RICHARD STRAUSS
Salome (complete opera recorded in 2009) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Nadja Michael, Michael Volle, Michaela Schuster, Thomas Moser / Philippe Jordan [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Aug/2010 ] "Nadia Michael… is an attractive Salome, moving like a dancer, as physically unafraid as she is vocally… Michael Volle is an imposing, rich-toned Narraboth" (Gramophone) |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Don Giovanni (complete opera recorded in 2014) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Mariusz Kwiecien, Alex Esposito, Alexander Tsymbalyuk, Véronique Gens , Antonio Poli / Nicola Luisotti (cond [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 20/Nov/2014 ] Mozart's sublime tragic comedy offers boundless scope for directors, and Kasper Holten has chosen it to follow his directorial debut of Eugene Onegin. He wanted to shift the emphasis from Don Giovanni's sex life into a darker place, showing... |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) (complete opera recorded in 2021) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Mauro Peter, Siobhan Stagg, Roderick Williams, Sabine Devieilhe, Mika Kares / Julia Jones (cond) [ Opus Arte Blu-ray / Blu-ray - released 26/Nov/2021 ] David McVicar's classic production embraces both the seriousness and comedy of Mozart's work. The audience is transported to a fantastical world of dancing animals, flying machines and dazzlingly starry skies. The setting provides a wonderful... |
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
Gloriana (complete opera recorded in June 2013) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Susan Bullock, Toby Spence, Patricia Bardon, Mark Stone, Kate Royal / Paul Daniel (conductor) [ Opus Arte Royal Opera House Collection Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 25/Nov/2013 ] "At its moments of greatest drama and pathos this 2013 production is undeniably effective." (MusicWeb) |
GEORGES BIZET
Bizet: Carmen (complete opera filmed in 2006) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Jonas Kaufmann, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo / Antonio Pappano (conductor) [ Decca Music Group Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 25/Jan/2017 ] BLU-RAY - 'Kaufmann and Antonacci are that rare breed: superb singers who can also act with subtlety and passion' The Guardian |
GIACOMO PUCCINI
Puccini: Tosca (complete opera recorded in 2001) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Ruggero Raimondi / Antonio Pappano (cond) [ BBC / Opus Arte Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray UHD - released 10/Oct/2017 ] "brings this opera vividly to life ... this is a classic of the future" The Guardian |
GAETANO DONIZETTI
Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore (complete opera recorded in 1971) [2 CDs plus Blu-ray audio] Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Nicolai Ghiaurov / Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Richard Bonynge [ Decca 2 CDs plus Blu-ray audio / 3 CD Box Set - released 27/Sep/2019 ] "The "L'elisir" set was one of the loveliest things Sutherland ever did on record . . . As Donizetti's Adina she is charming -- touching, exuberant, virtuoso (her coloratura is astounding), and always very human." (Gramophone) |
KIRI te KANAWA
I Could Have Danced all Night (Concert & Portrait) BLU-RAY Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano) / New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, John Hopkins / Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Stephen Barlow [ Arthaus Blu-ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Oct/2015 ] Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's story has all the best elements of an operatic fairytale. Coming from a part-Maori background she went on to become one of the world's most famous opera stars. |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: Cherevichki [The Slippers] (complete opera recorded in 2009) BLU-RAY Royal Opera House / Larissa Diadkova, Maxim Mikhailov, Vladimir Matorin, Olga Guryakova, Vsevolod Grivnov / Alexander Polianichko (cond) [ Opus Arte Royal Opera House Collection Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 1/Aug/2011 ] "…this expensive-looking production that combines the forces of the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet…" The Guardian |
PYOTR Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71 (recorded at Bregenz Festival, 2009) BLU-RAY Royal Ballet / Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Peter Wright (choreographer) / Miyako Yoshida / Ricardo Cervera / Steven McRae [ Opus Arte Blu-Ray / Blu-ray Disc - released 19/Nov/2010 ] 'One of the very best seasonal treats for children and adults alike, the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker is a handsome, magical, thoroughly traditional rendering of ETA Hoffmann's immortal if deeply strange story.' Sunday Express |