W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Don Giovanni, K527 (complete opera recorded in 2012) BLU-RAY Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Conal Coad, Rachelle Durkin, Daniel Sumegi, Henry Choo / Mark Wigglesworth (cond) [ Opera Australia Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Jan/2017 ] "For those who are tired of 'concept' productions of operas, this very traditional Don Giovanni from Australian Opera may be refreshing. Ensembles are spotless. The Australian Opera Orchestra impresses with its energy and accuracy" IRR |
GIAN CARLO MENOTTI
Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors (complete opera, sung in German, recorded in 2022) BLU-RAY Tempu Ishijima (boy soprano), Dshamilja Kaiser, Paul Schweinester / Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Wiener Symphoniker, Magnus Loddgard [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 1/Dec/2023 ] "The cast under Magnus Loddgard's baton is good. Boy soprano Tempu Ishijima is outstanding in the title role, incredibly touching but not mawkish, and as his mother, Dshamilja Kaiser has a strong mezzo." Opera Now |
PUCCINI
La Boheme (complete opera recorded in 2009) Teodor Ilincai / Hibla Gerzmava / Gabriele Viviani / Inna Dukach / Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden / Andris Nelsons [ Opus Arte Blu-ray Royal Opera House Collection / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Aug/2010 ] "Gerzmava is clear in tone and clean in style, the Rodolfo (Teodor Ilincai) light and unforced but wanting richness. All act naturally and well, Jacques Imbrailo (the Schaunard) with panache." (Gramophone) |
CARL MARIA von WEBER
Weber: Euryanthe (complete opera) BLU-RAY Theater an der Wien / Jacqueline Wagner, Theresa Kronthaler, Norman Reinhardt, Andrew Foster-Williams / Constantin Trinks (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 6/Mar/2020 ] "Constantin Trinks directs a lovingly nurtured unfolding of Weber's fantastic score. He essays a perfect balance of classical restraint with outright Wagnerian urgency and the orchestra with its very talented French horn section rises magnificently." |
JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU
Rameau: Platée (complete opera recorded in 2020) BLU-RAY Theater an der Wien / Marcel Beekman, Jeanine De Bique, Cyril Auvity, Marc Maullon, Edwin Crossley-Mercer / William Christie (cond) [ C Major Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Aug/2021 ] Recorded live at the Theater an der Wien, December 2020 |
GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Agrippina (complete opera recorded in 2017) BLU-RAY Theater an der Wien / Patricia Bardon, Jake Arditti, Danielle de Niese, Filippo Mineccia / Thomas Hengelbrock (cond) [ Naxos Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 18/Sep/2018 ] During his years in Italy, Handel absorbed the music of his contemporaries and mastered new stylistic trends. Though the staging of La resurrezione was a memorable event in the Roman musical world, it was the production of Agrippina that marked... |
GAETANO DONIZETTI
La Favorite (Complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Theatre du Capitole de Toulouse / Kate Aldrich, Yijie Shi, Ludovic Tézier / Antonello Allemandi (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/May/2015 ] One of the composer's most beguiling scores, La Favorite is Donizetti's La favorita in its original French form - a tale of love and war that represents a glorious mix of Italian bel canto and 19th century grand opera. Today's scholarly interest... |
IGOR STRAVINSKY
Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress (Complete opera recorded in 2007) BLU-RAY Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels / Laura Claycomb, Andrew Kennedy, William Shimell / Kazushi Ono (conductor) [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Aug/2009 ] Blu-Ray - 'Lepage has forged a reputation as one of the most visionary theatre directors of our age… The Rake's Progress is heading our way, and it promises to be a highlight of the 2007/8 season.' Sunday Times |
WAGNER
Rienzi (complete opera recorded in 2012) BLU-RAY Theâtre du Capitole, Toulouse / Torsten Kerl, Marika Schönberg, Daniela Sindram / Pinchas Steinberg (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Oct/2013 ] "A simple set keeps the action flowing and the moments of high drama are not shirked...Steinberg's conducting provides...a controlled but vivid reading of this sprawling score...Kerl's tenor remains unflagging throughout, with reserves to make someth |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro, K492 (complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Théâtre des Champs-Elysées / Rosemary Joshua, Luca Pisaroni, Pietro Spagnoli / René Jacobs (cond) [ Bel Air Classiques Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Feb/2018 ] Recorded at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in June 2004, le Nozze de Figaro was unanimously acclaimed by public and critics alike as a Mozart opera landmark. Director Jean-Louis Martinoty brings an elegantly intelligent narrative sense to an... |
WAGNER
Rienzi (complete opera recorded in 2010) BLU-RAY Berlin Opera / Torsten Kerl, Kate Aldrich, Camilla Nylund / Sebastian Lang-Lessing (cond) [ Arthaus Musik Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 21/Dec/2010 ] "…spectacularly thanks to brilliant pseudo-historic footage in the style of Leni Riefenstahl's Nazi propaganda films…The production is a knockout." The Sunday Times |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Opera, Ballet & Theatre: The Blu-ray Experience II Various singers, dancers and actors [ Opus Arte BLU-RAY / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Dec/2010 ] The Blu-ray Experience II: Opera, Ballet & Theatre includes opera, ballet and theatre highlights from the Opus Arte catalogue, and gives everyone the opportunity to experience the stunning quality of High Definition picture and sound. |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev: The Fiery Angel (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Vienna Opera / Ausrine Stundyte, Bo Skovhus, Natascha Petrinsky, Elena Zaremba / Constantin Trinks (cond) [ C Major / Unitel Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 25/Mar/2022 ] "Aušrinė Stundytė has in recent years made the role of Renate her own; and with the openness and generosity of her soprano, its control of colour, its capacity for tender lyricism with a tragic edge, she is perfect as the suffering heart of the work" |
RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO
Leoncavallo: Zaza (complete opera recorded in 2020) BLU-RAY Vienna Opera / Svetlana Aksenova, Enkelejda Shkosa, Dorothea Herbert, Juliette Mars / Stefan Soltesz (cond) [ C Major / Unitel Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 12/Nov/2021 ] "By far the most telling contributions come from Christopher Maltman in the beau rôle of Cascart, Zazà's protector and former lover, and Enkelejda Shkosa as her alcoholic mama." Opera |
HANDEL
Alcina (complete opera recorded in 2010) BLU-RAY Vienna State Opera / Anja Harteros, Vesselina Kasarova, Kristina Hammarström / Marc Minkowski (conductor) [ Arthaus Musik Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Oct/2012 ] "Conductor and orchestra are superb; so is Anja Harteros, who finds real depth in Alcina's passion for Ruggiero." (Gramophone) |
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOSVKY
Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame ('The Queen of Spades') (complete opera recorded in 2018) Vienna State Opera / Brandon Jovanovich, Evgenia Muraveva, Vladislav Sulimsky, Igor Golovatenko / Mariss Jansons (cond) [ C Major Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 9/Mar/2018 ] "It is all performed with energy and belief by this excellent cast… it is a very fine musical performance of a great score." MusicWeb |
PUCCINI
La fanciulla del West (complete opera recorded in 2013) BLU-RAY Vienna State Opera / Jonas Kaufmann, Nina Stemme, Tomasz Konieczny / Franz Welser-Most (cond) [ Sony Classical Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 10/Mar/2016 ] A celebrated new production of Puccini's La fanciulla del West from the Vienna State opera featuring Jonas Kaufmann and Nina Stemme. Staged by Marco Arturo Marelli, who sets it in a modern-day mining village, with the feel of a gritty modern drama,... |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: La forza del destino (complete opera recorded in 2008) BLU-RAY Vienna State Opera / Salvatore Licitra, Nina Stemme, Carlos Alvarez, Alastair Miles / Zubin Mehta (cond) [ C Major Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Feb/2018 ] "Stemme is an involving Leonore, with a lovely rich lower and mid-register tone, but she is strained and variable above the stave...Krasteva throws herself into cowgirl Preziosilla with gusto. Mehta conducts effectively." International Record Review |
CHARLES GOUNOD
Gounod: Faust (complete opera recorded in 2016) BLU-RAY Salzburger Festspiele 2016 / Piotr Beczała, Ildar Abdrazakov, Maria Agresta / Wiener Philharmoniker, Alejo Perez [ EuroArts Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 29/Sep/2017 ] "An outstanding cast is led by Poland tenor Piotr Beczała in the title role displaying his credentials as one of the most in demand tenors on the world stage today. Ildar Abdrazakov embodies a seductive and demonic Mephistopheles." (MusicWeb) |
RICHARD STRAUSS
Strauss (R.): Ariadne auf Naxos (complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Wiener Staatsoper / Soile Isokoski, Daniela Fally, Sophie Koch, Johan Botha / Christian Thielemann (cond) [ Unitel / Arthaus Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/May/2015 ] Director Sven- Erich Bechtolf "has again delved deeply into music and text", observed the opera magazine Opernnetz in its rave review of the performance captured here. "In Rolf Glittenberg's beautiful Jugendstil salon, he is constantly in touch with... |