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Franco Zeffirelli’s magnificent staging of Puccini's final opera — a fairy tale set in a mythical China — is one of the most popular in the Met repertory. In this Live in HD production, Maria Guleghina takes on the title role and Marcello Giordani is Calaf, the unknown prince. Marina Poplavskaya and Samuel Ramey co-star, and Andris Nelsons conducts in his Met debut. “Zeffirelli's classic 1990s Met production, unashamedly glitzy, crowded and spectacular comes up remarkably fresh in this second video incarnation...Guleghina's ice-princess is intensely feminine...Giordano cuts a charismatic stage figure, and 'Nessun dorma' stops the show...What really makes this production is the vividness with which it's communicated, both in the exceptional high-definition picture and spacious sound.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2011 ***** “Zeffirelli's ultra-lavish traditional production hovers between gorgeously extravagant and amusingly overdone. It's kept in check by three terrific performers in the main roles. Maria Guleghina soars effortlessly through the cruelly demanding title role...Poplavskaya is wonderfully affecting both dramatically and vocally as the innocent young Liu...[Nelsons] provides some surprising subtlety among the necessary broad brush-strokes” Classic FM Magazine, October 2011 **** “the production's brain-flooding panorama of ancient China...matches the sumptuousness of Puccini's score...[Guleghina and Giordani are] both fairly new to their roles and singing them with a sense of new discovery...In the secondary roles, Marina Poplavskaya and Samuel Ramey are certainly A-team talents...Nelsons finds layers of sound and meaning unlike anything I've heard since Karajan's audio recording on DG” Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2011 “the 22-year-old extravaganza has lost none of its razzle-dazzle...in the opera house one can't take it all in...Perhaps home viewing is the best route - when soloists sing, the camera hones in on them...The stars of the evening are conductor and second soprano...[Poplavskaya] acts convincingly, looks wonderful and sings with great warmth and sure technique..,[Nelsons] rises to each occasion, but he also pays heed to Puccini's delicate colorations” International Record Review, November 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Maria Guleghina (Turandot), Marco Berti (Calaf), Alexia Voulgaridou (Liù), Alexander Tsymbalyuk (Timur), Javier Agulló (Altoum), Fabio Previati (Ping), Vicente Esteve (Pang), Roger Padullés (Pong), Venteslav Anastasov (Un mandarino), Ossama Badreddine (Il Principe di Persia) Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Zubin Mehta Stage / Video Director - Chen Kaige This 2008 production is staged by Chen Kaige, the film director of Farewell My Concubine and winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival. Shot in full HD, including Bonus material behind the scenes. Maria Guleghina is one of the most celebrated and acclaimed sopranos of the world. The leading international tenor Marco Berti is recognised as one of the most important artists from Italy. from Valencia's spectacular Calatrava opera house "Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía", 2008, with its phenomenal acoustics and breathtaking architecture. Bonus - Making of Turandot (36 min.) 156 min. (120´ Opera + 36´ Bonus) 16:9, HD DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo German, French., English, Spanish, Italian (original language) “Turandot has always been one of Zubin Mehta's calling cards, and he rarely disappoints here in Valencia. The sweep of this great score is admirably balanced by a proper attention to orchestral and instrumental detail.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2010 **** “Drawing on his intimate knowledge of traditional Chinese theatre and spectacle, Chen and his designers, Liu King and Chen Tong Xun, give us a Turandot in extravagant colours and choreography, true to the spirit of fable and legend… Maria Guleghina must surely not be the Turandot of our time. The role seems to hold no terrors for her... Zubin Mehta's...direction of the Valenciana Orchestra brims with drama and affection.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Ealynn Voss, Amanda Thane, Kenneth Collins & Donald Shanks The Australian Opera Chorus & State Orchestra of Victoria, Carlo Felice Cillario Filmed at the Victoria Arts Centre Melbourne 1991
PICTURE FORMAT: 4:3
LENGTH: 128 Mins
SOUND: STEREO
SUBTITLES: EN
‘It was one of those meetings of great minds that you dream about, when the music and drama of the piece are reborn through the interpretative genius of an exceptional director.’ The Australian | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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A 1958 RAI production starring Franco Corelli in what is considered to be one of his greatest roles with the tenor at his technical and artistic peak. Lucille Udovich is a powerful, credible Turandot. Approximately two hours, with optional English, French, and German subtitles. Black & white, mono. Recorded in 1958 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Melbourne Arts Centre, 20/25th April 2012
Susan Foster (Turandot), Rosario La Spina (Calaf), Hyeseoung Kwon (Liù), Jud Arthur (Timur), Shane Lowrencev (A Mandarin), Andrew Moran (Ping), Graeme Macfarlane (Pang), David Corcoran (Pong) & Benjamin Rasheed (Emperor of China) Opera Australia Chorus, Children’s Chorus & Orchestra Victoria, Andrea Licata (conductor) & Graeme Murphy (director) With Rosario La Spina cast as Calaf, Susan Foster as the icy princess and Hyeseoung Kwon as the loyal slave girl Liù, the singing throughout is superlative. The choreography and direction of Graeme Murphy is visionary, add the set and costume designs of Kristian Fredrikson, and the lighting of John Drummond Montgomery and this production is glorious in its beauty. | 
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| |  | Melbourne Arts Centre, 20/25th April 2012
Susan Foster (Turandot), Rosario La Spina (Calaf), Hyeseoung Kwon (Liù), Jud Arthur (Timur), Shane Lowrencev (A Mandarin), Andrew Moran (Ping), Graeme Macfarlane (Pang), David Corcoran (Pong) & Benjamin Rasheed (Emperor of China) Opera Australia Chorus, Children’s Chorus & Orchestra Victoria, Andrea Licata (conductor) & Graeme Murphy (director) With Rosario La Spina cast as Calaf, Susan Foster as the icy princess and Hyeseoung Kwon as the loyal slave girl Liù, the singing throughout is superlative. The choreography and direction of Graeme Murphy is visionary, add the set and costume designs of Kristian Fredrikson, and the lighting of John Drummond Montgomery and this production is glorious in its beauty. |
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| |  | Live Recording from The Gran Teatre Del Liceu, 2005
Luana Devol (La Principessa Turandot), Franco Farina (Calaf), Barbara Frittoli (Liù), Josep Ruiz (L’imperatore Altoum) & Stefano Palatchi (Timur) Orchestra & Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Giuliano Carella (conductor) & Núria Espert (stage director) Set Design by EZIO FRIGERIO The story of the beautiful but cruel princess Turandot has a unique place among Puccini‘s works, displaying the composer‘s ability to reflect the musical trends of his time more convincingly than any of his other operas. Despite its wealth of inspired melodies (among them Calaf‘s aria „Nessun dorma“ in the third act), even today the opera‘s chief fascination remains its imaginative tonality and subtle instrumentation. The title role is performed by Luana DeVol, who has been on the international opera scene for more than three decades and whose versatile, dramatic soprano perfectly suits the character of the despising, yet vulnerable Turandot. Lirico-spinto soprano Barbara Frittoli, one of the best-known Puccini/Verdi performers on the current scene, presents her lyrical vocal qualities in the role of the slave Liù. The director, Núria Espert, retained the lavish settings and magnificent sets traditionally associated with the opera. None the less, Espert‘s approach to the work is founded on the doubts that Puccini himself expressed about the final scene of the work. In Espert‘s conception, Turandot remains incapable of turning into an ordinary, docile woman defeated by male strength, and so she stabs herself to death. BONUS: Luana DeVol – Following the Dream / Directed by Stephen DeVol Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Subtitles: IT (Original Language), DE, GB, FR, ES, Catalan Running Time: 132 mins + 19 mins (Bonus) FSK: 0 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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Maria Guleghina (Turandot), Carlo Bosi (L’ Imperatore Altoum), Luiz-Octavio Faria (Timur), Salvatore Licitra (Calaf), Tamar Iveri (Liù), Leonardo Lopez Linares (Ping), Gianluca Bocchino (Pong), Saverio Fiore (Pang), Giuliano Pelizon (Mandarino) & Angel Harkatz Kaufman (Il Principe di Persia) Orchestra, Chorus & Corps de ballet of the Arena di Verona, Giuliano Carella Turandot from the Verona Arena: Franco Zeffirelli’s epic production of Puccini’s masterpiece. In its 88th year, the prestigious Verona Arena Festival honoured the legendary Italian stage director Franco Zeffirelli. Zeffirelli delivered an opulent staging af the fairy-tale story of the Chinese Princess Turandot, who will only marry a prince capable of solving her riddles. The Russian soprano Maria Guleghina proved a brilliant Turandot, whilst tenor Salvatore Licitra’s trump card is his imposingly radiant voice of which he remains in sovereign control even in the role’s muchfeared tessitura. The soprano Tamar Iveri is a beautiful and sensitive Liù. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Verona Arena are conducted by Maestro Giuliano Carella. NTSC 16:9, Sound: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio, Subtitles: Fr, Eng, Ger, It, Sp, Jap Total Time: 2h 8min Filmed in HD, August 2010 | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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Maria Guleghina (Turandot), Carlo Bosi (L’ Imperatore Altoum), Luiz-Octavio Faria (Timur), Salvatore Licitra (Calaf), Tamar Iveri (Liù), Leonardo Lopez Linares (Ping), Gianluca Bocchino (Pong), Saverio Fiore (Pang), Giuliano Pelizon (Mandarino) & Angel Harkatz Kaufman (Il Principe di Persia) Orchestra, Chorus & Corps de ballet of the Arena di Verona, Giuliano Carella Turandot from the Verona Arena: Franco Zeffirelli’s epic production of Puccini’s masterpiece. In its 88th year, the prestigious Verona Arena Festival honoured the legendary Italian stage director Franco Zeffirelli. Zeffirelli delivered an opulent staging af the fairy-tale story of the Chinese Princess Turandot, who will only marry a prince capable of solving her riddles. The Russian soprano Maria Guleghina proved a brilliant Turandot, whilst tenor Salvatore Licitra’s trump card is his imposingly radiant voice of which he remains in sovereign control even in the role’s muchfeared tessitura. The soprano Tamar Iveri is a beautiful and sensitive Liù. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Verona Arena are conducted by Maestro Giuliano Carella. Sound: PCM Stereo, 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, Subtitles : Fr, Eng, Ger, It, Sp, Jap 2h 8min Filmed in HD, August 2010 | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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| |  | Live Recording from The Wiener Staatsoper, 1983
Set Design & Costumes by TIMOTHY O’BRIEN, TAZEENA FIRTH From the Vienna State Opera Arthaus presents a timeless document of great opera. Lorin Maazel and a dream cast of distinguished singers, among them the young Eva Marton and José Carreras in his mid-thirties, perform a celebrated staging of Puccini’s Turandot. Puccini’s last opera tells the story of the battle of the sexes against an exotic backdrop. The work tells the story of the beguilingly beautiful and cold yet seductive Chinese princess, Turandot. The opera is characterized by the tension it creates between the denial of love and secret affection, between self-sacrifice and obsession with sacrificial victims, and between cold cruelty and pure love. The performance was received with unanimous enthusiasm. Lorin Maazel scored a great personal success with audience and critics alike with passion, authority and brilliance in his conducting. The applause at the end of the performance lasted three-quarters of an hour and was directed not only at Maazel, but also at the team of wonderful singer-actors. The Hungarian soprano Eva Marton brought to the title role what one critic described as “a voice of gleaming metal in which one senses the beautiful woman lying in wait to defeat her opponent but is also aware of her fears of man in general.” Appearing alongside her as Calaf was José Carreras whose “unprecedented intensity” and “priceless tenor voice” were once again at the fore. Katia Ricciarelli was no less acclaimed in her role as “the best of all possible Liùs”. Sound Format: PCM Stereo Picture Format: 4:3 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Subtitle Languages: GB, DE, FR, ES, IT, JP Running Time: 139 mins FSK: 0 “The production...is exotically telling, with the set equally theatrical...Marton was surely born to take the part of the heroine, singing with great power...Carreras also sings gloriously...Ricciarelli is a very touching Liu, her voice creamily beautiful...and the orchestra play with the utmost vividness under Maazel's thrilling direction...Very highly recommended.” Penguin Guide, 2010 edition **** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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