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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Die Zauberflote (complete opera recorded in 2014) Dutch National Opera / Maximilian Schmitt, Christina Landshamer, Thomas Oliemans, Brindley Sherratt, Íride Martínez / Marc Albrecht (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 20/May/2015 ] "It is sparkily conducted in light, historically aware tempi by Marc Albrecht, and acted and sung as a tightly worked ensemble piece....Subtle touches ease what we now find chauvinist and racist in the original...Ingenious. Recommended." (Gramophone) |
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PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOSVKY
Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (complete opera recorded in 2017) Dutch National Opera / Misha Didyk, Alexey Markov, Vladimir Stoyanov / Mariss Jansons (cond) [ C Major DVD / DVD - released 1/Jun/2018 ] "Musically, standards are extremely high, led by Mariss Jansons's inspired presence in the pit...Aksenova sings a steely Lisa...Diadkova is remarkable as the Countess - singing rather than growling her role." Gramophone |
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WAGNER / GOUNOD / MASCAGNI / CILEA / VERDI / PUCCINI
Opera Gala: Live from Baden-Baden Ekaterina Gubanova (mezzo) Jonas Kaufmann (tenor) Anja Harteros (soprano) Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) / Badische Staatskapelle, Marco Armiliato [ Sony Classical DVD / DVD - released 8/Dec/2016 ] The Festspiel-Saison at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden culminated with Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel, Anja Harteros and Ekaterina Gubanova all on stage in this magnificent Opera Gala. The gala presented a diverse range of solo-arias and duets. Among the... |
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JEAN-BAPISTE LULLY
Lully: Atys (complete opera recorded in 2011) Emmanuelle de Negri, Stéphanie d'Oustrac, Bernard Richter / Compagnie Fêtes Galantes, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie [ Naxos DVD / 2 DVD - 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 |
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GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Xerxes [Serse] (opera recorded 1988) English National Opera / Ann Murray, Lesley Garrett, Valerie Masterson / Sir Charles Mackerras [ Arthaus Musik DVD / DVD - released 7/Aug/2011 ] "a landmark in the reassessment of Handel's genius...Mackerras understood Handel's music intimately...Murray's Xerxes is unfailingly elegant, whether serenading a plant in the shadow of Roubiliac's statue of Handel, or pausing over a demitasse." |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
The Rape of Lucretia (complete opera recorded in 2001) English National Opera / Sarah Connolly, Christopher Maltman, Catherine Wyn-Rogers / Paul Daniel (conductor) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 25/Nov/2013 ] Sarah Connolly's 'outstanding' (The Guardian) portrayal of the wronged Roman noblewoman, written originally for Kathleen Ferrier, lies at the heart of David McVicar's powerfully stark production for English National Opera as 'an everyday sort of... |
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CIMAROSA
Il Matrimonio Segreto (Complete Opera) Enrico Fissore / Valeria Baiano / Carmen Gonzalez / Orchestra Della Svizzera Italiana / Francis Travis [ OPUS ARTE / FAVEO DVD / DVD ] G :- 'The greatest compliment for this production, both musically and visually, is that three hours was too short…' Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland |
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ROSSINI
La Scala di Seta (complete opera) Ernesto Palacio / Robert Coviello / Tiziana Tramonti / Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana / Marc Andreae (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 10/May/2007 ] G :- All Regions - Regular 1.33:1 / 4:3 - PCM Stereo - Colour - NTSC - 103 minutes |
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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro [The Marriage of Figaro] (complete opera recorded in 2006) The Royal Opera / Erwin Schrott, Miah Persson, Gerald Finley, Dorothea Roschmann / Antonio Pappano [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 10/Sep/2008 ] "…so accomplished a cast, in which Gerald Finley's Count, Miah Persson's Susanna and Rinat Shaham's Cherubino stand out as ideal." (BBC Music) |
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DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (complete opera recorded live at the Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam in June 2006) Eva-Maria Westbroek / Christopher Ventris / Carole Wilson / Vladimir Vaneev / Lani Poulson / LudovAt Ludha / Alexandre Kravets / Mariss Jansons (con [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 6/Dec/2006 ] M - Contains nudity. -- "This is wonderful … so well performed on all counts that it makes an outstanding choice" (MusicWeb Dec 2006) |
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PUCCINI
La Fanciulla del West [The Girl of the Golden West] (complete opera recorded in 2009) BLU-RAY Eva-Maria Westbroek / Lucio Gallo / Zoran Todorovich / Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera / Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra / Carlo Rizzi [ Opus Arte DVD / Blu-ray Disc - released 19/Dec/2010 ] "From her first entrance...Westbroek is captivating. She boasts the wonderfully meaty instrument required for Minnie (especially in the all-important middle voice), plus the right wholesome, strawberry-blonde appearance" (International Record Review) |
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PUCCINI
La Fanciulla del West [The Girl of the Golden West] (complete opera recorded in 2009) Eva-Maria Westbroek / Lucio Gallo / Zoran Todorovich / Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera / Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra / Carlo Rizzi [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 19/Dec/2010 ] "From her first entrance...Westbroek is captivating. She boasts the wonderfully meaty instrument required for Minnie (especially in the all-important middle voice), plus the right wholesome, strawberry-blonde appearance." (International Record Review) |
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W. A. MOZART
Don Giovanni (complete opera recorded in 2010) Festival d'Aix-en-Provence / Bo Skovhus, Kyle Ketelsen, Marlis Petersen, Kristine Opolais / Louis Langrée (cond) [ Bel Air Classiques DVD / DVD - released 31/Jul/2013 ] "Skovhus is electrifying in the lead role as he pivots from roaring malevolence to whispered fragility..The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra under Louis Langree articulates extreme states of mind latent in Mozart's score...This DVD is a must-see" BBC Music |
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GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: Il Borgomastro di Saardam (complete opera recorded in 2017) Festival Donizetti Opera / Giorgio Caoduro, Juan Francisco Gatell, Andrea Concetti, Irina Dubrovskaya / Roberto Rizzi Brignoli [ Dynamic DVD / DVD - released 1/Jul/2020 ] "The opera fizzes along under Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, the general frivolity offset by tender music for the lovers." Gramophone Magazine July 2018 DVD/Blu-ray of the Month |
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ERICH KORNGOLD
Korngold: Die Tote Stadt, Op. 12 (complete opera recorded in 2010) Finnish National Opera / Klaus Florian Vogt, Camilla Nylund, Markus Eiche, Sari Nordqvist / Mikko Franck (conductor) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 25/Nov/2013 ] "Holten's surreal evocation of Bruges, the dead city of the title, is wonderfully creepy...Vogt excels as the wild-eyed, obsessive Paul, desperately trying to make over Camilla Nylund's slutty Marietta in saintly Marie's image. Mikko Franck's conduct |
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EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA
Rasputin (Complete opera) Finnish National Opera / Matti Salminen / Lillia Paasilivi / Jorma Hynninen / Jyrki Anttila / MIkko Franck (cond) [ Ondine DVD / DVD - released 4/Apr/2006 ] G :- "This is a grand show." [10/10 for performances and sound Classics Today] |
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DONIZETTI
Donizetti: Maria Stuarda (complete opera recorded in 2009) Teatro La Fenice / Fiorenza Cedolins, Sonia Ganassi, Jose Bros, Mirco Palazzi / / Fabrizio Maria Carminati (cond) [ C Major DVD / DVD - released 12/May/2011 ] "An outstanding release, and a great relief to be removed from the static period costume displays normally inflicted on this drama." DVD of the Month Gramophone Magazine, May 2011 |
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GIACOMO PUCCINI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Puccini: Tosca (complete opera recorded 2000) Francesca Patane, Jose Cura, Renato Bruson / Symphony Orchestra of the Province of Bari / Pier Giorgio Morandi [ PIM DVD / DVD - released 4/Sep/2003 ] This performance was acclaimed as an operatic event, and the superstar cast makes it a Tosca for the ages. Enrico Castiglione has directed the work with tremendous originality and dramatic power. |
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GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Tosca (complete opera recorded 2000) Francesca Patane, Jose Cura, Renato Bruson / Symphony Orchestra of the Province of Bari / Pier Giorgio Morandi [ Brilliant Classics DVD / DVD - released 4/Sep/2003 ] This performance was acclaimed as an operatic event, and the superstar cast makes it a Tosca for the ages. Enrico Castiglione has directed the work with tremendous originality and dramatic power, heightening with a modern and cinematic style a... |
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NICOLA ANTONIO ZINGARELLI
Zingarelli: Giulietta e Romeo (complete opera) Franco Fagioli (countertenor), Adèle Charvet (mezzo-soprano) / Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal, Stefan Plewniak [ Château de Versailles Spectacles - L'opéra de Napoléon CD + DVD / CD/DVD - released 27/Aug/2021 ] Napoleon's fervor for opera was extreme. This music-loving conqueror brought to him a young Italian star, the contralto Giuseppina Grassini, and the most dazzling castrato: Girolamo Crescentini, the only singer to move the Emperor to tears. Invited... |