DVD Videos

This compendium of rare television performances (1957-1963) features legendary Savoyard Martyn Green in songs and scenes from HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance and others. Also included are the two Tennessee Ernie Ford specials devoted to scenes from The Mikado and HMS Pinafore, and although a country music legend, Ford had begun his studies as a classical bass-baritone. Among the other highlights are excerpts from made-for-TV Productions of The Yeoman of the Guard (1957), with Alfred Drake and Barbara Cook.

Running time: 96 minutes.

Beatrice di Tenda is a relatively unknown and rarely recorded opera composed by Vincenzo Bellini.

Available on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Format 16:9

Region Code 0

Subtitles: Fre, Eng, Ger, Spa, Ita, Kr

Notes: Ita, Eng

One Roman emperor is not enough for conductor Emmanuelle Haïm. After Julius Caesar in Handel’s opera –recorded for Virgin Classics DVD at Paris’ Palais Garnier with Lawrence Zazzo as Giulio Cesare and Natalie Dessay as Cleopatra – she now brings a ruler of less illustrious reputation: Nero (Nerone) in Monteverdi’s sensuous and cruel story of love, ambition and politics, L’incoronazione di Poppea.

This production, recorded in 2012 at the exquisite opera house in Lille, is by the French director Jean-François Sivadier; he was also responsible for La traviata in 2011 at Aix-en-Provence, a staging which starred Natalie Dessay and can be seen on a Virgin Classics DVD.

In Poppea, Sivadier takes a relatively minimalist approach, with the characters in an eclectic mixture of modern and Ancient Roman dress. Nerone, here an almost punk-like figure, with peroxide blond spiky hair, is portrayed by star countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic, who has recently enjoyed major successes with his Virgin Classics recordings of Vinci’s rare opera Artaserse and a recital programme Venezia. Cencic has already appeared on a Virgin Classics DVD of Poppea, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm’s mentor William Christie, recorded in Madrid and released in 2012, but there he played Poppea’s discarded lover, Ottone, a role taken in Lille by British countertenor Tim Mead. Poppea herself is sung here by the glamorous Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva, who won Plácido Domingo’s Operalia competition in 2010 and is a former member of William Christie’s academy for young singers, Le Jardin des Voix.

Speaking of his approach to the opera, Jean-François Sivadier has said: “Nero’s court is cut off from the world, a place ruled by terror and paranoia, a family in which each member is full of ambiguities. I wanted the audience to be constantly aware of the interdependence of all the characters: each event takes the course of history in a new direction; it is like a chain of chemical reactions between bodies that are sensitive to the slightest change.”

As the French newspaper Les Échos wrote: “The excitement, the passions, the impulses and the hatred to be found in this Shakespearean story are all the more intense [for the sobriety of Sivadier’s approach]. Sonya Yoncheva has no trouble seducing both Nerone and the audience, thanks to her voluptuous roundness of voice and physique. A feline lover, she knows how to flash her claws when she wishes to depose her rival Ottavia, the unhappy woman who, in Ann Hallenberg, finds an interpreter as superb for the nobility of her singing as for her expressions of sorrow ... Max Emanuel Cencic portrays a Nerone who is in thrall to his senses while remaining the pitiless master of his court. Emmanuel Haïm takes the colours and dramatic nuances proffered by her ensemble, Le Concert d’Astrée, and distributes them to fine effect. She takes an active role in Monteverdi’s triumph.” Classica magazine, meanwhile, wrote that: “Emmanuelle Haïm and Le Concert d’Astrée, in fine form, breathe amorously hot and cold over Jean-François Sivadier’s intelligent production, which, typically, favours living beings over decor.”

Staged by Karl-Ernst Herrmann & Ursel Herrmann

C Major’s Tutto Verdi project arrives at arguably Verdi’s most popular opera: La traviata.

This 2007 production from the Teatro Regio di Parma is conducted by Yuri Termirkanov. He has appeared with many leading orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and La Scala.

SOUND: DVD: DTS 5.1, PCM STEREO

RUNNING TIME: TOTAL: 143 MINUTES (OPERA: 133 MINUTES, BONUS: 10 MINUTES)

SUBTITLES: ITALIAN (ORIGINAL LANGUAGE), ENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, SPANISH, CHINESE, KOREAN, JAPANESE

AVAILABILITY: WORLDWIDE

The Mariinsky label is delighted to release the first of four operas on DVD in 2013 with Verdi’s 'Attila'. Released in celebration of Verdi’s anniversary year, acclaimed Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov stars in the title role, in this the premiere of Arturo Gama’s production. He is ably supported by soprano, Anna Markarova in the role Odabella; baritone, Vladislav Sulimsky in the role of Ezio and tenor, Sergei Skorokhodov. The bluray release, filmed in the Mariinsky Opera House will feature a stunning picture gallery of scenes from the performance in addition to the three-act opera.

As is the case with many of Verdi’s operas, his ninth opera, 'Attila' is imbued with the spirit of Risorgimento, the national liberation movement of the Italian people against foreign rule and for the unification of trampled Italy. The plot, which tells of the struggle of Aquileia, one of the last remaining strongholds of once eternal Rome, against the barbarian hordes of Attila, King of the Huns, received an enthusiastic reception from the audience present at the premiere at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, and yet is rarely performed in today’s opera houses. Since the premiere in 2010, the Mariinsky has revived Arturo Gama’s production each season, most recently in January 2013.

A two-time Grammy Award winner for his Verdi readings, Ildar Abdrazakov has quickly established himself as one of opera’s most sought-after basses. Since making his La Scala debut in 2001 at only 25, the Russian singer has become a mainstay at leading houses worldwide. His powerful, yet refined voice coupled with his compelling stage presence have prompted critics to describe him as a “sensational bass … who has just about everything – imposing sound, beautiful legato, oodles of finesse”, The Independent.

Arturo Gama has been the Stage Director of the opera company at the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin in Germany since 2005. He has staged a large number of productions, including 'Bluebeard’s Castle', 'Tosca', 'Die Zauberflöte' and 'Roméo et Juliette'; his most recent work was Richard Wagner’s 'Tannhaüser'. He originates from Mexico City and at the end of his dance career with the National Dance Company of Mexico, the Komische Oper Berlin offered him the position of Assistant Director, working with well-known directors including Harry Kupfer, Andreas Homoki, Peter Konwitschny, David Alden, Hans Neuenfels and Willy Decker.

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.

Robert Wilson [director, lighting, design]

Giuseppe Frigeni [co-director]

Frida Parmeggiani [costumes]

Heinrich Brunke [lighting]

Naïve present Debussy's fascinating opera in the legendary staging by Robert Wilson. Eternity, minimalism, enigma, all those elements ideally connect to the unique atmosphere in Debussy's music.

Stéphane Degout and Elena Tsallagova lead an outstanding cast including Anne Sofie von Otter, Vincent Le Texier, Franz Joseph Selig…

Staged by Giorgio Gallione

The next instalment in C Major’s Tutto Verdi project is the Teatro Regio di Parma production of Simon Boccanegra.

The cast features top soloists, led by Leo Nucci in the title role.

The performance is conducted by Daniele Callegari, who has conducted at some of the biggest opera houses around the world.

PICTURE: 16:9, HD

SOUND:: DVD: DTS 5.1, PCM STEREO

RUNNING TIME: TOTAL: 147 MINUTES (OPERA: 137 MINUTES, BONUS: 10 MINUTES)

SUBTITLES: ITALIAN (ORIGINAL LANGUAGE), ENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, SPANISH, CHINESE, KOREAN, JAPANESE

AVAILABILITY: WORLDWIDE

Perhaps no opera is closely and affectionately associated with a single house as Le nozze di Figaro is with Glyndebourne. Effortlessly witty yet shot through with pain and sadness, this deeply ambivalent life in the day of masters and servants as they scheme and outwit one another was Glyndebourne’s opening production in 1934. Michael Grandage’s staging is the seventh, set in a louche Sixties ambience. Marshalled by the ‘ideal pacing’ of Robin Ticciati, a youthful cast of principals has ‘no weak link’ and ‘looks gorgeous’ (The Sunday Times) in a production that continues Glyndebourne’s rewarding history of engagement with Mozart’s and da Ponte’s ‘day of madness’.

Glyndebourne's "signature" work, Le nozze di Figaro was the opening production when the theatre re-opened in 1994.

The production is set the 1960s/70s.

Extra features include: ‘The Greatest Opera Ever Written’ and ‘From page to stage’.

Running time: 180 minutes

Subtitles: EN/FR/DE/JP/KR

Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS

Rebellious servants, capricious lovers, cross-dressing farce and a happy ending: the fast paced action of this comic Baroque opera had all the ingredients to please the self-confessed ‘low-brow taste’ of an Austro-German prince, who commissioned Giuseppe Scarlatti for a piece to celebrate his son’s wedding. This is the opera’s first revival in modern times, and it takes place in the very same Baroque theatre, impeccably restored to its original glory, which hosted the first performance. With a cast of young singers drawn from Prague’s National Theatre and a stylish period-instrument ensemble, this vivid reconstruction will delight audiences as much today as it did the aristocratic guests at Ceský Krumlov in 1768.

Composer Giuseppe Scarlatti (1723-1777), was related to Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti.

Comic opera performed in the Cesky
Krumlov Theatre, where it was premiered in 1768.

Theatre is a fully restored Baroque theatre, complete with authentic stage machinery, props and scenery.

Performed by candlelight.

‘WINNER OF THE HAVEL FOUNDATION AWARD 2012’ – the top artistic prize in the Czech Republic.

Extra feautures include: A Jewel of the Baroque - The story of the Castle Theatre in Ceský Krumlov.

Running time: 138 minutes

Subtitles: EN/FR/DE/JP/KR

Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS