consciousness, whereas Siegfried is what we hope the human being of the future will be, but who cannot be fashioned by us, and who must make himself by means of our destruction!" Our own doom as the basis of a happier future?
Wagner dressed this Herculean task musically in the spreading, shimmering web of his leitmotivic working (there are approximately 20 distinct motives in Die Walküre ). Dramaturgically, the conversational style of Das Rheingold gives way to the tone of bourgeois tragedy: incestuous passion, more than one form of deep-seated marital antagonism, and a lot of talk, a lot of self-justification in the form of recapitulation. This, the First Day of the tetralogy ( Das Rheingold being a "preliminary evening"), was without doubt the "most moving, the most tragic" of all Wagner's works in the view of his wife Cosima, expressed in her diary on 31 August 1873. The text of Die Walküre was finished on 1 July...
Die Walkure is the second part of Richard Wagner's gargantuan tetralogy, Der Ring des Nibelungen , concerning the irreconcilable struggle between Power and Love. The originality of this production from Het Musiktheater Amsterdam more than meets the perennial challenge of staging The Ring . Pierre Audi's stage direction, in which the orchestra is placed on the ring-shaped stage, succeeds in forging a profound unity between the lyrical, mythical and philosophical qualities of Wagner's work, complemented by George Tsypin's astonishing sets and wonderful costumes by Oscar-winning Eiko Ishioka. Impassioned singing, and intensely dramatic playing by the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra under the energetic baton of Hartmut Haenchen create a vigorous, almost intimate performance that will leave an indelible impression. This production of The Ring is based on the new collected works of Richard Wagner.
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Introduction to Die Walkure - with presenter Michael Zeeman, composer Peter-Jan Wageman and pianist Stephan Mickisch
Bonus features:
- Illustrated Synopsis
- Introduction to Die Walkure - with presenter Michael Zeeman, composer Peter-Jan Wageman and pianist Stephan Mickisch
In the second work of Wagner's epic cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen , struggles of power mix with adulterous and incestuous love in an episode of dramatic vengeance. Filmed at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2003, Harry Kupfer's acclaimed production, first staged in Berlin, numbers among the greatest productions of modern times.
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
Bonus feature:
- Illustrated synopsis
Der Kobold (The Goblin), the first filmed production of an opera by Siegfried Wagner. Recorded at the Stadttheater Fürth, Germany from 8 November to 3 December 2005, and at Stadthalle Bayreuth, Germany on 21 November 2005.
Bonus features:
- The Making of Der Kobold – a film by Stephan Kelch (in German only)
- 3D animated version of the set model by Achim Bahr
Bonus features:
- The Making of Der Kobold – a film by Stephan Kelch (in German only)
- 3D animated version of the set model by Achim Bahr
After his success with Freischütz , Weber wanted to write a grand romantic opera and in the end the subject of Euryanthe was chosen, a tale inspired by a legend going back to the thirteen century. Euryanthe is music of inspiration and originality such as is rarely found in the history of German opera in the first half of the nineteenth century. The Italianisms that are occasionally glimpsed in Freischütz are eliminated almost completely. Euryanthe is set to music in its entirety, with accompanied recitative passages that are often of great beauty. We may say that in an opera that has many experimental features Weber sought for the first and only time in his life to overcome the traditional dichotomy between spoken and sung parts, between recitative and closed numbers, creating a highly supple musical structure. The present production features a cast of specialists of German opera and the outstanding direction of Pier Luigi Pizzi.
The Los Angeles Opera production earned Grammy Awards for Best Classical Album and Best Opera Recording in February 2009. Broadway stars Audra McDonald, Patti LuPone and Anthony Dean Griffey welcome you to the City of Mahagonny! This Old West boomtown rises from the desert to become a razzle-dazzle Mecca for lust, liberty, and the pursuit of pleasure. Cash is king, poverty is punishable by death, and anything worth doing is worth overdoing. The gripping story and sharply satirical opera - full of whiskey, women and gambling fools - raises an ironic eyebrow at capitalist society. With lyrics by the influential German playwright Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), the provocative work that inspired the Broadway hits Cabaret and Chicago, had its premiere in 1930 and was banned by the Nazis in 1933. Kurt Weill (1900-1950), composer of Mack the Knife and the Threepenny Opera , penned a haunting score, which crosses over from opera to cabaret to Broadway including ragtime, jazz, raucous music hall songs and the classic pop hit "Moon of Alabama". Recorded live at Los Angeles Opera in spring 2007, John Doyle, the director of Broadway's smash hit revival of Sweeney Todd , delivers a risky new production starring four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, who stars as Jenny, a...
Wolf-Ferrari's comic opera La vedova scaltra (The Cunning Widow), is among the works he based on plays by Goldoni. It matches closely the conventions of 18th-century opera buffa in its witty if sceptical look at the mechanisms governing the interplay of human relations. Four hopeful suitors, English, French, Spanish and Italian, vie for the hand of Rosaura, the cunning widow of the title, who disguises herself to meet each wooer, eventually choosing the only one who can demonstrate his sincerity. This production, filmed live at the Teatro La Fenice in February 2007 in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Goldoni in Venice in 1707, is the first to appear on DVD.