Blu-ray Sale - Up to 40% off

World Premiere Recording.

Early Rossini has something buoyant, vibrant, youthful about it – even when it is a „dramma per musica“ such as Sigismondo, a dark swirl of an opera revolving around a mad king and his delusions, his wife who is allegedly dead but very much alive, the fate of Poland and much more. Premiered in 1814 but rarely played thereafter, the work deserves to be resurrected, if only for its many beautiful and original arias and ensembles, some of which were such brilliant little masterpieces that he reused them in his later successes such as Il turco in Italia, La Cenerentola and Il barbiere di Siviglia.

The work was given its first performance from the critical new edition at the 2010 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. The press hailed the production as a „perfect symbiosis of music and stage work“ that yields „truly brilliant theater“. Director Damiano Michieletto sets the first act in a startlingly realistic „insane asylum“ of around 1900, where King Sigismondo has been placed after losing his mind over his wife’s death, which he, convinced of her infidelity, had ordered. The second act takes place in an elegantly appointed royal palace, where Sigismondo, who has now recovered, must confront an assault by the Bohemian army and decide upon Poland’s fate.

Mezzo Daniela Barcellona – a sought-after Rossini and Verdi singer – portrays the mad King Sigismondo with fi erce intensity and effortlessly flowing coloraturas; restored to health in the second act, her Sigismondo dominates the stage as ruler of Poland, alongside Olga Peretyatko, Antonino Siragusa and Andrea Concetti. Bringing youthful exuberance and supreme musicality to his conducting is Michele Mariotti, principal conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and acclaimed maestro at La Scala, the Met and other leading houses.

Special Feature: Making Of Sigismondo

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, dts-HD Master

Audio 5.1 (Blu-ray)

Picture Format: 16:9, 1080i

Subtitle Languages: IT (Original Language), GB, DE, FR, ES, Korean, JP

Running Time: 164 mins + 19 mins (bonus)

FSK: 0

Juan Diego Florez, Kate Aldrich, Gregory Kunde, Alex Esposito

Orchestra e coro del Teatro Comunale de Bologna, Roberto Abbado

Juan Diego Flórez stars in the only available DVD version of Zelmira, filmed at the celebrated Rossini Festival in the composer’s home town of Pesaro. Recorded in high definition at the 2009 Festival, Giorgio Barberio Corsetti’s production places the classical tale, set during the Trojan Wars, in modern times and modern dress. The final opera Rossini wrote for Naples is a dramatic and musical tour de force and a magnificent showcase for the bel canto superstar of our time.

Joining Juan Diego Flórez are a major international cast, described as “near miraculous” by Opera Today and led by American mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich in the virtuosic title role.

But the evening remained another distinguished triumph for Juan Diego Flórez as Prince Ilo, whose arrival in his homeland, to rescue Zelmira, was marked by “a dazzling tenorial display” which “evoked a nearly twenty-minute ovation” (Opera Today)

"The Blu-ray Experience" includes opera and ballet highlights from the Opus Arte catalogue, and gives everyone the opportunity to experience the stunning quality of High Definition picture and sound, at an extremely competitive price. Including world-class artists such as Bryn Terfel, Cecilia Bartoli, Anne Sofie von Otter, Jose Cura, Simon Keenlyside and Agnes Letestu, this 60-minute introduction to the world of Blu-ray is a must-have purchase this autumn. Blu-ray offers an outstanding audio and visual experience, with up to six times the resolution of standard definition DVD, and up to 7.1 channels of High Definition surround sound.

Note: This Blu-ray Disc (BD) is not compatible with standard DVD players