GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera recorded in 2009) Metropolitan Opera / Patricia Racette, Marcello Giordani, Maria Zifchak / Patrick Summers (cond) [ Sony Metropolitan Series DVD / 2 DVD - released 20/Feb/2011 ] "No one could fault any of the singing in this large-scale production which is often stunningly beautiful, particularly the first act ending. Sets and props are minimal-effects are achieved primarily through color. Video and audio are... |
RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Parsifal (complete opera recorded in 2013) Metropolitan Opera / Peter Mattei, Rene Papp, Jonas Kaufmann, Katarina Dalayman / Daniele Gatti (cond) [ Sony DVD / DVD - released 10/Apr/2014 ] "The impassioned intensity Jonas Kaufmann brings to Parsifal's music is matched by the rhetorical conviction of Peter Mattei's Amfortas and Evgeny Nikitin's Klingsor." (Gramophone Award Nomination 2015 - Opera) |
GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (complete opera recorded in 2010) Metropolitan Opera / Plácido Domingo, Adrianne Pieczonka, James Morris, Marcello Giordani / James Levine (cond) [ Sony Metropolitan Series DVD / 2 DVD - released 20/Feb/2011 ] "(Domingo's) portrayal is touching and sounds beautiful, particularly in the last act; in its own way, it is yet another triumph for him in what is a very long career of triumphs." (ClassicsToday) |
VERDI / JOHAN STRAUSS
Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991: 25th Anniversary at Lincoln Center [2 DVDs] The Metropolitan Opera with Placido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, Cheryl Studer, Anne Sofie von Otter, Barbara Daniels, and many others [ Deutsche Grammophon DVD / 2 DVD - released 6/May/2010 ] G - Thrill to "hours and hours of glorious opera...A triumphant celebration of virtuosity (Toronto Globe and Mail) as New York's legendary opera company celebrates its first quarter century at Lincoln Center with "one of the most exquisitely refined... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
The Grand Organ of Liverpool Cathedral (concert recorded in 2012) [plus CD] Richard Lea at the Walker Organ of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral [ Priory DVD + CD / DVD/CD - released 20/Sep/2013 ] |
VERDI
Aida (complete opera recorded in 2009) Metropolitan Opera / Violeta Urmana, Johan Botha, Dolora Zajick & Carlo Guelfi / Daniele Gatti (cond) [ Decca DVD / 2 DVD - released 28/Jul/2011 ] Verdi's epic drama of ancient Egypt comes to life in the Met's monumental production, captured here in a breathtaking Live in HD presentation. Violeta Urmana stars in the title role of the princess-turned-slave girl, opposite Johan Botha as her lover... |