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GIUSEPPE VERDI
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Verdi: Falstaff (complete opera recorded in 2009) Glyndebourne Opera / Christopher Purves / Tassis Christoyannis / Dina Kuznetsova / Jennifer Holloway / Vladmir Jurowski (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 1/Apr/2010 ] "This Falstaff is immensely enjoyable and amongst the best that I have watched. I strongly recommend it whether you admire Verdi's last work or not..an amiable, pleasing production with an exceptionally fine cast" Recording of the Month MusicWeb Nov... |
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HILDEGARD von BINGEN
Hildegard von Bingen - In Portrait - Ordo Virtutum Ansy Boothroyd / John Hancorm / Vox Animae, led by Evelyn Tubb / Mayfield Chamber Opera Chorus / Michael Fields / Piers Adams / Steven Devine [ Opus Arte / Kultur DVD / 2 DVD - released 5/Jan/2004 ] G :- "The vocal artistry is at a very high level… neither Evelyn Tubb nor Ansy Boothroyd try to steal the show. …If I were forced to limit my library to only one recording of music by Hildegard von Bingen, this would be it." -Continuo, USA (Ordo... |
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BELLINI
I Puritani (complete opera recorded in 2009) Netherlands Opera / Daniel Borowski, Mariola Cantarero, Riccardo Zanellato / Giuliano Carella (conductor), Francisco Negrin (director) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 2/Feb/2013 ] "Osborn manages a stupendous top F, non-falsetto, and his singing in the trio, lyrical but desperate, is even more wonderful...Go on, give it a whirl." (Gramophone) |
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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (complete opera) BLU-RAY Glyndebourne Opera / David Portillo, Sofia Fomina, Björn Bürger, Brindley Sherratt / Ryan Wigglesworth [ Opus Arte DVD / Blu-ray - released 15/May/2020 ] "In the first half, André Barbe's exquisitely drawn and then enlarged interiors magic the eye, and the cut-out guests that people the hotel are a delight...is there a more satisfying Sarastro around at present than the magnificent Brindley Sherratt?" |
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W. A. MOZART
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte (complete opera recorded in 2006) Glyndebourne Opera / Topi Lehtipuu, Luca Pisaroni, Miah Persson, Anke Vondung / Ivan Fischer (conductor) [ Opus Arte / Rai Trade DVD / 2 DVD - released 1/May/2007 ] 'I had to search long and hard down memory lane to recall a Così that so vividly revealed both the pleasure and the overwhelming pain of this evermore disturbing masterpiece, and I failed.' Opera |
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RICHARD WAGNER
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wagner: Die Walkure (complete opera recorded in 2003) Gran Teatre del Liceu / Richard Berkeley-Steele / Falk Struckmann / Linda Watson / Bertrand de Billy (cond) [ Opus Arte / Kultur DVD / 3 DVD Box Set - released 1/Jul/2009 ] Filmed at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2003, Harry Kupfer's acclaimed production, first staged in Berlin, numbers among the greatest productions of modern times and is recorded in sumptuous surround sound. |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Die Walküre (complete opera recorded in 2010) Johan Botha / Edith Haller / Linda Watson / Albert Dohmen / Bayreuther Festspiele Chorus / Bayreuther Festspiele / Christian Thielemann [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 23/Jun/2011 ] "[Botha] is outstanding throughout as Siegmund...Dorst's production, and this filming of it, are at their best in the latter stages of Act 3 and the result is a powerful and affecting account of one of The Ring's greatest episodes...there's nothing... |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (complete opera recorded in 2010) Netherlands Opera / Juha Uusitalo, Robert Lloyd, Catherine Naglestad, Marco Jentzsch / Harmut Haenchen (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 30/Jun/2011 ] "It never feels rushed but it does feel inexorable, with the orchestra playing with amazing transparency: one can hear Wagner's genius creating and growing....Haenchen manages Wagner's awkward mood/tempo changes as if they were organic." I.R.R. |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: I vespri Siciliani (complete opera recorded in 1990) La Scala Opera / Giorgio Zancanaro, Enzo Capuano, Chris Merritt, Cheryl Studer / Riccardo Muti (cond) [ Opus Arte / Rai Trade / La Scala Collection DVD / DVD - released 25/Dec/2015 ] Verdi's 1855 Paris opera which followed Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La Traviata is treated to a performance of blazing energy and intimate refinement with a superb cast which includes Cheryl Studer and Chris Merritt. |
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FRANCESCO CAVALLI
Cavalli: Ercole Amante (complete opera recorded in 2009) Netherlands Opera / Luca Pisaroni / Veronica Cangemi / Concerto Koln / Ivor Bolton [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 1/Sep/2010 ] "This is a ravishing production in every department - scenery, stage effects, costumes, dancing, acting and music." (BBC Music) |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Die Walkure (complete opera recorded in 1999) Netherlands Opera / John Keyes, Nadine Secunde, John Brocheler, Jeannine Altmeyer, Kurt Rydi, Reinhild Runkel / Harmut Haenchen (cond) [ Opus Arte Essential Opera Collection DVD / 2 DVD - released 20/Oct/2013 ] "The visual impact of this Spartan production is such that it will not be easily forgotten. It is recorded in surround sound...All in all this a quality product." (MusicWeb May 2006) |
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PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (Complete opera recorded in 2011) Netherlands Opera / Olga Savova, Krassimira Stoyanova, Elena Maximova, Bo Skovhus / Mariss Jansons (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 20/Apr/2012 ] 'Jansons sets us on a simmer and gradually turns the heat to boiling. It is magisterially paced, stunningly played and, seemingly effortlessly, Jansons captures every aching nuance..Herheim's innovations are often throbbingly acute (and sometimes... |
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BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Death in Venice (complete opera recorded in 2013) English National Opera / John Graham-Hall, Andrew Shore, Tim Mead / Edward Gardner (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 3/Mar/2014 ] "Graham-Hall is a real stage-animal, convincing us utterly of his descent into obsession...every colour, timbre and texture of this richly imaginative score comes blazing through under Gardner's baton". (Gramophone Award Nomination 2015 - Opera) |
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GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: Donizetti: Don Pasquale (complete opera recorded in 2019)) Royal Opera / Bryn Terfel, Ioan Hotea, Markus Werba, Olga Peretyatko / Evelino Pidò (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 29/Sep/2023 ] "Terfel sounds wonderful, singing with handsomely focused tone and brings considerable panache to his duet with Werba, which is denied its traditional encore here. In the pit, Evelino Pidò conducts with admirable precision and grace." (Guardian). |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Rigoletto (complete opera) Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Marcelo Alvarez, Lisette Oropesa, Blaise Malaba, Liparit Avetisyan / Antonio Pappano (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 18/Nov/2022 ] Director Oliver Mears makes his Royal Opera debut with his 'thrilling new production' (The Times ★★★★), which frames Verdi's masterpiece as a modern morality play, pitting power against innocence in a decadent world of corruption and social decay. |
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W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) (complete opera recorded in 2021) Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Mauro Peter, Siobhan Stagg, Roderick Williams, Sabine Devieilhe, Mika Kares / Julia Jones (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 26/Nov/2021 ] "This spirited performance, with good video direction by Jonathan Haswell, will give a great deal of pleasure." Gramophone |
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JOBY TALBOT
Talbot: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (complete ballet recorded in 2011) Royal Opera House / Lauren Cuthbertson, Sergei Polunin, Edward Watson, Zenaida Yanowsky / Barry Wordsworth (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 25/Nov/2014 ] Lewis Carroll's ever-popular story provides the basis for Christopher Wheeldon's spectacular new work, starring Royal Ballet Principal Lauren Cuthbertson. Captivating designs by Bob Crowley, an engaging and passionate score by Joby Talbot, and... |
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GIUSEPPE VERDI
Verdi: Macbeth (complete opera recorded in 2011) Royal Opera House / Simon Keenlyside, Liudmyla Monastryrska, Raymond Aceto / Antonio Pappano (cond) [ Opus Arte / BBC DVD / DVD - released 20/Apr/2012 ] "Lloyd's Covent Garden staging of Verdi's opera has a good deal going for it; there's plenty of atmosphere in Anthony Ward's aptly dark-toned sets...Keenlyside sings the title role with imagination and insight" (BBC Music) |
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FRANZ LEHAR
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Lehar: The Merry Widow (complete operetta recorded in English in 2001) San Francisco Opera / Yvonne Kenny, Bo Skovhus, Angelika Kirchschlager, Gregory Turay / Erich Kunzel (cond) [ BBC / Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 1/Apr/2010 ] '…this is about as lavish a production of Franz Lehár's adorable operetta as you are ever likely to see…soprano Yvonne Kenny is perfectly cast in the title role.' Classic FM Magazine |
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GEORG FRIDERIC HANDEL
Handel: Rinaldo (complete opera recorded in 2011) Glyndebourne Opera / Sonia Prina, Anett Fritsch, Brenda Rae, Luca Pisaroni / Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Ottavio Dantone [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 2/Feb/2013 ] "What is here is some exhilarating music-making, both vocal and instrumental. Ottavio Dantone leads an orchestral with a spring in its step and some fine playing" (BBC) |
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GIOACCHINIO ROSSINI
Rossini: L'Italiana in Algeri [An Italian in Algeries] (complete opera recorded in 2013) Teatro Comunale di Bologna / Anna Goryachova, Alex Esposito, Yijie Shi & Mario Cassi / José Ramón Encinar [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 20/Aug/2014 ] Pesaro's new offering in 2013 was an off-the-wall production of Rossini's popular comedy, 'The Italian Girl in Algiers', presented as a Swinging Sixties, James Bond adventure, set in the desert oil fields of the North African coast. Davide... |
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GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: La Favorite (Complete opera recorded in 2014) Theatre du Capitole de Toulouse / Kate Aldrich, Yijie Shi, Ludovic Tézier / Antonello Allemandi (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - 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... |
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IGOR STRAVINSKY
Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress (complete opera recorded in 2007) Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels / Andrew Kennedy / William Shimell / Laura Claycomb / Kazushi Ono (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 21/Mar/2008 ] G - Recorded live at Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels on 26 and 28 April 2007. |
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GLUCK
Gluck: Iphigénie en Aulide & Iphigénie en Tauride (complete operas recorded in 2011) Netherlands Opera / Véronique Gens / Mireille Delunsch / Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, Marc Minkowski [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 20/Feb/2013 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST 2013: Opera |
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JOHANN STRAUSS 11
Die Fledermaus (complete operetta recorded in 2003) Glyndebourne Opera / Pamela Armstrong, Thomas Allen, Ragnar Ulfung, Hakan Hagegard / Vladimir Jurowski (cond) [ BBC / Opus Arte / Kultur DVD / 2 DVD - released 1/Dec/2010 ] "Malena Ernman is a stunning Orlofsky (at the end, Lawless reveals that the prince was really a princess after all), and Håkan Hagegård and Pamela Armstrong are very satisfying as Dr. Falke and Rosalinde, respectively." ClassicalNet |
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VERDI
Les vêpres siciliennes (complete opera recorded in 2013) Royal Opera House / Lianna Haroutounian, Bryan Hymel, Erwin Schrott, Michael Volle / Antonio Pappano (cond) [ Warner Classics / Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 25/Mar/2015 ] "Pappano gets huge power and tension from the ensemble, and paces the long evening to perfection...sound and balance are good, and the filming has a real sense of the style of the show." (Gramophone) |
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GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Gianni Schicchi (complete opera) Glyndebourne Opera / Alessandro Corbelli, Felicity Palmer, Marie McLaughlin / Massimo Giordano, Sally Matthews / Vladimir Jurowski (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 16/Jun/2005 ] G :- "A delightful humorous and warm production of the final part of Puccini's Il trittico." (MusicWeb July 2005) |
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JANACEK
Jenufa (complete opera recorded in 2009) Amanda Roocroft / Deborah Polaski / Miroslav Dvorský / Nikolai Schukoff / Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real Madrid / Ivor Bolton [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 26/Oct/2011 ] "Amanda Roocroft has won laurels as Jenufa in various stage productions and comes across as a deeply sincere performer here, even if the voice is apt to turn shrill at the top...[Polaski's] very understatement is moving in its own way." (Gramophone) |
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PROKOFIEV
The Love for Three Oranges [L'Amour des 3 Oranges] (complete opera) Amsterdam Muziektheater / Alain Vernhes, Martial Defontaine, Francois Le Roux, Sandrine Piau / Stephane Deneve (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 28/Aug/2006 ] G :- "A reliable ensemble of singers yields the palm, though, to the astonishingly full-blooded playing of the Rotterdam Philharmonic under Denève..." (BBC Music) |
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GIOCOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Madama Butterfly (complete opera) Amsterdam Muziekther / Cheryl Barker, Martin Thompson, etc. / Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Edo de Waart (conductor) [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 25/Oct/2005 ] G :- "A superb DVD that now becomes my top recommendation for this opera on DVD. The production is top-notch, and the orchestral contribution the strongest I have yet to hear" (MusicWeb Jan 2006) |
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RAMEAU
Zoroastre (complete opera recorded at the Drottningholm Court Theatre, 2006) Anders J. Dahlin / Sine Bundgaard / Anna Maria Panzarella / Ditte Andersen / Christophe Rousset (cond) [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 22/Jun/2007 ] G - "Christophe Rousset and his forces deliver an excellently paced reading and much of the singing is perfectly judged. Pierre Audi's production, while it moves the cast around efficiently enough, is at times obscure in its use of gesture…" (BBC... |
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FRANCESCO CAVALLI
Cavalli: La Didone (complete opera recorded in 2011) Anna Bonitatibus, Kresimir Spicer, Xavier Sabata, Maria Streijffert / Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (cond.) & Clément Hervieu-Léger (dir.) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 20/Feb/2013 ] "This live French performance is a real beauty. Virtually anything William Christie touches these days is, and the cast he has assembled is second to none with Anna Bonitatibus simply stunning in the title role." (AudAud.com) |
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GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (Complete opera recorded in 2002) Glyndebourne Opera / Anne Sofie von Otter, Marcus Haddock, Laurent Naouri, Lisa Milne / Philippe Jordan (cond) [ Opus Arte Essential Opera Collection DVD / 2 DVD - released 20/Oct/2013 ] G: "(Von Otter's) Carmen has loads of overt sexuality - she languidly glides through the Habanera while sucking on a piece of fruit and then a cigar - and she shows plenty of temperament and fatalism tinged with fear later." (Los Angeles Times) |
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OFFENBACH
Les Contes d'Hoffmann [The Tales of Hoffmann] (Recorded live in 2006) Opera de Bilbao / Aquiles Machado, Milagros Poblador, Maria Bayo, Valentina Kutzarova, Konstantin Gorny, Katharine Goeldner / Alain Guingal (Conductor [ Opus Arte Essential Opera Collection DVD / 2 DVD - released 1/Oct/2013 ] 'Excellent work by Giancarlo del Monaco… extremely careful definition of the characters and efficient directing of the actors which brings out the best in them. … An absolute triumph for the women.' El Pais |
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STRAVINSKY / FAURE / TCHAIKOVSKY
Jewels (ballet by George Balanchine) Ballet de L'Opera National de Paris / George Balanchine / Christian Lacroix [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 19/Jun/2006 ] G :- 'Jewels', a work first performed by the New York City Ballet in 1967. This alluring, abstract ballet, a triptych in which each piece sparkles with the brilliance of a precious stone, is a lyric tribute to women and to the capital cities of... |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer [The Flying Dutchman] (Complete opera recorded in 2013) Bayreuth Festival / Samuel Youn, Franz-Josef Selig, Ricarda Merbeth / Christian Thielemann (conductor) [ Opus Arte DVD / DVD - released 20/Aug/2014 ] 2013's revival of Jan Philipp Gloger's controversial 2012 production was greeted (as so often in Bayreuth) with huge acclaim. He translates the tale of the Dutchman, whose travails can only be redeemed through the unconditional love of a woman... |
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RICHARD WAGNER
Wagner: Tannhäuser (complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Bayreuther Festspiele / Torsten Kerl, Camilla Nylund, Markus Eiche, Michelle Breedt / Axel Kobe (conductor) [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / 2 Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Sep/2015 ] "Camilla Nylund's Elisabeth has a range of novel emotions to convey, including humour and sexual interest...Question marks begin with the staging" Gramophone |
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VERDI
Il Trovatore (complete opera recorded in 2006) Carl Tanner / Iano Tamar / Zeljko Lucic / Marianne Cornetti / Vienna Symphony / Thomas Rosner [ Opus Arte DVD / 2 DVD - released 27/Sep/2007 ] G - "It has been said that to achieve a successful Trovatore performance one need only gather the five best singers in the world. Carsen hasn't quite that but he has a handful of first class actors who can also sing." (MusicWeb Oct 2007) |
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PROKOFIEV / TCHAIKOVSKY / DELIBES / ADAM / TALBOT / etc
The Royal Ballet - The Collection Carlos Acosta, Tamara Rojo, Edward Watson, Mara Galeazzi, Alina Cojocaru, Marianela Nunez, Darcey Bussell, Wayne McGregor [ Opus Arte Royal Opera House Collection DVD / 15 DVD Box Set - released 10/Nov/2016 ] Celebrating 60 years since the Royal Ballet was awarded its Royal Charter, this magnificent 15-disc collection brings together 22 ballets spanning a decade of dance. |
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PROKOFIEV / TCHAIKOVSKY / DELIBES / ADAM / STRAVINSKY / etc
An Evening With The Royal Ballet Carlos Acosta, Tamara Rojo, Lauren Cuthbertson, Alina Cojocaru, Marianela Nunez, Darcey Bussell, etc [ Opus Arte Royal Opera House Collection DVD / DVD - released 20/Feb/2013 ] "This compilation taster of the great classics offers knockout performances, leaving one hankering to see the complete work. Don't miss Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg in Giselle." (BBC Music) |