DVD Videos

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

Featuring some of the world’s most exciting and talented dancers, this sparkling collection brings together some of the best scenes from your favourite ballets -- from the graceful elegance and passion of Swan Lake, to the humour and wit of the Clog Dance from La Fille mal gardée and the exuberant liveliness of The Nutcracker, this is a perfect collection for any ballet beginner.

Running time 92 mins Region code All regions

Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format 5.0 Full Half DTS / PCM Stereo

Menu language EN Dimensions (mm) W135 H190 D15

Paper, normally a utilitarian material, becomes a solo instrument in Tan Dun’s ingenious and inventive Paper Concerto, fusing orchestral music and organic sounds to create accessible, even melodious, music that is almost beyond imagination. Intriguing sounds are created by all manner of different papers, so that they appear elemental rather than simplistic, tapping into something basic in the fabric of our lives. In a remarkable and unforgettable concert experience, Tan Dun directs the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and soloist Haruka Fujii in a vivid demonstration of his belief that orchestral music, far from being static and traditional, still has the capacity for experimentation and the power to stimulate in extraordinary ways.

‘Musically tightened, the non-narrative concerto has become a magical ceremony…Paper Concerto makes a fine companion piece to his Water Concerto.’ Los Angeles Times

‘We are surrounded by paper in our lives: our imaginations are captured and recorded in words or pictures, as we express newly discovered feelings about ourselves and the world around us. For a long time, I have been developing the idea of organic music, which embodies sounds of nature, water, paper, ceramics, and the mind. The environment is related to our lives, and spiritually, everything germinates from one seed of creativity.’ Tan Dun

Bonus material:

Short Film - Paper: The Song of Nature

Tan Dun Demonstrates Paper Music

Tan Dun Teaches Paper Instruments

Tan Dun’s hypnotic three-movement Water Concerto is intoxicating, both visually and aurally. Using water as a musical instrument, this extraordinary piece uses innovative techniques to explore the musicality of the sounds of water. Virtuoso percussionist and soloist David Cossin displays remarkable genius as he deftly creates unique, sensuous, organic and sometimes celestial sounds using a range of water-based instruments. Conducted by the composer, the distinctive accompaniment of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, reflecting Dun’s personal combination of Chinese and Western musical traditions, is carefully interwoven and combined with the water percussion to produce a uniquely enchanting performance.

‘This work was one of the most astonishing pieces of music that I’ve ever heard.’ The Australian

‘Organic music concerns both matters of everyday life and matters of the heart. These ideas find their origin in the animistic notion that material objects have spirits residing in them, an idea everpresent in the old village where I grew up in China. Paper can talk to the violin, the violin to water. Water can communicate with trees, and trees with the moon, and so on. In other words, every little thing in the totality of things, the entire universe, has a life and a soul.’ Tan Dun

Bonus material:

Short Film – Water: The Tears of Nature

Tan Dun Teaches Water Instruments

Marius Petipa’s demanding but enchanting choreography of Tchaikovsky’s romantic fairytale The Sleeping Beauty is one of the best-loved of all classical ballets. This recording of Anthony Dowell’s gloriously romantic 1994 production, with charming, dreamlike designs by Maria Bjørnson, features an all-star cast led by Viviana Durante as a charismatic Princess Aurora, Zoltán Solymosi as a delightful Prince Florimund and Anthony Dowell as a wonderfully dishevelled Carabosse. The Royal Ballet, in exceptionally fine form, is beautifully accompanied by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, conducted by Barry Wordsworth.

‘Viviana Durante, who replaces the injured Darcey Bussell, is outstanding as Aurora. Radiant and youthful, she dances with an ease and naturalness that is enchanting. She also takes astonishing risks, holding a difficult balance for an extra few seconds while maintaining immaculately clean lines.’ Evening Standard

Peter Hall’s magnificent 1992 production of Strauss’s opera Salome features sensational acting from Maria Ewing who, as the sinister, monstrous heroine of the title, ultimately leaves nothing to the imagination in her Dance of the Seven Veils. She leads a fine cast including Michael Devlin as a strongvoiced Jokanaan, Kenneth Riegel as a devilish Herod, Gillian Knight as the depraved Herodias and Robin Leggate as the infatuated Narraboth. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, in excellent form, is conducted by Edward Downes.

Warning: Contains nudity and scenes of violence.

‘Maria Ewing renews her tour de force performance in the title role, one of extraordinary stamina, range, colour and agility. … hers was a feat of high-class singing, her playing of the part taking sensible account of the passage of time, her Salome no sex kitten but an obsessed woman of chilling resolution and conviction.’ Evening Standard

Legendary pianist Martha Argerich stars in radiant performances of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, recorded live in Tokyo at one of three 5th anniversary memorial concerts she gave ’In Joyful Remembrance of Friedrich Gulda’, her teacher. Christian Arming conducts the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra with great vitality, and Martha Argerich is joined on stage by the renowned Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, as well as Gulda’s sons Paul and Rico, who accompany her in a jubilant performance of Mozart’s Concerto for three pianos in F major, K.242.

‘…the visceral thrill of the playing of Martha Argerich, the elusive pianist and cult favourite, certainly merited the eager anticipation that her appearances always generate.’ New York Times

Diana Damrau and Angelika Kirchschlager star in the acclaimed 2008 production of Humperdinck’s famous fairytale opera, in the company of two of Britain’s most revered musical figures: Thomas Allen, playing the role of the Father, and the legendary conductor Colin Davis. Directors Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser combine their characteristic wit and a dash of deliciously dark comedy with the opera’s fairytale charm. Humperdinck’s music mixes catchy folk-like songs with sumptuous instrumental colour, making the result as tunefully approachable, musically memorable and visually delightful as opera gets. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in full Surround Sound.

‘Angelika Kirchschlager’s tousled, boyish Hänsel and Diana Damrau’s Gretel are dramatically convincing and vocally superb, while their parents, excellently sung and played by Elizabeth Connell and Thomas Allen, earn our sympathy as well as our censure. Pumeza Matshikiza’s goblin-like Sandman is truly magical and Anita Watson’s feather-dusting Dew Fairy another amusing creation. Colin Davis, unafraid to relish the icing on the cake, draws a warm, effulgent sound from the orchestra.’ Evening Standard

Bonus material:

Illustrated synopsis & animated cast gallery.

Interview with Colin Davis.

Fairytales feature.

Cinema trailer.

Based on the Alexandre Dumas novel that also inspired the stories of Verdi’s La Traviata and Hollywood’s Moulin Rouge, John Neumeier creates a riveting dance drama around the famous woman of lore, La Dame aux camélias. The passionate tale of Marguerite Gautier and Armand Duval unfolds ingeniously through a drama-within-a-drama as they meet at the theatre during a performance of Manon Lescaut. So begin their romantic adventures in Paris, brought to life by Neumeier’s intense and refined choreographic language. Chopin’s ravishing music highlights this exceptional neo-classical ballet, featuring the star dancers of the Paris Opéra Ballet. This lavish production, filmed live at the Palais Garnier in High Definition and full surround sound, is all about love, passion, danger and glorious dancing from one of the best ballet companies in the world.

‘John Neumeier has created a ballet in which emotions go crescendo … Agnes Letestu, the great dramatic heroine, triumphs in this ballet danced to music by Chopin.’ Figaro

In ‘Marco Polo, an opera within an opera’, composer Tan Dun portrays the Venetian explorer’s travels to the Far East as a journey of both inner and physical discovery, a voyage depicting spiritual experiences as well as a geographical expedition. At the same time the work, on a libretto by Paul Griffiths, can be seen as a compositional adventure of the composer himself, unifying the various cultural worlds he occupies: a blend of Western avant garde and Oriental traditions. Pierre Audi’s mythical staging and Jean Kalman’s fabulous set design complement the composer’s own musical direction, forging the dazzlingly versatile soloists, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and Capella Amsterdam to a stunning symbiosis of elements across time and space, a true testimony to cultures intertwined in globalisation.

Tan Dun’s Marco Polo was, for me, a multi-dimensional experience which went beyond my expectations and indeed overwhelmed my senses… Here was an opera of our generation: a fusion of elements across time and space, a true testimony to the way our worlds have become intertwined in the globalisation process.’ Anne Ku, Bonjournal.com

Bonus material:

Illustrated synopsis.

Cast gallery.

Documentary: The Music of Tomorrow – including interviews with the creative team and principle cast members.