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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Gotterdammerung (Complete opera recorded in 2022) BLU-RAY Bayreuther Festspiele / Clay Hilley, Iréne Theorin, Albert Dohmen, Elisabeth Teige, Michael Kupfer-Radecky / Cornelius Meister (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 27/Oct/2023 ] In 2022 Bayreuth Festival 2022 presented a long-awaited new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen, staged by young Austrian director Valentin Schwarz and conducted by Cornelius Meister. |
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NICOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Frankfurt Opera / Julia Muzychenko, Enkelejda Shkoza, Alexey Tikhomirov, Anthony Robin Schneider / Sebastian Weigle (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 11/Nov/2022 ] "Loy masses his choral scenes with gusto, and draws the characters with compassion and wit. It's the mixture of cheerfulness and melancholy that makes this opera sing, and Loy walks the line without compromise to his own aesthetic." Gramophone |
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UMBERTO GIORDANO
Giordano: Andrea Chenier (Blu-ray) Bayerische Staatsoper, Jonas Kaufmann, George Petean, Anja Harteros / Marco Armiliato (cond) [ BSO Recordings / Blu-ray - released 18/Aug/2023 ] First performed in 1896, Andrea Chénier is rightly regarded as one of the key works of verismo. With his melodrama about the historical poet André Chénier during the upheavals of the French Revolution, the composer Umberto Giordano created an... |
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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: La finta giardiniera (complete opera recorded in 2018) BLU-RAY Teatro alla Scala / Krešimir Špicer, Julie Martin du Theil, Bernard Richter / Diego Fasolis (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 9/Jul/2021 ] "The whole, remarkably filmed by Daniela Vismara, is to be seen by all those who are reluctant to opera: conversion is guaranteed!" © 2021 Crescendo |
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DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk (complete opera recorded in 2008) BLU-RAY Maggio Muiscale Florentino / Jeanne Michele Charbonnet, Vladimir Vaneev, Vsevolod Grivnov / James Conlon (cond) [ Arthaus Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 10/Oct/2012 ] "New Orleans-raised Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet proves a powerful if one-dimensional actress in the title-role. The other key protagonists are authentically Russian. The most distinguished singing comes from Vladimir Vaneev... The main attraction of... |
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FRANCESCO CAVALLI
Ercole Amante (complete opera recorded in 2009) BLU-RAY Netherlands Opera / Luca Pisaroni, Veronica Cangemi, Anna Maria Panzarella, Marlin Miller / Concerto Koln, Ivor Bolton (cond) [ Opus Arte / BBC Blu-Ray / 2 Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Aug/2011 ] "The production, like the piece, is moving, funny and literally action-packed. Alden knows well when to fill or empty his stage....Bolton leads his large authentic-instrument forces with gusto...Hugely recommended." (Gramophone) |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: La Traviata (Complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Paris Opera / Diana Damrau, Francesco Demuro, Ludovic Tézier / Francesco Ivan Ciampa (cond) [ Erato / Warner Classics Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 4/Sep/2015 ] "Violetta is played by Diana Damrau, a soprano of matchless intelligence. Technically, she is perfectly at ease in a role that has sometimes been described as demanding too much of one singer." Guardian |
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GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: Don Pasquale (complete opera recorded in 2006) BLU-RAY Ravenna Festival / Claudio Desderi, Mario Cassi, Francisco Gatell & Laura Giordano / Riccardo Muti (conductor) [ Arthaus Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 10/May/2010 ] Watching this realistic, young and vital production, directed by the young Andrea da Rosa and listening to a high potential and unspent young cast, you feel how powerful, charming and timeless this score by Gaetano Donizetti is. |
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DONIZETTI / BELLINI / MOZART / PONCHIELLI / VERDI / PUCCINI / ROSSINI
Casta Diva: Famous Italian Arias and Scenes BLU-RAY Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Thomas Hampson, Yvonne Kenny, Eva Marton, Ann Murray, Dame Joan Sutherlan and others [ Arthaus Musik Blu-Ray / Blu-ray - released 10/Feb/2019 ] This collection of Famous Arias and Scenes, opera's finest, most exciting moments, will dazzle opera lovers and newcomers alike. |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Gloriana (complete opera recorded in June 2013) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Susan Bullock, Toby Spence, Patricia Bardon, Mark Stone, Kate Royal / Paul Daniel (conductor) [ Opus Arte Royal Opera House Collection Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 25/Nov/2013 ] "At its moments of greatest drama and pathos this 2013 production is undeniably effective." (MusicWeb) |
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GILBERT & SULLIVAN
Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers (complete opera recorded in 2025) BLU-RAY Scottish Opera / William Morgan, Mark Nathan, Richard Suart, Ellie Laugharne, Sioned Gwen Davies, Yvonne Howard / Derek Clark (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 29/Aug/2025 ] The Gondoliers, the twelfth of fourteen operas from Gilbert & Sullivan, has been an audience favourite since its 1889 premiere. The tunes are infectious, the romantic and family conflicts heartfelt, and the satire of rank and station constantly... |
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RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss (R.): Ariadne auf Naxos (complete opera recorded in 2012) BLU-RAY Staatskapelle Dresden / Renée Fleming, Robert Dean Smith, Sophie Koch / Christian Thielemann (cond) [ Decca Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/May/2015 ] Filmed live in Baden-Baden by the veteran director Brian Large, Renée Fleming makes her debut in the role of Ariadne together with fellow key Strauss interpreters Sophie Koch and Christian Thielemann, following on from their Rosenkavalier... |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Tannhauser (complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Staatsoper Berlin / Peter Seiffert, Marina Prudenskaya, Ann Petersen, Peter Mattei, René Pape / Daniel Barenboim (cond) [ Bel Air Classiques Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 18/Dec/2015 ] "Daniel Barenboim provides spacious and lucid conducting … Mattei's finely enunciated Wolfram and Peter Seiffert encompassing the title-role's difficulties with a constant eye on their dramatic import." (Gramophone January 2016) |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: I due Foscari (complete opera recorded in 2016) BLU-RAY Teatro alla Scala / Plácido Domingo, Francesco Meli, Anna Pirozzi, Chiara Isotton / Michele Mariotti (cond) [ C-Major Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 28/Sep/2017 ] "The role, as well as being age-appropriate, seems to sit very well for Domingo's voice…Pirozzi is a terrific Lucrezia. The voice is bright and fearless…Mariotti's conducting - an expertly judged mixture of grandeur and fire - strikes me as no less i |
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LEOS JANACEK
Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (complete opera recorded in 1995) BLU-RAY Théâtre Musical de Paris - Châtelet / Thomas Allen, Eva Jenis, Hannah Minutillo , Ivan Kusnjer / Charles Mackerras (cond) [ Arthaus Legendary Performances BLU-RAY / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Mar/2016 ] This enchanting production by Nicholas Hytner, sung in the original Czech, is conducted by Charles Mackerras, a master of the best Janáček style. Through myriad shifts of scene, the episodic story is presented in brightly coloured sets and costumes... |
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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte ('The Magic Flute') (complete opera recorded in 2018) BLU-RAY Vienna State Opera / Matthias Goerne, Mauro Peter, Albina Shagimurotava, Christiane Karg / Constantinos Carydis (cond) [ C Major Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 1/Jul/2019 ] W.A. Mozart's timeless masterpiece at the Salzburg Festival is always an event! Especially when Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) receives such a 'spectacular and virtuosic staging' (Le Figaro) by director Lydia Steier. Steier introduces the role of... |
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CAVALLI
Cavalli: La Didone (complete opera recorded in 2011) BLU-RAY Anna Bonitatibus, Kresimir Spicer, Xavier Sabata, Maria Streijffert / Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (cond.) & Clément Hervieu-Léger (dir.) [ Opus Arte Bluray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Feb/2013 ] "Christie's direction can almost be taken to guarantee a fine performance and that's the case here...If you wish to have only one Cavalli recording in your collection, this would vie strongly for that honour" MusicWeb International, October 2012 |
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GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Arena di Verona / Ekaterina Semenchuk, Irina Lungu, Carlo Ventre, Carlos Álvarez, Francesca Micarelli / Henrik Nánási (cond) [ Bel Air Classiques Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 20/Jul/2017 ] "This is picture-postcard opera … It's traditional, it's colourful." Gramophone |
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CHARLES GOUNOD
Gounod: Romeo et Juliette [Romeo and Juliet] (complete opera recorded in 2011) BLU-RAY Arena di Verona / Nino Machaidze, Ketevan Kemoklidze, Cristina Melis / Fabio Mastrangello (cond) [ Bel Air Classiques Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Apr/2013 ] "[Machaidze] seems to be the Juliette of choice today and this video makes clear why that's the case: lovely singing and a demeanour that manages to be sensual and innocent at once." (International Record Review) |
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GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore (complete opera recorded in 2012) BLU-RAY Baden-Baden Festspielhaus / Miah Persson, Rolando Villazon, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Roman Trekel / Pablo Heras-Casado (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 10/Oct/2014 ] "Villazon's Nemorino...comes across as individual, hyperactive, zany, but also a bit petulant and unlovable...Persson exudes easy-going charm...[d'Arcangelo] sings with fine, Italianate comic energy." (Gramophone) |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: La Traviata (complete opera recorded at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus 2015) BLU-RAY Baden-Baden Festspielhaus / Olga Peretyatko, Atalla Ayan, Simone Piazzola, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, Tom Fox / Pablo Heras-Casado (cond) [ C Major Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Dec/2016 ] Staged by Rolando Villazón Star tenor and director Rolando Villazón's staging of La Traviata at the Festspielhaus in Baden Baden is "visually spectacular" (The Huffington Post) and made for "an enthusiastic reception for the premiere" (Stuttgarter... |
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BERTHOLD GOLDSCHMIDT
Goldschmidt: Beatrice Cenci (complete opera recorded in 2018) BLU-RAY Bregenz Festival / Christoph Pohl, Gal James, Dshamilja Kaiser, Christina Bock / Johannes Debus (cond) [ C Major Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 12/Jul/2019 ] "There is never a dull moment…Pohl takes the brave route with Cenci…With his baritone in lustrous form, this is a performance to savour" Opera - October 2019 - Disc of the Month |
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UMBERTO GIORDANO
Giordano: Andrea Chénier (complete opera recorded in 2011) BLU-RAY Bregenz Festival / Hector Sandoval, Norma Fantini, Scott Hendricks / Ulf Schirmer (cond) [ C Major Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Feb/2016 ] Girodano Umberto's Andrea Chénier is set against the backdrop of the horrors of the French Revolution and tells the tragic tale of a doomed love affair involving the historical figure of the poet Andrea Chénier, who initially champions the Revolution |
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AGOSTINO STEFFANI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Steffani: Mission (Blu-ray) Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano) / I Barocchisti, Diego Fasolis, with Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor) [ Decca Classics Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 6/Dec/2012 ] "Bartoli's programming instincts are immaculate in terms of musical and emotional variety; she is compelling in pearly arioso and slow numbers, less so in bravura ones." Sunday Times, 14th October 2012 |
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BEETHOVEN / BRUCKNER / BOULEZ
Salzburg Opening Concert 2010 - Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 / Bruckner's Te Deum / Boulez's Notations BLU-RAY Daniel Barenboim / Dorothea Roschmann / Elina Garanca / Klaus Florian Vogt / René Pape / Chorus State Opera Vienna / Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra [ C Major Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 26/Oct/2011 ] "there is no doubting the powerful authority that characterizes Barenboim's direction of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto from the keyboard. Perhaps rather unexpectedly, the magic really starts with a reading of Boulez's Notations I-IV and VII" IRR |
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BELLINI
I Puritani (Recorded live at the Netherlands Opera, October 2009) BLU-RAY Netherlands Opera / Daniel Borowski, Mariola Cantarero, Riccardo Zanellato / Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Giuliano Carella (conductor) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Feb/2013 ] "Negrin gets some excellent performances from his cast, who are able to express emotion without being either hammy or cheesy. Scott Hendricks as the rejected lover sings nobly after a gusty start...Osborn manages a stupendous top F, non-falsetto, and |
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HECTOR BERLIOZ
Berlioz: Les Troyens (complete opera recorded in 2009) BLU-RAY Daniela Barcellona / Lance Ryan / Elisabete Matos / Gabriele Viviani / Eric Cutler / Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana / Valery Gergiev [ C Major BLU-RAY / Blu-ray Disc - released 25/Aug/2011 ] "The cast in Valencia has its strengths, prime among them the proud, brassy mezzo of Daniela Barcellona as Dido...Elisabete Matos is a properly intense Cassandra." (Gramophone) |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Das Reingold (complete opera recorded in 2008) BLU-RAY Deutsches Nationaltheater, Weimar / Mario Hoff / Alexander Gunther / Jean-Noel Briend / Erin Caves / Carl St. Clair (cond) [ Arthaus Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Jun/2009 ] DVD Blu-Ray - "Weimar National Theatre opens a promising 'Ring' cycle with Wagner's original ur-scene." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Siegfried (complete opera recorded in 2008) BLU-RAY Deutsches Nationaltheater, Weimar / Tomas Mowes / Catherine Foster/ Frieder Aurich / Carl St. Clair (cond) [ Arthaus Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Aug/2009 ] BLU-RAY - Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung refl ects 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... |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
The Rape of Lucretia (complete opera recorded in 2013) BLU-RAY English National Opera / Sarah Connolly, Christopher Maltman, Catherine Wyn-Rogers / Paul Daniel (conductor) [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 25/Nov/2013 ] "The main cast delivers a superlative response from start to finish, headed by baritone Christopher Maltman's bull-like Tarquinius and mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly's harrowingly intense Lucretia." BBC Music |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Die Walkure (complete opera recorded in 2007) BLU-RAY Festival d'Aix-en-Provence / Robert Gambill, Mikhail Petrenko, Eva Johansson / Sir Simon Rattle (cond) [ Bel Air Classiques Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Jan/2009 ] In a career spanning more than 30 years, Sir Simon Rattle has distinguished himself through his long-term relationships with a number of orchestras, wide-ranging repertoire and innovative educational and audiencebuilding activities. |
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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Don Giovanni (complete opera recorded in 2013) BLU-RAY Festspielhaus Baden-Baden / Anna Netrebko, Luca Pisaroni, Erwin Schrott, Malena Ernman, Jonathan Lemalu / Thomas Hengelbrock (cond) [ Sony Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Feb/2015 ] "[Schrott] looks wonderful, is a natural and extraordinarily gifted actor, and has so much sinister charm that one understands why no woman can resist him. He has a rich voice, with many subtle shades...a definitive account [of the title-role]" BBC |
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PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: The Enchantress (complete opera recorded in 2022) BLU-RAY Frankfurt Opera / Asmik Grigorian, Iain MacNeil, Claudia Mahnke, Alexander Mikhailov / Valentin Uryupin [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 11/Nov/2022 ] "Discover one of Tchaikovsky's least-known, least-performed mature operas in a fine production from Frankfurt Opera". © 2024 Gramophone |
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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (complete opera) BLU-RAY Glyndebourne Opera / David Portillo, Sofia Fomina, Björn Bürger, Brindley Sherratt / Ryan Wigglesworth [ Opus Arte DVD / Blu-ray - released 15/May/2020 ] "In the first half, André Barbe's exquisitely drawn and then enlarged interiors magic the eye, and the cut-out guests that people the hotel are a delight...is there a more satisfying Sarastro around at present than the magnificent Brindley Sherratt?" |
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JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU
Rameau: Hippolyte et Aricie (Complete opera recorded in 2013) BLU-RAY Glyndebourne Opera / Ed Lyon, Christiane Karg, Sarah Connolly / Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, William Christie (conductor) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Aug/2014 ] "Christie lavishes his love and skill on a score whose splendours keep on growing over the show's three hours." (Times) |
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GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: L'Elisir D'Amore (Complete opera recorded in August 2009) BLU-RAY Glyndebourne Opera / Ekaterina Siurina, Peter Auty, Alfredo Daza / Annabel Arden (Director) / Maurizio Benini (Conductor) [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Aug/2011 ] "An enchanting account. Set in Mussolini's Italy...it is wonderfully cast and a perfect team effort." (BBC Music) |
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SAMUEL BARBER
Barber: Vanessa (Complete opera recorded in 2019) BLU-RAY Glyndebourne Opera / Emma Bell, Virginie Verrez, Edgaras Montvidas, Rosalind Plowright / Jakub Hrůša (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 5/Jun/2019 ] BBC Music Award WINNER 2020 - DVD/Blu-ray |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Billy Budd (complete operetta recorded in 2010) BLU-RAY Glyndebourne Opera / John Mark Ainsley, Jacques Imbrailo, Phillip Ens / Mark Elder (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Aug/2011 ] "..this is the most compelling Billy Budd on video, and superb in Blu-ray." (DVD Choice - July 2011 BBC Music *****) |
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GIOACCHINIO ROSSINI
Rossini: La Cenerentola [Cinderella] (complete opera directed by Peter Hall in 2005) BLU-RAY Glyndebourne Opera / Raquela Sheeran / Lucia Cirillo / Ruxandra Donose / Nathan Berg / Vladimir Jurowski (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Aug/2008 ] DVD Blu-Ray - "The BD disc offers an excellent reproduction of the "live" experience that will surely warm the hearts of those who cannot make it to the opera house often enough." (Blu-Ray.com) |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Otello (complete opera recorded in February 2006) BLU-RAY Gran teatre del Liceu, Barcelona / Jose Cura / Kressimira Stoyanova / Lado Ataneli / Vittorio Grigolo / Anotoni Ros-Marba (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Aug/2011 ] "With strong conducting from Antoni Ros-Marbà, the whole cast collaborate to give us the truth of this desperately upsetting work, as no other DVD and few live performances I've seen of it ever have." (BBC Music) |