GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: La Boheme (complete opera recorded in 1977) Metropolitan Opera / Luciano Pavarotti, Renata Scotto, Ingvar Wixell / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 22/Sep/2005 ] Puccini's masterpiece shows young love at its most heartbreaking in this rich production from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Lohengrin (complete opera recorded in 1986) Metropolitan Opera / Peter Hofmann, John Macurdy, Eva Marton, Leonie Rysanek / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 20/Jul/2006 ] "The Met brought out its best available performers. . . James Levine. . . controls the music superbly and. . . brings out a texture of sound in which Wagnerian sensualists can simply wallow." (Washington Post, 1986) |
VERDI
Rigoletto (complete opera recorded in 2013) Metropolitan Opera / Piotr Beczala, Zeljko Lucic, Diana Damrau, Oksana Volkova, Stefan Kocan / Michele Mariotti [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 8/Nov/2013 ] The sought-after lyric tenor Piotr Beczala, is the womanizing Duke in this new production of Verdi's Rigoletto from the Metropolitan Opera. Ċ½eljko Luèiæ sings the title role and Diana Damrau sings Rigoletto's daughter Gilda. |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Don Giovanni (complete opera recorded 2000) Metropolitan Opera / Renee Fleming, Bryn Terfel, Solveig Kringelborn, Paul Groves / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 5/Sep/2014 ] "It's hard not to give this Don a warm welcome. For those irritated by modern psychological stagings, this set could well provide the perfect answer" - MusicWeb April 2005 |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Don Carlo (complete opera recorded in 1983) Metropolitan Opera / Placido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Grace Bumbry, Nicolai Ghiaurov / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 13/Oct/2005 ] Filmed in 1983, this DVD captures the Metropolitan Opera's sweeping sets, its army of authentically costumed singers, and a cast of glowing soloists led by Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Grace Bumbry and Nicolai Ghiaurov |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Otello (Complete opera recorded in 1996) Metropolitan Opera / Placido Domingo / Renee Fleming / James Morris / Richard Croft / Charles Anthony / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 16/Aug/2004 ] G - Starring Placido Domingo, Renee Fleming, James Morris, Richard Croft, Charles Anthony, Metropolitan Opera Chorus, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. |
WAGNER
Parsifal (the complete opera) Waltraud Meier / Siegfried Jerusalem / Metropolitan Opera / James Levine [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 16/Aug/2004 ] G :- "Meier's Kundry is electrifying ... she simply is Kundry, having thought herself voice, body and soul into the part, a wholly remarkable achievement which is the stuff of legends" (Gramophone) |
HANDEL / RAMEAU / VIVALDI / CAMPRA / PURCELL / etc
The Enchanted Island (complete opera recorded in 2012) Metropolitan Opera / Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, Danielle de Niese, Placido Domingo / William Christie (cond) [ Virgin Classics DVD / 2 DVD - released 19/Oct/2012 ] "The singing from Danielle de Niese, David Daniels and Joyce DiDonato is stellar...William Christie conducts magisterially." (The Observer) |
GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: Don Pasquale (complete opera recorded in 2010) Metropolitan Opera / Anna Netrebko, Matthew Polenzani, John Del Carlo / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophone DVD / DVD - released 26/May/2011 ] A red hot ticket at the Metropolitan Opera in 2010/2011 was Donizetti's comic gem, Don Pasquale, with Anna Netrebko reviving Norina, the part that made her a star in New York. |
PUCCINI / LEONCAVALLO
Il Tabarro / Pagliacci James Levine / Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus / Teresa Stratas / Placido Domingo / Juan Pons / Luciano Pavarotti [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 15/Sep/2005 ] G :- Here the two pieces have been combined to celebrate the Metropolitan Opera's 1994/95 season opening - an operatic tour-de-force with Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo in the starring roles |
WAGNER
Die Walkure (Complete Opera) James Levine / Metropolitan Opera Orchestra / Hildegard Behrens / Jessye Norman [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 13/Oct/2002 ] The Metropolitan Opera sings deeply passionate Wagner in this 1991 production on a spare but darkly atmospheric stage. |
VERDI / PUCCINI / MOZART / DONIZETTI / LEONCAVALLO
Bravo Pavarotti: Greatest performances at the Metropolitan Opera Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) with Joan Sutherland & Renata Scotto (sopranos) [ Decca Music Group DVD / DVD - released 7/Oct/2010 ] Marking 75 years since the great tenor's birth on October 12th, 1935, 'Bravo Pavarotti' is a unique DVD compilation celebrating the majesty of Luciano Pavarotti on the opera stage. |
GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (complete opera recorded in 1988) Metropolitan Opera / Agnes Baltsa, Jose Carreras, Leona Mitchell, Samuel Ramey / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 3/Jun/2000 ] Georges Bizet's Carmen, which takes place in and around Seville, Spain tells of the downfall of a soldier, Don José, seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy, Carmen. José abandons his sweetheart and his military duties for Carmen. |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Aida (complete opera recorded in 1989) Metropolitan Opera / Aprile Millo, Dolora Zajick, Placido Domingo / James Levine, conductor [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 20/Sep/2003 ] "Levine's is a stalwart reading, less flashy than Maazel's and with a finer orchestra, although he could have turned up the tempo and temperature a little for the war declaration and the tomb scene." Gramophone |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg - complete opera) Metropolitan Opera / Ben Heppner / Karita Mattila / James Morris / Rene Pape / James Morris / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 1/Feb/2005 ] G :- The MET video production of Richard Wagner's only comedy Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg features the revival of Otto Schenk's 1993 production in December 2001, with an unmatchable ensemble. |
WAGNER
Die Walkure (Complete opera recorded in 2012) Metropolitan Opera / Bryn Terfel, Jonas Kaufmann, Jay Hunter Morris, Deborah Voigt / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 14/Mar/2013 ] "Terfel is twice the Wotan he seemed at Covent Garden, displaying commanding tone and rough-hewn sensitivity. Deborah Voigt's Brunnhilde is attractively lyrical...Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek are superb" BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 **** |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Gotterdammerung (Complete operas recorded in 2012) Metropolitan Opera / Waltaud Meier, Iain Paterson, Jay Hunter Morris, Deborah Voigt / Fabio Luisi (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 14/Mar/2013 ] "Deborah Voigt's Brunnhilde is attractively lyrical. Jay Hunter Morris's stand-in Siegfried is a discovery, a handsome, extrovert giant...Hans-Peter Konig is a brutish Hagen." BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 **** |
GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Turandot (complete opera recorded in 1988) Metropolitan Opera / Eva Marton, Placido Domingo, Leona Mitchell / James Levine (cond) [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / DVD - released 17/May/2003 ] Stage production & set design: Franco Zeffirelli |
JOHN ADAMS
Doctor Atomic (complete opera recorded in 2008) Metropolitan Opera / Gerald Finley, Sasha Cooke, Eric Owens / Alan Gilbert (cond) [ Sony Metropolitan Series DVD / 2 DVD - released 20/Feb/2011 ] "Video and audio are state-of-the-art. This is a major addition to the operatic DVD catalog." (ClassicalCdReview) |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Otello (complete opera recorded in 1978) Metropolitan Opera / Jon Vickers, Renata Scotto, Cornell MacNeil / James Levine (cond) [ Sony Metropolitan Series DVD / DVD - released 25/Sep/2011 ] |