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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Live recording from the Deutsche Oper Berlin, 1991sung in German as 'Die Hugenotten'
Angela Denning (Marguerite de Valois), Lucy Peacock (Valentine de Saint-Bris), Richard Leech (Raoul de Nangis), Hartmut Welker (Comte de Saint-Bris) & Martin Blasius (Marcel) Deutsche Oper Berlin, Stefan Soltesz (conductor) & John Dew (stage director) The grand opera Die Hugenotten was one of the greatest operatic successes of the 19th century, and its creator was hailed as the foremost composer of his time. Yet today, he is largely forgotten by the opera-going public and his works lie gathering dust in opera house repertories around the world. Die Hugenotten was performed at the opening of the new Covent Garden Opera in London in 1858. However, it was a performance at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1890 which went into the history books. In the German translations by Ignatz Franz Castelli (1837 Vienna) and Charlotte Birch-Pfeiffer (1838 Munich), the conflict between Catholics and Protestants was heavily disguised; a new version was created by Gustaf Gründgens and Julius Kapp in Berlin in 1932. John Dew’s modern production, conducted by Stefan Soltesz, caused somewhat of a sensation when it was first performed in 1987 at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin. Giving the period and content of the work new reference points, his staging becomes almost oppressively contemporary: he sets the opera in divided Berlin, where the wall is a symbol of the separation of the two German states. Angela Denning, Lucy Peacock, Richard Leech and Martin Blasius fascinate with their wonderful voices and impressive acting. Sound Formats: PCM Stereo, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 Resolution: 1080i FULL HD Subtitle Languages: GB, FR, ES Running Time: 156 mins Blu-ray Disc: 25 GB (Single Layer) FSK: 0 | 
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| |  | Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, December 2012
Bryan Hymel (Robert), Patrizia Ciofi (Isabelle), John Relyea (Bertram), Marina Poplavskaya (Alice), Nicolas Courjal (Alberti), David Butt Philip (Master of Ceremonies), Pablo Bemsch (Second Chevalier/Herald), Ashley Riches (Prince of Granada), Jihoon Kim (Fourth Chevalier/Priest), Jean-Francois Borras (Raimbaut) & Dušica Bijelic (Lady-in-waiting to Isabelle) Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Daniel Oren (conductor) & Laurent Pelly (director) A grand opera that dominated the stages of Europe for most of the 19th century, Robert le diable is a masterpiece. Director Laurent Pelly breathes new life into Giacomo Meyerbeer’s great spectacle and audaciously entertaining moral fable, in this colourful new staging for The Royal Opera. The wonderful score includes brilliant arias, dramatic ensembles, rousing choruses and a ballet of ghostly nuns, and with the wavering hero of the title sung by Bryan Hymel, acclaimed for his role as Énée in Les Troyens for The Royal Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, this is an unmissable experience. Premiered in 1831, it was one of the first grand operas staged at the Paris Opéra. Meyerbeer’s European fame was initiated with “Robert” – performed 470 times in Paris alone by the time of the composer’s death in 1864. “It is a masterpiece...Meyerbeer has made himself immortal” (Frédéric Chopin) Extra features: ‘The legacy of Robert le diable, and a cast gallery. Running time: 122 minutes Subtitles EN/FR/DE/JP/KR Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS |
| | | Scheduled for release on 3 June 2013. Order it now and we will deliver it as soon as it is available. |
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Rudolf Nureyev (Basilio), Lucette Aldous (Kitri), Robert Helpmann (Don Quixote), Ray Powell (Sancho Panza) & Francis Croese (Lorenzo) The State Orchestra of Victoria & The Australian Ballet, John Lanchbery (conductor) & Rudolf Nureyev and Robert Helpmann (directors) Choreographer RUDOLF NUREYEV So elaborate was Rudolf Nureyev's vision of the Cervantes classic that his lavish film ballet ultimately required the facilities of a gigantic Australian aircraft hangar to produce. Choreographed and co-directed by Nureyev, the film received its Sydney premiere in 1973, and a London Royal Gala presentation in 1974, and went on to travel briefly to New York. Despite rave reviews, prints gradually fell out of circulation and grew scarce. For 25 years, incomplete copies have been scattered across two continents, with the film developing a reputation as a fabled lost treasure. After a painstaking five-year process, Nureyev's DON QUIXOTE has at long last been reassembled, digitally remastered, and restored to its original glory. Starring Nureyev as Basilio, the production also features Nureyev's co-director Sir Robert Helpmann as Don Quixote and Lucette Aldous as Kitri. Also features: “A Little Bit of Don Quixote” Superb documentary footage detailing the restoration process of the original 35mm film from 1972. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Live Recording from The Amsterdam Music Theatre, 2010
Choreography by MARIUS PETIPA & ALEXANDER GORSKI Production and Additional Choreography by ALEXEI RATMANSKY Décor & Costume Design by JÉRÔME KAPLAN Don Quichot – an audience favourite of prestigious companies worldwide – is a dazzling display of high spirits, virtuosity and Spanish temperament. The fl amboyant leaps, dizzying pirouettes and crisp pointe work that are standard features of the production give the performers every opportunity to show off their technical prowess. But at the same time, the comic story based on Cervantes’ masterpiece makes strong demands on the dancers’ acting abilities. The leading Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has drawn inspiration for his production from the libretto of the first version of Don Quichot by Marius Petipa, created in 1869. The former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet and Artist in Residence of the American Ballet Theatre now has also added his own new elements and choreography to the ballet. The modern designs for the ballet, by the renowned French designer Jérôme Kaplan, refer to the times of Cervantes. SPECIAL FEATURES: Behind the Scenes. Filmed by a dancer using a bodycam on stage during a rehearsal of Act One of the ballet. Interviews with the actors and principal dancers. Sound Format: PCM Stereo, dts-HD Master Audio 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 Resolution: 1080i FULL HD Subtitle Languages: GB Running Time: 122 mins + 30 mins (bonus) Blu-ray Disc: 25 GB (Single Layer) FSK: 0 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Orchestrated Lanchbery
Isabelle Guérin (Nikiya), Laurent Hilaire (Solor), Élisabeth Platel (Gamzatti), Wilfried Romoli (The Golden Idol), Lionel Delanoë (The Fakir), Jean-Marie Didière (The Rajah), Francis Malovic (The High Brahmin) & Agnès Letestu, Clotilde Vayer, Nathalie Riqué (The Three Shades) Paris Opera Ballet & Orchestre Colonne, Michel Quéval Paris Opera Ballet’s production of La Bayadère, now available on Blu-ray, was recorded in May 1994 at the Palais Garnier in High Definition. This exceptional and critically acclaimed production of La Bayadère is the fully restored version of this classic Kirov ballet, the last work choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet by Rudolf Nureyev before his tragic death in 1993. Breathtaking sets and costumes are designed by Ezio Frigerio and Franca Squarciapino in this exceptional production, whose style is a dream of the Orient, of India and the Ottoman Empire, a mixture of different influences. In creating his own version for Paris Opera Ballet, Nureyev made many amendments to the original Kirov Ballet version, and Paris now possesses one of the Kirov’s most precious but least known treasures, in a staging faithful to tradition but refracted through the eyes and thoughts of one of the greatest of that company’s sons. Nureyev long took its glory to the stages of the world and has now passed something of that glory to a generation of younger French dancers who grew up under his tutelage. SYNOPSIS Exotic and mysterious India serves as the backdrop to this story of doomed love. The bayadere Nikiya loves the warrior Solor and is loved by him in return. Solor however is obliged to become engaged to Gamzatti, daughter of a Rajah. Gamzatti, aware that Nikiya is her rival, sends her a basket of flowers, concealing a snake. Bitten by it, Nikiya dies, and Solor, driven to despair by her death, takes refuge in opium-induced thoughts. The ghosts of dead bayadères appear to him in the Kingdom of Shades – among them is Nikiya who forgives him. Also available on DVD 4509968512 Choreography and Staging: Rudolf Nureyev Sets: Ezio Frigerio Costumes: Franca Squarciapino Approx Duration:130 mins Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Colour Region Code: All regions Audio: L-PCM Stereo Subtitles: None | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Recorded live from the Royal Opera House, January 2009
Choreographer: Natalia Makarova Marius Petipa’s exotic ballet, set in legendary India, is a story of love, death and vengeful judgement. Natalia Makarova’s sumptuous recreation of Petipa’s choreography, with atmospheric sets by Pier Luigi Samaritini and beautiful costumes by Yolanda Sonnabend, stars Tamara Rojo as the Bayadère (temple dancer) Nikiya, Carlos Acosta as Solor, and Marianela Nuñez as Gamzatti whose alluring presence challenges Solor’s love for Nikiya. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true surround sound. ‘There wasn’t a single physical gesture that didn’t mean something, that didn’t speak of love trying and failing to blossom.’ The Daily Telegraph Extra features: Tamara Rojo on dancing La Bayadère Leanne Cope and Francesca Filpi on the corps de ballet Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta rehearse with Alexander Agadzhanov Natalia Makarova on choreographing La Bayadère Running time 166mins Region Code All regions Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS Menu languages EN Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Nureyev as Dancer … & as Choreographer
Minkus: | Don Quixote Rudolf Nureyev's lavish 35mm film version of Don Quixote, recorded in 1972 with Australian Ballet, has now been digitally remastered and restored to its former glory Rudolf Nureyev, Robert Helpmann, Lucette Aldous State Orchestra of Victoria, John Lanchbery La Bayadère Set in exotic and mysterious India, this production was recorded at the Palais Garnier in Paris. Isabelle Guérin, Laurent Hilaire, Elisabeth Platel Orchestre Collon, Michel Quéval | Prokofiev: | Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 This visually stunning version of Romeo & Juliet was recorded at the Opéra Bastille.
The exceptional cast was chosen by Nureyev himself. Manuel Legris, Monique Loudières, Charles Jude Orchestre de l'Opera National de Paris, Vello Pähn |
This set of three ballets is released in celebration of the life and glittering career of Russian dancer, Rudolf Nureyev. He achieved rock star status in the West, during which time he danced in his own extraordinary version of Don Quixote. As a choreographer, principally for the Paris Opera Ballet, he produced many stunning ballets, including these two exquisite ballets, La Bayadère and Romeo & Juliet. Don Quixote: NTSC 4:3; 127 mins; 5.1 Surround/Dolby 2.0 stereo La Bayadère: NTSC 16:9; 130 mins; L-PCM stereo Romeo & Juliet: NTSC 16:9; 150 mins; 5:1 surround/Dolby 2.0 stereo |
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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 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Birgitte Christensen (Poppea), Jacek Laszczkowski (Nero), Tim Mead (Ottone), Marita Sølberg (Virtú/Drusilla), Patricia Bardon (Ottavia), Amelie Aldenheim (Amore), Ina Kringlebotn (Fortuna), Tone Kruse (Nutrice), Giovanni Battista Parodi (Seneca), Emiliano Gonzalez-Toro (Arnalta), David Fielder (Valetto), Magnus Staveland (Lucano) Orchestra of the Norwegian National Opera, Alessandro de Marchi Staged by Ole Anders Tandberg, adapted and filmed by Anja Stabell and Stein-Roger Bull in 2010 at the Norwegian National Opera. The Coronation of Poppea was the début production from critically acclaimed stage director Ole Anders Tandberg in the Norwegian Opera & Ballet, and he lets blood flow. TV directors Anja Stabell and Stein-Roger Bull reinforces the impact by letting blood’s bright color compete against black and white images. Poppea like you’ve never seen it before! Special packaging with a high quality slipcase. At the centre of events is the power-crazed Poppea. She aspires to the top level of the hierarchy and seduces Emperor Nero. He is totally captivated by Poppea and does everything possible to marry her, even if it leads to murder. A classic drama unfolds, where the struggle for power and riches paints an unattractive portrait of humankind. In this respect not much has changed since the opera was written 365 years ago. Picture format: 1080i Full HD - 16:9 Sound formats: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1 Region code: all (worldwide) Booklet notes: English, German, French Subtitles: Italian, English, German Running time: 180 mins “It relentlessly portrays the leaders of the Roman Empire as violent, sex-mad adolescents...There is, though, some truly terrific singing here. Birgitte Christiansen (Poppea) is an amazingly assured musical presence, who can colour her voice to fit every occasion. Jacek Laszczkowski (Nero) is expressively menacing and lascivious by turn” BBC Music Magazine, June 2012 **** “How best to depict these grotesques for a 21st-century audience? Ole Anders Tandberg's solution is to put them in modern dress and to have them indulge in what the booklet-note calls 'frequent lashings of blood and sex'...as for the blood, for lashings read buckets. Jacek Lazczkowski plays Nero brilliantly as a complete psychopath...the best [singing] is from Tim Mead and Patricia Bardon.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Recorded live at La Teatro alla Scala 21st & 23rd December 2009
Monteverdi’s seminal first opera tells the dramatic story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses of the descent of Orfeo (Georg Nigl) into the underworld to recover his beloved wife Euridice (Roberta Invernizzi), who has died from a snake bite. In a new production for La Scala, based on a painting by Titian and directed by Robert Wilson, the opera receives a powerful and inspiring performance from a fine cast, the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala and Concerto Italiano under the much-admired Italian early music specialist, Rinaldo Alessandrini. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true surround sound. ‘Robert Wilson meets Monteverdi with successful results’ The Opera Critic Extra features: Cast Gallery Illustrated Synopsis Running time 1 hours 56 mins Region Code All regions Picture format 1080i High Definition / 16:9 Sound format 5.1(5.0) DTS Menu languages EN Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES/IT “I've never heard [the separation scene] more effectively sung by either Orfeo or Euridice...[Nigl] animates the recitatives by putting the words and their rhetorical structures first...In short, this is a wonderfully satisfying performance, featuring one of the finest Orfeos on disc, and a production which suits the needs of both the large-scale theatre and the small screen equally well.” International Record Review, March 2011 “Director Robert Wilson takes his inspiration from a Titian painting, Venus with Eros and an Organist, and delivers a series of starkly-lit tableaux - strong geometric shapes framing the highly stylised gestures of the cast. The drama comes from Alessandrini's edition and the bite and brilliance of the La Scala orchestra, and Concerto Italiano's inventive continuo section.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2011 **** “Beautifully flimed in Milan, this DVD shows how well Wilson's minimalist productions can take to the small screen...Alessandrini directs an authentically sized La Scala orchestra in playing that is at once historically informed and always alive...Georg Nigl, previously a Wozzeck at La Scala, sings with much beauty of voice.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2011 “This bears all Wilson's trademark stylisations with slow movement and hand gestures full of meaning casting their hypnotic spell. The lighting is also crucial to Wilson's approach. The singing is enthusiastic with Georg Nigl a solid Orpheus, Roberta Invernizzi a poignant Eurydice and Sara Mingardo an outstanding Messenger.” Opera Now, Summer 2011 “the singers are drawn from the top drawer of Baroque practice...Wilson's concept of abstraction - both visual and dramatic - never seems to work with real live performers. But there's still a great deal of musical pleasure to be had from the singers and Rinaldo Alessandrini's conducting.” Classic FM Magazine, May 2011 *** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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