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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Recorded live at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, February 2009
Miah Persson (Poppea), Sarah Connolly (Nerone), Jordi Domènech (Ottone), Franz-Josef Selig (Seneca), Maite Beaumont (Ottavia), Dominique Visse (Nutrice/Arnalta), Ruth Rosique (Drusilla), Guy de Mey (Lucano), William Berger (Valletto), Marisa Martins (La Fortuna/Pallas Athene/Venus), Judith van Wanroij (Damigella/La Virtu) Baroque Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Harry Bicket (conductor) & David Alden (stage director) Love conquers all – ruthlessly and irresistibly – as Emperor Nero and his mistress Poppea remove the obstacles to their union. At Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu David Alden’s visually sumptuous production, with its suggestions of a giant game of chess, puts the opera’s potent blend of sex and politics in a context that sets ancient against modern– just as the action juxtaposes scurrilous comedy and stark drama. Monteverdi’s magnificent score, meanwhile, accommodates intrigue, wit, nobility, tragedy and sensuality, and, led by the intense Sarah Connolly and the delectable Miah Persson, the cast brings both drama and music startlingly to life. Monteverdi's final masterpiece. Harry Bicket is an internationally renowned early music specialist. Sarah Connolly recently appeared in the BBC's Opera Italia series, performing a scene from Poppea. Bicket says of Poppea, 'this is one of the best librettos ever written for an opera.' Extra features include an illustrated synopsis and cast gallery. Running time: 183 minutes Subtitles: EN/FR/DE/ES/Catalan Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS “this Barcelona interpretation by [Alden] is almost Brechtian in the spare objectivity of its stage set, and Expressionist in its use of the shadowy, zombie-like figure of Time that shuffles across the back of the stage...Persson is a superb Poppea who can really act with her voice but whose body seems constrained by the direction...The orchestral accompaniments are nicely varied.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2012 **** “a punchy 2009 performance of distinctively dark musical colouring...Nothing is overly camped up - even Dominique Visse in loud, bra-flashing drag...The whole is acutely paced and supported by Harry Bicket's orchestra, thei performance a reminder of how much progress has been made in the realisation of early Venetian opera in the last half-century...The hand-picked European cast is in fine fettle, Connolly's Nero outstanding” Gramophone Magazine, September 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Stage Director: David McVicar
Will Hartmann (Tamino), Dorothea Röschmann (Pamina), Diana Damrau (Königin der Nacht), Franz-Josef Selig (Sarastro), Simon Keenlyside (Papageno), Ailish Tynan (Papagena), Adrian Thompson (Monostatos), Thomas Allen (Sprecher), Gillian Webster, Christine Rice, Yvonne Howard (Drei Damen), Alan Oke, Graeme Broadbent (Zwei Geharnischten), Matthew Beale, Richard Van Allan (Zwei Preisten), Zico Shaker, Tom Chapman, John Holland-Avery (Drei Knaben) The Royal Opera Chorus & The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Sir Colin Davis This Blu-ray Disc (BD) is not compatible with standard DVD players.
PICTURE FORMAT: 1080i
LENGTH: 182 Mins
SOUND: 2.0 & 5.1 PCM AUDIO
SUBTITLES: EN/FR/DE/ES
“‘Diana Damrau’s supremely sung Queen of the Night oozes class, while Simon Keenlyside’s profoundly human, touchingly sympathetic view of Papageno deserves an Olivier Award.” Classic FM Magazine | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Paris version, 1841
Terje Stensvold (Der Holländer), Franz-Josef Selig (Donald [Daland]), Astrid Weber (Senta), Jörg Dürmüller (Georg [Erik]), Simone Schröder (Mary), Kobie van Rensburg (Steuermann) Bruno Weil Only a few people are aware that Richard Wagner completed the original version of his Flying Dutchman in 1841 in Paris, two years before the first performance was given in Dresden in 1843. This live concert recording presents the original Paris score of the opera on disc for the first time, giving today’s music-lover the opportunity to hear the opera as it was originally composed – played on original instruments and with the story set not in Norway, but Scotland! Bruno Weil’s vibrant reading of the score shows Wagner’s opera as the final great flowering of Romantic opera in the first half of the 19th century. This 2CD set is in standard opera packaging (box) with separate 64 page booklet, including the opera libretto in German and English as well as liner notes and synopsis additionally in French. “Musically, one notes instantly the extra clarity of textures and the fact hat the orchestra does not so easily overwhelm the singers...Jörg Dürmüller is excellent as Georg, Germanic in tone yet free from strain...Lively conducting and first-rate sound.” Penguin Guide, 2010 **/* | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Specials: •Illustrated synopsis of the opera. •BBC feature looks behind the scenes at this production. •Conductor Sir Colin Davis talks about Die Zauberflöte. •24 page illustrated booklet in English, French and German. PICTURE FORMAT: 16:9 LENGTH: 185 MINS SOUND: DOLBY SURROUND / DOLBY STEREO SUBTITLES: EN/FR/ES/ [DE - Extras only] | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Lisette Oropesa (Woglinde), Jennifer Johnson Cano (Wellgunde), Tamara Mumford (Flosshilde), Eric Owens (Alberich), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Bryn Terfel (Wotan), Richard Croft (Loge), Franz-Josef Selig (Fasolt), Hans-Peter König (Fafner), Wendy Bryn Harmer (Freia), Adam Diegel (Froh), Dwayne Croft (Donner), Patricia Bardon (Erda), Gerhard Siegel (Mime) Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, James Levine Production by Robert Lepage | 
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Lisette Oropesa (Woglinde), Jennifer Johnson Cano (Wellgunde), Tamara Mumford (Flosshilde), Eric Owens (Alberich), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Bryn Terfel (Wotan), Richard Croft (Loge), Franz-Josef Selig (Fasolt), Hans-Peter König (Fafner), Wendy Bryn Harmer (Freia), Adam Diegel (Froh), Dwayne Croft (Donner), Patricia Bardon (Erda), Gerhard Siegel (Mime) Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, James Levine Production by Robert Lepage |
| | | DG - 0734852 (Blu-ray) Normally: $26.25 Special: $19.68 |
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| |  | Recorded live at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, February 2009
Miah Persson (Poppea), Sarah Connolly (Nerone), Jordi Domènech (Ottone), Franz-Josef Selig (Seneca), Maite Beaumont (Ottavia), Dominique Visse (Nutrice/Arnalta), Ruth Rosique (Drusilla), Guy de Mey (Lucano), William Berger (Valletto), Marisa Martins (La Fortuna/Pallas Athene/Venus), Judith van Wanroij (Damigella/La Virtu) Baroque Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Harry Bicket (conductor) & David Alden (stage director) Love conquers all – ruthlessly and irresistibly – as Emperor Nero and his mistress Poppea remove the obstacles to their union. At Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu David Alden’s visually sumptuous production, with its suggestions of a giant game of chess, puts the opera’s potent blend of sex and politics in a context that sets ancient against modern– just as the action juxtaposes scurrilous comedy and stark drama. Monteverdi’s magnificent score, meanwhile, accommodates intrigue, wit, nobility, tragedy and sensuality, and, led by the intense Sarah Connolly and the delectable Miah Persson, the cast brings both drama and music startlingly to life. Monteverdi's final masterpiece. Harry Bicket is an internationally renowned early music specialist. Sarah Connolly recently appeared in the BBC's Opera Italia series, performing a scene from Poppea. Bicket says of Poppea, 'this is one of the best librettos ever written for an opera.' Extra features include an illustrated synopsis and cast gallery. Running time: 183 minutes Subtitles: EN/FR/DE/ES/Catalan Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS “this Barcelona interpretation by [Alden] is almost Brechtian in the spare objectivity of its stage set, and Expressionist in its use of the shadowy, zombie-like figure of Time that shuffles across the back of the stage...Persson is a superb Poppea who can really act with her voice but whose body seems constrained by the direction...The orchestral accompaniments are nicely varied.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2012 **** “a punchy 2009 performance of distinctively dark musical colouring...Nothing is overly camped up - even Dominique Visse in loud, bra-flashing drag...The whole is acutely paced and supported by Harry Bicket's orchestra, thei performance a reminder of how much progress has been made in the realisation of early Venetian opera in the last half-century...The hand-picked European cast is in fine fettle, Connolly's Nero outstanding” Gramophone Magazine, September 2012 “Sarah Connolly is an outstanding Nerone, her rich mezzo on splendid form. She conveys his neuroticism and frustrations...[Beaumont] is mesmerizing in her final farewell to Rome, displaying great, even tone throughout her range...Franz-Josef Selig's sonorous bass suits his thoughtful Seneca” International Record Review, September 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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Diana Damrau (Konstanze), Olga Peretyatko (Blonde), Christoph Strehl (Belmonte), Norbert Ernst (Pedrillo), Franz-Josef Selig/Christoph Quest (Bassa Selim) Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu, Ivor Bolton Staged by Christof Loy at Gran Teatre de Liceu, 2011 Barcelona’s prestigious Gran Teatre del Liceu presents Mozart’s beloved singspiel in an elegant, dramaturgically twisted production with a sparkling cast of top-rank international stars headed by coloratura soprano Diana Damrau as Konstanze and rising opera star Olga Peretyatko as Blonde. German soprano Diana Damrau achieved a huge success and was hailed by critics as a thrilling Konstanze. Christoph Strehl, a tall and aristocratic tenor of important means and burnished technique, made Belmonte’s difficult music sound easy. Franz Josef Selig was celebrated by critics as one the best Osmins that had ever performed in that role. Christoph Loy has conjured up a thought-provoking and strikingly original scenario in which both Konstanze and Blonde are feeling respect, admiration and even profound love for their captors. The result is a tantalising approach that overturns the traditional patterns of good and evil. Running Time Total: 188 minutes DVD: DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0 Subtitles English, German, French, Spanish, Catalan, Chinese, Korean “in this Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail everything is germane to the text that Mozart set, and Loy makes work of depth and strong emotion from what can seem like an overlong comedy...every singer acts with the intensity and conviction of a 'straight' actor. Ivor Bolton's conducting is relaxed and affectionate, and really there is no respect in which this performance falls short of being a triumph.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2012 ***** “Christof Loy's minimalist staging works well, and an impressive cast creates a great deal of intensity nicely caught by the cameras...Damrau is a superb Konstanze, secure and consistently beautiful.” Classical Music, 24th March 2012 **** “This is to be a serious psychological drama and the pace is punishingly slow...Damrau scored a notable success as Konstanze and her accomplished singing of a difficult role (she sings the extended version of 'Marten aller Arten') is the main highlight of the performance. Christoph Strehl's Belmonte is stylish and sensitive...Ivor Bolton gets lively playing at uncontroversial speeds” Gramophone Magazine, May 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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Diana Damrau (Konstanze), Olga Peretyatko (Blonde), Christoph Strehl (Belmonte), Norbert Ernst (Pedrillo), Franz-Josef Selig/Christoph Quest (Bassa Selim) Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu,, Ivor Bolton Staged by Christof Loy at Gran Teatre de Liceu, 2011 Barcelona’s prestigious Gran Teatre del Liceu presents Mozart’s beloved singspiel in an elegant, dramaturgically twisted production with a sparkling cast of top-rank international stars headed by coloratura soprano Diana Damrau as Konstanze and rising opera star Olga Peretyatko as Blonde. German soprano Diana Damrau achieved a huge success and was hailed by critics as a thrilling Konstanze. Christoph Strehl, a tall and aristocratic tenor of important means and burnished technique, made Belmonte’s difficult music sound easy. Franz Josef Selig was celebrated by critics as one the best Osmins that had ever performed in that role. Christoph Loy has conjured up a thought-provoking and strikingly original scenario in which both Konstanze and Blonde are feeling respect, admiration and even profound love for their captors. The result is a tantalising approach that overturns the traditional patterns of good and evil. Running Time Total: 188 minutes BD: DTS-HD MA 5.1, PCM 2.0 Subtitles English, German, French, Spanish, Catalan, Chinese, Korean “in this Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail everything is germane to the text that Mozart set, and Loy makes work of depth and strong emotion from what can seem like an overlong comedy...every singer acts with the intensity and conviction of a 'straight' actor. Ivor Bolton's conducting is relaxed and affectionate, and really there is no respect in which this performance falls short of being a triumph” BBC Music Magazine, June 2012 ***** “Christof Loy's minimalist staging works well, and an impressive cast creates a great deal of intensity nicely caught by the cameras...Damrau is a superb Konstanze, secure and consistently beautiful.” Classical Music, 24th March 2012 **** “This is to be a serious psychological drama and the pace is punishingly slow...Damrau scored a notable success as Konstanze and her accomplished singing of a difficult role (she sings the extended version of 'Marten aller Arten') is the main highlight of the performance. Christoph Strehl's Belmonte is stylish and sensitive...Ivor Bolton gets lively playing at uncontroversial speeds” Gramophone Magazine, May 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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