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Béatrice Uria-Monzon (Carmen), Roberto Alagna (Don José), Erwin Schrott (Escamillo), Marina Poplavskaya (Micaëla), Eliana Bayón (Frasquita), Itxaro Mentxaka (Mercédès), Marc Canturri (Le Dancaïre), Francisco Vas (Le Remendado), Àlex Sanmartí (Moralès), Josep Ribot (Zuniga) Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu & Cor del Gran Teatre del Liceu, Marc Piollet Staged by Calixto Bieito. Fantastic cast with Roberto Alagna, Erwin Schrott, Marina Poplavskaya, Béatrice Uria-Monzon. This prestigious 2011 production from the Gran Teatre del Liceu was staged by the world famous and highly controversial stage director Calixto Bieito, admired for his raw and evocative stagings. Running Time Total: 155 minutes DVD: DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo “If a Barcelona Carmen suggests authentic atmosphere, forget it. It's staged by Calixto Bieito, notorious for shock-effect productions...On home ground, though, he's comparatively restrained, although he does update the opera to the 1970s...Beatrice Uria-Monzon's veteran Carmen is compelling. Roberto Alagna equals his Met video, fluently lyrical while indicating the hair-trigger violence beneath.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 ** “Updating rarely makes such a seamless case for itself as in this modern production of Carmen...Alagna has always had a certain Mad Max side to his temperament that, combined with his Italianate lyric tenor, has made him one of the best Don Joses in the business.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2012 “Piollet launches the opera thrillingly; however exhilarating the energy, the playing remains disciplined, with mingled grace and fire. Conductor and orchestra sustain that level throughout, with well-judged rubato and frequently an unerring light touch.” International Record Review, December 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Live from the Royal Opera House
David McVicar's spectacular 2004 production of Gounod’s Faust, featuring a divine cast of opera’s superstars: Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Bryn Terfel, Simon Keenlyside and Sophie Koch. McVicar is one of the most innovative and in-demand directors, and his lush, haunting realised vision of Faust received glorious praise. The production revels in a gothic, seamy Second French Empire setting, with the Act V ballet “haunting the imagination long after” (The Independent). “This is opera at its grandest and best” The Wall Street Journal “Alagna depicts Faust's transition from Gounod-like ancient to cartwheeling young boulevardier and drug-addled Baudelairean decadent with energy and elegant phrasing...[Terfel] suggests the constant predatory menace beneath the musketeer panache with a curious dignity...[Pappano's] theatrical vigour banishes any trace of Gallic langour, a thoroughly un-fustian Faust.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2011 ***** “surely one of the finest achievements of DVD so far...Alagna dominates vocally in the name-role with a powerful heady lyricism...Gheorghiu sings gloriously as a delightful Marguerite, but the action is underlined by the splendidly bold panache of Bryn Terfel's Mephistopheles” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna star in the 2009 Metropolitan Opera production of Puccini’s La Rondine (The Swallow). This new production, directed by Nicholas Joël, was the company’s first staging in 70 years. This elegant romance is the least-known work of the mature Giacomo Puccini. The story concerns a kept woman who defies convention to chase a dream of romantic love with an earnest, if naïve, young man. This Met Opera production features the dynamic soprano Angela Gheorghiu and Frenchborn tenor Roberto Alagna performing the roles of Magda and Ruggero, it blooms into its rightful place in the glorious Puccini canon. La Rondine (The Swallow) was commissioned by Vienna’s Carltheater in 1913. Due to the impending outbreak of World War I, premiered in 1917, at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo with Gilda Dalla Rizza and Tito Schipa. Set in a Parisian salon, it is the story of Magda, the glamorous mistress of wealthy banker Rambaldo. Her yearning for romantic love compels her into the arms of the ardent and adoring young Ruggero. The New York Times hailed the Art-Deco set production as “as sophisticated, charming and poignant”. This DVD features the 10th January, 2009 performance of the opera, which was aired globally in HD as well as two bonus interview featurettes: the first with Gheorghiu and Alagna; the second with Lisette Oropesa and Marius Brenciu, who sing the roles Lisette and Prunier respectively. “Ms. Gheorghiu, as Magda, sings with gleaming sound and wonderfully dusky colorings…The conductor, Marco Armiliato, in what may be his best work to date at the Met, draws a nuanced and supple performance from the orchestra. I thought I knew this score quite well, but have never been so struck by the intricacies of the music”. The New York Times “Mr Alagna supplied plenty of vocal and physical glamour and equal amounts of intelligent phrasing and text-reading; his boyish Ruggero was entirely sympathetic and very moving”. Classics Today “I have never heard Alagna sing better, and Gheorghiu is at her sumptuous best. There are comparably beautiful performances by the younger couple, Marius Brenciu and Lisette Oropesa” New York Daily News Bonuses: Interview with Angela Gheorghiu & Roberto Alagna (3’35) Interview with Lisette Oropesa & Marius Brenciu (4’21) “Armiliato's conducting...captures the right warmth, and the former Dream Team still look superb...The lyrical young Ruggero still suits Alagna...Ramey's now leathery tone embodies Ramblado's elderly urbanity, and the Met's lesser roles are typically strong. Overall, then, this is [a] fine performance that undoubtedly confirms Rondine's renewed status.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2010 ***** “at the centre is Angela Gheorghiu in richest, creamiest voice. At her side for most of the time is Roberto Alagna, singing with tone that is resonant if not refulgent...Marco Armiliato conducts with enthusiasm, and the glimpses of scenery-changing reveal a hinter-realm of awesome complexity under unfazed control.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2010 “ Joël's production...has updated the opera to the 1920s without harming the action or sensibility of the work...Armiliato leads a reading that precisely catches the bittersweet quality of the score without falling into sentimentality; indeed he almost sells it as something other than 'the day off of a genius'.” International Record Review, December 2010 “the Metropolitan Opera sets are wonderfully elegant...Consistently, Gheorghiu makes you share the courtesan's wild dream of finding her young ardent lover...Alagna winningly characterizes in his freshest voice” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Elina Garanča (Carmen), Roberto Alagna (Don José), Teddy Tahu Rhodes (Escamillo), Barbara Frittoli (Micaela), Keith Miller (Zuniga), Elizabeth Caballero (Frasquita), Sandra Piques Eddy (Mercedes), Earle Patriarco (Dancaire), Keith Jameson (Remandado), Trevor Scheunemann (Morales) Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Yannick Nézet-Séguin Solo Dancers: Maria Kowroski & Martin Harvey Production: Richard Eyre Set & Costume Designer: Rob Howell Lighting Designer: Peter Mumford Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon After her triumphant success as Carmen in Riga, London, and Munich, Elîna Garanča, “the Carmen of our day” (News, Austria), took the Met by storm when filmed live in January 2010. Every generation has its “go to” Carmen. In 2010, the list of definitive gypsy seductresses – glittering with names like Baltsa, Bumbry, Calvé, Farrar, and Stevens – is enriched by the addition of Elîna Garanča. The Wiener Zeitung said it all when it observed of Garanča’s Carmen that “the role and the singer are perfectly matched”. This production was also seen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2009 with Garanča and Alagna in the lead roles. 2 DVD Set in 5.1 DTS surround sound. Subtitles: French (orig. lang.), German, English, Spanish, Chinese “This is a calculating Carmen, who knows the worth of her assets. Some of her wily intelligence is reflected in the voice — strong in all reaches, flaming at the top...[Tahu Rhodes] prov[es] himself to be an ideal toreador, virile of voice, and very tall. All in all, a Carmen well worth seeing and hearing.” The Times, 28th August 2010 “...everyone on stage, from stars to comprimarios and children (authentically underfoot), crackles with individual life, ideal on video... Garanča's clean-cut Baltic mezzo and fresh good looks suggest not the stereotypical gypsy wench, but a free spirit, intelligent and wilful” BBC Music Magazine, December 2010 ***** “Here is an opera DVD where, rare in my experience, each individual element matches the excellence of the others: production, cast, performance, film direction and use of the medium....Garanča has a fine sparring partner in Alagna - both roles are as well acted as they are sung...Halvorson's fluent direction conveys a real sense of occasion to the whole evening.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2010 “Elina Garanca's striking Carmen and Barbara Frittoli's Micaela stand out, with Alagna unexpectedly affecting as Don Jose.” The Observer, 19th December 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Roberto Alagna (Roméo), Leontina Vaduva (Juliette), Sarah Walker (Gertrude), Robert Lloyd (Frère Laurence), Peter Sidhom (Capulet), Paul Charles Clarke (Tybalt), David Wilson-Johnson (Le Prince), Jeremy White (Gregorio), François Le Roux (Mercutio), Anne Maria Panzarella (Stéphano), Richard Halton (Pâris) The Royal Opera Chorus & The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Charles Mackerras (conductor) & Nicolas Joël (stage director) Sir Charles Mackerras teases the romantic beauty from Gounod’s score, which has been much admired and performed since its first performance, at the Théâtre Lyrique, Paris, in 1867. In this 1994 recording, the youthful Roberto Alagna as Roméo, and Leontina Vaduva as the unattainable Juliette, lead an excellent cast in a touching portrayal of this story of impossible love, based on the play by William Shakespeare. Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 15th & 17th November 1994.
PICTURE FORMAT: 4:3
LENGTH: 176 Mins
SOUND: 2.0 DOLBY DIGITAL
SUBTITLES: EN
“Leontina Vaduva is a touching Juliette… There's real passion in her Tomb aria… Roméo is the role that catapulted tenor Roberto Alagna into a celebrity. Best of all is Charles Mackerras conducting in the pit.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2008 **** “They are a Romeo and Juliet who look as if they were born to play their roles” Financial Times “Alagna is the fascinating, never failing, special, real tenor thing - the heir apparent to the two. He delivers the goods.” The Guardian | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Metropolitan Opera Galaincludes arias from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, Strauss’ Rosenkavalier, Verdi’s Don Carlo and a stirring performance of the final scene from Wagner’s Meistersinger.
The Metropolitan Opera Gala, given on April 27, 1996 to celebrate James Levine’s 25th anniversary at the MET | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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'The catastrophic storms of the Last Judgement that assault the listeners’ ears with massive weight and power in the Dies Irae sections are portrayed not just in a raw, bombastic way, but with shrewd phrasing by Claudio Abbado – ever attentive to the musical colours and preserving the tonal eloquence and the massive sounds’ Suddeutsche Zeitung | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Classics on a Summer's Evening
Filmed at a spectacular open-air gala concert at the Semper Oper, Dresden in July 1999, this is a visually exciting concert with a wonderful atmosphere. One of the few performances available on film of Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna together, this programe features them in the love duets from Otello and Madama Butterfly, as well as a number of well-loved arias such as the Flower Song from Carmen and Un bel di from Madame Butterfly. The programme includes a number of popular orchestral and choral works, highlights of which include Verdi's Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (Nabucco) and the Triumphal Chorus and March from Aida. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Tosca: it is opera, it is Italy. It is desire, passion and murder…. Featuring opera superstars Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna and Ruggero Raimondi, with musical direction by the world-renowned Antonio Pappano. Prestige of official selection at Venice Film Festival, a comprehensive and successful commercial run in cinemas and outstanding critical acclaim. 10th anniversary special edition, with exclusive DVD bonus features including a new 10th anniversary interview with soprano Angela Gheorghiu, a collector’s booklet and a “Costume Design” featurette plus original 2001 interviews with Angela Gheorghiu on her role as Tosca, director Benoît Jacquot on creating Tosca as film and Antonio Pappano on Puccini’s music for the opera. “brings this opera vividly to life… this is a classic of the future” The Guardian “gripping and very well sung” Opera Now “superb” Gramophone Magazine "Gheorghiu gives a performance that cuts to the core of Puccini's tragedy... Pappano's conducting; a rich reading that conjures the ideal mixture of syrup and bitterness" Independent on Sunday Audio: Dolby Stereo & Optional 5.1 Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Feature Running Time: 120 mins Italian with optional English subtitles Bonus Features Running Time: 41 mins Region: 0, PAL Territory: Worldwide (excluding Japan, North America, France and Germany) | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Sung in French
Roberto Alagna (Orphée), Serena Gamberoni (Eurydice) & Marc Barrard (L'Amour) Teatro Comunale di Bologna Orchestra, Giampaolo Bisanti Libretto Pierre-Louis Moline Theatrical and musical adaptation in one prologue and three acts by David Alagna Filmed in High Definition at the Bologna Opera, January 2008 THE PERFORMANCE: Roberto Alagna as Orpheus in his brother David's new version of Gluck’s masterpiece. A major event recorded in Bologna. Opting for the French-language version of Orpheus, David Alagna was faced with the task of achieving an appropriately subtle adaptation. In a plot transposed to the present day, Eurydice dies in a car accident on the day of her wedding and Orpheus's quest for his beloved is a dream beginning and ending at the cemetery. No happy ending in this interpretation, but a new approach to characterisation:Amore, sung by a baritone, becomes a funeral parlour employee and Orpheus' guide. Orpheus, of course, loses his loved one forever by turning to look back. World famous tenor Roberto Alagna throws himself body and soul into this production. His incredible vitality, flawless timbre and diction make him a great Orpheus. His partner, young Italian soprano Serena Gamberoni, is simply stunning as Eurydice, while French baritone Marc Barrard is suitably terrifying as the guide to the Underworld. The orchestra is conducted by Giampaolo Bisanti, who masterfully brings out all Gluck's poetry, romantic melancholy and depth. Colour, 16/9, NTSC - PCM STEREO, DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1, DTS 5.1 Opera 104 minutes, Bonus : Backstage & interviews Subtitles : FR, ENG, DE, SP, IT Illustrated booklet: FR, ENG, IT “The opening scene is set at Orpheus and Eurydice's wedding. The couple are involved in a car crash and soon the action changes to the cemetery as Eurydice's coffin is lowered into the grave. …as Orpheus descends into Hades, the set changes to a more abstract vision of a frozen Hell with bodies suspended in mid-air... The whole production veers between the sublime and the ridiculous in about equal quantities. Roberto Alagna as Orpheus gives a performance of great intensity...” Gramophone Magazine, March 2010 “The first of several fade-cuts… takes us to the scene of a car crash, where paramedics pull Eurydice's body from the wreckage. Thence to the graveyard, whence all that follows is Orphée's dream. If you can swallow the concept, the acting is detailed and humane, the Underworld a powdery fantasy of suspended animation. ...Robert Alagna's verismo Orphée is a perceptive study of sudden bereavement. Giampaolo Bisanti's conducting is fleet and finely accented...” BBC Music Magazine, March 2010 *** | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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Gramophone Magazine