DVD Videos

Staged by Mariame Clément

This is the World Première Recording on DVD of Cavalli’s opera Il Giasone. The plot is loosely based on the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, but the opera contains many comic elements too.

In the wake of Monteverdi, opera was enjoying a real boom in Europe and Francesco Cavalli was one of the most successful Venetian opera composers. Il Giasone was the single most popular opera of the 17th Century.

This 2010 production from Antwerp is orchestrated and conducted by the internationally reputed baroque specialist Federico Maria Sardelli. It is directed by the young Frenchwoman Mariame Clément, who is currently making a name for herself with her infectious directing in German and French opera houses. The title role is sung by the promising French countertenor Christophe Dumaux.

Blu-ray released next month.

Sound Format: LPCM 2.0 / Dolby digital 5.1

Picture Format: 16:9

Subtitles: It, Eng, Ger, Fr, Sp, Kr

Running Time: 198 mins + 5 min bonus (interview)

Booklet Notes: It, Eng, Ger, Fr

Available Worldwide

Sung in Italian

One of the first operas deserving of the name, Didone is our first surviving musical version of the famous episode in Virgil's Aeneid where the Trojan hero loves and then cruelly leaves the noble Dido. Cavalli learnt at the feet of Monteverdi, and his dramatic transformation of the story is all the more expressive for its intimacy, worthy of the examples set by his master. At the centre of this bold and simple staging – the first opera production by comic actor Clément Hervieu-Léger – is the Queen of Carthage herself, sung with uncompromising intensity by Anna Bonitatibus. William Christie and his singers and players show themselves entirely attuned to the world of Cavalli, where meaning and music fuse.

Running time: 176 minutes

Subtitles: EN/FR/DE

Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS

Preceded by a solemn prologue in which Iride admonishes mortals that they should not offend the gods, the story of Cavalli’s Didone comes to life thanks to numerous solo passages of highly varied character and structure, designed both for simple basso continuo support and for a more complex instrumental accompaniment, for five real parts which enjoy some independent moments and which create a diversion from the action or blend in with it in a wholly logical way, intensifying it in a studied, evocative manner. The tragic story of the Carthaginian queen is thus unfolded with extreme attention in a framework that had already been adopted by Monteverdi, of whom Cavalli is considered a worthy successor. In this case it is enlivened and, we might say, given a more popular, direct appeal as it aims to communicate with a public that is gradually expanding. The composer is sincere when he states: ”My spirit has always been far from the printing press: I have preferred to allow my weaknesses

to run where fortune takes them with the pen rather than the press.” He identifies with the torment of Didone and with the ”force of nature” (Prunières) that is his and the brilliance of some of his solutions, he creates one of the most tragic, tormented operas of the entire seventeenth century.

This hilarious contemporary version of Francesco Cavalli’s baroque opera Hercules in Love was commissioned on occasion of the marriage of Louis XIV, the Sun King, to Maria Theresa of Spain. The original production took two years to complete and was at the time the greatest show ever performed in Europe. Directed by David Alden, this surreal production is a triumph of commedia buffa resplendent with decorative and symbolic elements, and complemented by Constance Hoffman’s exceptional costumes. Led by Ivor Bolton, a master of baroque music, the chorus of De Nederlandse Opera and Concerto Köln give a sublime performance. With Luca Pisaroni’s (Ercole) singing being heroic and melodious in turn, and Veronica Cangemi as a splendid Iole, this is an outstanding production by the DNO. Filmed in High Definition and surround sound.

Extra features:

Illustrated synopsis.

Cast gallery.

Behind the scenes with Johanette Zomer.

Behind the scenes with Luca Pisaroni.

The making of Ercole Amante.

Region code All regions

Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic

Sound format 2.0 & 5.0 PCM

Menu language EN

Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES/IT/NL

Facoltà di Design e Arti Iuav – Venezia, direction/sets/costume

La virtù de’ strali d’Amore was the first of ten operas Cavalli wrote with librettist Giovanni Faustini. Set in Cyprus, the plot involves enchanted and pastoral elements, love and its thwarting, the counterpointing of Man and God, sorcery, revelation and ultimate resolution, all accomplished in a brilliant series of scenes. A follower of Monteverdi, Cavalli reveals the influence of the older man but also his own pronounced independence. Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante have become one of the most admired partnerships in the history of baroque music performance.

Video Format • NTSC / Colour / 16:9 / DVD 5 (Disc 1) & DVD 9 (Disc 2)

Audio Format • DTS 5.0 / Dolby Digital 5.0 / PCM 2.0

Region Coding • No Region Coding

For over 20 years, the Berliner Philharmoniker have celebrated their foundation on May 1st with the annual EUROPA KONZERT - this year’s event takes place at the magnificent Teatro Real in Madrid.

The renowned orchestra, under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, performs Joaquín Rodrigo's beloved Concierto de Aranjuez, Emmanuel Chabrier's exuberant España, and Sergey Rachmaninov's dramatic Second Symphony.

It is joined for the Concierto by the famous flamenco guitarist Cañizares, whose virtuosity and sensitivity are given full opportunity to shine in this multi-faceted and subtle work.

Bonus: Interview with Sir Simon Rattle

Picture format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sounds formats DVD: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Running time: 105 mins (97 mins Concert, 8 mins Interview)

German FSK: 0

This volume of the Naxos Musical Journey takes you on a thrilling tour of Spain featuring the music of Chabrier, Glinks, Massenet and Rimsky-Korsakov. Visit the splendor of Madrid's Plaza Mayor or conjure echoes of Cervantes' Don Quixote chasing windmills at La Mancha. From Viana Palace and its magical gardens and fountains to the lush olive-tree and orange-grove harvests of the Alcazar, this Spanish Festival is a sight and sound experience as passionate as the country itself.

This is an abridged version of Louise with spoken dialog in place of some musical selections. The highlights are all there, however. The cuts were made by Charpentier, who also coached Moore in the role. (1938). French, no subtitles. 86m. B&W.

Scenography: Paul Zoller

Costumes: Gideon Davey

Lighting: Franck Evin

The rare biblical opera 'David and Jonathas' is like 'Médée', one of the major works of the French Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The opera has been in the repertoire of Les Arts Florissants since 1988 and was first presented in a stage production by William Christie at the Aix-en-Provence Festival 2012. This DVD release is a special event for all Baroque music lovers.

Written a year after the death of Lully, this lyric tragedy allows Charpentier to develop beyond the religious dimension, a story of male friendship and forbidden love between David and Jonathas. An excellent cast gathered around William Christie and Les Arts Florissants brings young singers to the title roles: Pascal Charbonneau, a tenor and a former student of the European Academy of Music, sings David. The role of Jonathas is given to a woman: soprano Ana Quintans.

The staging by Andreas Homoki (Director of the Zurich Opera since summer 2012) focuses on the psychological aspect of this forbidden love story, giving a moving reading of the drama.