CHARLES GOUNOD
Gounod: Mireille (complete opera recorded in 2009) Inva Mula, Charles Castronovo / Chœur de l'Opéra national de Paris, Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris, Marc Minkowski [ Naxos DVD / 2 DVD - released 11/Jun/2021 ] As soon as I was appointed Director of the Paris National Opera, I wanted to open my term of office with Mireille at the Palais Garnier opera house. In my opinion, Gounod was the greatest French musician of the 19th century, in no way inferior to... |
CHARLES GOUNOD
Gounod: Mireille (complete opera recorded in 2009) BLU-RAY Paris National Opera / Inva Mula, Charles Castronovo, Franck Ferrari / Marc Minkowski (conductor) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 11/Jun/2021 ] "Marc Minkowski leads the Parisian forces with lightness and grace while the Provençale rhythms spring to life in his hands. The opera's Prelude is a masterpiece of orchestral tone painting, as brilliantly sun-drenched as are Van Gogh's haystacks" MW |
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Rimsky-Korsakov: The Snow Maiden (complete opera recorded in 2017) BLU-RAY Paris National Opera / Aida Garifullina, Yuriy Mynenko, Martina Serafin, Maxim Paster / Dmitri Tcherniakov (cond) [ Bel Air Classiques Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 28/May/2021 ] "Tatarnikov is sensitive to the score's brilliant colours and vividly imagined textures, drawing on the fine playing of the Paris Opera Orchestra and the enthusiastic engagement - both vocal and dramatic - of the chorus." BBC Music Five Stars |
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOSVKY
Tchaikovsky: Iolanta / The Nutcracker (complete opera & ballet recorded in 2016) BLU-RAY Paris National Opera & Ballet / Sonya Yoncheva, Arnold Rutkowski, Alexander Tsymbalyuk / Alain Altinoglu (cond) [ Bel Air Classiques Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Nov/2018 ] In March 2016 Russian stage director Dmitri Tcherniakov created a revolutionary production for the Palais Garnier in Paris - the bringing together of Tchaikovsky's opera Iolanta and ballet The Nutcracker, which was to become one of the key events of... |
PUCCINI / BELLINI / ROSSINI / BIZET / VERDI / BELLINI / etc
Maria Callas: In Concert London, Hamburg & Paris BLU-RAY Maria Callas (soprano) / Orchestra & Chorus of the Paris National Opera, Symphonieorchester des NDR, Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Cove [ Warner Classics Blu-ray / 3 Blu-ray Disc - released 25/Sep/2017 ] Callas at Covent Garden (London 1962 & 1964) Callas in Concert (Hamburg 1959 & 1962) Toujours (Paris 1958) |
BRUNO MANTOVANI / PASCAL DUSAPIN / WOLFGANG RIHM
Renaud Capuçon plays Three Modern Concertos Renaud Capucon (violin) / Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Myung-Whun Chung, Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris, Philippe Jordan [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 17/Nov/2016 ] "All three of these violin concertos were composed expressly for Renaud Capuçon, and all take his fiercely impassioned lyrical playing as their starting point." Guardian |
BRUNO MANTOVANI
Mantovani: Siddharta (complete ballet recorded in 2010) BLU-RAY Paris National Opera Ballet / Nicolas Le Riche, Aurélie Dupont, Stéphane Bullion / Michail Jurowski (cond) [ Arthaus Elegance Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Oct/2016 ] "Preljocaj's own long-term quest has been to harness the earthly, physical nature of dance to its metaphysical possibilities, and in these and similar passages he succeeds magisterially." (The Observer) |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 - 9 (Recorded live from the Opéra Bastille and the Palais Garnier, Paris 2014-15) Ricarda Merbeth, Daniela Sindram, Robert Dean Smitm, Günther Groissböck / Paris National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Philippe Jordan [ Arthaus DVD / 4 DVD Box Set - released 20/Sep/2016 ] "A seasoned Beethovenian will likely conclude that a lot of care and thought went into the interpretations as well." Classical-Net |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 - 9 (Recorded live from the Opéra Bastille and the Palais Garnier, Paris 2014-15) BLU-RAY Ricarda Merbeth, Daniela Sindram, Robert Dean Smitm, Günther Groissböck / Paris National Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Philippe Jordan [ Arthaus Blu-Ray / 3 Blu-ray Box Set - released 20/Sep/2016 ] "A seasoned Beethovenian will likely conclude that a lot of care and thought went into the interpretations as well." Classical-Net |
FRANCIS POULENC
Poulenc: Dialogues des Carmelites (Complete opera) Denise Duval, Regine Crespin / Choeurs et Orchestre du Theatre National de l'Opera de Paris / Pierre Dervaux [ Warner Erato Home of Opera / 2 CD - released 20/May/2016 ] 'A classic and irreplaceable recording. It is evident that the singers were inspired by the piece to give of their considerable best and Pierre Dervaux's conducting of the work is both inspired and inspiriting.' (Gramophone) |
PUCCINI / BELLINI / ROSSINI
Maria Callas: Toujours - Paris 1958 BLU-RAY Maria Callas (soprano) / Orchestra & Chorus of the Paris National Opera [ Warner Classics Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Nov/2015 ] This Blu-ray disc is part of a collection of three that gather together concert and stage performances from the latter phase of Callas's career, 1958-1964. These are the only professional video recordings of Callas in performance on stage. |
JULES MASSENET
Massenet: Werther (complete opera recorded in 2010) BLU-RAY Paris National Opera / Jonas Kaufmann, Sophie Koch, Ludovic Tezier / Michel Plasson (cond) [ Decca Music Group Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 14/Sep/2015 ] "..comes beautifully to life, with Sophie Koch's Charlotte much more involving in close-up than she was at a distance and Jonas Kaufmann an absolute dream of a Werther. Their scorching Act 3 duet will simply blow your head off." (Daily Telegraph) |
MAURICE RAVEL
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe (complete ballet) / La Valse Orchestre et Choeurs de L'Opera national de Paris, Philippe Jordan [ Erato / Warner Classics / CD - released 1/May/2015 ] This new recording of Daphnis et Chloé, Ravel's most sumptuous score, marks a number of firsts as it evokes the heady days of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris in the early years of the 20th century. It grew from performances of the... |
GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (complete opera recorded in 1964) Maria Callas, Nicolai Gedda, Andréa Guiot, Robert Massard, Nadine Sautereau / Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris, Georges Prêtre [ Warner Classics Maria Callas Remastered / 2 CD - released 1/Apr/2015 ] Towards the end of Callas's career, there were many rumours that she was planning to perform Carmen on stage. This was never to be, but Carmen became her penultimate complete recording of an opera - and her only complete recording of a French opera.... |
W. A. MOZART
Le Nozze di Figaro [The Marriage of Figaro] (complete opera recorded in 2010) Ludovic tezier / Barbara Frittoli / Ekaterina Siurina / Luca Pisaroni / Orchestra of the Paris National Opera / Philippe Jordan [ Bel Air Classiques DVD / 2 DVD - released 20/Sep/2012 ] G:- "Unlike many Figaro productions these days, the physicality is never vulgar, and there are constant small touches that add character...[Pisaroni] displays the ideal bass-baritone instrument for this role" (International Record Review) |
PROKOFIEV
The Love for Three Oranges (recorded live in 2005) Charles Workman / José Van Dam / Philippe Rouillon / Barry Banks / Béatrice Uria-Monzon / Opéra National de Paris / Sylvain Cambreling [ ArtHaus Musik DVD / DVD - released 26/Oct/2011 ] Conducted by 20th century specialist Sylvain Cambreling and sung in the original French version by superb singer-actors, this production presents a stage performance set in perfect harmony with Prokofiev's inventive music. |
LAVAILLAT
La Petite Danseuse De Degas Clairemarie Osta / Dorothée Gilbert / Mathieu Ganio / Corps De Ballet & Orchestre De L'Opéra National De Paris / Koen Kessels [ ArtHaus Musik DVD / DVD - released 8/Aug/2011 ] "An inspired and visually ravishing creation. This ballet deserves to go from success to success." (Recording of the Month MusicWeb Aug 2011) |
LAVAILLAT
La Petite Danseuse De Degas (from The Opéra Garnier, Paris 2010) BLU-RAY Clairemarie Osta / Dorothée Gilbert / Mathieu Ganio / Corps De Ballet & Orchestre De L'Opéra National De Paris / Koen Kessels [ ArtHaus Musik Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 8/Aug/2011 ] "An inspired and visually ravishing creation. This ballet deserves to go from success to success." (recording of the Month MusicWeb Aug 2011) |
DELIBES
Coppelia (complete ballet recorded in 2001) Charline Giezendanner / Mathieu Ganio / Pierre Lacotte / École De Danse And Opéra National De Paris / David Coleman [ Arthaus Musik DVD / DVD - released 1/Jul/2011 ] On the programme this evening is Coppélia, or the girl with the enamel eyes by Léo Delibes. The excitement among the girls is great because today they will be performing in the (reproduced) scenery and costumes which at the premiere on 25 May 1870... |