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“At Glyndebourne, both Despina and Alfonso are played traditionally and with notable brio by Garmendia and Rivenq… the delightful Persson and Vondung make a wholly believable and vocally attractive Fiordiligi and Dorabella, and deliver their music in ideal Mozartian tone and style. ...Fischer conducts with an unassumingly correct sense of timing: brio nicely matched to loving attention to detail.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2007

“When I saw this production at Glyndebourne last May, I thought that it was one of the three perfect operatic performances that I have ever been to. That view is only strengthened by seeing this marvellous DVD, which does the fullest justice to the brilliance of Nicholas Hytner's production, and the glorious orchestral playing and the magnificent singing under Iván Fischer. ..the whole opera is both more funny and more painful, much more painful, than it usually is. We are left at the end bewildered by the treachery of the human heart and delighted by the beauty in the music with which Mozart brings this home to us.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2007 *****

“Dressed in shades of sand and stone by Vicki Mortimer, and bathed in summer light by Paule Constable, Hytner’s period production marries elegance, farce and psychological acuity.” The Independent

“Hytner on Opus Arte succeeded on every front, bringing out the fine qualities of the whole cast, both vocally and dramatically, brilliantly supported by Ivan Fischer...Starriest of all is Miah Persson as Fiordiligi, singing gloriously with pure, even tone...The teamwork as ever at Glyndebourne is superb” Penguin Guide, 2010 ****

“Since 1934 when Glyndebourne revived this then-neglected work and began its run of success it has presented a succession of exemplary stagings all within the parameters of da Ponte's libretto. When this, the latest, was produced it was universally hailed: as faithful a representation of the equivocal comedy as one could wish. That's confirmed by this DVD. Both Despina and Alfonso are played traditionally and with notable brio by Garmendia and Rivenq. The delightful Persson and Vondung make a wholly believable and vocally attractive Fiordiligi and Dorabella, and deliver their music in ideal Mozartian tone and style. Similarly Lehtipuu is a charming and wide-eyed Ferrando and Pisaroni a warm-voiced and personal Guglielmo. They both woo with seductive charm. As reviews at the time reported, Fischer conducts with an unassumingly correct sense of timing and has the inestimable advantage of the OAE's period instruments.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Bechtholf understands the virtues of stillness and simplicity in the more heartfelt numbers...All the singers respond well to the camera, not least Martina Janková's sexy, hyperactive, often very funny Despina...[Camarena] sings 'Ah, lo veggio' with a fine Italianate ring.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2010

“superbly cast, with not a weak link. Bo Skovhus, as a central Mephistophelian operator de nos jours, plays a savage dance-driven double-act with Patricia Petibon's red-haired biker of a Despina...Within a single, minimalist duplex apartment interior, illusion and disillusion constantly shift.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2010 ****

“Guth is deft at choreographing the pain and the embarrassment of "wrong" couples getting together...this is already a mighty contribution to the otherwise rather naturalistic Così filmography. Its musical performances are solid...its acting ones much more than that.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2011

“Guth has drawn marvellously natural acting from this cast (the hammy Despina excepted)...this opera's sisters have never been more gorgeous to behold...The ultra-suave Skovhus's Don Alfonso is a very cool customer indeed, full of cynicism and self-satisfaction...Playing with extreme beauty and technical mastery but not without incisiveness, the Vienna Philharmonic responds aptly to every dramatic nuance.” International Record Review, November 2010

“Other productions have suggested a mutual attraction between the heroine and her oriental captor. Simons carries this to extremes. His staging is dominated by Konstanze's inner struggle between her loyalty to her betrothed and her disturbing feelings for the man who, we sense, has awakened her sexually. While there are irritating details in Simon's modern-dress production, I found it psychologically credible, often compelling. Laura Aikin vividly portrays Konstanze's fluctuating emotions in dialogue and aria. ...she makes "Marten aller Arten" a graphic embodiment of her conflicting feelings of desire and guilt, charging the stratospheric coloratura with a sense of neurotic desperation. Constantinos Carydis conducts the excellent Netherlands CO with zest and a fair sense of period style.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2009

“Director Johan Simons's take on Die Entführung is summed up by a remark in one of the accompanying interviews: 'At the end people see that the Pasha is a much better match for Konstanze than Belmonte is.' Other productions have suggested a mutual attraction between the heroine and her oriental captor. Simons carries this to extremes. His staging is dominated by Konstanze's inner struggle between her loyalty to her betrothed and her disturbing feelings for the man who, we sense, has awakened her sexually. Far from resisting his advances, she and the youthful, half-westernised Pasha, subtly and believably portrayed by Steven van Watermeulen, can hardly keep their hands off each other during her opening aria; and the longing she sings of in 'Traurigkeit' here takes on a very different meaning. Yet even in the final vaudeville, exchanged glances with the Pasha suggest an undertow of regret for romantic passion and exotic adventure sacrificed in the cause of duty. While there are irritating details in Simons's modern-dress production, it is psychologically credible, often compelling. Laura Aikin vividly portrays Konstanze's fluctuating emotions in dialogue and aria. If 'Traurigkeit' ideally needs a softer, more plangent colour, she makes 'Martern aller Arten' a graphic embodiment of her conflicting feelings of desire and guilt, charging the stratospheric coloratura with a sense of neurotic desperation. In Simons's conception Belmonte is an anxious, self-absorbed ditherer, understandably fazed by Konstanze's initial coolness towards him. Wearing a more-or-less permanently bemused air, Edgaras Montvidas sings his four arias with firm, sappy tone, if no special grace of phrasing. Michael Smallwood makes a likeable, resourceful Pedrillo, cheerfully enduring Osmin's sadistic hair-pulling and nose-tweaking; and Mojca Erdmann, clad in mini-skirt and high-heeled patent leather boots, is a delightful, thoroughly selfassured Blonde, impatient with Konstanze's soulsearching, and using her sexual power to reduce Kurt Rydl's formidable, orotund Osmin to a doeeyed baby. In keeping with the whole production, comic gags are largely eschewed. Constantinos Carydis conducts the excellent Netherlands CO with zest and a fair sense of period style. While many will prefer a more comically straightforward staging, Simons's production certainly makes you think afresh about Mozart's ostensibly innocent, happily-ever-after harem Singspiel.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“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

“‘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

“This is a wonderful performance...I was more moved and enchanted by this than by any other Magic Flute I have seen on DVD...[Esposito's Papageno] sung with glorious abandon, while his acting strikes notes of pathos...Kuhmeier is as expressive as it's possible to be, without transgressing Mozart's idiom...The most sensational performance is by [Shagimuratova], the finest Queen of the Night I have ever heard...This is a noble, ennobling achievement.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2012

“It is world-worthy; the conception, by South African artist William Kentridge, emphasizes the concepts of light and dark, exploration and love...It's endlessly good to look at...Musically, there is also much to admire...Esposito's Papageno is a well-sung charmer - more serious than many, deeply sincere...this is a fascinating take on the work that Flute aficionados will appreciate for plenty of reasons.” International Record Review, March 2012

“It is very much 'producer's opera' and it will annoy some people. I found it fascinating...Lively musical direction, incorporating Rene Jacobs's superfluous keyboard interjections. Don't miss this visually enchanting and thought-provoking treat.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2012

“Christian Schmidt designs a crepuscular forest for Claus Guth's dark contemporary take on the opera...It's very much the women who have got a grip here. The rhythmic rigour of Dorothea Roschmann's Elvira splendidly embodies her fortitude...Giovanni and Leporello (superbly sung by Christopher Maltman and Erwin Schrott) are, by contrast, wrecks of men” BBC Music Magazine, December 2010 *****

“Giovanni's story...becomes a tale of fighting against imminent death, and Christopher Maltman plays it with convincing desperation. The singing is uniformly excellent, the acting of a high calibre, and Bertand de Billy's fast tempi keep the action taut...a fresh take on a great work.” Classic FM Magazine, December 2010 ****

“[Guth's] shabbily sombre, drug-fuelled, blood-bespattered take on Mozart's dramma giocoso (rarely indeed has the opera seemed less jocose) exerts a perverse fascination, not least for the interplay between the charismatic pairing of Maltman and Schrott...all the singers throw themselves wholeheartedly into Guth's Konzept.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2011

“The cast is top-drawer, with strong voices. There should be law against performing Mozart without Dorothea Röschmann, who here sings the crazed Elvira with real bite and zeal...Christopher Maltman and Erwin Schrott are two of the finest actors I've ever seen on an opera stage...They never break character and have clearly bought into Guth's interpretation hook, line and sinker” International Record Review, November 2010

“as flames rage over the opening cast credits, Sir Charles Mackerras conducts an incandescent Overture which kindles the brilliance, clarity and indefatigable energy of his music direction throughout. This film powerfully captures the fiery essence of Francesco Zambello's production for the Royal Opera. ...consistently strongly cast, it's as good for the ear as for the eye. Zambello makes Simon Keenlyside's harsh and diabolical Don Giovanni and Kyle Ketelsen's embittered Leporello a double-act of deadly dependency.”” BBC Music Magazine, June 2009 *****

“If one of the cast it to be named above the rest, that should be Joyce DiDonato, an outstandingly accomplished Elvira, brilliantly projected, interestingly conceived, her singing concentrated in tone. Miah Persson is an adorable Zerlina, and I liked what she and others were encouraged to do by way of vocal ornamentation. Of the men, Giovanni is the least tested vocally though it's all to the good if he can turn a serenade as ingratiatingly as Keenlyside does. Mackerras at the helm is such a reassuringly familiar and well loved figure that we may be tempted to take him for granted.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2009

“This is eminently listenable and surprisingly viewable – 'surprisingly' because complaints were commonly heard concerning the production. It's not particularly edifying to see so much of Simon Keenlyside's torso or to have Giovanni taking his last supper in shorts, but by modern standards it's almost tasteful. And the singing is almost uniformly fine. If one of the cast is to be named above the rest, that should be Joyce DiDonato, an outstandingly accomplished Elvira, brilliantly projected, interestingly conceived, her singing concentrated in tone. Marina Poplavskaya's Anna is both dignified and sympathetic, and she too has remarkable command of the necessary technique. Yet the voice itself doesn't serve quite as well as one might have hoped, wanting more heft in 'Or sai chi l'onore' and more ease of passage in 'Non mi dir'. Miah Persson is an adorable Zerlina, and one liked what she and others were encouraged to do by way of vocal ornamentation. Of the men, Giovanni is the least tested vocally though it's all to the good if he can turn a serenade as ingratiatingly as Keenlyside does. Ramón Vargas hardly looks a suitable lover for this Donna Anna but he sings both arias like the admirably reliable and gifted artist he is and has been for a good many years now. The Masetto looks rather too like the Leporello but that hardly matters and both deserve their applause. The Commendatore's uneven voice production does matter in spite of his sonorous bass notes and imposing stage presence. Mackerras at the helm is such a reassuringly familiar and well loved figure that we may be tempted to take him for granted. Happily the Covent Garden audience shows every sign of appreciation and the final curtain-call is deservedly his.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Updating is more or less de rigueur in today's operatic circles and Madrid once again comes up with the goods in a wholly plausible re-siting of Giovanni to 1940s Spain. The transfer of the various scenes is by and large convincing and Lluis Pasquel's perceptive ideas about the characters illuminate afresh the familiar story, with the opera's saturnine side very much to the fore. Carlos Álvarez, a Giovanni recalling in voice George London in the part, wholly dominates this opera with a nasty, driven reading of the lecher and bully. Like London, he sings with dark-hued intensity throughout. His must be the best Don about today. By his side is Lorenzo Regazzo as Leporello: he proves a wonderfully resourceful actor and singer, and a proper alter ego to his master. Their enactment of the cemetery scene is masterly in all respects. José Bros is a concerned Ottavio, whose longbreathed 'Il mio tesoro' is a wonder. Much the most exciting of the female singers is Sonia Ganassi's deeply felt, urgently sung Elvira, her 'Mi tradì' a bravura performance. María Bayo seems over-parted and uninteresting as Anna, and the Zerlina is ordinary, as is her Masetto. Underlining the whole venture is the keenly shaped, fast-moving musical direction of Victor Pablo Pérez, a conductor obviously worth watching. Speeds are on the fast side, welcome in this long work and well tailored to the cast. The Madrid Symphony is its customary alert self. The same can be said for Robin Lough's video direction.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The cast set to with a will vocally and dramatically...Víctor Pablo Pérez accompanies accommodatingly in a performance of appropriate but not over-grand scale...The Blu-ray pictures convey well the perspective depth of Frigerio's set and Wolfgang von Zoubek's atmospheric lighting of the fairground sequences.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2010