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Jonas Kaufmann (Siegmund), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Sieglinde), Hans-Peter König (Hunding), Deborah Voigt (Brünnhilde), Bryn Terfel (Wotan), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Kelly Cae Hogan (Gerhilde), Molly Fillmore (Helmwige), Wendy Bryn Harmer (Ortlinde), Eve Gigliotti, Mary Ann McCormick (Grimgerde), Lindsay Ammann (Rossweisse) Marjorie Elinor Dix (Waltraute), Mary Phillips (Schwertleite) Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, James Levine Production by Robert Lepage | 
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| |  | James Levine conducts Mascagni & Leoncavallo
“I doubt you'll hear or see a better show: Levine, in his early prime, leads with respect for the music and the verismo tradition and whips the action into a melodramatic frenzy...Domingo sings both tenor leads tirelessly, with bite, ringing tone, sincerity and passion...this is clearly a superstar. He reacts as well as acts; of course it helps that he's opposite two blazing women co-stars...Not perfect performances, but they will leave you breathless nonetheless.” International Record Review, January 2012 “[Troyanos] is glorious...Domingo is as close to the ideal as possible...Not many tenors have the stamina to sing both Turiddu and Canio on the same evening, but Domingo has...The sound is not in the same class as the performance but is acceptable. With a well-nigh perfect Pagliacci and a slightly flawed Cavalleria rusticana this is a good buy.” MusicWeb International, August 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Sung in English and abridged
Matthew Polenzani (Tamino), Nathan Gunn (Papageno), Ying Huang (Pamina), Erika Miklósa (Queen of the Night), René Pape (Sarastro), Greg Fedderly (Monostatos), David Pittsinger (Speaker), Jennifer Aylmer (Papagena), Wendy Bryn Harmer, Kate Lindsey, Tamara Mumford (Drei Damen) The Metropolitan Opera & Chorus, James Levine “The best performance comes from Nathan Gunn as Papageno, with his irrepressible energy and sense of comic timing...Matthew Polenzani and Ying Huang make a believably young pair of lovers. The production is a visual delight, with its bright colours, puppets and masks. It is, predictably, entirely politically correct. James Levine's conducting is well-judged, save for a funereal 'Tamino mein!' Give this to your children, then take them to the opera house.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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A red hot ticket at the Metropolitan Opera in 2010/2011 was Donizetti’s comic gem, Don Pasquale, with Anna Netrebko reviving Norina, the part that made her a star in New York. Opera summed up the simple truth: “. . . everyone adored her”. John Del Carlo’s impressive singing and acting chops as the Don are given every boost by Otto Schenk’s hilarious staging and James Levine’s witty conducting. Leading this opera for the first time at the Met, the renowned maestro demonstrates that his gifts suit Donizetti as perfectly as Wagner. Mariusz Kwiecień and Matthew Polenzani scintillate as Malatesta and Ernesto. When Norina slaps Pasquale, the old man sees how deluded he has been to believe that the young beauty loves him. The San Francisco Chronicle paid homage to this turning point thus: “Netrebko captures the moment that gives the opera a heart it otherwise would lack”. Filmed in November 2010, the DVD features backstage intermission interviews caught during the hubbub of performance. “Donizetti's modest little domestic comedy almost sinks under the weight of such production values. That is stays afloat is a tribute to Netrebko who unleashes some fearsome coloratura; and to John de Carlo and Marius Kwiecien, who deliver 'Cheti, cheti, immantinente' with the speed of a Bugatti at full throttle.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2011 **** “With its huge sets and period costumes, Otto Schenk's 2006 production looks like a good old-fashioned Met warhorse, but it still has enough amusing choreography and dramatic truth to keep things ticking along nicely. Anna Netrebko steals the show both vocally and theatrically...but tenor Matthew Polenzani is also terrific as her lover...Levine's conducting is spirited.” Classic FM Magazine, September 2011 *** “[Netrebko] is alert to every note and movement, the voice bigger than the usual soubrette we get in this part, and her top notes gleam...Kwiecien is the ideal playmate for Netrebko: their sounds and styles blend perfectly; both ooze charm...Polenzani's smooth delivery, sweet tone and utter sincerity make him a valuable asset...it's clear that James Levine has the measure of this often witty, occasionally ravishing score.” International Record Review, July/August 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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The Metropolitan Opera’s Peabody and Emmy Award®-winning series The Met: Live in HD has excited audiences around the globe. Four highly-requested productions from the past two years are now available on DVD for the first time. These four stunning releases contain recordings of recent acclaimed Metropolitan Opera productions, taken from state-of-the-art, high-definition transmissions broadcast live from the stage of the Met, and include backstage interviews with the cast and production crew. TECHNICAL INFO: Sound: PCM Stereo/ DTS Sound Screen Format: 16:9 Region Code: 0 (All regions) Subtitles: French, German, Spanish and English Recording Date: February 6, 2010 Approximate Running Time: 2 Hrs 29 Min “[Domingo] explores the role emotionally in some depth, and can supply all the notes, regularly sounding like a baritone...Adrianne Pieczonka brings strength and lyricism to an Amelia more purposively acted than usual...Levine upholds the highest Verdian standards in the pit, producing playing of immense refinement and detail imbued with the complex spirit of the score...Almost cinematically realistic, its grand sets are in their way magnificent” BBC Music Magazine, May 2011 *** “it is handsomely executed and beautifully filmed. It takes an artist of rare stature to measure up against a staging as big as this. Happily, Domingo is just that. He brings gravitas to the heart-rending recognition scene with his daughter and bestrides the Council Chamber with conviction.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2011 “[Domingo's] portrayal is touching and sounds beautiful, particularly in the last act...[Morris] has the majesty and emotion for the part. The reconciliation duet for the two men in the last act is as emotionally moving as one would want...Levine obviously loves this score and he builds the opera to its tragic climax, with the orchestra and chorus playing and singing gloriously.” International Record Review, March 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Deborah Voigt (Ariadne/Prima Donna), Natalie Dessay (Zerbinetta), Susanne Mentzer (The Composer), Richard Margison (Bacchus/The Tenor), Wolfgang Brendel (The Music Master), Waldemar Kmentt (The Major-Domo), James Courtney (A Lackey), Mark Schowalter (An Officer), John Fiorito (A Wigmaker), Tony Stevenson (The Dancing Master), Nathan Gunn (Harlekin), John Nuzzo (Brighella), Eric Cutler (Scaramuccio), John Del Carlo (Truffaldin), Joyce Guyer (Najade), Jossie Pérez (Dryade) & Alexandra Deshorties (Echo) The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, James Levine (conductor) & Laurie Feldman (stage director) Production Elijah Moshinsky Set and Costume Designer Michael Yeargan Lighting Designer Gil Wechsler Recorded in 2003 at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, this sumptuous production of Ariadne auf Naxos presents divas Deborah Voigt and Natalie Dessay in the contrasting roles which embody the opera’s themes. Two of today’s reigning sopranos – Deborah Voigt and Natalie Dessay – embody the contrasting philosophies at the heart of Ariadne auf Naxos: the deserted princess Ariadne, a ‘one-man woman’ who believes in loyalty unto death, and the flirtatious comedienne Zerbinetta, who takes a more pragmatic attitude to love and to life. This recording from the Metropolitan Opera dates from 2003. The noble, soaring lines of Ariadne gave Voigt a major breakthrough in 1991, when she sang the role in Boston, and it subsequently became her signature role. Zerbinetta exemplifies the dizzy coloratura characters which first made Dessay’s reputation. Two reviews from the New York Times evoke the first night of Elijah Moshinsky’s production in 1993, and the performance a decade later that is commemorated on this DVD. “...two prima donnas [Voigt and Mentzer] at the peaks of their careers having fun with the liveliest Elijah Moshinsky production I've seen...Dessay slips between complex human truth and the commedia dell'arte character...[Voigt] reveals a talent for Dickensian comedy...altogether a great version to win new lovers to this gorgeous work.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2010 ***** “[Voigt's] singing is full, weighty and rises to the climactic heights of the final duet...The most engaging portrayal comes from Natalie Dessay as Zerbinetta. As well as hitting all the notes (albeit with some vinegary tone), Dessay gives the character three dimensions, adding extra depth with her wide-eyed vulnerability...James Levine takes his time in the pit - but how many opera orchestras play this score with such high-quality indulgence?” Gramophone Magazine, July 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Metropolitan Opera Gala 199125th Anniversary at Lincoln Center
Mirella Freni, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Cheryl Studer, Anne Sofie von Otter, Barbara Daniels, Justiano Díaz, Leo Nucci, Hermann Prey, June Anderson, Kathleen Battle, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Thomas Hampson, Uwe Heilmann, Barbara Kilduff, Aprile Millo, Sherrill Milnes, Paul Plishka, Samuel Ramey, Birgitta Svendén & Frederica von Stade The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet, James Levine The Metropolitan Opera celebrates 25 years at Lincoln Center. The cast-list for the evening reads like a Who's Who of 20th-century opera. Thrill to “hours and hours of glorious opera...A triumphant celebration of virtuosity (Toronto Globe and Mail) as New York’s legendary opera company celebrates its first quarter century at Lincoln Center with “one of the most exquisitely refined and extravagant assemblages of vocal artistry the Met stage has yet hosted” (New York Times). “Not just another night at the opera” (Los Angeles Times), this extraordinary gala features complete acts from three favorite works, starring dozens of the world’s greatest singers, all conducted by Met music director James Levine. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Production: Franco Zeffirelli Zeffirelli´s legendary 1981 Met staging with an allstar cast led by Teresa Stratas and José Carreras under the baton of Maestro James Levine “With her fragile frame, cameo face and exquisitely modulated soprano, Stratas makes an ideal Mimi.” (The New York Times) “One of the grandest, most richly textured productions of an opera to be seen anywhere”, wrote Christian Science Monitor, while New York Magazine lauded “Theresa Stratas´ potency as a dramatic presence and the sensitively refined artistry of her vocal performance…a true musician as well as an astute operatic actress.” The DVD includes two features: "Zeffirelli on La Bohème" and "Puccini in America" (documentary) “Zeffirelli's Met production is unashamedly a spectacular but in its 1982 staging the cast is a remarkable one, led by Teresa Stratas, Renata Scotto and José Carreras.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2009 **** “Zeffirelli's production puts half of Paris onstage but, despite lush conducting, lacks vital intimacy and warmth. Carreras offers a subdued Rodolfo and Stratas a vocally undernourished Mimì.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2010 *** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala
Beethoven: | Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b | Debussy: | L'annee en vain...Cependent les soirs (from L'enfant Prodigue) Ileana Cotrubas | Donizetti: | Chi mi frena in tal momento? (from Lucia di Lammermoor) Una furtiva lagrima (from L'elisir d'amore) Nicolai Gedda | Giordano, U: | Vicino a te (from Andrea Chénier) Jose Carreras, Montserrat Caballé | Gounod: | Va! je t'ai pardonné (from Roméo et Juliette) Catherine Malfitano, Alfredo Kraus Alerte, alerte! (from Faust) Katia Ricciarelli, William Lewis, Nicolai Ghiaurov | Mascagni: | Son io! Son io la Vita! (from Iris) | Mozart: | E Susanna non vien! … Dove sono i bei momenti (from Le nozze di Figaro) Kiri Te Kanawa | Puccini: | In questa reggia (from Turandot) Eva Marton Viene la sera (from Madama Butterfly) Giuliano Ciannella, Leona Mitchell | Rossini: | La calunnia è un venticello (from Il barbiere di Siviglia) Ruggero Raimondi Bel raggio lusinghier (from Semiramide) Joan Sutherland Pria di dividerci da voi, signore (from L'italiana in Algeri) | Saint-Saëns: | Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila Linda Gelinas, Ricardo Costa Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix (from Samson et Dalila) Marilyn Horne | Smetana: | The Bartered Bride Overture | Strauss, R: | Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren (from Der Rosenkavalier) Marie Theres'! ... Hab mir's gelobt (from Der Rosenkavalier) | trad.: | Fjorton år tror jag visst att jag var Birgit Nilsson | Verdi: | Dio, mi potevi scagliar tutti i mali (from Otello) James McCracken Surta è la notte...Ernani! Ernani, involami (from Ernani) Anna Tomowa-Sintow Giá nella notte densa (from Otello) Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni Donna chi sei? (from Nabucco) Renato Bruson, Grace Bumbry Teco io sto (from Un ballo in maschera) Luciano Pavarotti, Leontyne Price | Wagner: | Wie lachend sie mir Lieder singen (from Tristan und Isolde) Birgit Nilsson |
Here are the greatest moments from the “ultimate in galas” (Opera), a “roof-rattling vocal display and the kind of cheering and free-flowing, heartfelt emotion on both sides of the footlights that opera evinces more than any other art form” - New York Times The gala celebration immediately catches the attention with spectacular performances by stars such as Dame Joan Sutherland, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Mirella Freni, Marilyn Horne, Birgit Nilsson, Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Kraus and many others “The world's most famous opera singers [in] a dazzling sequence of performances” - New York Times “It's always a privilege to sing at the Met, but this is something very special. I don't think there's ever been anything this grand in the history of opera” - Luciano Pavarotti This product features an awesome roster of international star conducters: from James Levine, Leonard Bernstein and Thomas Fulton to Jeffrey Tate, Richard Bonynge 2 DVDs LIVE from the Met from October 22, 1983 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“a milestone in the history of operatic production in this city” was the judgement of the New York Herald Tribune. Production & Set Designer: Franco Zeffirelli Lighting Designer: Gil Wechsler Stage Director: Paul Mills Choreographer: William Burdick Musical Preparation: John Keenan, Craig Rutenberg, Jane Klaviter, Franz Vote Assistant Stage Director: Sharon Thomas Prompter: Jane Klaviter Produced at the Metropolitan Opera House, October 1992 “A traditional but glamorous staging by Franco Zeffirelli, with a virtually all-star cast and a highly skilled conductor, represents the Met near its best.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2009 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Building a Library