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Choreography: Kenneth MacMillan Cuban Superstar Carlos Acosta dances Romeo in Kenneth Macmillan’s timeless version of the Shakespeare/Prokofiev Classic Ballet ‘Romeo & Juliet.’ In this perennial favourite, Carlos Acosta dances alongside his regular partner, the Spanish ballerina, Tamara Rojo – a celebrated stage partnership which currently has no equal. The drama of the doomed lovers is set against the ravishing sets and costumes designs of Nicholas Georgiadis. ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘Manon’ signal the beginning of a major collaboration with Carlos Acosta and The Royal Ballet, which continued in early 2009 with the filming of ‘La Bayadère’. | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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Paris Opera Ballet’s production of Romeo & Juliet, now available on Blu-ray, was recorded in July 1995 at the Opéra Bastille in High Definition and Surround Sound. Prokofiev’s score finds a powerful echo in Rudolf Nureyev’s sumptuous and colourful production, one of the last he choreographed for Paris Opera Ballet before his death. He especially chose the cast, and this was the last time this particular cast performed the work. With its sets and costumes straight from the frescos of Renaissance Italy, this great ballet passionately reflects the youth and vigour which drive Shakespeare’s tale of doomed love. Having created the role of Romeo in Kenneth MacMillan’s version, Nureyev mounted his own production in 1977, and reworked the same ballet for Paris in 1984; a large-scale, colourful fresco full of passion and noise, set in a turbulent Verona where the sun-drenched squares are permanent open-air theatres, and the dark, narrow side-streets can turn into cut-throat alleys. With these sets and costumes straight from the frescoes of Renaissance Italy, this great ballet passionately reflects the youth and vigour which drive Shakespeare’s tale of doomed love. Nureyev placed particular emphasis on the personalities of Tybalt and Mercutio, ‘champions’ of each of the two rival clans – one sombre and vindictive, the other roguish and a little mad. He attempted to bring to life the argumentative and truculent people of Verona, opting for an atmosphere both sensual and brutal, an era both refined and bawdy, superb in appearance and cruel in reality. Life and death here take turns on the Wheel of Fortune, with youth fighting to the death in the streets. The sumptuous production calls upon the full force of the company, who brilliantly portray the street fights of the feuding Capulets and Montagues and the raptures and despair that mark the young lovers’ tragedy. With mesmerising dance, colourful costumes and dazzling set, this production of Shakespeare’s most loved play has enthralled audiences and critics alike. Choreography and Staging: Rudolf Nureyev Sets: Ezio Friger Costumes: Ezio Frigerio and Mauro Pagano “..a splendid recreation, totally faithful to Nureyev, this Romeo & Juliet is one of the great events of the year.” LE FIGARO Also available on DVD 0630151542 Approx Duration: 149 mins Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Colour Region Code: All regions Audio: L-PCM Stereo & Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Subtitles: None | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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Sergei Aleksashkin (The General), Tatiana Pavlovskaya (Pauline), Vladimir Galuzin (Alexei), Larissa Dyadkova (Babulenka), Nikolai Gassiev (Marquis), Alexander Gergalov (Mr Astley), Mlle Blanche (Nadezhda Serdyuk), Andrei Popov (Prince Nilsky), Oleg Sychev (Baron Wurmerhelm) & Andrei Spekhov (Potapych) Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (conductor) & Laurent Gentot (director) The Mariinsky label releases its second opera DVD & Blu-ray, Prokofiev’s 'The Gambler'. Filmed in the historic Mariinsky Theatre in 2010, it stars celebrated Russian tenor Vladimir Galuzin and bass Sergei Aleksashkin, and is conducted by Valery Gergiev. It is of fundamental significance that under Gergiev’s baton the Mariinsky Orchestra and opera company have performed all of Prokofiev’s symphonies, concerti and operas on numerous occasions. Georgian director Temur Chkheidze, who also presented the Mariinsky’s last production in 1996 and directed the opera with critical success at the Metropolitan Opera in 2001, gives a fresh look to Prokofiev’s first opera. Set in the fictional town of Roulettenburg in the mid-19th Century, 'The Gambler' is a four-act opera that displays the dramatic highs and lows involved in the game of chance. At the centre of the story is Alexei, who is in love with The General’s step-daughter, Pauline. All of the characters fall victim to the temptation of gambling, each one consumed by the obsession and greed that drives them. Vladimir Galuzin, who plays the role of Alexei, is indisputably one of the world’s leading dramatic tenors, known for his unrivaled stentorious voice and extremely vivid characterisations of some of the most demanding roles. A Mariinsky soloist since 1990, he is much in demand internationally, performing regularly during the last two decades as a guest of most of the world’s most prominent opera houses, concert halls and festivals. The role of The General is played by Russian bass Sergei Aleksashkin. Three-time recipient of the Golden Sofit, St Petersburg’s most prestigious theatre prize, Sergei has been a Mariinsky Theatre soloist since 1989, singing title roles in Mussorgsky’s 'Boris Godunov' and Glinka’s 'Ruslan and Lyudmila'. DURATION 2 hours 35' Recorded at the Mariinsky Theatre, June 2010 Performed in Italian: subtitles in Russian, English, Japanese, German and French | 
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Misha Didyk (Alexei), Kristine Opolais (Polina), Vladimir Ognovenko (General), Stefania Toczyska (Babulenka), Stephan Rügamer (The Marquis), Sylvia de la Muela (Blanche), Viktor Rud (Mr Astley) Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim (conductor) & Dmitri Tcherniakov (stage director) First release on Blu-ray. This production from 2009 is staged by young up-and-coming director Dmitri Tcherniakov, who worked at Bolshoi, Mariinsky, Opera de Bastille, La Scala, and various opera houses in Germany. The opera is based on the famous novel “The Gambler” by Dostoyevsky “Barenboim's crystal-clear pacing of the score is hard-hitting rather than quicksilvery, but the payoff in the last Act is terrific, and the blue-lit look of it all - Tcherniakov designed it, too - works well...No wonder Barenboim and Tcherniakov try to lift each other up in the wings at the end.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2010 ***** “Tcherniakov in Berlin has chosen to mirror the capitalist excesses of our day and does so with tireless attention to detail...Kristine Opolais as Polina and especially Misha Didyk as Alexei both look and sound well...[Barenboim] is here at his most obviously committed. He has found in the piece a depth and expressionist power that brings us close to the world of Wozzeck.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2010 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Recorded live at Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, in 2005.
Note: This Blu-ray Disc (BD) is not compatible with standard DVD players. Prokofiev’s enchantingly surreal commedia dell’arte masterwork is turned into a spectacular triumph of total theatre in this vital production from the Amsterdam Muziektheater. De Nederlandse Opera has chosen to use the more flexible French libretto of the 1921 premiere, a pertinent choice which has the advantage of accentuating the aesthetic common ground shared by Prokofiev and Les Six. Stéphane Denève’s brilliant musical direction inspires outstanding performances from the soloists and the superb Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, enhanced by the smart, blockbusting staging of Laurent Pelly and the exquisite sets of Chantal Thomas, which propel this feverish fable to great heights. Bonus material/features: Cast gallery & Illustrated synopsis Introduction including interviews with main members of the cast and the artistic team ‘A wonderful spectacle… A masterful staging of Prokofiev’s Love for three oranges from DNO. … Seldom have we seen such a successful synthesis of music, image and wit on the operatic stage.’ Het Parool PICTURE FORMAT: 1080i
LENGTH: 144 Mins
SOUND: 2.0 & 5.1 PCM AUDIO
SUBTITLES: EN/FR/DE/ES/IT/NL
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| |  | Salzburg Festival 2012 Opening Concert
This Blu-ray Disc presents a wonderful recording of the opening concert of the Salzburger Festspiele from 2012 – an annual highlight on the Classical Music calendar traditionally performed by the vibrant heart of the festival: the Wiener Philharmoniker. The program from 2012 was Russian themed with a focus on the most profound questions of human life with excellent interpretations of Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, Modest Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death and Sergei Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony. The concert is conducted by Valery Gergiev, general and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, winner of the Herbert-von-Karajan Award and the Polar Music Prize. Russian tenor Sergei Semishkur, soloist at the Mariinsky theatre, excels in his intense interpretation of Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death. Picture format Blu-ray Disc: 1080i Full HD, 16:9 Sound formats Blu-ray Disc: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.0, DTS 5.0 Region code: All (worldwide) Subtitles: English, German, French Booklet notes: English, German, French Runnning time: 90 mins |
| | | Scheduled for release on 1 July 2013. Order it now and we will deliver it as soon as it is available. |
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| |  | Gianni Schicchi & The Miserly Knight
Puccini: | Gianni Schicchi Alessandro Corbelli (Gianni Schicchi), Sally Matthews (Lauretta), Felicity Palmer (Zita), Massimo Giordano (Rinuccio), Adrian Thompson (Gherardo), Olga Schalaeva (Nella), Christopher Waite (Gherardino), Maxim Mikhailov II (Betto di Signa), Luigi Roni (Simone), Riccardo Novaro (Marco), Marie McLaughlin (Ciesca) | Rachmaninov: | The Miserly Knight, Op. 24 Sergei Leiferkus (The Baron), Richard Berkeley-Steele (Albert), Viacheslav Voynarovskiy (Moneylender), Albert Schagidullin (The Duke), Maxim Mikhailov (The Servant), Matilda Leyser ("Aerialist") |
Alessandro Corbelli takes the title role in Annabel Arden’s whirlwind production of Puccini’s compact opera, in which the scheming Gianni Schicchi retrieves for himself the spoils of a disinherited family to pave the way for his daughter to marry her love. Recorded live at Glyndebourne Opera House, Sussex, UK, on 11th July 2004. Note: This Blu-ray Disc (BD) is not compatible with standard DVD players. Plus: Rachmaninov’s The Miserly Knight – The complete opera, also directed by Annabel Arden and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, as performed alongside Gianni Schicchi as a double bill at Glyndebourne on 11th July 2004. PICTURE FORMAT: 1080i LENGTH: 162 Mins SOUND: 2.0 & 5.1 PCM AUDIO SUBTITLES: EN/FR/DE/ES/IT “Alessandro Corbelli delivers a masterclass in how to extract every ounce of humour from comedy by playing it straight. He is the king of comedy and an international treasure.” The Stage “Annabel Arden’s dark staging of Rachmaninov’s opera and her brilliantly funny view of Puccini’s comedy make for a perfect Glyndebourne evening. Sergei Leiferkus and Alessandro Corbelli are memorable in the respective title
parts and Vladimir Jurowski is the superb conductor.” Sunday Times | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Live Recording from The Teatro Regio di Torino 2008
José Cura (Edgar), Amarilli Nizza (Fidelia), Julia Gertseva (Tigrana), Marco Vratogna (Frank), Carlo Cigni (Gualtiero) Orchestra and Chorus of The Teatro Regio di Torino, Yoram David (conductor) & Lorenzo Mariani (stage director) NOTE: This Blu-ray Disc is not compatible with standard DVD players. World Premiere Recording On Blu-ray Disc. Set and Costume Design by Maurizio Balò A fake death, a perverse woman and a pure woman, a man torn between them, a murder: the story of Edgar, Giacomo Puccini’s second opera, is full of dramatic turns of events. Arthaus Musik presents this powerful and tragic opera now in a version which was count for lost for nearly 120 years. For the first time the original version in four acts of Edgar by Giacomo Puccini was staged at the Teatro Regio in Turin in 2008. Thanks to the rediscovery of the manuscript score, after 119 years since the first and only performance in Milan in 1889 and after numerous versions condensing the opera in three acts, it will be again possible to experience the original opera that Puccini wrote. It was only when the American Puccini expert Linda B. Fairtile began reconstructing the original orchestration of the almost 40-minute final act that the composer’s granddaughter, Simonetta Puccini, came up with the intact score. José Cura, acclaimed all over the world for his intense interpretations, is Edgar. His rich and brilliant tenor voice, together with his fascinating stage presence, make him one of the most charismatic and sought-after artists in the world. With him, two prima donnas, two artists of great charm and with skyrocketing careers: the Italian soprano Amarilli Nizza and the Russian mezzo-soprano Julia Gertseva. Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 Resolution: 1080i FULL HD Menu Language: GB Blu-ray Disc: 50 GB (Dual Layer) Subtitle Languages: IT, GB, DE, FR, ES, Japanese Running Time: 157 mins FSK: 0 “In Lorenzo Mariani's Turin production, the action is transposed from the 14th century to the time of the Risorgimento. Act 1 finds everyone dressed in white for a summer picnic. When Edgar and Tigrana have escaped to the city in Act 2, it looks like a production of Traviata, with all the men in top hats and the girls in red feathers. Act 3, though, goes with terrific zest, José Cura as Edgar in disguise, holding forth with burnished tone, and Amarilli Nizza singing "Addio, mio dolce amor" - the one passage that has become fairly well known - with considerable feeling. One can sense Puccini grappling with all the diverse influences on his music, a bit of Wagner, a bit of Verdi, a touch of Donizetti... Yoram David controls the huge orchestra and chorus with impressive authority.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2009 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, September 2011
Il Tabarro Lucio Gallo (Michele), Aleksandrs Antonenko (Luigi), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Giorgetta), Alan Oke (Tinca), Jeremy White (Talpa), Irina Mishura (La Frugola), Ji-Min Park (Venditore), Anna Devin, Robert Anthony Gardiner (Due Amanti) Suor Angelica Ermonela Jaho (Suor Angelica), Anna Larsson (La Zia Principessa), Eryl Royle (Suor Osmina), Anna Devin (Suor Genovieffa), Kathy Batho (Novice), Elizabeth Key (Suor Dolcina), Elizabeth Woollett (Nursing Sister), Gillian Webster, Kathleen Wilder (Due Cercatrici), Irina Mishura (La Badessa), Elizabeth Sikora (Maestra delle Novizie), Elena Zilio (La Suora Zelatrice) Gianni Schicchi Lucio Gallo (Gianni Schicchi), Ekaterina Siurina (Lauretta), Francesco Demuro (Rinuccio), Elena Zilio (Zita), Rebecca Evans (Nella), Marie McLaughlin (La Ciesca), Jeremy White (Betto di Signa), Gwynne Howell (Simone), Robert Poulton (Marco), Alan Oke (Gherardo), Filippo Turkheimer (Gherardino), Henry Waddington (Maestro Spinelloccio), Enrico Fissore (Ser Amantio di Nicolai), Daniel Grice (Pinellio), John Molloy (Guccio) Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano (conductor) & Richard Jones (director) This is The Royal Opera’s first complete presentation of Puccini’s Il trittico since 1965. Leading director Richard Jones staged his witty, darkly comic realization of Gianni Schicchi for The Royal Opera in 2007, and here he completes the trio. 3 DVDs for the price of 1 Leading director Richard Jones staged his witty, darkly comic realization of Gianni Schicchi for The Royal Opera in 2007. The production was revived in 2012 and here he completes the trio with two new productions of Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica. Antonio Pappano conducts an acclaimed cast including Eva-Maria Westbroek, Ermonela Jaho, Lucio Gallo, Elena Zilio and rising star Francesco Demuro. These three one-act works were broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and went to cinemas world-wide in February 2012. Running time: 180 minutes Subtitles: EN/FR/DE/ES Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS “a triumph...three wonderfully directed and expertly acted productions. Add in Pappano's impeccable conducting and his valuable introductions to the pieces, and you have a nigh-on ideal Trittico.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2012 ***** “In the theatre, Suor Angelica packed a stronger punch [than Il Tabarro]. Here, on DVD, it is little short of devastating...Jaho's youthful vulnerability is deeply moving...Gianni Schicchi is a wicked 1960s delight...Outstandingly filmed, this set marks a high point for live opera on DVD...I have no hesitation in making this new Trittico the top recommendation.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2012 “Pappano draws consistently fine playing from the orchestra...Gallo is in very good from as Michele...Westbroek gives her all in Giorgetta's contrasting scenes...Jaho dominates [Suor Angelica], of course, and in a role which she had never sung before...Gallo exhibits his facility for comic roles [in Schicchi]...One will have to look far to find a better trio of performances than these” International Record Review, September 2012  BBC Music Magazine
DVD & Blu-ray Choice - September 2012 |
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GIACOMO PUCCINI’s immortal opera is brought to life in a lavish new feature-film version directed by Academy Award nominee ROBERT DORNHELM (The Children of Theatre Street), produced by Jan Mojto's Unitel, one of the largest producers of audiovisual classical music films in the world, and starring the opera world's “dream team”, soprano ANNA NETREBKO and tenor ROLANDO VILLAZÓN. Features two of opera’s biggest superstars, Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón, in the roles they have performed to live audiences all over the world; Comprehensive and successful commercial run in cinemas, screening in all major towns and cities across the UK and Ireland, and opening in London’s Barbican Centre and Apollo West End to excellent figures, and outstanding success on DVD (released 2nd March 2009) Exclusive bonus features, including in-depth interviews with stars Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón and director Robert Dornhelm, “The Making of La Bohème”, stills gallery, trailer and limited edition collector’s booklet. “Succulently dramatic… a tribute to the stars’ power” The Times “breathtakingly dramatic and emotional… full to the brim with some of the best vocal talents of today” Opera Now “beautifully sung all round” Philip French, The Observer “the world’s finest soprano-tenor team… Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón don’t only sing with beauty and power; they can also act” The Evening Standard Audio: DD2.0 & DTS-HD MA 5.1 Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Feature Running Time: 100 mins Italian with optional English subtitles Please note: - Extra features are in SD-DVD/PAL format with stereo sound “Bohème has attracted filmmakers since silent days, but never as convincingly as this. …Oscar-nominated director Robert Dornhelm lends the story a darker glow, with Bertrand de Billy's soft-centred but warm conducting and two superb star performances. Villazón as Rodolfo... sings with a focused intensity which at time recalls Caruso, and makes a scruffily credible hero... Netrebko's creamy-voiced Mimì is no naïve little seamstress; her scarlet satin and glamour-girl make-up suggests she's been around... but her anguish in Act III is no less heartfelt. Dornhelm's sombrely sumptuous images capture a credibly chilly, squalid, yet defiantly romantic milieu. ...the lovers' sheer intensity and Dornhelm's cinematic vision, expanded in the accompanying documentary, make this one of the finest opera films ever - unmissable.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2009 ***** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Gramophone Magazine
Gramophone Awards 2010