What's Available Now from Decca?

Decca released the following titles:

  1. Spartacus ballet. Music by Aram Khachaturian. Libretto and choreography by Yuri Grigorovich. Scenario by Nikolai Volkov. Stars Carlos Acosta, Alexander Volchkov, Nina Kaptsova, and Maria Allash supported by the Corps de Ballet of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. The performance on this disc was filmed in 2008 at the Opéra national de Paris, Palais Garnier. Pavel Klinichev conducted the Orchestre Colonne. Scenography, set, and costume design by Simon Virsaladze; lighting by Mikhail Sokolov. Released in 2008, this disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. This disc is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Canada, or France.
     
    [Spartacus tells the story of the slaves' revolt against their Roman masters. It presents a stark contrast to the ephemeral, gossamer idea many of us may have of ballet. For this is dance with a raw, urgent thrust in which the spirit of revolt boils up and overflows in a fury of defiance. This dynamic thrust is in the music, in the choreography, and most of all in Carlos Acosta, who sets new standards in male dancing.
    Acosta is capable of portraying the most violent emotions. But he also can convey the tenderest of delicate subtlety as he dances with his wife Phrygia (Nina Kaptsova). It's amazing to see the effortless way he carries her, drapes her over his shoulder, whirls her around, and then sets her down so gently, emphasising her sylph-like gracefulness. Crassus (Alexander Volchkov), the ruthless, vain, and decadent representative of Imperial Rome is, with his affected haughtiness, perhaps slightly too effeminate at times, although this does emphasis his decadence all the more.
    This production, with its dramatic lighting and evocative sets, is served well by HDVD. We can really appreciate its benefits when we have a view of the entire stage and the overall choreographic design. In standard DVD, with its lower resolution, all of this would have been lost in an imprecise, middle-distance blur. Altogether, Spartacus provides an outstanding experience --- powerful enough to persuade those who profess indifference to ballet and maybe even change their minds.     Gordon Smith, of Opera Dou]
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  2. Georges Bizet Carmen opera to libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Directed by Francesca Zambello at the Royal Opera House in 2006. Stars Anna Caterina Antonacci, Jonas Kaufmann, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Norah Amsellem, Elena Xanthoudakis, Viktoria Vizin, Jean-Sébastien Bou, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Matthew Rose, Jacques Imbrailo, Carolina Lena Olsson, and Anthory Debaeck. Antonio Pappeno conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus. Designs by Tanya McCallin; lighting by Paule Constable, choreography by Arthur Pita; fight scenes by Mike Loades. This disc, released in 2008, has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. This disc is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, or Canada.
     
    [This disc is a chain with no weak link. All 12 stars look, sing, and act right. Antonacci is convincing as a woman who is always the brightest light in the room. Kaufman is handsome and athletic enough to actually rappel on stage. The chorus gets a huge workout signing and acting as soldiers, villagers of all classes, and brigands. When you see the infectious children, you will want to march right out and enlist. The directing is admirable throughout and spiced with spectacular touches such as Escamillo entering on a splendid horse, the 6 chubby-cheeker dancing girls, and a magnificent parade to the bullring. It's impressive to see how one rather simple set works well as a village square with cigarrete factory, a tavern patio, a mountain redoubt, and the exterior of an arena. Great costumes? Check. Warm lighting and carmin palette give glow. The orchestra plays great, and the dts Master Audio recording is wonderful---even the sub-woofer gets to whack away. To top it off, Zambello gets beneath the all the glitter to the guts of this story. You see and feel how badly Don José (and Carmen) have hurt Micaëla, and we understand the price they will pay. Oh, yes. The video photography and editing here is masterful with a vivid and apt mix of whole-set shots and powerful close-ups. The only quibble we have with this disc is that the subdued lighting, no doubt pleasing in the theater, was too challenging at times for the high-definition cameras. The result was some graininess and occasional motion artifacts. Lets hope the next generation of cameras will do a better job with the low-light scenes. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  3. Nutcracker ballet. Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to libretto and script plan of Marius Petipa. Adapted by Mihail Chemiakin with new choreography by Kirill Simonov. The performance presented on this disc was filmed in 2007 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Peterburg. Stars Irina Golub, Leonid Sarafanov, Vladimir Ponomarev, Elena Bazhenova, Anton Adasinsky, Anton Lukovkin, Alexander Kulikov, Natalia Sveshnikova, Igor Petrov, Tatiana Goryunova, Ilmira Bagautdinova, Eduard Gusev, Andrei Yakoviev, Ekaterina Kondaurova, Elena Adrosova, Daria Vasnetsova, Ekaterina Petina, Daria Sukhorukova, and Olga Balinskaya supported by other artists of the Mariinsky Ballet and students of the Academy of Russian Ballet. Valery Gergiev conducts the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre. Although most of this show was shot in high-definition, the pictures of the theater interior and all the shots showing the whole stage were shot in standard definition. This is a big deficiency to culturevultures, but we decided to include the disc here because the high-definition work is quite good and the sound is excellent also. This disc, released in 2008, has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. This disc is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [There is no "standard" Nutcracker. Anybody can paint what he will on the canvas of Tchaikovsky's score. Just about every ballet company in the West has to do one every year, so there are hundreds of versions around, including about 12 from major houses that are well known to ballet fans from live performances and recordings. Most of the well-known versions are more or less conservative. But there are quite a few that are wildly idiosyncratic. Well, this Chemiakin version is one from that group, and it seems to be aimed at the anarchists, deranged psychologists, paranoid schizophenics, and serial killers in the audience.
    Mihail Chemiakin is an iconoclastic Russian painter and designer who stood up to Soviet power when doing that was dangerous and keeps standing up to everything that came later. He appears at the curtain call in this video in his trademark black hat and garb. His style is 51% folk primitive mixed with 49% surrealism. His work tends to be interesting sometimes, but always ugly. Nevertheless he is highly regarded, and the Mariinsky appears to have given him carte blanche for the design and libretto here.
    And what a glorious mess Chemiakin made! Masha (the Russian name for Clara) is the neglected and desperately unhappy daughter of a lecherous father and vain mom. Drosselmeyer, a spastic ghould figure from the silent movies, is a sexual predator who sees Masha's vulnerability. To get access, he tries to ingratiate himself with Masha at the drunken party at her home. But his gift to Masha of the nutcrackor doll backfires when the doll decides to move in. Masha is a pre-slut---one of those pretty clueless girls who start to ooze sexuality and have no one to protect them. At age 14 you see trouble coming; when you see them next at age 16, the damage is complete. After the Prince wins the battle with the rats, Masha is ready. She does a provocative thank-you dance for the Prince. This includes, to some of Tchaikovsky's most sonorous and elevated music, the most shocking incident in any ballet I've seen. She wallows on her back before her swain, spreads her legs wide, and flashes her crotch directly at him---a move that has for all time been universally taboo for girls and respectable women. This wins the Prince over and away they go in a shoe.
    Next up is the snowstorm. Chemiakin dresses the female corps in all black (yes--tutus). They bump and grind, wallow on their backs to display black petticoats and panties, and otherwise "dance up a storm" while the members of the children's choir parade around made up like living corpses in white burial shrouds.
    Finally we make it the the sweet shop in Act. 2. There's plenty of weirdness there too, but with the incidental dances we get a wee break from the battle of the sexes. Soon the nutcracker doll is revealed as a real handsome Prince. With both straps of her dress hanging off her shoulders, Masha dances lasciviously in the Pas de deux. But strangely, the Prince exceeds expectations. He dances properly and chastely as any decent handsome Prince is want to do. And right away there follows a grand wedding march and Masha has got her guy! Why is this little tramp Masha so lucky?
    Outside in the cold, Drosselmeyer is having a fit over the loss of his easy target. He crashes the party. All the characters in the story have been turned in candies. The newlyweds, who have been transformed into dolls, stand on the top a giant wedding cake. Rats are busy eating the cake. H'mm. The Prince was so nice because he's a fraud! Masha, who only wanted security and love, has been tranformed into a token of conspicuous consumption. She will see the trappings of wealth. But the Price will beat her every day except Sunday, when he will start the week off right by beating her twice. She will be his slave until the rats have finished the cake, and then he will discard her. (If you don't like this interpretation, make up your own.)
    And so, dear reader, you probably will agree by now that this     Nutcracker is not for children or a good idea for your happy holiday party in your home theater. If you watch this show, be prepared to decide if it is reprehensible rubbish, trenchant social satire, or something else. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  4. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin opera to libretto by the composer and K. S. Shilavsky based on the poem by Alexander Pushkin. Directed by Peter McClintock at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 2007. Stars Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Ramón Vargas, Elena Zaremba, Svetlana Volkova, Larisa Shevchenko, Sergei Aleksashkin, Keith Miller, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, and Richard Bernstein. Valery Gergiev conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchester, Chorus, and Ballet. Set and costume design by Michael Levine; lighting by Jean Kalman, choreography by Serge Bennathan. Released in 2008, this disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. This disc is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  5. Swan Lake ballet. Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Book by V. P. Begitchev and Vasily Geltzer. Original choreography by Marius Pepita and Lev Ivanov. Konstantin Sergeyev directed this performance, with his own revised choreography, in 2006 at the Mariinsky Theater in St Petersburg. Stars Ulyana Lopatkina, Danila Korsuntsev, Alexandra Gronskaya, Pyotr Stasiunas, Andrei Ivanov, Ilya Kuznetsov, Irina Golub, Yekaterina Osmolkina, Anton Korsakov, Yevgenia Obraztsova, Svetlana Ivanova, Olesya Novikova, Alina Somova, Viktoria Tereshkina, Yekaterina Osmolkina, Tatiana Tkachenko, Xenia Ostreikovskaya, Daria Sukhorukova, Ketevan Papava, Elena Bazhenova, Islom Baimuradov, Andrei Merkuriev, Yana Selina, Maxim Khrebtov, Polina Rassadina, Artem Yachmennikov, Galina Rakhmanova, Viktoria Kutepova, Marianna Pavlova, Yulia Slivkina, Andrei Yakovlev, Dmitry Sharapov, Alexander Klimov, and Karen Ioannisyan. Valery Gergiev conducts the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Ballet. Set design by Simon Virsaladze; costumes by Galina Solovieva. This disc, released in 2008, has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. This disc is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  6. Gioachino Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia opera to libretto by Cesare Sterbini. Directed by Emilio Sagi in 2005 at the Teatro Real de Madrid. Stars Juan Diego Flóres, María Bayo, Bruno Praticò, Pietro Spagnoli, Ruggero Raimondi, Marco Moncloa, Susana Cordón, Enrique Sánchez Ramos, Antonio Ortega, and José Antonio Sanguino. Gianluigi Gelmetti conducts the Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real and the Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid. Sets by Llorenç Corbella; costumes by Renata Schussheim; lighting by Eduardo Bravo. This disc, released in 2008, has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. This disc is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Gordon Smith and his L'OperaDou jury awarded the grade of "A-" to this title. Please let us know if you would like to write a thumbnail description for us.]
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  7. Giuseppe Verdi Aida opera to libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli in 2006 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Stars Violeta Urmana, Roberto Alagna, Ildiko Komlosi, Giorgio Giuseppini, Carlo Guelfi, Marco Spotti, Antonello Ceron, and Sae Kyung Rim in singing roles as well as Luciana Savignano, Roberto Bolle, and Myrna Kamara of the ballet. Riccardo Chailly directs the Orchestra e coro del Teatro alla Scala. Sets by Franco Zeffirelli; costumes by Maurizio Millenotti; lighting by Gianni Mantovanini; choreography by Vladimir Vassiliev. This disc, released in 2008, has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. This disc is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  8. The Tribute to Pavarotti concert presented in 2008 in Petra, Jordan by Nicoletta Mantovani Pavarotti and Princess Haya Bint al Hussein of Jordan. Stars José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Cynthia Lawrence, Andrea Griminelli, Jonanotti, Sting, Zucchero, Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, and Alem Kandour (juvenile artist). Eugene Kohn conducts the Prague Philharmonia. This disc is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  9. Giuseppe Verdi La Traviata opera to libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Directed by Marta Domingo in 2006 at the Los Angeles Opera. Stars Renée Fleming, Rolando Villazón, Renato Bruson, Daniel Montenegro, Philip Kraus, Lee Poulis, James Creswell, Suzanna Guzmán, Anna Alkhimova, Sal Malaki, Tim Smith, and Mark Kelly. James Conlon conducts the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Sets and costumes by Giovanni Agostinucci; lighting by Duane Schuler; choreography by Kitty McNamee. This disc, released in 2009, has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries (We think you can ignore information on the amazon site about DVD region codes; the package says the disc is free of region codes.): USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  10. 2009 New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic (Wiener Philharmoniker) conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Recorded live under the direction of Brian Large on January 1, 2009 at the Musikverein in Vienna. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, or France.
     
    [Now we are not talking about profundity, universality, metaphysicality, or other philosophical aspect of art. No, for this 2009 New Year's Concert disc, the operative word is pulchritudinous---or "pretty." This has got to be the prettiest video ever made. And the reason for this has got to be the director, Brian Large. Yes, Large, whose résumé is swamped with with more than 600 videos to his credit (including 9 Vienna Philharmonic New Year's shootings), must know everything there is to know about pretty pictures.
    Here's the recipe. Start with the splendid Vienna Goldener Saal des Musikvereins with its symmetrical, shapely coziness and ravishing architectural ornamentation. Blend into every enticing unoccupied space dazzling banks of all the cut flowers on the market in Austria and Italy. Talk the divine Philharmonic into hiring 2 women musicians, both alluringly gorgeous. Invite the admirable, elegant elite of the nation, all of whom will dress in excellent garments knowing they will be photographed for all the world to see forever (I especially liked the two comely ladies in stunning kimonos). Whip up the camera crews to make radiant closeups of everything from bewitching angles. As soon as the lovely polkas and waltzes may start to get tedious, mix in resplendent shots of sightly lakes, sublime swans, grand forests, pleasing vineyards, and magnificent mountains. Have cute and angelic student Cupids and nymphs prance throughout the superb building and down the aisles charming the audience. (It doesn't hurt that Barenboim did a classy job of directing the graceful orchestra and fine audience without a score and that the orchestra was marvelous playing the delicate, delightful dance program.) Include admirable bonus features, all in nice high-definition video, of fair, beauteous girls and statuesque, handsome men dancing to Strauss in exquisite palaces. Give the appealing city of Linz an ideal chance to show how its wonderful buildings, bridges, and barges exercise their refined talents as performance artists. Finally garnish with members of the Philharmonic playing in all manner of fascinating places and with the foxy percussion section playing     Oropaxis in consort with a blast furnace.
    Do we really need a 1010 New Year's Concert? Probably not---but if anyone can top the 2009, it will be Large. And you're right, this thumbnail contains 48 synonyms of the word "pretty."     Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  11. George Frideric Handel Semele opera to libretto by William Congreve. Directed by Robert Carson in 2007 at the Zürich Opera House (Opernhaus Zürich). Stars Cecilia Bartoli, Charles Workman, Birgit Remmert, Liliana Nikiteanu, Anton Scharinger, Thomas Michael Allen, and Isabel Rey. William Christie conducts the Orchestra La Scintilla and the Chorus of the Zürich Opera. Sets and costumes by Patrick Kinmonth; lighting by Robert Carsen and Peter van Praet; choreography by Philippe Giraudeau as revived by Elain Tyler-Hall. This disc, released in 2009, has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  12. Gaetano Donizetti Don Pasquale opera to libretto by Giovanni Ruffini and the composer. Directed in 2006 by Grischa Asagaroff at the Zürich Opera House (Opernhaus Zürich). Stars Juan Diego Flórez, Ruggero Raimondi, Isabel Rey, Oliver Widmer, Valeriy Murga, Thomas von Grünigen, Elsbeth Treichler, Alex Minder, Renata Blum, and Aneel Soomary. Nello Santi conducts the Orchestra and the Chorus of the Zürich Opera. Set and costume design by Luigi Perego; lighting by Jürgen Hoffmann. This disc was released in 2009 and has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, or Canada.
     
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  13. Romeo and Juliet ballet. Music by Sergei Prokofiev. Libretto by Leonid Lavrovsky, Sergei Prokofiev, and Sergei Radlov. Staged by Monika Mason at the Royal Opera House in 2007 based on original choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky as later revised by Kenneth McMillian. Stars Tamara Rojo, Carlos Acosta, José Martín, Thiago Soares, Yohei Sasaki, David Pickering, Christopher Saunders, Elizabeth McGorian, Laura Morera, Sian Murphy, Isabel McMeekan, Gary Avis, Christina Arestis, Sandra Conley, Alastair Marriott, and Francesca Filpi. Boris Gruzin conducts the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. Designs by Nicholas Georgiadis; lighting by John B. Read. Released in 2009, this title has 5.1 dts-HD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, or Canada.
     
    [There are about 5 major strains of Romeo and Juliet in ballet with music by various composers. The Prokofiev score is the most popular, and it is considered to be the best ballet music written since Tchaikovsky. Various choreographers have tackled Prokofiev, and this is a Royal Opera House update of the most successful Prokofiev version. I would be hard pressed to think of any way to improve on this production. All the dancers are wonderful in motion, and Tamara Rojo is an outstanding actress as well. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia sounds grand---their base drum will give your home theater system a chance to show off your ".1". The design and lighting is elegent; the costumes are rich and convincing. Lots of spirited sword fighting to please boys of all ages. The video cameramen demonstrate great skill in avoiding motion sickness in the many dark scenes and in taking advantage of available light. For particular, I was impressed by the scene of the brightly illuminated Juliet lying in state on her bier surrounded by the total darkness of the family tomb (think the foreshortened image by Andre Mantegna in his painting Dead Christ). If you have the slightest interest in ballet, this Romeo and Juliet must be high on your shopping list. I gave this the grade of "A+." Later the L'OperaDou jury awarded an "A-." Our policy is to use the higher of the two grades, so the A+ stands. Henry C McFadyen, Jr June 2010]
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  14. Richard Strauss Rosenkavalier opera to libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Directed in 2009 by Herbert Wernicke at Baden-Baden. Stars Renée Fleming, Franz Hawlata, Sophie Koch, Franz Grundheber, Diana Damrau, Irmgard Vilsmaier, Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Jane Henschel, Jonas Kaufmann, Uli Kirsch, Andreas Hörl, Wilfried Gahmlich, Lynton Black, Jörg Schneider, Bernarda Bobro, Catherine Veillerobe, Angela Rudolf, Nina Amon, Michael Schwendinger, Manfried Schwendinger, Manfred Schwaiger, Ilker Arcayürek; Jens Waldig, Mandred Hanakam, Jörg Espenkott, Max Sahlinger, Andreas Maurer, Christian Lusser, Kiril Chobanov, Akos Banlaky, and René Schumann. Christian Thielemann conducts the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Chor Wien (Director: Walter Zeh), and the Theaterkinderchor am Helmholtz-Gymnasium Karlsruhe (Director: Waltraud Kutz). TV direction by Brian Large. This disc was released in 2009, and it has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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