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... |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, (R.): Elektra (complete opera recorded in 2010) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Irene Theorin, Waltraud Meier, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Robert Gambill, René Pape / Wiener Philharmoniker / Daniele Gatti [ Arthaus Musik Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 23/Jun/2011 ] "Among Elektras on DVD this, along with Karl Böhm's historical performance, must rank among the best; and on Blu-ray it is superb." BBC Music Magazine, October 2011 ***** (Award Finalist 2012) |
CHARLES GOUNOD
Gounod: Romeo et Juliet (complete opera recorded in 2008) Salzburg Festival / Nino Machaidze, Rolando Villazon, Russell Braun / Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Yannick Nezet-Seguin [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 4/May/2009 ] "There are some excellent performances...Villazón knows how to turn up the drama several volts...the passion he brings to moments such as the murder of Tybalt at the end of Act 3 raises the quality of the film." (Musicalcriticism.com) |
GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: La Boheme (complete opera recorded in 2012) Salzburg Festival / Anna Netrebko, Nino Machaidze, Piotr Beczala / Daniele Gatti (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophone DVD / DVD - released 15/Nov/2012 ] The New York Times wrote, "You don't often hear Mimì sung with such vivid character and sheer charisma." |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Otello (complete opera recorded in 2016) BLU-RAY Salzburg Easter Festival / José Cura, Dorothea Röschmann, Carlos Álvarez, Benjamin Bernheim / Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann [ C Major Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/May/2017 ] A superb new Otello from the Salzburg Easter Festival: 'Cura is a commanding Otello with his richly coloured tenor and both fragile delicacy and fiery ardour' Südwestpresse. 'Röschmann as Desdemona guarantees effortless perfection' Neue Musikzeitung. |
LEOS JANACEK
Janacek: The Makropulos Case (complete opera recorded in 2011) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Angela Denoke, Raymond Very, Peter Hoare, Jurgita Adamonyte, Johan Reuter / Esa-Pekka Salonen (cond) [ C Major Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Jan/2017 ] "The vocal performances are nearly all compelling. The men - Janacek's usual weak and neurotic bunch - are entirely believable...Both the lead and female roles are remarkably complete." (BBC Music) |
W. A. MOZART
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Mozart: Die Zauberflote [The Magic Flute] (complete opera recorded the Salzburg Festival in 2006) Salzburg Festival / Rene Pape, Genia Kuhmeier, Paul Groves, Diana Damrau / Vienna Philharmonic / Riccardo Muti (cond) [ Decca Classics / Mozart 22 DVD / 2 DVD - released 9/Nov/2006 ] Unsurpassed Mozartian Riccardo Muti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic and a superb cast in an outstanding performance of Pierre Audi's fantastic, colourful production of Mozart's sublime 'singspiel'. |
HANS WERNER HENZE
Hans Werner Henze: The Bassarids Salzburg Festival / Sean Panikkar, Russell Braun, Willard White, Nikolai Schukoff / Vienna Philharmonic, Kent Nagano [ Arthaus Musik DVD / 2 DVD - released 11/Oct/2019 ] The opera, inspired by Euripides' tragedy The Bacchae, is as seductive as it is topical: When Dionysus - is he a charlatan? is he a demigod? - bursts into the intact world of ancient Thebes, he plunges a city into chaos. In stark contrast to his... |
HANS WERNER HENZE
Hans Werner Henze: The Bassarids (Complete Opera) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Sean Panikkar, Russell Braun, Willard White, Nikolai Schukoff / Vienna Philharmonic, Kent Nagano [ Arthaus Musik Blu-ray / 2 Blu-ray Disc - released 11/Oct/2019 ] The opera, inspired by Euripides' tragedy The Bacchae, is as seductive as it is topical: When Dionysus - is he a charlatan? is he a demigod? - bursts into the intact world of ancient Thebes, he plunges a city into chaos. In stark contrast to his... |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Giulio Cesare [complete opera recorded in 2012] Blu-ray Salzburg Whitsun Festival / Cecilia Bartoli, Andreas Scholl, Philippe Jaroussky, Anne Sofie von Otter. Christophe Dumaux / Giovanni Antonini (cond) [ Decca Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 13/May/2016 ] "[Andreas Scholl's] coloratura is note perfect, he phrases recitatives with as much musicianship as arias, and the steadiness and purity of his voice are remarkable." The Financial Times |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, R.: Ariadne auf Naxos (complete opera / original 1912 version recorded in 2012) Salzburg Festival / Emily Magee, Elena Mosuc, Jonas Kaufmann / Wiener Philharmoniker, Daniel Harding (conductor), Sven-Eric Bechtolf (director) [ Sony DVD / DVD - released 28/Jun/2014 ] "Jonas Kaufmann was spectacular as Bacchus, growing improbably stronger as he progressed. Emily Magee was scarcely less impressive in the demanding role of Ariadne." - New York Times |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos (complete opera / original 1912 version recorded in 2012) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Emily Magee, Elena Moșuc, Jonas Kaufmann / Wiener Philharmoniker, Daniel Harding (conductor), Sven-Eric Bechtolf (director) [ Sony Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 17/Feb/2014 ] Jonas Kaufmann made his highly acclaimed debut as Bacchus in this 2012 Salzburg Festival production of Ariadne auf Naxos, leading a cast including Emily Magee and Elena Mosuc, with Daniel Harding conducting. Director Sven-Erich Bechtholf's staging is... |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Un ballo in maschera (complete opera recorded in 1990) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Plácido Domingo, Leo Nucci, Josephine Barstow, Florence Quivar, Sumi Jo / Georg Solti (conductor) [ Arthaus Legendary Performances BLU-RAY / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Jul/2015 ] The outstanding production of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera at the Salzburg Festival 1989/90 was Herbert von Karajan's legacy to the Festival. Supported by a cast of superlative actor-singers in opulent scenery, Sir Georg Solti agreed to conduct... |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Don Giovanni (Blu-ray) Salzburg Festival / Alessio Arduini, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Anett Fritsch, Tomasz Konieczny, Valentina Naforniţa / Vienna Philharmonic, Christoph Esc [ EuroArts Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 24/Jun/2022 ] Director Sven-Eric Bechtolf pulls off a brilliant coup with the high aesthetics of his intrigue, a masterful parody of the "everything is possible" of our time - flanked by an ensemble of exquisite vocal talents: Ildebrando D'Arcangelo,... |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Ariodante (complete opera recorded in 2017) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Cecilia Bartoli, Kathryn Lewek, Nathan Berg, Christophe Dumaux, Sandrine Piau, Rolando Villazon / Gianluca Capuano (cond) [ C Major Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 21/May/2021 ] "This is no routine Ariodante…Bartoli is Bartoli. Those who find her trilling mannered and freighted with excessive vibrato will wrinkle their noses. But who can doubt her remarkable presence on stage" BBC Music Magazine Awards 2022 Shortlisted |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Don Carlo (complete opera recorded in 2013) Salzburg Festival / Jonas Kaufmann, Anja Harteros, Matti Salminen, Thomas Hampson / Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Antonio Pappano [ Sony DVD / 2 DVD - released 15/Sep/2014 ] Giuseppe Verdi's late opera Don Carlo delivers all the big topics while Ferdinand Wögerbauer's ultra-simple décor provides a spartan counterpoint to the dramatic action. |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Don Carlo (complete opera recorded in 2013) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Jonas Kaufmann, Anja Harteros, Matti Salminen, Thomas Hampson / Wiener Philharmoniker, Sir Antonio Pappano [ Sony Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 30/Sep/2014 ] Giuseppe Verdi's late opera Don Carlo delivers all the big topics while Ferdinand Wögerbauer's ultra-simple décor provides a spartan counterpoint to the dramatic action. |
JACQUES OFFENBACH
Offenbach: Orphée aux Enfers [Orpheus in the Underworld] (complete operetta recorded in 2019) Salzburg Festival / Kathryn Lewek, Joel Prieto, Anne Sofie von Otter, Martin Winkler / Enrique Mazzola (cond) [ C Major DVD / DVD - released 17/Jul/2020 ] "A frantic and fabulous show" (New York Times) |
JACQUES OFFENBACH
Offenbach: Orphée aux Enfers [Orpheus in the Underworld] (complete operetta recorded in 2019) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Kathryn Lewek, Joel Prieto, Anne Sofie von Otter, Martin Winkler / Enrique Mazzola (cond) [ C Major Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 17/Jul/2020 ] Operetta enthusiast Barrie Kosky has landed a gigantic success with Offenbach's subversive and hilarious reversion of the Orpheus myth at the Salzburg Festival. Kosky created a magically precise and witty staging with numerous extravagant costumes in... |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss, R.: Der Rosenkavalier (complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Salzburg Festival / Krassimira Stoyanova, Sophie Koch, Mojca Erdmann, Silvana Dussmann / Franz Welser-Möst [ C Major / Blu-ray Disc - released 2/Feb/2015 ] This unabbreviated version of The Rosenkavalier from Salzburg Festival 2014 became a triumph and received fantastic reviews. Staged by legendary Harry Kupfer. Great cast incl. Krassimira Stoyanova, Günther Groisböck, Sophie Koch, Mojca Erdman,... |