DVD Videos

Conceived and Produced by ANDREA ANDERMANN

Director GIUSEPPE PATRONI GRIFFI

Cinematography VITTORIO STORARO

Directed for video by BRIAN LARGE

Recorded live in July 1992 - REMASTERED IN HIGH DEFINITION FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPE.

Contemporary Rome is the setting for this unique and highly innovative version of Puccini’s Tosca, performed in the Roman locations – and at the same times of day – as Puccini had written into his score. Thus the action opens in the beautiful 16th-century church of Sant’Andrea della Valle at noon, where Cavaradossi (Domingo) meets the fugitive Angelotti, moves to the Farnese Palace that evening where Tosca (Catherine Malfitano) dramatically makes a pact with the lustful Scarpia (Ruggero Raimondi), and finally to the battlements of the Castel Sant’Angelo at dawn the following day where the final drama is played out.

COLOUR

REGION CODE: ALL REGIONS

NTSC 4:3 • 114 MINS • L-PCM STEREO

SUBTITLES: ENGLISH / FRENCH / GERMAN / ITALIAN

This DVD release celebrates the life of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German lyric baritone and one of the most acclaimed Lieder performers of the late 20th century. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf called him ‘a born god who has it all’. He performed and recorded a great many operatic roles and dominated both the opera and concert platform for over thirty years, being regarded as one of the finest lyrical vocalists of his generation.

In these two concerts from the Opera Theatre of Nuremberg, recorded in 1991 and 1992, Fischer-Dieskau performs beautiful and dramatic Lieder by Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann.

157 MINS • ALL REGIONS • NTSC 4:3 • COLOUR • L-PCM STEREO

Designer JUHANI PIRSKANEN

Directed for video by AARNO CRONVALL

Ilkka Bäckman's acclaimed production takes place outdoors in the huge courtyard of Finland's 500-year-old Olavinlinna Castle – a majestic and impressive setting, which gives the production an atmosphere and realism. Hildegard Behrens, at the height of her career, is the tragic Senta, whose destiny is to redeem the Dutchman from his fate. The German bass-baritone, Franz Grundheber, sings the title role, and Finland's own Matti Salminen is the Norwegian sea captain, Daland.

SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, SPANISH

DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0 STEREO 139 MINS

REGIONS 2-6

NTSC 4:3

COLOUR

DVD-9

Oscar-winning biopic, based on the play by Peter Shaffer, which tells the story of the composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) and his relationship to the man he later claims to have murdered, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). Having already gained the confidence of the Emperor, Salieri is frustrated by the arrival of the genius Mozart, a man who quickly usurps his position in the court. His frustration is magnified by both his disapproval of Mozart's vulgar behaviour and by the fact that it is he, more so than anyone else, who can appreciate the true beauty of the young composer's work. When Mozart dies under mysterious circumstances, can it really be Salieri who is to blame?

Subtitles in English and Arabic

Libretto by MARIUS PETIPA after the story by ETA Hoffmann

Choreography by VASILY VAINONEN

Production design by SIMON VIRSALADZE

Mariinsky Theatre Musical Director, Valery Gergiev, conducts Tchaikovsky’s glorious score in this enchanting, traditional, Russian production of The Nutcracker. Vainonen’s stunning choreography is complemented by Simon Virsaladze’s wonderfully colourful designs, and the roles of Masha and her Nutcracker Prince are danced by two of the Mariinsky’s award-winning, international soloists, all of which make this as magical and memorable a Christmas treat as ever.

NEWLY RECORDED IN HIGH DEFINITION

NTSC 16:9

L-PCM STEREO + DTS + 5.1 SURROUND SOUND

103 MINS

ALL REGIONS

Director and Scenery Designer FRANCO ZEFFIRELLI

Artistic Supervision PLACIDO DOMINGO

Music and Libretto RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO

Leoncavallo’s often-performed short opera uses the play-within-a play device to explore the classic operatic themes of passion, adultery, jealousy and revenge. The great tenor aria, Vesti la giubba, expresses the anguish of the cuckolded husband who, as a performing clown, must make others laugh even as his heart is breaking. Zeffirelli’s production is set in a contemporary urban environment, with fire eaters, children, animals, jugglers and acrobats. Plácido Domingo, showing that he is arguably the finest actor-tenor of our time, gives a definitive performance as Canio.

Recorded live at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Opera House in November 1997.

SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, SPANISH, ITALIAN

78 Minutes NTSC 4:3

High Definition All Regions

5.0 Surround Sound + Dolby Digital 2.0

Stereo

When it premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 1995, Matthew Bourne’s triumphant modern

re-interpretation of SWAN LAKE turned tradition upside down, taking the dance world by storm. Now firmly crowned as a modern day classic, this iconic production is perhaps best-known for replacing the traditional female corps de ballet with a menacing male ensemble. Matthew Bourne blends dance, humour and spectacle with extravagant, award-winning designs by Lez Brotherston, to create a provocative and powerful Swan Lake for our times.

Collecting over 30 international theatre awards, SWAN LAKE has been acclaimed as a landmark achievement on the international stage, and has thrilled audiences all over the world. It has become the longest running ballet in the West End and on Broadway and enjoyed four hugely successful tours in the UK.

This 2010 production features the exciting dancer/actor Richard Winsor in the dual roles of the Swan and the Stranger, in which he “exudes a charismatic narcissism that makes him both threatening and seductive.” (The Times). Richard has starred in many of Matthew Bourne’s productions, including Dorian Gray, Edward Scissorhands and The Car Man. He is also well known to television audiences as Father Francis in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks and featured in the dance film Streetdance 3D.

Duration: Approx 118 mins

NTSC 16 : 9

All Regions

L-PCM Stereo

Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound

Choreographer RUDOLF NUREYEV

So elaborate was Rudolf Nureyev's vision of the Cervantes classic that his lavish film ballet ultimately required the facilities of a gigantic Australian aircraft hangar to produce. Choreographed and co-directed by Nureyev, the film received its Sydney premiere in 1973, and a London Royal Gala presentation in 1974, and went on to travel briefly to New York. Despite rave reviews, prints gradually fell out of circulation and grew scarce. For 25 years, incomplete copies have been scattered across two continents, with the film developing a reputation as a fabled lost treasure. After a painstaking five-year process, Nureyev's DON QUIXOTE has at long last been reassembled, digitally remastered, and restored to its original glory. Starring Nureyev as Basilio, the production also features Nureyev's co-director Sir Robert Helpmann as Don Quixote and Lucette Aldous as Kitri.

Also features: “A Little Bit of Don Quixote”

Superb documentary footage detailing the restoration process of the original 35mm film from 1972.

Duration: Approx 127 mins

Full colour

NTSC 4:3 Full Screen

All Regions

L-PCM Stereo

Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound

This spectacular compilation showcases the talent of many of the greatest dancers of recent years, filmed at the world’s leading venues, and combines the remarkable athleticism of Mikhail Baryshnikov and Wayne Eagling with the beauty and elegance of Irina Kolpakova, Darcey Bussell and more…

MATTHEW BOURNE’S Olivier Award Winning Production

ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING