SAVERIO MERCADANTE
Mercadante: Francesca da Rimini (complete opera recorded in 2016) BLU-RAY Festival della Valle d'Itria, Martina Franca / Leonor Bonilla, Aya Wakizono, Merto Süngü, Antonio Di Matteo / Fabio Luisi (cond) [ Dynamic Blu-Ray / Blu-ray - released 1/Feb/2020 ] Written almost two centuries ago by Saverio Mercadante, coveted by many theatres of the day, Francesca da Rimini was, in fact, never staged. Every time it was scheduled for performance, something happened and it got canceled. |
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Britten: Peter Grimes (complete opera filmed on Aldeburgh beach in 2013) BLU-RAY Alan Oke, Giselle Allen, David Kempster / Guildhall School of Music & Drama & Britten-Pears Orchestra, Steuart Bedford [ Arthaus Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 10/Feb/2019 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD NOMINATION 2014 |
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 |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Il Trovatore (complete opera) BLU-RAY Arena di Verona / Luca Salsi, Anna Netrebko, Yusif Eyvazov, Dolora Zajick, Riccardo Fassi / Pier Giorgio Morandi (cond) [ C Major Blu-ray / 2 Blu-ray - released 22/May/2020 ] It's an event that draws many thousands of music lovers to one of the most beautiful cities in the world every summer: the opera season at the ancient Arena di Verona. The 2,000-year-old roman amphiteatre with its gigantic stage dimensions. |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (complete opera recorded live in 2008) BLU-RAY Bayreuth Festival / Michael Volle, Klaus Florian Vogt, Johannes Martin Kränzle, Anne Schwanewilms / Philippe Jordan (cond) [ Deutsche Blu-ray / 2 Blu-ray - released 5/Dec/2019 ] "The performances of the cast are of a high standard dramatically and mostly musically. Volle now paces himself well and Lehmkuhl is a magical and unclichéd Magdalene." Gramophone |
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY
Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg (complete opera recorded in 2019) BLU-RAY Berlin Deutsche / Elena Tsallagova. Emily Magee, Philipp Jekal, Flurina Stucki / Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 20/May/2020 ] Based on Oscar Wilde's story The Birthday of the Infanta, Zemlinsky's single-act opera Der Zwerg is the tragic tale of a dwarf who is presented at court, falls in love with the beautiful Donna Clara, but is ultimately forced to see himself as others... |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Das Rheingold (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Berlin Opera / Derek Welton, Tobias Kehrer, Thomas Blondelle, Markus Blondelle / Sir Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 16/Feb/2024 ] As early as 1851, Wagner wrote, 'I propose to produce my myth in three complete dramas, preceded by a lengthy Prelude.' The Prelude was Das Rheingold ('The Rhine Gold') the preliminary evening of Wagner's epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen ('The... |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Gotterdammerung (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Berlin Opera / Nina Stemme, Clay Hilley, Thomas Lehmann, Aile Asszonyi / Sir Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / 2 Blu-ray - released 17/May/2024 ] Götterdämmerung ('Twilight of the Gods') is the final opera of Wagner's epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen ('The Ring of the Nibelung') in which his visionary masterpiece reaches its cataclysmic conclusion. Betrayal and death, murder and remorse,... |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Die Walkure (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Berlin Opera / Nina Stemme, Iain Paterson, Brandon Jovanovich, Elisabeth Teige / Sir Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / 2 Blu-ray - released 15/Mar/2024 ] Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen ('The Ring of the Nibelung') comprises four operas of which Die Walküre ('The Valkyrie') is the second, famous for its spectacular set-pieces such as the Ride of the Valkyries and Wotan's Farewell. The plot focuses on... |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Die Walkure (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Berlin Opera / Clay Hilley, Nina Stemme, Iain Paterson, Ya-Chung Huang, Tobias Kehrer / Sir Donald Runnicles (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / 2 Blu-ray - released 19/Apr/2024 ] Siegfried is the third of the four operas that comprise Wagner's epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen ('The Ring of the Nibelung'). Siegfried, raised by the evil dwarf Mime, discovers that he is the son of Siegmund and Sieglinde. He must negotiate... |
GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (Complete opera recorded in 2017) BLU-RAY Bregenzer Festspiele / Gaëlle Arquez, Daniel Johansson, Scott Hendricks, Elena Tsallagova / Paolo Carignani (cond) [ C-Major BLU-RAY / Blu-ray - released 24/Sep/2017 ] "The French singer Gaëlle Arquez proves to be a lucky find. Not only her massive, shimmering mezzo-soprano is convincing, but her high-quality acting skills as well." Salzburger Nachrichten |
GIOACCHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: L'Italiana In Algeri (complete opera recorded in 2018) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Cecilia Bartoli, Ildar Abdrazakov, Edgardo Rocha, Alessandro Corbelli, José Coca Loza / Jean-Christophe Spinosi (cond) [ C Major Blu-Ray / Blu-ray - released 9/Aug/2019 ] "The role of Isabella is sung to perfection by Cecilia Bartoli - a clever, independent woman with an adventurous streak" (New York Times). Bartoli's superb performance in Gioachino Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) at... |
FRANZ SCHREKER
Schreker: Der Schatzgräber (complete opera recorded in 2022) BLU-RAY Deutsche Oper Berlin / Elisabet Strid, Daniel Johansson, Michael Laurenz, Thomas Johannes Mayer / Marc Albrecht (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 8/Nov/2023 ] Franz Schreker's career was cut short by the events of 1933 in Germany but he achieved real fame with his operas, and the huge success of Der Schatzgräber ('The Treasure Hunter') in the 1920s was the high point of his career. In a complex and... |
RICCARDO ZANDONAI
Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Deutsche Oper Berlin / Sara Jakubiak, Jonathan Telelman, Ivan Inverardi / Carlo Rizzi (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 18/Feb/2022 ] "The whole thing is, I think, a great achievement. Do watch it." Gramophone Editor's Choice May 2022 |
RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO / PIETRO MASCAGNI
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci / Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (recorded in 2019) BLU-RAY Dutch National Opera / Anita Rachvelishvili, Ailyn Pérez, Rihab Chaieb, Brian Jagde, Roman Burdenko, Elena Zilio / Lorenzo Viotti (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 9/Apr/2021 ] "Anita Rachvelisvili is the undisputed star of Cav. She sings Santuzza as an unashamed mezzo, and her chest voice is thrilling in this music. Brian Jagde's Turridu is rakish and appealing, never a caricature villain, and he sings with electric energy |
ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK
Humperdinck: Konigskinder [The King's Children] (complete opera recorded in 2022) BLU-RAY Dutch National Opera / Daniel Behle, Olga Kulchynska, Josef Wagner, Doris Soffel / Marc Albrecht (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 11/Aug/2023 ] Hänsel und Gretel brought Humperdinck worldwide fame but his tragic fairy storybrought Humperdinck worldwide fame but his tragic fairy story KönigskinderKönigskinder ('The King's Children') offers a stark contrast to it and has only begun to be... |
GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Tosca (complete opera recorded in 2022) BLU-RAY Dutch National Opera / Malin Byström, Joshua Guerrero, Gevorg Hakobyan / Lorenzo Viotti (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 14/Apr/2023 ] "...this must be one of the bloodiest Toscas shown on stage, in a world where the characters' Christian faith is clearly a personal defence against the horror of the tyranny under which they live." Gramophone Editor's Choice July 2023 |
JEAN-BAPISTE LULLY
Lully: Atys (complete opera recorded in 2011) Blu-ray Emmanuelle de Negri, Stéphanie d'Oustrac, Bernard Richter / Compagnie Fêtes Galantes, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 24/Sep/2021 ] "..the stage picture is consistently opulent, with even Atys and Sangaride dressed ornately, at least until the shattering final act." New York Times |
GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: Pietro Il Grande, Kzar delle Russie (complete opera recorded in 2019) BLU-RAY Festival Donizetti Opera / Roberto De Candia, Loriana Castellano, Paola Gradina, Nina Solodovnikova / Rinaldo Alessandrini (cond) [ Dynamic Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 22/Jan/2021 ] "Conducting, playing and choral singing are all terrific, sweeping you through the opera with their infectious precision and energy." Gramphone DVD/Blu-ray of the Month April 2021 |
DOMENICO CIMAROSA
Cimarosa: L'Italiana In Londra (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Frankfurt Opera / Angela Vallone, Bianca Tognocchi, Theo Lebow, Jurii Samoilov / Leo Hussain (cond & fortepiano) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 16/Feb/2024 ] "Working as a close-knit team, the young cast are personable and camera-friendly, and create something individual from their stereotyped characters. All are nimble movers and use their words vividly." Gramophone DVD/Blu-ray of the Month March 2023 |