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Recorded live on 25th September 1978 “Call it old-fashioned, but there’s a size and style about this 1978 Met performance of Verdi’s opera that you don’t get today. Otello was one of Vickers’s signature roles, and he is partnered by the hugely watchable Renata Scotto and the big-boned Iago of Cornell MacNeil.” Financial Times, 27th August 2011 *** “Vickers appears as if he's ripping his own heart out. His wounds are so deep that one is tempted to avert one's eyes...Yet 90 per cent of the time he is on top of his vocal game: the sheer heft of his voice...is terrifying...Scotto interprets Desdemona as no other singer...here Desdemona is a woman of strength who can't win...this may be the only Otello video you'll ever need: it's the one that captures the pity and sadness best” International Record Review, January 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 8 - 10 working days. |
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Verdi’s epic drama of ancient Egypt comes to life in the Met’s monumental production, captured here in a breathtaking Live in HD presentation. Violeta Urmana stars in the title role of the princess-turned-slave girl, opposite Johan Botha as her lover and Dolora Zajick as her jealous rival. Maestro Daniele Gatti conducts. “We are in an ancient Egypt reimagined by Cecil B de Mille...So what's it all about? The thing that the Met does best, singing. Johan Botha is a stentorian Radames and in the later acts Zajick becomes a chilling Amneris. But it's Violeta Urmana's Aida who steals the show with melting pianissimos and thrilling top notes. Do they act? Of course not, they emote. Is there a single idea on stage. Don't be silly. Just lie back and wallow.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2011 *** “How satisfying it is to have a production of Aida that looks like a production of Aida: no Nazi uniforms, machine guns or alien spacecraft...[Botha] is on form...his unclouded timbre having a sound middle and a ringing top, and his held notes on high certainly are steady...There are some roles in which Urmana takes something of a hell-for-leather approach, but her Aida has many subtle touches.” International Record Review, October 2011 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Live Recording from The Salzburger Festspiele, 1990
Set Design by WILLIAM DUDLEY Arthaus releases on DVD another gem from the archives of Austrian Television. The outstanding production of Verdi’s Masked Ball at the Salzburg Festivals 1989 and 1990 was Herbert von Karajan’s legacy to the Festival. Supported by a cast of superlative actor-singers in opulent scenery, Sir George Solti agreed to conduct the opera at short notice after Karajan’s unexpected death in 1989. The production had been expected to be a highlight in Karajan’s series of Verdi operas at Salzburg. Karajan’s celebrated ability to unite a cultivated sound with dramatic effects was known to create extraordinary and highly acclaimed opera events. For Un ballo in maschera Karajan planned something unusual: He would not set the opera in colonial Massachusetts, as the censors had forced Verdi to do when he was composing the work, but in Stockholm in the 1790s at the court of King Gustav III of Sweden, as Verdi had originally conceived his work. Together with the film director John Schlesinger and his stage team, Karajan developed a concept that promised theatrical splendour equal to the musical excellence that the conductor and the handpicked cast of singers would surely provide in collaboration with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. But this was not to be: stage rehearsals had already begun for the opening performance of the 1989 festival when Karajan died on 16 July. Therefore it was extraordinarily lucky that a conductor of Sir Georg Solti’s standing, was prepared to undertake the task just a week before the premiere, and with the whole world watching. He and the staging by Hollywood film director John Schlesinger was acclaimed by audience and press alike. Sound Format: PCM Stereo Picture Format: 4:3 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Subtitle Languages: GB, DE, FR, ES, IT, CN Running Time: 145 mins FSK: 0 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Live Recording from The Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, 2010
Bernd Weikl (Sir John Falstaff), Adelheid Fink (Mrs. Alice Ford), Wioletta Hebrowska (Mrs. Meg Page), Carlos Aguirre (Ford) & Yanyu Guo (Mrs. Quickly) Orchestra of The Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, Uwe Sandner (conductor) & Bernd Weikl (director) The stout Sir John Falstaff has financial problems. To refill his empty pockets he strives for amorous affairs with Alice and Meg, the wives of the rich citizens Ford and Page. The two ladies might even have consented, had they not received identical love letters. So they decide to play a trick on him. At the same time Alice exposes her husband’s chronic jealousy. In the end, Nannetta, the Fords’ daughter, is allowed to marry for love against her father’s plans. Finally, a nightly masquerade in Windsor park brings out the moral of the story: „Tutto nel mondo è burla – All the world’s a burlesque“. Towards the end of his operatic work, Giuseppe Verdi succeeds in a brilliant comedy of characters with philosophical wisdom and sparkling musical wit. The libretto of Arrigo Boito is based upon William Shakespeare’s comedy „The Merry Wives of Windsor“ and scenes from „Henry IV“. Bernd Weikl’s witty production shows the simultaneity of tragedy and comedy. The opera’s motto „All the world’s a burlesque“ is also reflected in the stage design of Thomas Doerfler and in the costumes of Julia Holewik. Both set and clothes are inspired by Shakespeare’s theatre, the Italian tradition of „Commedia dell’ arte“ and the world of circus. Sound Format: PCM Stereo Picture Format: 16:9 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Subtitle Languages: IT (Original Language), GB, DE Running Time: 118 mins FSK: 0 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | New Year’s Concert 2004Live Recording from the reopened Teatro La Fenice, 2004
Stefania Bonfadelli (soprano), Roberto Aronica (tenor), Greta Hodgkinson (dancer) & Roberto Bolle (dancer) Teatro La Fenice & Il Balletto Del Sud, Lorin Maazel This unique DVD package includes excerpts from the operas by Verdi, Rossini and Ponchielli from the successful New Year’s Day Concert in the Teatro La Fenice in 2004. Eight years after a huge f re burned down the grand opera house of Venice in 1996 the reopening was celebrated with a series of amazing concerts. The highlight was certainly the final concert which was broadcasted live by the Italian state television channel RAI and is now eternalized on this DVD. During the programme of great opera choruses and arias, orchestral music and ballet scenes the audience can not only admire the delightful music but also the restored glorious interior decoration. Throughout the world, international opera stages have recently discovered the sheer talent of Italian soprano Stefania Bonfadelli and tenor Roberto Aronica who both contribute to the concert’s distinctive atmosphere. Ballet stars Greta Hodgkinson and Roberto Bolle glamorously supported the event through their beautifully expressive dancing. Besides the amazing performances of the singers and dancers, Lorin Maazel’s delectable conducting is highly enjoyable and makes this concert an unforgettable event. Sound Format: PCM STEREO, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 DVD Format: DVD 5, NTSC Picture Format: 4:3 Running Time: 59 mins FSK: 0 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | A production of the Opéra national de Paris in coproduction with l’Opéra de Novosibirsk, filmed in HD Opéra Bastille, 04/2009
Stage direction, set and costume design Dmitri Tcherniakov After public and critical acclaim for his Eugene Onegin (also from BelAir), Macbeth is the latest production from Russian stage director Dmitri Tcherniakov, recorded at the Paris Opera. Coproduced with Siberia’s Novosibirsk Opera, this new Macbeth uses cutting-edge multimedia technology to give the viewer a fresh perspective on the work. Google Earth satellite images plunge us into the heart of the action: a gloomy square surrounded by soulless buildings and the interior of an aristocratic residence. Witches are no more a part of Tcherniakov’s Macbeth than the duel was of his Onegin, but once again the atmosphere is one of brooding claustrophobia. Tcherniakov has chosen a great cast, beginning with the marvellous Lithuanian soprano Violeta Urmana as Lady Macbeth. Greek baritone Dimitris Tiliakos is a powerful presence as Macbeth, while the Italians Ferruccio Furlanetto and Stefano Secco are sumptuous as, respectively, Banquo and Macduff. In this, his second production at the Paris Opera, Teodor Currentzis, music director of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, conducts with verve and theatricality. opera: 161’ Subtitles: Fr, Eng, Ger, Spa, It Bonus: Novosibirsk to Paris 33’ Colour 16/9, NTSC • PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 “Personal relationships are illuminatingly handled in spite of Tcherniakov's aversion to monologues. Home viewing produces, I guess, a more accessible experience than the audience had in Paris's acoustically unfriendly Bastille auditorium. In film close-up, for instance, the wonderfully detailed acting of baritone Dimitris Tiliakos, a darkly handsome hero-villain, stands out” BBC Music Magazine, August 2011 *** “Currentzis brings vitality to the performance, with important contrasts within scenes, and works well with the singers. Of them, Tiliakos greatly impressed me by his creation of a multi-dimensional character and in both his singing and his acting...This is indeed a telling portrayal of a man mentally disintegrating. He possess a wide range of dynamics, of shades and of nuancing, all well controlled.” International Record Review, July/August 2011 “I found Dmitri Tcherniakov’s translation of Verdi’s Macbeth to a modern housing estate run by the Russian mafia intriguing and suggestive, if not altogether persuasive. But if you want a conventional kilts-and-sporran approach, look elsewhere.” The Telegraph, 2nd December 2011 | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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| |  | Live Recording from The Teatro La Fenice, Venice, 2004
Set & Costume by PATRICK KINMONTH When the legendary Venetian Teatro La Fenice, which had been completely destroyed by fire in 1996, rose like a phoenix from the ashes again, its rebirth was celebrated with Verdi’s La Traviata, an opera that had seen its première more than 150 years earlier in the same theatre. Led by star conductor Lorin Maazel, a cast of brilliant singeractors brought an exact replica of the March 1853 version to the stage, giving audiences the opportunity to experience the opera as the world first heard at its premiere in Venice. The original score had been found in the archives of La Fenice, so that La Traviata could relive its premiere without any revisions. With Italian soprano Patrizia Ciofi in the title role, German-Italian tenor Roberto Saccà as her lover and Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky as his father, the live recording features highly eminent singers of the Italian repertoire and stars, who are at home in opera houses throughout the world. The fascinating staging by internationally celebrated opera director Robert Carsen captures Verdi’s original intention. He takes up Verdi’s dictum that the opera is “a subject from our own time” and sets it in a well-healed contemporary environment. His interpretation picks up the two driving forces of the plot: the topic of prostitution and bourgeois hypocrisy and – immediately connected to it – the other central concern of the opera: money. The multi perspective filming and close-up cameras underline the singers’ outstanding acting ability and leave the impression of a film rather than stage action. Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 DVD Format: DVD 9, PAL Subtitle Languages: IT, GB, DE, FR, ES Running Time: 146 mins FSK: 0 “Ciofi is a serious artist who manoeuvres her voice around the difficulties of the title role and works hard to achieve Carsen's concept...Ultimately it's baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky's magnificent Giorgio Germont who steals the show” BBC Music Magazine, August 2011 *** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | New Year`s Concert 2011 from the Teatro La Fenice
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| |  | Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, London, June & July 2009
Verdi’s best-loved work, is performed here by a star cast in a revival of Richard Eyre’s highly acclaimed 1994 production. Music Director Antonio Pappano conducts La traviata for the first time at Covent Garden. American soprano Renée Fleming returns to Covent Garden to sing Violetta for the first time with The Royal Opera. La traviata was first performed at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice in March 1853. "...Antonio Pappano takes charge of this revival, searching out the meaning of Verdi's score in a supple, sentient reading that sweeps you along." The Guardian Extra features: Cast gallery Antonio Pappano interviews Renée Fleming Running time 135 mins Region Code All regions Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS Menu languages EN Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES/IT “I was sniffy about her first night but this DVD comes from later in the run, by which time she had found an uncharacteristic emotional freedom. She is still the prima donna playing the part, but the beautiful sounds she makes, especially in the Act One finale and the Act Two party, are well worth hearing, and the high-quality film-work puts us right at the heart of the action.” Financial Times, 21st May 2011 **** “this is a sensible, believable, attractive presentation that is more in line with Verdi than with the idiocies of Regietheater...Vocally, [Fleming] is on good form at almost every turn... Calleja must sound authentic enough as an Italianate tenor for anyone...I always have the impression that [Pappano] works with the singers rather than challenging them to a duel. The chorus and orchestra respond fittingly to his direction.” International Record Review, July 2011 “At the age of 50, [Fleming] still looks very good in the role of the doomed courtesan...[she] sounds good, too, singing with consistent skill...There's a sincerity to Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja's portrayal of Alfredo which gives it more spontaneity than his American colleagues supply...Stronger than the vocals is the conducting of Antonio Pappano, which possesses a natural stylishness and fluency” BBC Music Magazine, July 2011 *** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Live Recording from The Teatro Giuseppe Verdi, Busseto, 2002
Stefania Bonfadelli (Violetta Valery), Annely Peebo (Flora Bervoix), Paola Leveroni (Annina), Scott Piper (Alfredo Germont) & Renato Bruson (Giorgio Germont) Orchestra and Chorus of Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, Plácido Domingo Stage Director & Set Designer: Franco Zeffirelli This production of Verdi’s ever-popular, melodic opera was filmed in Busseto, near Parma, Italy, close to the composer’s home and birthplace. The story of the opera concerns the plight of Violetta a mid-19th century Parisian courtesan who is dying of consumption. She responds to the ardent love of the young Alfredo but sacrifices him when his father, Giorgio pleads that their love will ruin his daughter’s happiness and his son’s career. Leaving the musicality of the opera to conductor Plácido Domingo, Franco Zeffirelli is here concerned with a natural expression of Verdi’s opera – and Alexander Dumas’ story. Thus Zeffirelli directs the set designs, lighting, costumes as well as the acting. Zeffirelli’s La Traviata is a feast for the eye and Plácido Domingo draws first class performances from his orchestra, chorus and cast, particularly Stefania Bonfadelli who is outstanding - above all there is Verdi’s gorgeous music. Sound Format: PCM STEREO, DD 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Subtitle Languages: IT, GB, DE, FR, ES, CN Running Time: 139 mins FSK: 0 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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