What's Available Now from Opus Arte?

Opus Arte in England has become the leader in publishing fine-arts HDVD titles. Their titles can be ordered from Opus Arte (over their website at www.opusarte.com or by phone) from anywhere in the world. Availability in the U.S. runs a month or two behind the release date in England. (For U.S. folks, waiting until the title is available on amazon.com in the U.S. will save a lot of money.) Opus Arte sells a sampler Blu-ray disc, at a break-even price, with selections from 13 of its recent titles---you can buy it now by clicking now on Sampler.

  1. Swan Lake ballet. Music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. Book by V. P. Begitchev and Vasily Geltzer. "Tragic" choreography by Rudolf Nureyev in grand tradition of Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa. Directed by Brigitte Lefèvre and Patricia Ruanne at the Paris Opera Ballet (Opéra Bastille) in 2005. Stars Agnès Letestu, José Martinez, Karl Paquette, Muriel Hallé, Michel Pasternak, Marie-Isabelle Peracchi, Nolwenn Daniel, Mélanie Hurel, Emmanuel Thibault, Dorothée Gilbert, Myriam Ould-Braham, Fanny Fiat, Mathilde Froustey, Emilie Cozette, Stéphanie Romberg, Aurélia Bellet, Laurence Laffon, Alessio Carbone, Nathalie Riqué, Julien Meyzindi, Christophe Duquenne, and Jérémie Bélingard. Vello Pähn directs the Paris Opera Ballet. Set design by Ezio Frigerio; costumes by Franca Squarciapino; lighting by Vinicio Cheli. This Opus Arte Swan Lake is an HD DVD product, with DTS 5.0 sound, released in 2007. Swan Lake. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This was an historic event: the first HDVD fine arts disc! This monumental title is still available, but it is now overshadowed by the Blu-ray version that Opus Arte published later and that is mentioned below as Item 12. For more information, try our review at Swan Lake, which discusses both the HD DVD and the Blu-ray versions in detail. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflöte, the Magic Flute, opera to libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. Directed by David McVicar at the Royal Opera House in 2003. Stars Simon Keenlyside, Dorothea Röschmann, Will Hartmann, Diana Damrau, Franz-Josef Selig, Ailish Tynan, Adrian Thompson, Gillian Webster, Christine Rice, Yvonne Howard, Thomas Allen, Matthew Beale, Richard Van Allan, Alan Oke, Graeme Broadbent, Zico Shaker, Tom Chapman, and John Holland-Avery. Sir Colin Davis directs the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus. Design by John Macfarlane; lighting by Paule Constable; and choreography by Leah Hausman. This is an HD DVD product released in 2007. Has 5.1 Dolby TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This was the first opera published in HDVD. This well-received disc is still available and plays just fine, but it is now overshadowed by the Blu-ray version that Opus Arte published later and that is mentioned below as Item 9. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  3. A Midsummer Night's Dream ballet. Choreography created by George Balanchine. Music by Felix Mendelssohn. Based on the play by William Shakespeare. Directed by Francia Russell at the Pacific Northwest Ballet and recorded at the Sadler's Wells Theatre, London in 1999. Stars Patricia Barker, Paul Gibson, Seth Belliston, Julie Tobiason, Ross Yearsley, Lisa Apple, Jeffrey Stanton, Ariana Lallone, Batkhurel Bold, Kaori Nakamura, Charles Newton, Timothy Lynch, Louise Nadeau, and Oliver Wevers. Stewart Kershaw directs the BBC Concent Orchestra. Artistic direction by Kent Stowell and Francia Russell; set and costume design by Martin Pakledinaz, lighting by Randall G. Chiarelli. Solo singers: Libby Crabtree, soprano, and Judith Harris, mezzo-soprano. This is an HD DVD product with 5.1 TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This was the third HDVD effort by Opus Arte, and it was the first HDVD disc they made that was free of any substantial technical issue. This delightful title is still available, but it is now overshadowed by the Blu-ray version that Opus Arte published later and that is mentioned below as Item 7. For more information, try our review at A Midsummer Night's Dream, which discusses both the HD DVD and the Blu-ray versions in detail. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  4. Johann Strauss II Die Fledermaus operetta to a libretto by Carl Haffner and Richard Genée. Directed by Stephan Lawless at Glyndebourne in 2003. Stars Pamela Armstrong, Thomas Allen, Lyubov Petrova, Malena Ernman, Håkan Hagegård, Pär Lindskog, Ragnar Ulfung, Artur Korn, Renée Schüttengruber, and Udo Samel (speaking part). Vladimir Jurowski directs the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Opera Chorus. Set design by Benoit Dugardyn; costumes by Ingeborg Bernerth; lighting by Paul Pyant; choreography by Nicola Bowie. This is an HD DVD product released in 2007. Has 5.0 TrueHD sound. Amazon carried this in the U.S., but they now call it "discontinued." Opus Arte apparently pulled this item off the market in the U.S. because of technical problems playing it on some HD DVD players. It is still available now from Amazon in these countries: UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [I was able to play this Fledermaus fine on my HD DVD player. It was an exemplary product when it worked. This title is still available in Europe, but it is now overshadowed by the Blu-ray version that Opus Arte published later and that is discussed in more detail below as Item 10. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  5. Cecilia & Byrn at Glyndebourne, a recital. Cecilia Bartoli and Bryn Terfel sing a short program of 10 opera arias and duets from baroque, classical, and bel canto composers. Myung-Whun Chung directs the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Glyndebourne Opera House in 1999. This HD DVD disc, released in 2008, has 5.1 TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, or Canada.
     
    [This was the first recital to be published in HDVD. This fine title is still available, but it is now overshadowed by the Blu-ray version that Opus Arte published later and that is described in Item 13 below. Because the program is a bit light-weight, we grade this title down to A-.]
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  6. Giuseppe Verdi Il trovatore opera to libretto by Salvadore Cammarano. Directed by Elijah Moshinsky at the Royal Opera House in 2002 (co-produced by the Royal Opera House and Teatro Real Madrid). Stars José Cura, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Yvonne Naef, Verónica Villarroel, Tómas Tómasson, Gweneth-Ann Jeffers, Thomas Barnard, Douglas Telfer, and Edgaras Montvidas. Carlo Rizzi conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus. Set design by Dante Ferretti; costumes by Anne Tilby; lighting by Howard Harrison; fight scenes arranged by William Hobbs. This is an HD DVD released in 2008. Has 5.1 Dolby TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, or Canada.
     
    [This title is still available, but it is now overshadowed by the Blu-ray version that Opus Arte published later and that is discussed in more detail below as Item 14. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  7. A Midsummer Night's Dream ballet. Choreography created by George Balanchine. Music by Felix Mendelssohn. Based on the play by William Shakespeare. Directed by Francia Russell at the Pacific Northwest Ballet and recorded at the Sadler's Wells Theatre, London in 1999. Stars Patricia Barker, Paul Gibson, Seth Belliston, Julie Tobiason, Ross Yearsley, Lisa Apple, Jeffrey Stanton, Ariana Lallone, Batkhurel Bold, Kaori Nakamura, Charles Newton, Timothy Lynch, Louise Nadeau, and Oliver Wevers. Stewart Kershaw directs the BBC Concent Orchestra. Artistic direction by Kent Stowell and Francia Russell; set and costume design by Martin Pakledinaz, lighting by Randall G. Chiarelli. Solo singers: Libby Crabtree, soprano, and Judith Harris, mezzo-soprano. This is the Blu-ray version of the A Midsummer Night's Dream that Opus Arte published earlier in HD DVD (see item 3 above). This disc was released in 2008. It has 5.1 PCM audio. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This was the first fine-art Blu-ray product ever published. This luminous show, with a lot of parts for children and teenagers, is artistically altogether admirable and enjoyable for all ages. It further proves that, through the magic of HDVD, regional ballet companies (of which there are many around the world) can compete with the big houses for attention in the world market. For more information, try our review at A Midsummer Night's Dream, which discusses both the HD DVD and the Blu-ray versions in detail. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  8. Giacomo Puccini La Bohème opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed by Giancarlo del Monaco at the Madrid Teatro Real in 2006. Stars Inva Mula, Aquiles Machado, Laura Giordano, Fabio Maria Capitanucci, David Menéndez, Felipe Bou, Gonzalo Fernández de Terán, Juan Tomás Martínez, Alfredo Mariotti, Federico Gallar, Mario Villoria, and Francisco Pardo. Jesús López Cobos conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real and the Children's Chorus of the Comunidad de Madrid. Design of set and costumes by Michael Scott; lighting by Wolfgang von Zoubek. This was an HD DVD product released in 2008. Has 5.0 Dolby TrueHD sound. This was apparently never made available in the U.S. through normal distributions channels. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: UK or Germany.
     
    [This was the last HD DVD title Opus Arte published. It plays just as well, we think, as the Blu-ray version that now overshadows it and which is discussed below as Item 15. CVO]
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  9. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflöte, the Magic Flute, opera to libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. Directed by David McVicar at the Royal Opera House in 2003. Stars Simon Keenlyside, Dorothea Röschmann, Will Hartmann, Diana Damrau, Franz-Josef Selig, Ailish Tynan, Adrian Thompson, Gillian Webster, Christine Rice, Yvonne Howard, Thomas Allen, Matthew Beale, Richard Van Allan, Alan Oke, Graeme Broadbent, Zico Shaker, Tom Chapman, and John Holland-Avery. Sir Colin Davis directs the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus. Design by John Macfarlane; lighting by Paule Constable; and choreography by Leah Hausman. This is the Blu-ray version, released in 2008, of the Zauberflöte that Opus Arte published earlier in HD DVD (see item 2 above). Has 5.1 PCM audio. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This production follows the score and libretto pretty closely, so its a good way to learn this opera. It has fine singing (especially Röschmann) and conducting. The design is an odd mix of industrial grung and 18-century themes---but after a while, it grows on you. Diana Damrau, in real life a harmless-looking pale blond, morphs into a fearsome Queen of the Night---the scariest female to come along since the death of the Alien She-Bitch. Papageno is played as a homeless tramp and Pagagena as a refugee from 10 years of wife-swapping parties. This is not the Die Zauberflöte we've been waiting for, but it's fun to watch for the time being and wipes out the DVD competiton. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  10. Johann Strauss II Die Fledermaus operetta to a libretto by Carl Haffner and Richard Genée. Directed by Stephan Lawless at Glyndebourne in 2003. Stars Pamela Armstrong, Thomas Allen, Lyubov Petrova, Malena Ernman, Håkan Hagegård, Pär Lindskog, Ragnar Ulfung, Artur Korn, Renée Schüttengruber, and Udo Samel (speaking part). Vladimir Jurowski directs the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Opera Chorus. Set design by Benoit Dugardyn; costumes by Ingeborg Bernerth; lighting by Paul Pyant; choreography by Nicola Bowie. This is the 2007 Blu-ray version of this title that first came out in HD DVD (see Item 4 above). It has 5.0 PCM audio and is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [As of this writing (May 5, 2009), this is maybe the best opera HDVD that has been published by anybody. The music is wonderful and the libretto is sophisticated, but harmless and funny. All the singers are good looking and sounding and have comic chops aplenty. The somewhat updated design is gorgeous, especially the famous revolving set. The fidelity of the video and sound is brilliant and totally satisfying. Put this at the top of your shopping list. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  11. Gioachino Rossini La Cenerentola to libretto by Jacopo Ferretti. Directed by Sir Peter Hall at Glyndebourne in 2005. Stars Ruxandra Donose, Maxim Mironov, Luciano Di Pasquale, Simone Alberghini, Nathan Berg, Raquela Sheeran, and Lucia Cirillo. Vladimir Jurowski directs the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Opera Chorus. Design by Hildegard Bechtler; costumes by Moritz Junge; lighting by Peter Mumford. This is a Blu-ray product released in 2008. Has 5.0 PCM audio. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This was the first title Opus Art published solely in Blu-ray.]
     
    [Rossini wrote his ‎ La Cenerentola, or ‎ Cinderella, in 1817; ‎ Karl Marx was born the next year. Intellectually, this is a modern version of the fairy tale: there's no magic, the story begins as broad comedy, the Fairy Godmother appears as an enlightened philosopher, and we end with a heaping tablespoon of adult moralizing. Nor is this kid stuff musically: this is bel canto with everybody singing in full coloratura mode. This production is pretty much beyond any criticism. The comic characters are hilariously lovable, the serious characters are noble without being too stuffy, and they can all sing ably in Italian faster than a speeding bullet. Jurowski rocks. The traditional direction, sets, costumes, and lighting work admirably at cozy Glyndebourne. The sound and video take good advantage of all that HDVD can offer. If you like coloratura signing, or you are just curious about it, try this recording. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  12. Swan Lake ballet. Music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. Book by V. P. Begitchev and Vasily Geltzer. "Tragic" choreography by Rudolf Nureyev in grand tradition of Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa. Directed by Brigitte Lefèvre and Patricia Ruanne at the Paris Opera Ballet (Opéra Bastille) in 2005. Stars Agnès Letestu, José Martinez, Karl Paquette, Muriel Hallé, Michel Pasternak, Marie-Isabelle Peracchi, Nolwenn Daniel, Mélanie Hurel, Emmanuel Thibault, Dorothée Gilbert, Myriam Ould-Braham, Fanny Fiat, Mathilde Froustey, Emilie Cozette, Stéphanie Romberg, Aurélia Bellet, Laurence Laffon, Alessio Carbone, Nathalie Riqué, Julien Meyzindi, Christophe Duquenne, and Jérémie Bélingard. Vello Pähn directs the Paris Opera Ballet. Set design by Ezio Frigerio; costumes by Franca Squarciapino; lighting by Vinicio Cheli. This is a Blu-ray product, released in 2008, with 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This is a later version of the title released earlier in HD DVD (see Item 1 above). To their everlasting credit, Opus Arte re-engineered to improve the Blu-ray product over what they had achieved with the HD DVD version. For example, there was considerable motion blur in the HD DVD version, but this was mostly cleaned up in the Blu-ray disc. The tragic Nureyev version takes maximum advantage of the psychological depth of the music, and its execution by the POB is on a level by itself. There may be some other version of Swan Lake that you will wind up liking better; but to find that out, you have to have this one on your shelf. For more information, try our review at Swan Lake, which discusses both the HD DVD and the Blu-ray versions in detail. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  13. Cecilia & Byrn at Glyndebourne, a recital. Cecilia Bartoli and Bryn Terfel sing a short program of 10 opera arias and duets from baroque, classical, and bel canto composers. Myung-Whun Chung directs the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Glyndebourne Opera House in 1999. This Blu-ray product, released in 2008, has 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This is the Blu-ray version of the title released earlier in HD DVD (see Item 5 above). The program consists of famous arias from Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Donizetti, and Rossini sung by two of the best singers available. They do a fine job. You get to hear the music delivered in a clear, clean, and flawless way that is unobtainable on an opera stage. We think getting to see the delivery so well as here also aids the music. This will be quite satisfactory to folks who know and love fine singing. On the other hand, many folks are likely to find this dish rather bland. For their first taste of recital singing on HDVD, they might try the Baden-Baden Opera Gala with its more generous program and 4 different voices. Because the program is a bit light-weight, we grade this title down to A-. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  14. Giuseppe Verdi Il trovatore opera to libretto by Salvadore Cammarano. Directed by Elijah Moshinsky at the Royal Opera House in 2002 (co-produced by the Royal Opera House and Teatro Real Madrid). Stars José Cura, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Yvonne Naef, Verónica Villarroel, Tómas Tómasson, Gweneth-Ann Jeffers, Thomas Barnard, Douglas Telfer, and Edgaras Montvidas. Carlo Rizzi conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus. Set design by Dante Ferretti; costumes by Anne Tilby; lighting by Howard Harrison; fight scenes arranged by William Hobbs. This is a Blu-ray product released in 2008. Has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This is a later Blu-ray version of the title released earlier in HD DVD (see Item 6 above). ]
     
    [Truth is stranger than fiction; the libretto to Il trovatore stranger than both. Still, because it's full of famous music, this has always been one of the most beloved and important operas. Il trovatore is also, I think, famous as the opera that requires the 4 best singers in the world (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone). Buzz says only Hvorostovsky qualifies on this disc, but all the singers were good enough for me. Verdi set this in about 1450 when a Count could have a gypsy woman burned at the stake for being nasty. Here the design puts us at about 1850, when such things were no longer done --- well, this is not the kind of story where you think much about such things. The entire opera takes place at night or in dark buildings. The low lighting was doubtless appropriate and dramatic in the theater. This was a challenge for the HD cameras. The result was a softer and grainier picture than you would like, but it's still a big improvement over DVD quality. An odd deficiency is that neither the disc menu nor the jewelbox booklet indexes the many famous arias to the chapters on the disc. This disc has an odd bonus if you happen to be a fan of Fight Club.
    If you are are a Verdi expert, you might pass over this disc in favor of other wonderful HDVDs Opus Arte is giving us. If you are a Verdi novice and are willing to do a bit of homework, I think you can come to love     Il trovatore with this disc. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
     
    [We still need an opera expert to review this title. It would also be grand if someone could work up a list for us of the famous arias indexed to the chapters on this Opus Arte disc. ]
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  15. Giacomo Puccini La Bohème opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed by Giancarlo del Monaco at the Madrid Teatro Real in 2006. Stars Inva Mula, Aquiles Machado, Laura Giordano, Fabio Maria Capitanucci, David Menéndez, Felipe Bou, Gonzalo Fernández de Terán, Juan Tomás Martínez, Alfredo Mariotti, Federico Gallar, Mario Villoria, and Francisco Pardo. Jesús López Cobos conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real and the Children's Chorus of the Comunidad de Madrid. Design of set and costumes by Michael Scott; lighting by Wolfgang von Zoubek. This Blu-ray product was released in 2008. Has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Updated thumbnail: This is the Blu-ray version of the HD DVD title issued earlier (see Item 8 above). Inva Mula does a impassioned job of acting someone half her age. She manages to look young, pretty, and sick, which is a tough assignment. Aquiles Machado is border-line obese. This is a problem since there is no such thing as a fat starving artist. But he has a sweet voice and he can act. He makes you care about Rodolfo and Mimi. All the supporting singers are excellent. The design is impressive and expensive-looking. Del Monaco's transition between Act 1 and the street seen at Cafe Momus is awesome. The directing is movie-slick with fine acting touches. I especially like Act Three where the traditional snow banks are replaced by a more detailed street scene showing the futility of the lives of our carefree friends. But the one that chokes me up is when Felipe Bou leaves the garret in Act IV. When he backs out the door, I know that Doom is moving in. In 2008, I liked this production better than the Met Zefferelli version I saw in HD at the movie house or anything I had seen on DVD. It also easily beats the Dornhelm movie version and the John Copley production at the Royal Opera House which came out later. Henry McFadyen, Jr. June 2010]
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  16. Vincenzo Bellini Norma opera to libretto by Felice Romani. Directed by Guy Joosten at De Nederlandse Opera in 2005. Stars Hasmik Papian, Hugh Smith, Giorgio Giuseppini, Irini Tsirakidis, Anna Steiger, and Carlo Bosi. Julian Reynolds conducts the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera. Set design by Johannes Leiacker; costumes by Jorge Jara; lighting by Davy Cunningham. This disc, released in 2008, has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [In Norma everyone is pure or will be purified and is therefor worthy of the beautiful singing line bestowed on him by Bellini. It's Republican Romans in regalia and rebels wearing rugs, which can look rather camp today. Enter the spear-point folks at De Nederlandse Opera with their controversial update: they don't mess with the music (I think), but they do stuff two parallel stories into the time alloted. This Doppelgänger mode leads to all manner of quirkiness. For example, in the end, Norma and Pollioni leave for a cruse in first class rather than mount a funeral pyre for self-immolation. You also see some truly silly costumes.
    This production provides evidence that opera signers are disproportionately victims of the obesity epidemic in the Western world. I was particularly disturbed to see Norma's two young sons (mute roles) played by boys so fat that they had trouble climbing out of a trap door. Is this child abuse? Well, maybe not, but it sure interferes with my enjoyment of beautiful song.
    Oh! yes, back to the music. Despite all the distractions, the orchestration and the singing on this disc will satisfy you that they are right to call this "bel canto." If you are a newcomer to opera, I suggest you first try the Bellini     I Puritani HDVD published by Deutsche Grammophon (Anna Netrebko at the Met) and then view this Norma. If you are an experienced Bellini lover, you will enjoy this Norma if you have a taste for adventure. Henry McFadyen, Jr. 2009]
     
    [A great HD channel we have in Europe called BravaHDTV resently showed the "notoriously quirky" Opus Arte Norma. I thought I would watch for just a minute, but I kind of got caught up in it. The trouble with Norma for me is that I always find its Priestess and Druids and Centurions a bit hard to swallow. Plus there are a lot of set pieces that are almost invariably "stand and deliver" numbers. It's hard to get any stage "business" going to add visual interest. I think the "parallel" story in this subject version---of events backstage at the opera house---works rather well. I liked the way the Diva arrives, signing autographs, just before singing "Casta Diva". And I enjoyed the ambiguity of not being sure whether the singers are acting out their own backstage romance or actually performing the opera. (Isn't this something we're getting used to with peeks behind the scenes in the Met live transmissions and on HDVD extras?) As the show progresses, it gradually moves more into a performance and away from the "backstage" view. And the singing is rather good overall. So I find the Opus Arte Joosten/Reynolds take more entertaining than the famous version with Caballé at Orange with its bad PQ and performance that appears to be taking place in a Force 9 gale. The other Norma I know is the much acclaimed version with June Anderson. It also suffers from being woefully static and unimaginatively staged. And I didn't like the wooden Centurion whose arm is stuck out in the air most of the time! So let's not be too hard on Joosten for his audacious direction. He succeeded in making the opera more interesting even though he knew this could invoke the wrath of traditional Bellini lovers. Gordon Smith 2010]
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  17. Two shorter operas directed as a double feature by Annabel Arden at Glyndebourne in 2004. Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Set design by Vikci Mortimer; costumes by Nicky Gillibrand; lighting by Paule Constable. This is a single disc, released in 2008, with 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    ["Nadie sabe para quien trabaja" is the Mexican proverb stating that nobody knows who will wind up inheriting his money. This is the theme connecting the two works on this disc.
    Gianni Schicchi is a slapstick comedy celebrating the antics of one of the earliest confidence artists in history. It also has one of Puccini's most famous lightening arias. Use this to trick your children into liking opera.
    The antidote is Rachmaninov's     The Miserly Knight. It's called a bonus on the package, but deserves equal billing. This is the only opera I've heard of where the composer uses the actual text (so I believe) of a masterpiece of world literature for the libretto. (Think of Schubert's courage in daring to write a song to Goethe's beloved Erlkönig ballad.) Alas, to really appreciate The Miserly Knight, you have to learn Russian, not a trivial task.
    The Miserly Knight is a late-romantic black-hole piece that permits no melody to escape. It's a psychological autopsy of the sin of greed and its effect on the miserly father, once an feared knight, and his pathetic son, whom we would now describe as "defective personality, passive dependent type." Leiferkus combines herculian singing with acting that would be admired by movies stars. They say the orchestra is the aria, and this can be quite absorbing, even riveting, for the hour it plays.To top it off, the director came up with a special effect that is too good for me to give away now. Stop reading, get this disc, and watch it cold. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  18. Jean-Philippe Rameau Zoroastre opera to libretto by Louis de Cahusac. Directed by Pierre Audi at the Drottningholm Slottstheatre in 2006. Stars Anders J. Dahlin, Evgueniy Alexiev, Sine Bundgaard, Anna Maria Panzarella, Lars Arvidson, Markus Schwartz, Gérard Théruel, and Ditte Andersen. Christophe Rousset conducts Les Talens Lyriques in collaboration with the Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra and Chorus. Amir Hosseinpour choreographs the Drotttningholm Theatre Dancers. Set and costume design by Patrick Kinmonth; lighting by Peter von Praet. This disc, released in 2008, Has 5.1 TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This is maybe the best introduction on the planet to early, or baroque, opera. The good guys, Zoroastre (Persian hero) and his gal Amélite are pitted against the bad guys, Abramane and his paramour Erinice. The problem is that Erinice secretly loves Zoroastre and would bring down the universe to get him. A priest commands Zoroastre to save the universe and his girl. After almost 4 hours of pageantry-paced yen and yang, Zoroastre finally establishes order. This is a big investment in time for such a thin book.
    But all the rest is good news.     Zoroastre dates to 1756, and this production was recorded at the Drottningholm in Sweden, the most famous and best preserved 18-century theater in the world (450 seats). The stage is tiny and cozy. This show makes splendid use of the elaborate original stage equipment. The high-definition cameras crews crawl around and shoot from every possible direction. The singers are young, sexy, and having fun. Because they don't have to scream to the rafters, you can hear the words. (Turn on the French subtitles and take a language lesson.) The music, performed with period instruments, sounds to me limited in range and colors. But it's pretty impressive what they do with without valves or keys.
    The design is a tasteful application of simplicity to 18th century forms. I understand the original opera had dance numbers throughout. But the choreography here is (I think) modern dance tipping its hat to baroque and folk antecedents. The overall effect is slick and stylish (rather than quaint or erudite). The direction reveals surprising psychological depth, as in, for example, the Act IV scene of the blood-thirsty orgy of the evil cult.
    I suggest you watch this     Zoroastre first and then follow up with the Mozart Die Zauberflöte from Opus Arte (Item 9 above). These works share the basic "Masonic" theme of enlightenment achieved by an initiation rite. Mozart composed his classical opera just 35 years after Rameau staged his baroque Zoroastre. You will probably be impressed by the differences in the libretto and music in the two works. But which of these two recordings seems the more "modern" today? You might be surprised by your conclusion. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
     
  19. Jewels ballet. Choreography by George Balanchine. Music by Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stravinsky, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Directed by Brigitte Lefèvre of the Paris Opera Ballet in 2005. Stars solo dancers Eleonora Abbagnato, Jean-Guillaume Bart, Kader Belarbi, Alessio Carbone, Isabelle Ciaravola, Emilie Cozette, Nolwenn Daniel, Aurélie Dupont, Mathieu Ganio, Marie-Angès Gillot, Angès Lestestu, Clairemarie Osta, Laëtitia Pujol, and Emmanuel Thibault. Paul Connelly directs the Orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris. Set and costume design by Christian Lacroix; lighting by Jennifer Tipton. This disc, released in 2008, has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This is an abstract ballet in which the performers are dressed first in green for the "Emeralds" number, then in red for "Rubies," and last in white for "Diamonds." Per Balanchine himself, the dances have "no literary content at all." The musical selections are also rather unremarkable. So all you can do is watch the dancers, which means that the way they look is really important. This production seems to have been staged and danced impeccably. The lighting is high throughout, and the video picture is as brilliant as a diamond. Alas, alas---this disc is plagued throughout with blur and other motion artifacts. After viewing the Blu-ray Swan Lake and the A Midsummer Night's Dream described above, I find this presentation of Jewels to be unwatchable. (According to chat on the AVScience forum, the problem is rooted in the original recording and can't be fixed in post production.) We will have to wait for another performance to get our genuine Jewels. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  20. Georges Bizet Carmen opera to libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Directed by David McVicar at Glyndebourne in 2002. Stars Anne Sophie von Otter, Marcus Haddock, Hans Voschezang, Lisa Milne, Jonathan Best, Mary Hegarty, Christine Rice, Anthony Wise, Laurent Naouri, Quentin Hayes, Colin Judson, and Franck Lopez. Philippe Jordan conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Glyndebourne Chorus, and the Children's Chorus of Stoke Brunswick School, East Grinstead. Set design by Michael Vale; costumes by Sue Blane; lighting by Paule Constable; choreography by Andrew George; fight scenes by Nicholas Hall. This disc was released in 2008, and it has 5.1 Dolby TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [ Anne Sofie von Otter has long been one of the leading sopranos in the world. If you are her fan, you should try this disc. Von Otter probably also would be impressive in this role live. But now we are watching HDVD; and for this medium, she is a bit too old, too skinney, and, hmmm, too insufficiently endowed. Marcus Haddock could probably be convincing as the dangerous Don José, but only if he loses 20 pounds and goes to the gym for 3 months. At one point Haddock walks down the street on his way to the tavern. We get a long look at his flabby profile, and he doesn't much look like a soldier just sprung from the stockade. Otherwise, we liked McVicar's directing, especially his romalis (Gypsy dancing scene) at the beginning of Act II.
    The Opus Arte disc of     Carmen was released in the U.S. on Nov. 18, 2008. On the same day, Decca released a different Carmen starring Anna Caterina Antonacci and Jonas Kaufman. Both performances are worth watching. But if you can only buy one, the Antonacci version is distinctly the stronger. (For more information, see Carmen below in the Decca section of "What Available Now.") Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  21. Sergei Prokofiev The Love for Three Oranges to a libretto written by the composer based on a play by Carlo Gozzi. Directed in 2005 by Laurent Pelly at Het Muziektheater (home of De Nederlandse Opera). Stars Alain Vernhes, Martial Defontaine, Natascha Petrinsky, François Le Roux, Serghei Khomov, Marcel Boone, Sir Willard White, Anna Shafajinskaja, Sylvia Kevorkian, Magali de Prelle, Sandrine Piau, Richard Angas, Alexander Vassiliev, Marianna Kulikova, Sergei Khomov, Ruud Kok, Robert Kops, Willem Korteiling, Jan Majoor, Wojtek Okraska, Jan Polak, Harry Teeuwen, Martin Vijgenboom, Bert Visser, and Arjan Wiering. Stéphane Denève conducts the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera. Set design by Chantal Thomas; costumes by Laurent Pelly; lighting by Joël Adam; choreography by Laura Scozzi. Released in 2008, disc has PCM 5.1 sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [When I was a kid, we didn't have HDVD. We didn't have TV. We had radio and 8mm black and white home movies. Kids loved the serials on radio. I waited all week for "The FBI in Peace and War." I wasn't interested in the propaganda---I loved the themesong, a jaunty march that sent me careening about the kitchen. I asked my mom, "Where did the music come from?" She said, "From a modern opera about oranges. It was too crazy to perform, but people like that song."
    Mom was wrong about one thing.     The Love for Three Oranges wasn't modern. The Age of Opera came to its end in in 1926 when Puccini finished ‎ Turandot. Prokofieff got Oranges under the limbo stick in 1921 when it was first performed in Chicago. But it is crazy, because it's a parody. In Oranges, Opera pulls the top down on its own coffin. Because this is a long insiders joke, you have to know a lot about opera to thoroughly enjoy Oranges. Still, for the novice there's plenty of fast action and broad strokes such as beautiful princesses released from captivity only to immediately --- well, I'll not give it away.
    Because the singers in     Oranges are reduced to mocking others, the folks who normally play subservient roles in opera get to run amuck--- the chorus, the orchestra, the conductor, the set designer, the costume maker, the lighting guys, etc. No better crew for this trip down the rapids than De Nederlandse Opera. The production, video take, and sound recording for this disc were praised by everyone even in DVD. So if you are an Oranges fan, you have to have this in HDVD. If you are an opera beginner, get this disc and watch it cold. Then watch it every now and then as your knowledge of opera grows---each time you will probably appreciate the Oranges more. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
     
    [We still need for an opera expert to write us a detailed review pointing out, with timestamps from this disc, the specific composers, musical styles, and opera conventions that Prokofiev skewers in his score of Oranges. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  22. Amelia modern dance. Choreography by Édouard Lock, leader of the dance group LaLaLa Human Steps. Music by David Lang with lyrics by Lou Reed. Lock directed this as a dance motion picture in 2002. The dancers in this film are Andrea Boardman, Nancy Crowley, Mistaya Hemingway, Keir Knight, Chun-Hong Li, Bernard Martin, Jason Shipley-Holmes, Billy Smith, Naomi Stikeman, and Zofia Tujaka. Photography directed by André Turpin. Unique set designed by Lock; costumes by Vandal; Folley effects by Lisa Wedlock; sound design by Hans-Peter Strobl. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Lock and his dancers toil here on a work that was never seen by any spectator. The set, constructed solely (I think) for this film, is a stage of maple flooring folded up into a box with rounded corners and high walls that isolates the dancers in the unique world of Lock logic. The Lock style is based on classical ballet, but the 18th century concepts of aristocratic grace and elegance have been replaced a modern emphasis on power, speed, and slick style. Lock also adds curious jerky motions of the arms and hands to the mix which could be, for all I know, a sign language. The women, dressed in revealing black tights, are panthers specializing in incredibly fast moves. The men, dressed in black suits and white shirts, mostly support the women, but they have their own funky vocabulary as well. The music is jazz from the streets, and it appears that Amelia (whoever she may be) has a drug problem. A total-control artist, Lock also seems to use post-production to get a muted, grainy patina for this show that reminds us of the Lars von Trier movies.
    This dead serious show is quite absorbing. I feel wonder and compassion for the dancers who have worked so hard to be a part of this exotic world and who probably get very little back except rent money and a chance to keep doing what they love to do. Since I don't know what is happening, I can only concentrate on feeling their pain. I get the crazy notion that I am in communion with them and that years later they will somehow sense this. I have a day dream that maybe one of the dancers will stumble onto this review via the Internet and tell me in an email what it was like to work with Locke on this film and what the film is about. HDVD can do things like this to your mind.
    This Opus Arte title should be a good seller for many years. Maybe the dancers will get more fame from this HDVD than was ever possible from the film itself. I think     Amelia may point down a new path. There must be many groups of modern dance artists seeking recognition. HDVD can give them a new way to reach a world-wide audience.
     
    If you are up on Lock and/or Lou Reed, maybe you can add a thumbnail here explaining what     Amelia is all about, if anything. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  23. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Entführung aus dem Serail opera to libretto by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner. Directed in 2008 by Johan Simons at Het Muziektheater (home of De Nederlandse Opera). Stars Laura Aikin, Edgaras Montvidas, Kurt Rydl, Mojca Erdmann, Michael Smallwood, Steven Van Watermeulen, Oleksandra Lenyshyn, Maartje de Lint, Ian Spencer, Bert Visser, and Goua Robent Grovogui (mute role). Constantinos Carydis conducts the Netherlands Chamber Orchester and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera. Set design by Bert Neumann, costumes by Nina von Mechow; lighting by Lothar Baumgarte. Released in 2008, disc has 5.0 TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Please let us know if you would like to write a thumbnail description here about this title.]
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  24. "Cav and Pag" opera double feature directed by Giancarlo del Monaco at the Madrid Teatro Real in 2007. Jesús López Cobos conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Real. Set design by Johannes Leiacker; costumes by Birgit Wentsch; lighting by Wolfgang von Zoubek. Television direction by Ángel Ruis Ramirez. This is a single disc, released in 2009, with 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Henry McFadyen Jr and Gordon Smith originally gave an "A" grade to this Cav and Pag. But the OperaDou jury graded it "B" later. Gordon believes the jury really gave "C+" to Cav and "A" to Pag. Normally, we give a title the higher of the grade from McFadyen or the jury. But this time we have posted the "real" jury verdict because it gives you more information about the two titles on the single disc.]
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  25. John Adams Doctor Atomic opera to libretto of historically accurate text and poems assembled by Peter Sellars. Directed by Peter Sellars at De Nederlandse Opera in 2007. Stars Gerald Finley, Jessica Rivera, Eric Owens, Richard Paul Fink, Ellen Rabiner, James Maddalena, Thomas Glenn, Jay Hunter Morris, and Ruud van Jijk. Lawrence Renes conrducts the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera. Sets by Adrianne Lobel; costumes by Dunya Ramicova; lighting by James F. Ingalls; choreography by Lucinda Childs; sound by Mark Grey. This disc, released in 2009, has 5.1 TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [If you're new to a work, I usually suggest that you watch it cold. But Doctor Atomic is a profound opera, and it may seem difficult on first encounter. So watch the extras first. Start with the 27 minute interview with Peter Sellers. You probably already know that Doctor Atomic depicts the personalities and events surrounding the test of the first atomic bomb, under the leadership of Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, on July 16, 1945. Sellers in his interview gives you backstory on this and also relates the moral issues that arose in 1945 to the plight of the world in 2010. From the remaining extras you can get up to speed on the characters portrayed and see historic photos of some of the gear that is represented by props in the show. You can prep for the shifting style and tone of various segments of the libretto. (Since this is a new opera, it isn't in most of the standard opera books. You will find, however, good information and the libretto on the Internet.)
    The Adams orchestral score doesn't sound particulaly agressive by the standards of today's music. The singer are all fine, especially Gerald Finley as Oppenheimer. The voice parts tend to be angular rather than lyrical and Adams bestows little melody. A good part of the text deals with historic events in recitative that is fairly easy to follow. But when the arias arrive, the libretto often shifts into dense and intellectually challenging poetry, a lot of which was admired by Oppenheimer, who was a smart guy comfortable with abstract thinking. The disc has English subtitles, and I used them to help me track the libretto. There is a large chorus and battery of dancers to liven thing up a bit.
    This opera was written in 2005. It has been produced 4 times, so only a tiny number of people have seen it. Sellers apparently planned from the start to use video as a way to get the word out. He personally superised the video shoot, and he decided to give the video viewer a radically different experience from that of one seeing the opera live. From the extra features on the disc, you can see that the live show takes up a full stage in which there is often a large field of chorus members and dancers in the background surrounding the lead singers, who occupy a small area in front. But in the video, most of the time you only see close ups and facial shots of the leads. There's a lot of good acting in this production, and the intimate views kept my attention even when I was struggling to understand the message. I think I might have been discouraged and bored by the more difficult parts of this opera if I first had seen it live. But now that have been introduced to     Doctor Atomic through HDVD, seen the explanations in the extra features, and read more about it on the Internet, I believe I would be ready now to fully appreciate seeing it live if I should get the opportunity. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  26. La fille mal gardée, the oldest ballet in today's repertory. This is the "leading" version today with choreography by Frederick Ashton. Ferdinand Hérold originally composed the music (based on numerous folk songs), and John Lanchbery adapted and arranged the version of the music used on this disc. Staged by Alexander Grant and Christopher Carr at The Royal Ballet in 2005. Stars Marianela Nuñez, Carlos Acosta, William Tuckett, Jonathan Howells, David Drew, Giacomo Ciriaci, Gemma Bond, Bethany Keating, Iohna Loots, Natasha Oughtred, Christina Arestis, Deirdre Chapman, Lauren Cuthbertson, Cindy Jourdain, Sarah Lamb, Laura Morera, Vanessa Palmer, Christina Elida Salerno, and Alastair Marriott. Anthony Twiner conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Disigns by Osbert Lancaster; lighting by John B. Read. This disc, released in 2009, has 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Although one of the most beloved of ballets, there was only one DVD and one CD available before this show was recorded in 2005. Now that subject title is out in HDVD, all prior neglect is rectified. This deliriously delicious disc has it all: non-stop melodies scintillatingly played, beautiful stars who can act, comely corps, celebrated numbers, scads of character dancers gobsmacking your funnybone, plus ingratiating scenery, costumes, and lighting! Innocent love justifies all the tricks played by this not-so-dutiful daughter to get her guy! Impeccable sound and AVC video picture with no motion or artifact issues except in brief dark scenes. This will be the one disc on your shelf that everybody will love. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  27. Jonathan Dove The Adventures of Pinocchio opera to libretto by Alasdair Middleton. Directed by Martin Duncan at Sadler's Wells Theater in 2008. Stars Victoria Simmonds, Jonathan Summers, Mary Plazas, Rebecca Bottone, Graeme Broadbent, Allan Clayton, Mark Wilde, James Laing, Carole Wilson, Paul Gibson, Ben Kerslake, Gillene Herbert, Nicholas Butterfield, Jeremy Peaker, Campbell Russell, Hazel Croft, Edward Thornton, and Anthony Cunningham. David Parry conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North. Set and costume design by Francis O'Connor; lighting by Davy Cunningham; movement director is Nick Winston. This 2009 release has 5.1 TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Please let us know if you would like to write a thumbnail description here about this title.]
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  28. Georg Frideric Handel Giulio Cesare opera to libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym. Directed by David McVicar at Glyndebourne in 2005. Stars Sarah Connolly, Alexander Ashworth, Patricia Bardon, Angelika Kirchschlager, Danielle de Niese, Rachid Ben Abdeslam, Christophe Dumaux, Christopher Maltman, and Nadja Zwiener. William Christie conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Glyndebourne Chorus. Continuo: Laurence Cummings and Benoìt Hartoin - harpsichord; Jonathan Cohen - cello; Richard Tunnicliffe - viola da gamba; Chi-chi Nwanoku - bass; Elizabeth Kenny - theorbo. Actors: Sirena Tocco, Irene Hardy, Hatim Kamel, Trevor Goldstein, Benjamin Timothy, and Ted Sikström. Set design by Robert Jones; costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel; lighting by Paule Constable; movement direction by Andrew George; fight direction by Nicholas Hall. Extensive valuable extras. This is a massive 5 hour show released on 2 discs it 2009. PCM 5.0 sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Someone said that an opera is a musical play about sex and violence. Giulio Cesare satisfies this definition. But how can you get a contemporary audience to relate to Handel with his seemingly monotonous music played on old instruments, 3 and 1/2 hour plodding libretti, and multiple parts written to be sung by castrated men? The answer is by jazzing it up with entertaining elements such as sexy singers, women singers acting as men, updated scenery and props, snazzy costumes, and and dancing. If you do this with ideas that are logical, in proportion, and in good taste, you will be deemed "entertaining." Then knowledgeable opera lovers can be induced to focus on the wide variety of musical ideas Handel develops with his limited resources. (Do your jazzying up poorly, and you will labeled "Eurotrash.") In this Glyndebourne show directed by David McVicar, all the entertaining features were done about as well as possible. The DVD version was almost universally praised to the point of suspecting payola. The only serious criticism of the production was by some (female) purists who deemed Danielle de Niese's voice to be less burnished than that of famous recording stars of the past. These critics to ignore that those better voices belonged to women who looked like grandmothers standing in line to buy a pound of butter. Danielle is a different kind of singer. To look for comparisons you have to come up with examples like Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe in Gentlement Prefer Blondes --- and we are talking about a lady who debuted at the Met at age 19! So at this writing, there is probably no better way to be introducted to the opera music of Handel than to watch this disc! Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  29. Georg Frideric Handel Tamerlano opera to libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym. Directed by Graham Vick at the Madrid Teatro Real in 2008. Stars Plácido Domingo, Monica Bacelli, Ingela Bohlin, Sara Mingardo, Jennifer Holloway, and Luigi De Donato. Paul McCreesh directs the Madrid Symphony Orchestra. Set and costume design by Richard Hudson; lighting by Giuseppe di Lorio (based on original lighting design by Matthew Richardson; choreography by Ron Howell. This is a 4 hour show on 2 Blu-ray discs. PCM 5.0 sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This production is exquisite. The casting, stage design, and music direction are all top notch. Of particular note is Placido Domingo in the role of Bajazet, the deposed Ottoman ruler. Domingo is the right age, and his voice has the majesty and grandeur the part calls for. The other singers have great parts and fit their roles too, even though, in common Baroque style, two of the male characters are actually played by women. The stage design is minimalist, but with brilliant touches of color. The costumes are outstanding, and have incredible detail which is readily apparent in this HD recording. The story itself can be difficult to follow at times, since the English subtitles (and probably the subtitles in the other languages ) seem to be a direct translation of the Baroque libretto. The recitative can be tedious at times, but the cast does a fantastic job of making that portion as arresting as possible. And thanks to Handel's strong feel for the melodic line, the music of this under-performed opera is outstanding and overcomes all quibbles. I highly recommend this recording to Handel lovers and newcomers too. CV1.]
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  30. Federico Moreno Torroba Luisa Fernanda operetta to libretto by Federico Romero & Guillermo Fernández Shaw. Directed by Emilio Sagi at the Madrid Teatro Real in 2006. Stars Plácido Domingo, Nancy Herrera, José Bros, Mariola Cantarero, Raquel Pierotti, Javier Ferrer, Sabina Puértolas, José Antonio Ferrer, Federico Gallar, David Rubiera, Montserrat Muñumel, Ángel Rodríguez; Tomeu Bibiloni, Juan Navarro, Miguel Borrallo, Julio Cendal, José Manuel Cardama, Juan Antonio Sanabria, and Joseba Pinela. Jesús López Cobos directs The Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Choreography by Nuria Castejón; set design by Emilio Sagi; costumes by Emilio Sagi and Pepa Ojangueren; lighting by Eduardo Bravo. This disc, released in 2009, has PCM 5.1 sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  31. Richard Wagner Lohengrin opera to libretto by the composer. Directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus in 2006. Stars Klaus Florian Vogt, Solveig Kringelborn, Hans-Peter König, Waltraud Meier, Tom Fox, and Roman Trekel. Kent Nagano conducts The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester of Berlin, the EuropaChorAkademie Mainz, and the Chorus of the Opéra national de Lyon. This is a 4 hour + show on 2 discs, released 2009. Has PCM 5.1 sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  32. Giselle ballet. Music by Adolphe Adam to libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges & Théophile Gautier. Choreography by Marius Pepita. Staged by Peter Wright at the Royal Opera House in 2006. Stars Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg, Marianela Nuñez, Martin Harvey, Richard Ramsey, Sandra Conley, David Drew, Genesia Rosato, Alastair Marriott, Laura Morera, Ricardo Cervera, Gemma Sykes, Victoria Hewitt, Bennet Gartside, Kenta Kura, Deirdre Chapman, Isabel McMeekan, and artists of the Royal Ballet. Boris Gruzin conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Design by John Macfarlane; lighting by Clare O'Donoghue based on Jennifer Tipton; staging by Christopher Carr. This disc, released in 2009, has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [We now (February 8, 2010) have 3 Giselle HDVDs. First to be published was the Opus Arte 2009 Cojocaru/Kobborg/Nuñez version by the Royal Opera House ("ROH"). Later we got the TDK 2009 Pujol/Le Riche/Gillot version from the Paris Opera Ballet ("POB"). And now we have a Kultur 2010 Tsygankova/Varga/de Jongh take with the Dutch National Ballet ("DNB"). This thumbnail, which I attach to all 3 versions, will present a brief shootout of the three titles.

    In Act 1, we meet the tender, innocent peasant girl Giselle who is in love with the handsome Albrecht. Albrecht pretends to be a peasant youth, but he's really a nobleman who is engaged to a girl of his own class. Giselle's mother Berthe warns Giselle of the dangers of romance and tells Giselle about the Wilis, the ghosts of jilted girls who died before their weddings and who haunt the nearby forest. Hilarion, a peasant hunter who loves Giselle, is suspicious of Albrecht. When Hilarion reveals Albrecht's identity and his duplicity, Giselle goes mad and dies. Everyone is distraught, including Albrecht, who, we begin to understand, truly preferred Giselle to the noble lady with whom he has been matched.

    In Act 2, Giselle has been buried in the forest. 26 Wilis and their Queen, Myrtha, prepare to receive Giselle as their latest initiate. Giselle will then help them accomplish their mission: to trap young men (whether guilty or innocent) and force them to dance until they die from exhaustion. Hilarion visits Giselle's grave and meets his doom. Albrecht also visits Giselle's grave and is captured by the Willis. But Giselle rebels and protects her sweetheart just long enough for the dawn to arrive and disburse the Willis. Albrecht escapes, but he must live out his life knowing that he will never see his true love again.

    In Act 1, the ROH has the best mise-en-scène with updated sets, warm lighting, beautiful costumes, great acting, and coherent direction. Everybody in the cast, selected for acting ability or sex appeal as well as dancing prowess, seems 2 to 10 years younger than their French counterparts in the POB. Picture quality is excellent with vivid and skillfully editing. The sound is adequate. Cojocaru is cute and charming. Her mad scene is deeply pathetic. She stabs herself and then dies hard, which means that she will be buried in the forest, and not in the churchyard, where those who commit suicide are not allowed. Sandra Conley is touching as Giselle's mother, Martin Harvey as Hilarion is appealing, and Johan Kobborg as Albrecht seems worthy of sympathy, especially after we meet his fianceé played haughtily by Genesia Rosato, who appears to be 5 to 10 years older than he. In contrast, the approach of the POB to Act 1 is cooler and more formal. It features larger dancing formations---executed with impressive skill--- that need full-stage photography. I get the impression that the sets and costumes have been packed and unpacked a great many times. Pujol is maybe a bit too old and mature to be the Giselle the girl, but she makes up for this with her assured dancing skills. For example, there is a scene where Giselle hops repeatedly on pointe on her left foot. Cojocaru does 24 small hops which are hardly noticable among all that is going on. But Pujol makes an almost unbelievable display of this with 34 big, bold hops that take her half across the stage while she laughs and flirts with all the spectators standing around gawking. The other stars are only OK. Picture quality is a bit disappointing, but the POB has the better sound with 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio. The Kultur video was made from the first ever production of Giselle by the DNB. For the Dutch folks to compete with the ROH and the POB in this might be a bit like Lichtenstein getting into a soccer tournament with England and Brazil. The DNB forces obviously had a lesser budget than the others and their small forces looked rather thin on the big stage. On the other hand, Varga seemed to me to be the best Albrecht in this group. Kultur is entering the market at a lower price point than Opus Arte or TDK. This means Kultur has to cut corners---picture quality is only adequate and the "5.1 Dolby" sound is feeble when compared to the TDK disc.

    Act 2 is a ghost story in ballet blanc. Now the tables are turned in favor of the formal approach of the POB. Marie-Agnès Gillot is commanding as Queen of the Wilis, a task that is too much to ask of the younger and shorter Nuñez. Pujol is prettier as as ghost than she was as a girl. The cool lighting of the POB is perfect now, with a mottled blue-white pattern that allows you to see well enough while preserving a sense of mystery. The blue light washes out the pink skin hues to the point that the dancers look as well as dance like spirits. At Myrta's command, the veils of all the jilted girls instantaneously fly offstage as if by magic. The cameras in Paris are positioned in the balconies where they look down on the stage and reveal the exact location, rank and file, of each dancer at every moment throughout all their formations. This gives us rolling proof of the discipline, control, and perfection for which the Paris female corps is famous. (If their formations were any more orderly, it would start to look like a computer simulation.) In contrast, the cameramen in London shoot Act 2 from positions level with the stage. This they do, I think, in an (only partly successful) attempt to obscure irregularities and raggedness in the ROB ballet-blanc formations. This leaves the female corp of the POB in charge. But let's don't forget about the Dutch! Igone de Jongh is gorgeous and terrifying as Myrtha. Varga bests his competition in portraying Albert's grief. And the Dutch corps worked hard on their white formations, which are better than those of the ROH and almost as impressive as the work of the POB.

    So here's how I sum up the 3 Giselles. Act 1 is a the story of a girl who died. Act 2 is a ghost story. The ROH focuses on the girl and has the best Act 1. The POB focuses on the ghosts and has the best Act 2. The DNB has only a fair Act 1, but they surpass the ROH and are competitive with the POB in Act 2. The prettiest scene in all three versions belong to the DNB when the corps circles Myrtha in the smoke at the beginning of Act 2. For young children and ballet newbies, the ROH disc will probably be more fun. For all others, the POB disc must be preferred because of it's admirable white scenes and superior sound. The DNB disc would be an option if you are in Region A, have an entry-level home theater, and you are on a tight budget.     Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  33. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni opera to libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Directed by Francesca Zambello at the Royal Opera House in 2002. Stars Simon Keenlyside, Kyle Ketelsen, Eric Halfvarson, Marina Poplavskaya, Joyce DiDonato, Ramón Vargas, Miah Persson, and Robert Gleadow. Charles Mackerras conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus. Set and costume design by Maria Björnson; lighting by Paul Pyant; choreography by Stephen Mear; fight direction by William Hobbs. This show, released 2009, is on 2 discs. Has 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  34. La Dame aux cameléas ballet. Choreography by John Neumeier. Music by Fyrderyk Chopin. John Neumeier directs the Paris Opera Ballet at Palais Garnier in Paris in 2008. Stars Agnès Letestu, Stéphane Bulllion, Machaël Denard, Dorothée Gilbert, Delphine Moussin, José Martinez, Eve Grinsztajn, Karl Paquette, Laurent Novis, Béatrice Martel, and Simon Valastro. Michael Schmidtsdorff conducts The Orchestra of The Opera national de Paris. Pianists are Emmanuel Strosser and Frédéric Vaysse-Knitter. Set and costume design by Jürgen Rose; lighting by Rolf Warter. There is a valuable documentary in high-definition by Reiner E. Moritz and Stéphane Loison. The show and documentary last more than 4 hours on 2 discs; released in 2009 with 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [La Dame aux cameléas was created by John Neumeier in 1978. It is based on the often-told story (think La Traviata ) of Marguerite Gautier and Armand Duval from the novel The Lady of Camellias by Alexandre Dumas (the younger). Neumeier added a "ballet inside the ballet" based on the also often-told story of Manon Lescaut. To help you keep the stories straight, the Manon elements are color-coded in dream-like icy blue, gray, and silver tones. Neumeier drafted Chopin for his music (two soloists and orchestra)---all of which is completely familiar and yet startlingly fresh and pleasing in this context. The new element is Neumeier's choreography and directing. As my real estate broker would say: it's "updated soft contemporary romantic" dancing that is always in exquisite good taste (even the slightly naughty parts). This is the only ballet I've seen that had me drooling over gorgeous costumes. Agnès Letestu is magisterial in the title role for her dancing and mesmerizing acting. Stéphane Bullion, only a Premier danseur at the time, is the perfect choice to play the younger man to cougar Margarite. He's beautiful to see and see dance plus he's strong enough to gracefully handle Letustu (who probably weighs as much as he) through a multitude of complicated lifts, carries, and crashes. The other 9 dancers credited above all turn in brilliant character portrayals. It's unfair to 8 to comment on only 1. But I especially liked Michaël Denard as Armand's father, who comes to chastize Margarite, but leaves a melted man. To sum up: this disc is more evidence that the Paris Opera Ballet is in a class by itself. Henry McFadyen Jr gave an "A+" grade here. The L'OperaDou jury only gave it an "A-". In this situation, we usually give the higher grade to the title. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  35. Tan Dun Marco Polo opera to libretto by Paul Griffiths. Directed by Pierre Audi at Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam in 2008. Stars Charles Workman, Sarah Castle, Stephen Richardson, Allen Lundy, Zhang Jun, Tania Kross, Stephen Bryant, and Mu Na. Tan Dun himself conducts the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and the Cappella Amsterdam. Set and lighting by Jean Kalman; costumes by Angelo Figus; choreography by Nanine Linning. Disc released in 2009. Has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  36. Dmitry Shostakovich Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk opera to libretto by Alexander Preis and the composer. Directed by Martin Kušej at Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam in 2006. Cast includes Eva-Maria Westbroek, Christopher Ventris, Carole Wilson, Vladimir Vaneev, Lani Poulson, Ludovít Ludha, Alexandre Kravets, Nikita Storojev, Alexander Zassiliev, Valentin Jar, Lani Poulson, Martin Vijgenboom, Jan Polak, Ruud Fiselier, Jan Majoor, Leo Geers, Harry Teeuwen, Cor de Wit, Wojtek Okraskra, and John van Halteren. Mariss Jansons conducts The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera. Set design by Martin Zehetgruber; contumes by Heide Kastler; lighting by Reinhard Traub; dramaturgy by Marion Tiedtke. This show of about 4 hours, released in 2009, is on 2 discs. Has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [[Please let us know if you would like to write a thumbnail description here about this title.]
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  37. Engelbert Humperdinck Hansel and Gretel opera to libretto by Adelheid Wette (Humperdinck's sister). Directed by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier at the Royal Opera House in 2008. Stars Angelika Kirchschlager, Diana Damrau, Elizabeth Connell, Thomas Allen, Anja Silja, Pumeza Matshikiza, and Anita Watson. Colin Davis conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Tiffin Boys' Choir and Children's Chorus. Set design by Christian Fenouillat; costumes by Agostino Cavalca; lighting by Christophe Forey. Has 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France
     
    [Famous musicians, sparkling set and costumes, and clever direction produce some beautiful scenes and gets lots of laughs in a show that your kids might like. But is all this glitz missing a bit of grit? Contrast this production from Panzerkreutzer Royal Opera House to the modest HDVD Hänsel und Gretel production by the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau. Henry C. McFadyen, Jr.]
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  38. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le nozze di Figaro opera to libretto by Lorenza da Ponte. Directed by David McVicar at the Royal Opera House in 2006. Stars Erwin Schrott, Miah Persson, Jonathan Veira, Gerald Finley, Dorothea Röschmann, Graciela Araya, Ana James, Rinat Shaham, Philip Langridge, Jeremy White, Francis Egerton, Glenys Groves, and Kate McCarney. Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus. Set and costumes by Tanya McCallin; lighting by Paul Constable; movement direction by Leah Hausman. 2 disc set with 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [ This production is a real gem. It shows the Royal Opera House Covent Garden at its best in all respects: superb cast, impressive staging, dramatic lighting, and spirited music making.
    David McVicar once again provides us with a captivating production using beautiful, cleverly designed sets that seamlessly change from one scene to the next with all the smoothness of a cinematographic cross fade.
    From the very first bars of the overture, driven at a cracking pace by Antonio Pappano, we know this is going to be a winner. And it is particularly refreshing to have a lot of carefully choreographed stage business going on during the overture instead of staring blankly at closed curtains. This means that by the time we meet Figaro (Erwin Schrott) and the pert, sassy Susanna (Miah Persson), we have already settled comfortably into the palace of Count Almaviva and the below-stairs environment in which this timeless story is played out.
    The casting is first class in every respect. They are all glorious singers and wonderful actors, with the rich voice of Gerald Finley and the liquid, warm tones of his countess wife (Dorothea Röschmann) standing out. But the real star of the show is Miah Persson, who manages to be delightfully feisty and tenderly disarming all at once. Cherubino (Rinat Shaham) also deserves special mention, playing her ambivalent "trouser" role to perfection with tousled hair and a cheeky, boyish grin that makes him (her) instantly likeable.
    There are a couple of quirks that may make you wonder why such choices were made. The first of these was the decision to transport the story from its usual setting in Seville to post revolutionary France. Apart from being an excuse to present some very fine costumes, we may wonder how the Count - and his wife - managed to dodge the guillotine and why his decision to forego a nobleman's rights to sleep with the servants should be such big news. The second is the rather curious "indoors outdoors" garden scene setting when uncharacteristically symbolic, silhouetted leaves are lowered in front of the palace windows. But none of this matters as we are all swept along by the music, the acting and the singing.
    This production is also very well served from a technical point of view with razor sharp images, three-dimensional depth magnificently sculpted by the lighting, and excellent, totally believable sound. It is also satisfying to see a growing number of long shots treating us to a view of the whole stage. Thanks to the high-definition images, we are then able to see everyone in proportion to the set without missing any details. This increases even further the illusion that we are actually there, in the Royal Opera House, sitting in our plush seats with the red and gold auditorium gleaming and glowing all around us.
    This version is to be preferred to the Salzburg HDVD Nozze, which (despite having a superb cast including Anna Netrebko as Susannah and Dorothea Röschmann as the Countess again) is severely marred by several problems. First, it is staged in some kind of Strindbergian stairwell. It also introduces a new character---a mute, semi-adolescent cherub (in addition to Cherubino) who prances about interfering with the action and the singing---even climbing all over Figaro (Ildebrando d'Arcangelo) at one point. (The Salzburg is, nevertheless, a great performance vocally, so the CD is worth having!).     Gordon Smith, of Opera Dou]
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  39. Gioachino Rossini La Gazzetta opera to libretto by Giuseppe Palomba. Directed by Dario Fo at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona in 2005. Stars Cinzia Forte, Bruno Praticò, Pietro Spagnoli, Charles Workman, Agata Bienkowska, Marisa Martins, Simón Orfila, and Marc Canturri. Maurizio Barbacini conducts the Orchestra Academy of the Gran Theatre del Liceu and the Intermezzo Choir. Set and costumes by Dario Fo; lighting by Franco Marri; choreography by Sebastiano Mario di Bella. 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  40. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Così fan tutte opera to libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Directed by Nicholas Hytner at Glyndebourne in 2006. Stars Topi Lehtipuu, Luca Pisaroni, Nicolas Rivenq, Miah Persson, Anke Vondung, and Ainhoa Garmendia. Iván Fisher conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Glyndebourne Chorus (chorus master: Thomas Blunt). Pianoforte continuo: Jonathan Hinden; cello continuo: Sebastian Comberti. Designs by Vicki Mortimer; lighting by Paule Constable; TV direction by Francesca Kemp. This disc, released in 2009, has 5.0 Dolby TrueHD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  41. Swan Lake ballet. Music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. Book by V. P. Begitchev and Vasily Geltzer. Choreography by Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Frederick Ashton, and David Bintley. Directed by Anthony Dowell at the Royal Opera House Ballet in 2009. Stars Marianela Nuñez, Thiago Soares, Christopher Saunders, Elizabeth McGorian, Alastair Marriott, David Pickering, Laura Morera, Yuhui Choe, Steven McRae Cindy Jourdain, Vanessa Palmer, Gary Avis, Isabel Lubach, Julia Roscoe, Christina Arestis, Kristen McNally, Sian Murphy, Samantha Raine, Francesca Filpi, Kenta Kura, Brian Maloney, Johannes Stepanek, Iohna Loots, Paul Eay, Bethany Keating, Emma Maguire, Romany Pajdak, Helen Crawford, Melissa Hamilton, Hikaru Kobayashi, Laura McCulloch, Vanessa Palmer, Thomas Whitehead, Bennet Gartside, Ricardo Cervera, Tara-Brigitte Bhavnani, Olivia Cowley, Celisa Diuana, Ernst Meisnor, Erico Montes, Henry St Clair, artists of the Royal Ballet, and students of The Royal Ballet School. Valeriy Ovsyanikov conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Designs by Yolanda Sonnabend; lighting by Mark Henderson; prodection research by Roland John Wiley; staging by Christopher Carr. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  42. The Sleeping Beauty ballet. Music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. Direction and choreography by Frederick Ashton, Anthony Dowell, and Christopher Wheeldon at Royal Opera House in 2006 (based on tradition of Marius Petipa). Stars Alina Cojocaru, Federico Bonelli, Marianela Nuñez, Christopher Saunders, Elizabeth McGorian, Alastair Marriott, and Genesia Rosato. Also features Isabel McMeekan, Ricardo Cervera, Lauren Cuthbertson, Andrej Uspenski, Mara Galeazzi, Johannes Stepanek, Natasha Oughtred, José Martin, Laura Morera, Ernst Meisner, Valeri Hristov, Gary Avis, Edward Watson, David Makhatelli, Gemma Bond, Helen Crawford, Victoria Hewitt, Hikaru Kobayashi, Iohna Loots, Samanthan Raine, Gemma Sykes, Jonathan Howells, Deirdre Chapman, Sarah Lamb, Yohei Sasaki, David Pickering, artists of the Royal Ballet and students of the Royal Ballet School. Valeriy Ovsyanikov conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Original designs by Oliver Messel and Peter Farmer; lighting by Mark Jonathan; staging by Christopher Carr. Released in 2009, has 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  43. Igor Stravinsky The Rake's Progress opera to libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman. Directed by Robert Lepage at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels in 2007. Stars Laura Claycomb, Andrew Kennedy, William Shimell, Julianne Young, Dagmar Peckova, Darren Jeffery, Shadi Torbey, and Donal J. Byrne. Dancers: Anne-Laure Rondel, Lies Mahy, Magali Revest, Rachel Poirier, Milan Labouiss, Erwin Wauters, Yhonny Correa, David Gellura, Werner Nigg, and Bart Walter. Kazushi Ono conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of la Monnaie -- de Munt, Brussels. Set design by Carl Fillion; image design by Boris Firquet; costumes by François Barbeau; lighting by Etienne Boucher; choreography by Michael Keegan-Dolan; accessories by Patricia Ruel; make-up and wigs by Catherine Friedland. This disc, released in 2009, has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  44. Richard Wagner Tristan und Isolde opera to libretto by the composer. Directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff at Glyndebourne in 2007. Stars Robert Gambill, Nina Stemme, Katarina Karnéus, Bo Skovhus, René Pape, Stephen Gadd, Timothy Robinson, and Richard Mosley-Evans. Jiří Bělohlávek conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Chorus. Set design by Roland Aeschlimann; costumes by Andrea Schmidt-Futterer; lighting by Robin Carter with Roland Aeschlimann. This 2 disc set, released in 2009, has 5.0 Dolby True-HD sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  45. Sylvia ballet. Music by Léo Delibes. Choreography by Frederick Ashton with production realisation and staging by Christopher Newton. Performed by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House in 2005. Stars Darcey Bussell, Roberto Bolle, Thiago Soares, Martin Harvey, Mara Galeazzi, Deirdre Chapman, Lauren Cuthbertson, Victoria Hewitt, Sarah Lamb, Isabel McMeekan, Laura McCulloch, Sian Murphy, Samantha Raine, Kenta Kura, Joshua Tuifua, Iohna Loots, José Martin, and artists of the Royal Ballet. Graham Bond conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Original designs by Robin and Christopher Ironside; additional designs by Peter Farmer; stage lighting by Mark Jonathan. Released in 2009, has 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Another Volltreffer for the Royal Opera House and Opus Arte! Sylvia is a relatively obscure ballet. It was created in 1876, but was mostly ignored until 1952, when Frederick Ashton devised the choreography that's been used, with updating, ever since. Sylvia is a nymph, one of those semi-divine beautiful young women who live in the hidden shadows around springs, meadows, and grottos. Nymphs prefer the company of gods, but they can also mate with humans who are attractive or bold enough to make it happen. Well, Sylvia was a chaste nymph, dedicated to the virgin goddess Diana. But Eros causes Sylvia to fall in love with the good shepherd Aminta, a human. And this makes her susceptible to pursuit by the letcherous and powerful (human) hunter Orion. (That's all you need to know to enjoy the story.)
    This 2005 ROH production is perfectly cast. Darcey Bussell as Sylvia is sufficiently beautiful---somehow even voluptuous ---to make it all seem plausible. Any man she would fall for would have to at least be as handsome as a god. For this the ROH imported Roberto Bolle, the god of La Scala and Milan, to dance Aminta. Thiago Soares as Orion exudes aggression with his scary eyes, odd nose, and twisted smirk. Martin Harvey, compact and lethal, also has the ability to stand as still as a statute for long periods of time, something that must be hard for a ballet dancer. The choreography is completely satisfying. So the dancing of this wonderful cast and the much-admired Delibes score (well-played here, of course) more than make up for any alleged deficiencies in the libretto.
    The mise-a-scène is romantic classical antiquity. But the scenery and costumes are executed in a way that doesn't look out-of-date or old-fashioned. The lighting is remarkable. The first act is set in gray and blue against deep shadows; the remaining acts are flooded with an eerie orange-yellow glow. This lighting is pushed to the edge of irritation, but still manages to look both ancient and modern. All this must have been daunting for the camera crews. But they manage to turn in a report with no motion artefacts (at the cost of some soft resolution in the full-stage shots).
    It's hard to imagine how one could do a better Sylvia than this one. So this title deserves a place on your shelf right next to your small collection of war-horse HDVD ballets.     Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  46. Twin Spirits poly-discipline performance art concert. Unique video production portrays the lives of and love between Robert Schumann and his pianist wife, Clara Wieck. An ensemble of theater actors, singers, and instrumentalists tells the story with 39 spoken and musical selections as narrated by Derek Jacobi. John Caird conceived Twin Spirits, and he directed this performance at the Royal Opera House. The words and music of Robert Schumann are portrayed by Mr.Sting (actor), Simon Keenlyside (baritone), Sergej Krylov (violin), and Iain Burnside (piano). The words and music of Clara Wieck are portrayed by Trudie Styler (actress), Rebecca Evans (soprano), Natalie Clein (cello), and Natasha Paremski (piano). Special arrangements of various musical selections are by Martin Ward. Published in 2009, the disc has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [With Twin Spirits we encounter, via Spaceship HDVD, the first star found in a newly discovered island universe, the galaxy of "poly-discipline performance art." This show is similar to old-fashion "performance art" in that it's an event built from unusual and expected elements arranged to make a point. Also, it seems to me that Twin Spirits, like a typical performance art event, is not likely to be produced by others even if licence were freely given. But Twin Spirits differs from mere performance art in that this production requires artists in multiple art forms who must perform under strict control at the highest level of professional skill. And the purpose of poly-discipline performance art is not to shock or instigate, but to enlighten and edify.
    There is a lot of talent in this production, but the real star is John Caird, the "devisor" or brains who put this together with the help of Martin Ward, who arranged the music to tie the spoken parts of the event together.
    Because this is such an unusual event with chamber music-scale forces, it could only be played live to a small audience in an intimate setting. But because the performers in this event include celebrities from different art forms that normally don't work together, the costs had to be relatively high. To make this work, the producer had to get the performers (or sponsors) to donate or hope for an after-market for recordings to amortize the costs. But a DVD would not have the quality necessary to satisfy an after-market for a something as sophisticated and esoteric as a work of poly-discipline performance art.
    Enter blast off Spaceship HDVD. Words can not impart and you can not believe how beautiful     Twin Spirits looks in its Blu-ray version until your try it in your home theater. The few hundred people who were lucky enough to see this at the Royal Opera House doubtless had a grand view of things. But the HDVD camera bests that---your home theater seat is on the stage floor right in the middle of the action. And you can craw around all you want. Almost every frame in this video is in full-body, waist-up, or full-face close-up. Because of the dramatic lighting, great camera work, and skillful editing, every shot is arrestingly composed in rich color and detail. The women in this show look startlingly beautiful as they register all the emotions evoked by this the tragic but inspiring tale. The men tend to be more stoic, but you can see every twitch of each stiff upper lip.
    The sound is just as good as the video. I was able to understand clearly every word, which is unusual for the music-based fine-art HDVDs we have been getting. This is not a music concert or recital. The musical selections alternate with the spoken segments in a richly enhanced documentary. But each musical selection seems to have a beginning and end that avoids the remorse you feel in a typical documentary when a musical performance is suddenly cut short.
    All the artists turn in stirring work with the possible exception of Mr. Sting, a bit of an odd man in this group. I'm too old to know Mr. Sting personally, but he is a pop-culture celeb who slums. For example, he mushroomed in 2007 on the     Tribute to Pavarotti HDVD where he gamely tries to sing Là ci darem la mano (Don Giovanni) with Angela Gheorghiu. (H'mm---this is the same Mozart duet featured in 2008 in Twin Spirits---what a coincidence.) Now on subject disc, Mr. Sting only has to talk, which he does well. He does not have the acting chops to compare with Trudie Styler, the fully qualified actress who plays the part of Clara Schumann. But now comes the good part. Thank to a tip from HDVD Arts friend Gordon Smith, I'm informed that Mr. Sting and Trudie Styler have been partners for decades, have been married for 15 years, and have 4 children together! So I want to warn you now---if you have tears, prepare to shed when Trudy starts to cry. Getting back to Mr. Sting for a moment, I don't think he is a stowaway on this trip by Spaceship HDVD. I suspect he bankrolled the whole thing. If that's right, I thank him now. But just one tip. Next time he gets in a high-definition project, he should pop into the chemist (that's a pharmacy in Britain) and get something to brighten up those yellow teeth.
    This title has a lot of extras. No harm done, but when musicians talk about what they do, their speech is for the most part about as slovenly as any one you might interview on the street. But do play the valuable documentary     One Heart, One Soul. Dr. Gerd Nauhaus, head of the Schumann archives in Zwickau, tells us all about the Schumanns in a manicured lecture delivered in beautiful, clear German, supported by fine subtitles.
    In summary then,     Twin Spirits is an important fine-art HDVD because it contains what is probably the first work of poly-discipline performance art. (Or should it be multi-discipline performance art?) If this disc succeeds in its HDVD version, it will inspire others to create similar works for our new galaxy, the likes of which we can now probably not imagine. But even if I'm wrong about this, you will want to see Twin Spirits for its inspiring story fabulously well executed. It will tell you all you need to know about the Schumanns and whet your appetite to hear more of their music. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  47. Nutcracker ballet. Music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. Choreography by Helgi Tomasson. Performed by the San Francisco Ballet at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House in 2007. Stars Damian Smith, Elizabeth Powell, Davit Karapetyan, David Arce, Yuan Yuan Tan, Pierre-François Vilanoba, Vanessa Zahorian, Maria Kochetkova, Nicolas Blanc; and Sarah Van Patten. Martin West conducts the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Design by Michael Yeargan; costumes by Martin Pakledinaz; lighting by James F. Ingalls; projection design by Wendall K. Harrington. Disc has especially valuable extras. Released in 2009, has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This Nutcracker is set in San Francisco in about 1915, a few years after the great earthquake. Much research and work results in authentic-looking design that was doubtless a source of great pride to the citizens of SF and works fine for everybody else. The production has brilliant scenery, costumes, and lighting, as well as impressive stage effects such as a Waltz of the Snowflakes which leaves the place looking like Siberia. 164 company members and students dance like for first prize culminating in spectacular lifts by Grand Pas de Deux Ballerina Maria Kochetkova and Prince David Karapetyan. Psychologically, this is a conservative production---when child Clara is transformed into a woman to dance with the prince, it's all still make-believe. (Even now I choke up just thinking about the famous Baryshnikov/Kirkland 1977 version with the ABT. That's the one where Clara falls in love with the Prince and Drosselmeyer (Alexander Minz), terrified that Clara will not return to her family, must forcefully intervene to break the spell.) As fine as all the aforesaid is, maybe the best part is the rendition of the music by the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and its recording and reproduction by Opus Arte. I'm so spoiled by the wonderful music recordings we are getting on HDVD that I take them for granted. But the San Francisco band must know the Nutcracker score by heart, and the result here is exceptional. Alas! The same thing can't be said for the video: there are too many motion artifacts in this December 2007 shooting. Still, to sum up, in October 2009, this SF production is the best Nutcracker video we have. (But if you're dating and your partner needs a little warming up, go find the Baryshnikov/Kirkland DVD.) Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  48. Giuseppe Verdi Otello opera to libretto by Arrigo Boito. Directed by Willy Decker at the Barcelona Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2006. Stars José Cura, Krassimira Stoyanova, Lado Ataneli, Vittorio Grigolo, Ketevan Kemoklidze, Vicenç Esteve Madrid, Giorgio Giuseppini, Francisco Santiago, and Roberto Accurso. Antoni Ros-Marbà conducts the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Re-staging direction by François de Carpentries; set and costumes by John Macfarlane; lighting by David Finn; choreography by Athol Farmer; chorus master: José Luis Basso. Released in 2009, this disc has has 5.0 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [Gordon Smith and his L'OperaDou jury gave the grade of "B" to this title. Please let us know if you would like to write a thumbnail description here for us.]
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  49. Henry Purcell Dido and Aeneas opera to libretto by Nahum Tate. Directed and choreographed by Wayne McGregor (assisted by Laï Diallo) at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2009. Singing stars are Sarah Connolly, Lucas Meachem, Lucy Crowe, Sara Fulgoni, Anita Watson, Eri Nakamura, Pumeza Matshikiza, Iestyn Davies, and Ji-Min Park. Dancing stars of the Royal Ballet are Olivia Cowley, Melissa Hamilton, Cindy Jourdain, Iohna Loots, Kristen McNally, Samantha Raine, Paul Kay, Brian Maloney, Steven McRae, Xander Parish, Liam Scarlett, and Johannes Stepanek. Christopher Hogwood conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Royal Opera Extra Chorus (Chorus Master: Stephen Westrop). Continuo/harpsichord: Julian Perkins; theorbo: Jan Čižmář; cello: Andrew Skidmore; chamber organ: Steven Moore. Set design by Hildegard Bechtler; costumes by Fotini Dimou; lighting by Lucy Carter; projection design by Mark Hatchard for HotBox Studios. Released in 2009, this disc has has 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [This baroque-period title will be of interest mostly to card-carrying early music fans. If you would like to try some baroque music in HDVD, far better first choices would be the Rameau Zoroastre, the Handel Giulio Cesare or the Bach Brandenburg Concertos 1-6 (written December 27, 2009). If you are an expert on early music, we would like to have a thumbnail from you about this title. Henry McFadyen, Jr.]
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  50. Richard Wagner Tristan und Isolde opera to libretto by the composer. This is the Christoph Marthaler production at Bayreuth in 2009. Stars Robert Dean Smith, Iréne Theorin, Robert Holl, Jukka Rasilainen, Ralf Lukas, Michelle Breedt, Clemens Bieber, Arnold Bezuyen, and Martin Snell. Revival direction by Anna-Sophie Mahler; costume and stage design by Anna Viebrock; dramaturgy by Malte Ubenauf. Peter Schneider conducts The Bayreuth Festival Orchestra with chorus master Eberhard Friedrich. This 2 disc set was released in 2010; in has 5.0. dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now from Amazon in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
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  51. Giuseppi Verdi Un ballo in maschera opera to libretto by Antonio Somma. Directed by Mario Martone at the Teatro Real, Madrid in 2008. Stars Marcelo Álvarez, Violeta Urmana, Marco Vratogna, Elena Zaremba, Alessandra Marianelli, Borja Quiza, Miguel Sola, Scott Wilde, Orlando Niz, and César San Martín. Set design by Sergio Tramonti; costume design by Bruno Schwengl; choreography by Duncan Macfarland; lighting design by David Harney. Jesús López Cobos conducts the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with chorus master Peter Burian. Film direction by Ángel Luis Ramírez. This disc was released in 2010 with 5.1 PCM audio. It is available now in the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
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  52. Francesco Cavalli Ercole Amante opera to libretto by Francesco Buti. Ballet music by Jean-Baptiste Lully. Directed by David Alden at De Nederlandse Oper (het Musiektheater Amsterham) in 2009. Stars Luca Pisaroni, Veronica Cangemi, Anna Bonitatibus, Jeremy Ovenden, Anna Maria Panzarella, Marlin Miller, Umberto Chiummo, Wilke te Brummelstroete, Johannette Zomer, Mark Tucker, Tim Mead, Melanie Greve, Ineke Berends, Ivo Posti, Inez Hafkamp, Anneleen Bijnen, John van Halteren, Tomoko Makuuchi, Maartje de Lint, and Stephen Carter. Set design by Paul Steinberg; costume design by Constance Hoffman; lighting design by Adam Silverman; choreography by Jonathan Lunn. Ivor Bolton conducts the Concerto Köln and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera with chorus masters Tim Brown and Martin Wright. TV direction by Misjel Vermeiren. This two disc set was released in 2010 and has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now in the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
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    53.  
  53. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni opera to libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Directed by Lluis Pasqual at Teatro Real, Madrid in 2005. Stars Carlos Álvarez, Alfred Reiter, María Bayo, José Bros, Sonia Ganassi, Lorenzo Regazzo, José Antonio López and María José Moreno. Set design by Ezio Frigerio; costume design by Franca Squarciapino; lighting design by Wolfgang von Zoubek; choreography by Nuria Castejón. Víctor Pablo Pérez conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Real with chorus master Jordi Casas Bayer. Released in 2010, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now in the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
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  54. Sir Harrison Birtwistle The Minotaur opera to libretto by David Harsent. Directed by Stephen Langridge at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2008. Stars John Tomlinson, Johan Reuter, Christine Rice, Andrew Watts, Philip Langridge, Amanda Echalaz, Rebecca Bottone, Pumeza Matshikiza, Wendy Dawn Thompson, Christopher Ainslie, Tim Mead, Katy Batho, Tamsin Dalley, Amanda Dean, Siobháin Gibson, Kyrsia Mansfield, Lucy Tregear, Helen Withers, Simon Archer, and Patrick King. Set and costume design by Alison Chitty; lighting design by Paul Pyant; choreography by Philippe Giraundeau; video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer. Antonio Pappano conducts the Royal Opera Orchestra and Chorus at the Royal Opera House with chorus director Renato Balsadonna and concert master Peter Manning. Video designs by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer. Released in 2010, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. This disc is available now in these countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
    [This is, I think, the worst fine-art HDVD that Opus Arte has produced. The problem is weak content. The story of Theseus and the Minotaur takes about two minutes to tell, with embellishments. Anyone who tries to expand this to make a two-hour show is probably dooming himself to failure. Librettist David Harsent tries earnestly and comes up with some neat alliterations and images. But the excessive ballast of pretentious intellectual conceits and piles of platitudes dumped into the holds causes his ship to list below the water line. Birtwistle writes to the libretto. His cacophonous style is interesting for a few minutes. But since the libretto is monotonous, so goes the score. The set and costumes are ugly and even amateurish. The Keres (vultures who banquet on the corpses of victims slaughtered by the Minotaur) maybe looked OK from the rear of the Royal Opera House; but to the high-definition camera, they look like drunk guests at a camp Halloween party. I would like to write a condolence card to Christine Rice and Johan Reuter for having to devote so much time and heart to this boring opera. The Minotaur is, nevertheless, one interesting character in this production. His body is human. But his head is 50/50, and so is his heart. He is ashamed of raping and eviscerating all those boys and girls, and he would like to retire. The Minotaur mask created by Alison Chitty is unique and impressive. John Tomlinson got a big ovation for his acting and singing from within the mask. At first I graded this title "D." But out of respect for the Minotaur character, I increased the grade to "D+." Don't bother with this disc unless you are crazy about Birtwistle or you are in the costume business. Henry C McFadyen Jr June 2010]
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  55. Giuseppe Verdi Falstaff opera to libretto by Arrigo Boito. Directed by Richard Jones at Glyndebourne; recorded in June, 2009. Stars Christopher Purves, Tassis Christoyannis, Dina Kuznetsova, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Adriana Kučerova, Bülent Bezdüz; Jennifer Holloway, Peter Hoare, Paolo Battaglia, and Alasdair Elliott. Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra (leader Pieter Schoeman) and the Glyndebourne Chorus (chorus master Thomas Blunt). Set & contumes by Ultz; lighting by Mimi Jordan Sherin; movement director Linda Dobell; TV direction by François Roussillon. Released in 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now in the US, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
    [This was Verdi's last opera and one of his only two comic works (out of 26). It was written when he was over 80 years old. It was also his third to be based on Shakespeare (after Macbeth and Otello), drawing its inspiration from "The Merry Wives of Windsor."

    It is admired for its brilliant orchestration, scintillating libretto, and refined melodic invention. This Glyndebourne production, directed by Richard Jones, chooses to update to a post World War II setting, emphasising the farcical nature of the plot, which some may find rather overdone at times. This is offset by the spirited music-making inspired by conductor Vladimir Jurowski. Overall, it is enjoyable, if a little wacky.

    Even though all the ingredients are there - "original" staging, extremely competent singing, reasonably good acting, and excellent musicianship, you tend to come away with a rather bland impression. There is nothing to make this a really landmark opera experience. Even so, this HDVD would certainly be a worthwhile addition to any ardent Verdi lover's collection. You might think twice about paying $300 to see it at Glyndebourne (if you could get a ticket) - but for the price of a Blu-Ray it is a real bargain!


    The verdict of the L'OperaDou Jury*

    Opinions were quite sharply contrasted among members of the Jury, some of them loving Falstaff, while others were not so sure. Here are sample comments:

    "Perfect! Acting full of discoveries. Beautiful singing out of the ordinary. Excellent image. I particularly liked the last scene in the forest for its Romanticism and humour."

    "The close-ups don't do this Glyndebourne production any favours. Particularly in Act 2, there was a slightly amateurish feel about it at times, although the general youth and enthusiasm of the cast redeemed much. No spectacular singing, but there is hardly room for any. Act three saved the show."

    "Falstaff (Christopher Purves) is excellent. The staging a bit too busy, even hectic at times. Not my favourite opera but much more palatable than a traditional staging."

    "I particularly warmed to Falstaff (surprisingly). Dame Quickly (Marie-Nicole Lemieux) was exceptionally good. I did not expect to enjoy this -- but was very pleasantly entertained." Overall Jury rating: B-


     *About the L'OperaDou Jury:

    After every showcase screening at L'OperaDou (a "Personal Opera House" in the South of France) the jury-audience of twelve true Fine Arts aficionados deliberates on the production they have just seen, assessing it for staging, singing/performance and HDVD production. Final ratings and Jury members' comments are published on the website's "Trial by Jury" and "Archive" pages. Gordon Smith, May 2010.]



  56. Franz Lehár The Merry Widow operetta to libretto by Viktor Léon and Leo Stein. Directed by Lotfi Mansouri at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, December 2001. Stars Yvonne Kenny, Bo Skovhus, Angelika Kirchschlager, Gregory Turay, Carlo Hartmann, Curtis Sullivan, Jonathan Boyd, Bob Amaral, Marnie Breckenridge, William Saetre, Jayne Taini, Peter Strummer, Colleen McGrath, Elijah Chester, Janice Lynde, and Matt Logan. Erich Kunzel conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and Ballet. Released in 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now in the US, UK and Germany, Canada, and France.
     
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  57. Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 and solo piano recital by Joaquín Achúcarro. Colin Davis conducts, at Jerwood Hall in 2009, the London Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Achúcarro's debut with the LSO. The recital includes pieces by Brahms, Chopin, Scribin, and Albéniz. Released in 2010, disc has 5.1 PCM sound. It is available now from Amazon in the following countries: USA, UK, Germany, Canada, or France.
     
    [I graded this title "D" because there isn't enough music on it to make it worth the price for most people. That would be true even if the music were of the highest quality, which it is not. What we have here are two studio recordings made by an artist who is approaching 80. It's heart-warming to see him get through it. But the playing, in my humble opinion, is not competitive with recordings from the past or work of leading artists today. You should also approach this title with caution because it bears signs that it might at least be partially a vanity project. My friends say Opus Arte would not taint their brand this way. But sometimes even the pros get off track. And there's nothing wrong with a vanity or emeritus project---it's just that if the motivation is to honour someone (especially yourself) with a publication, aren't you supposed to give it away rather than try to sell it? Henry C. McFadyen, Jr. May 2010.]

  58. Beethoven Fidelio opera to libretto by Joseph Ferdinand von Sonnleithner, Stephan von Breuning, and Georg Friedrich Treitschke. Directed by Katharina Thalbach at the Zurich Opera House in 2008. Stars Krešimir Stražanac, Lucio Gallo, Roberto Saccà, Melanie Diener, Alfred Muff, Sandra Trattnigg, Christoph Strehl, Bogusław Bidziński, and Morgan Moody. Bernard Haitink conducts the Zurich Opera Orchestra with the Zurich Opera Chorus, Supplementary Chorus, Youth Chorus, and Extras Association (chorus master Ernst Raffelsberger). Set design by Ezio Toffolutti; lighting by Hans-Rudolf Kunz; film directing by Felix Breisach. Released in 2010, disc has 5.0 dts Digital Surround sound. It is available now in the US, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
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  59. Handel Acis and Galatea opera to libretto by John Gay, Alexander Pope, and John Hughes. Directed by Wayne McGregor (assistant Laïla Diallo) at the Royal Opera House in 2009. The singing stars are Danielle de Niese, Charles Workman, Paul Agnew, Matthew Rose, Ji-Min Park, Juliet Schiemann, and Phillip Bell. The dancing stars from the Royal Ballet are Lauren Cuthbertson, Edward Watson, Steven McRae, Melissa Hamilton, Eric Underwood, and Paul Kay with Olivia Cowley, Cindy Jourdain, Kristen McNally, Iohna Loots, Samantha Raine, Brian Maloney, Liam Scarlett, Johannes Stepanek, and Dawid Trzensimiech. Christopher Hogwood conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (leader: Kati Debretzeni) and the The Royal Opera Extra Chorus (chorus master: Stephen Westrop). Continuo: harpsichord by Julian Perkins; theorbo by Jan Čižmář; cello by Andrew Skidmore; chamber organ by Steven Moore. Designs by Hildegard Bechtler; lighting by Lucy Carter. Released in 2010, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now in the US, UK, Germany, France, and Canada.
     
    [2009 was 250 years after the death of Handel, so in the last 15 months we have been getting more of his works in HDVD than we maybe really wanted. Handel was very successful in his day, but his librettos and music can now seem tiresome. Still, true opera lovers and fans of early music admire Handel. And with enough effort, a Handel opera can be brought to life for all even today; the best proof of this is the Glyndebourne Giulio Cesare (Opus Arte) which made it to our hit parade.
    The Royal Opera House tried hard for impressive results in this 2009     Acis and Galatea, but the bomb comes up a dud because its many moving parts don't fit together. Although this is presented as an opera, it was directed by Wayne McGregor, a famous choreographer. The result: I dig McGregor's choreography; but I don't like the designs he commissions and his directing.
    The designs are a garbage dump of mismatched and ugly elements. The background for the first scene is an abstract but rather pleasing "pastoral" image of rocks, water, and green forestry. After the opening, the scenery becomes increasingly surreal and arbitrary. I think I understand the enormous blue-black circular blob that dominates much of Act II. It's an anti-sun and symbol for the evil giant Polyphemus (yes, our old Cyclops friend from the Odyssey, but here with two eyes and not yet blinded like McGregor's sun). The big blob looks dramatic for a few moments. But because it's impossible to ignore, it soon becomes an obnoxious distraction. The dancers all wear nude-colour tights appropriate for modern abstact choreography. But the singing stars are outfitted in inconsistent and ugly "rustic grunge" and the chorus wears yet a third look which I call "business casual." Another example of ugly visual incongruity are scenes littered with surreal, cold stones and twisted driftwood mixed in with realistic, warm, soft-textured stuffed animals.
    Now let's move to directing. All the singing characters have a dancing double (the double for shepherd Damon is a male and female dancing team!). Additional forces from the Royal Ballet upstage the Royal Opera Chorus throughout. This might remind you of the Pina Bausch "dance opera"     Orpheus und Eurydike. But with the Baush work the opera folks are definitely supporting the dance. In McGregor's Acis and Galatea the singers and dancers attempt peaceful co-existence but it turns out to be an example of MAD, or mutually assured destruction.
    Deeply-brunette Danielle de Niese is forced to appear as a blond in a revoltingly ugly wig with a long ratty braid. The wig makes her look like a trafficed woman streetwalking in the Hamburg red-light district using the stage name "Heidi." Charles Workman as shepherd Acis is dressed like a college student; Paul Agnew as shepherd Damon looks like a hobo. But the worst directing disaster is Matthew Rose singing Polyphemus naked to the waist. Now Rose can sing the role fine, and he would look OK in a caveman suit. But why did McGregor force his audience to look at Rose's slovenly torso? Polyphemus is supposed to be terrifying or maybe funny, but Rose just looks pitiful. McGregor's disquieting abuse of Rose is exacerbated by matching him up with the lithe and statuesque dancing double Eric Underwood.
    The upshot of all is a production that is, alas, irritating and tiresome to watch. We have so many wonderful HDVDs coming out now, I can't recommend this     Acis and Galatea unless you have a special reason to want to see it. Henry C McFadyen Jr. July 2010]

  60. Berlioz Les Troyens opera to libretto by Berlioz. Directed by Yannis Kokkos at the Théâtre Musical de Paris and recorded in October 2003. Stars Susan Graham, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Renata Pokupić, Gregory Kunde, Ludovic Tézier, Nicolas Testé, Laurent Naouri, Mark Padmore, Stéphanie d'Oustrac, Topi Lehtipuu, Fernand Bernadi, René Schirrer, Danielle Bouthillon, Laurent Alvaro, Nicolas Courjal, Benjamin Davies, Robert Davies, Frances Jellard, Lydia Koniordou, and Quentin Gac. Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, the Monteverdi Choir, and the Chœur du Théâtre du Châtelet (chorus master Donald Palumbo). Set and costumes by Yannis Kokkos; lighting by Patrice Trottier; choreography by Richild Springer; TV direction by Peter Maniura. Released in 2010, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now in the US, UK, Germany, France, and Canada.
     
    [Recorded in 2003, this production was hailed as a landmark event in every respect when it came out on DVD, and it has been eagerly awaited in HD. At this writing (February 25, 2010), you can only preorder it. But I just saw it in HD on BravaHDTV! Now we have in HD all the majesty of this monumental work with its impressive staging using front projection and a huge inclined mirror to reveal a whole new perspective of the action (and at times "doubling" the number of people on stage!). And then there is the playing of the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique with authentic Berlioz epoch instruments (on stage as well as in the pit) expertly conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Not to mention the combined Monteverdi Choir and Chatelet Theatre Choir. Their contribution is one of this production's most outstanding features, since their crisp, perfectly controlled singing clearly shows what a supreme master of choral writing Berlioz was. And the soloists! Anna Caterina Antonacci, as Cassandra, is incredible! Her presence, her acting, and her powerful voice give the first two acts huge dramatic impact. She sets the standard so high, you wonder if the rest of the cast could match it! Well they do! Susan Graham, in particular, shines as Didon, matched by American tenor Gregory Kunde as Aeneas. With razor sharp images and thrilling sound in Blu-ray, this gets the grade of "A+." It should be a cornerstone of every dedicated HDVD enthusiast's collection! Gordon Smith 2010. ]

  61. Mayerling ballet. Choreography by Kenneth MacMillan. Music by Franz Liszt as arranged and adapted by John Lanchbery. Recorded at the Royal Opera House, October 2009. Stars Edward Watson, Mara Galeazzi, Iohna Loots, William Tuckett, Cindy Jourdain, Sarah Lamb, Elizabeth McGorian, Steven McRae, Laura Morera, Gary Avis, Sergei Polunin, Bennet Gartside, Yohei Sasaki, Thomas Whitehead, Elizabeth Sikora, Paul Stobart, Alastair Marriott, Johannes Stepanek, Romany Pajdak, David Pickering, Sian Murphy, Leanne Cope, Michael Stojko, Ernst Meisner, and other artists of the Royal Ballet. Barry Wordsworth conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; associate concert master is Ania Safonova. Designs by Nicholas Georgiadis; scenario by Gillian Freeman; lighting by John B. Read; staging by Grant Coyle, Monica Mason, and Monica Parker. Released in 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now in the US, UK, Germany, Canada, France.
     
    ["Mayerling" was the name of the Habsburg royal hunting lodge in Austria. In 1889 a mysterious double homicide occurred there involving Crown Prince Rudolph, age 31, and Baroness Mary Vetsera, Rudolph's mistress, age 17. After an extensive cover-up, the belief emerged that Rudolph murdered Mary and committed suicide or that that they committed suicide together. This event is called the "Mayerling incident," and it became a metaphor for the end of divine-right royal rule in Europe (which in fact concluded 30 years later in 1917 in Russia and 1918 in Austria-Hungary).
    Rudolf knew that if he became emperor, he would be faced with huge political challenges. He was just smart enough to know how intellectually and morally inadequate he would be for the task ahead. He had no one to turn to for advice; and his friends, separationist Hungarian army officers, were being watched by the secret police. Nor could his mother, absorbed with her own big-time marital problems, offer solace. The way out was addiction to sex, drink, drugs, and fantasies of death.
    Mayerling is a modern ballet created by McMillian in 1978. It's a study in abnormal psychology, and it requires the utmost in acting skills from a large cast. Much of the dancing is pleasant if rather routine. But there are 3 pas de deux scenes that look to me to be as hard and dangerous and impressive as ballet can be. All this will appeal to anyone interested in 20th century art. But Mayerling is also intrinsically a costume drama. It is supported an admirable melodic potpourri of romantic Franz Liszt program music and piano music (mostly transcribed for orchestra by John Lanchbery). So there's plenty here to please the traditionalists. Although Rudolf hurt a lot of people and took a teenager's life as his final trophy, the libretto portrays him as victim, not villain. He knew what he was doing was wrong and despaired. But he was a ordinary person caught up in a vortex of extraordinary forces --- no help in sight--- and could not bail out of his sinking ship.
    It would be hard to find fault with any of the dancers. Watson brilliantly portrays Rudolph's anguish. Galeazzi is convincing as the girl who was sufficiently infatuated and reckless to be what the disintegrating Prince had never found before: a soulmate to the death.
    The sound on this disc is fine. The video is fine also with one quibble: At the beginning of Act 1 there is a grand parade of royal families moving across the stage going to Stephanie's party. HDTV cameras cannot handle this with current technology. Panning across a static scene or lateral motion across a static background produces highly unpleasant motion artifacts in HDVD. If you are staging a ballet that will be made into an HDVD, you should try having the parade start from the rear and head straight to the camera with the marchers peeling off to the right or left. This should substantially reduce motion issues, and is a good example of how the new video technology might affect the choreography and design of a show.
    Finally, I'll comment on how lucky we are to have this excellent recording.     Mayerling is an obscure ballet. Few have seen it, and there are only a couple of recordings available. But now we have this beautiful production and can fully appreciate what an excellent ballet Mayerling is. Who can guess how many other fine ballet title are waiting for us to discover thru the magic of HDVD? Henry McFadyen April 2010.]

  62. Tales of Beatrix Potter ballet. Choreography by Frederick Ashton. Music by John Lanchbery. This production by Anthory Dowell was recorded at the Royal Opera House in December 2007. Stars Victoria Hewitt, Ricardo Cervera, Jonathan Howells, Gemma Sykes, Gary Avis, Bennet Gartside, Laura Morera, David Pickering, Zachary Faruque, Giacomo Ciriaci, Iohna Loots, Joshua Tuifua, and Steven McRae. The Royal Ballet Synfonia was conducted by Paul Murphy. Designs by Christine Edzard; masks by Rostislav Doboujinsky; lighting by Mark Jonathan; staging by Christopher Carr and Grant Coyle. The television director was Jonathan Haswell. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now in US, UK, Germany, France, and Canada.
     
    [Beatrix Potter wrote over 30 short illustrated children's tales about the misadventures of anthropomorphic animal characters. The books were translated into many languages and are still popular all over the world. This ballet version begins with a Mouse Waltz, includes seven of the tales, and ends with a fantastic finale. Frederick Ashton was a master of comical ballet. John Lanchbery was a wizard at stringing together folk and popular tunes from buy-gone days to create delightful light ballet music. Christine Edzard and Rostislav Doboujinsky designed unbelievably winsome costumes and masks for the cast of critters. But the real heros are the dancers, mostly from the middle ranks of the Royal Ballet, who don the awkward, sweaty gear and then dance so charmingly. All technical aspects of this production are superb. Many adults might not have much interest in seeing this repeatedly. But if there will be children around your home theater, get this title! Henry McFadyen Jr. May 2010.]

  63. Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet play. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole. Designed by Simon Daw; composed by Nigel Hess; choreographed by Siân Williams. Recorded at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London, August 2009. Stars Andrew Vincent, Philip Cumbus, Tom Stuart, Michael O'Hagan, Holly Atkins, Adetomiwa Edun, Jack Farthing, Graham Vick, Fergal McElherron, Ian Redford, Miranda Foster, Ellie Kendrick, Ukweli Roach, Penny Layden, James Lailey, and Rawiri Paratene. With musicians William Lyons, Arngeir Hauksson, Amy Kelly, Sharon Lindo, and Nicholas Perry. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts Master Audio. It is available now in the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
    [Dominic Dromgoole's production of Romeo and Juliet is memorable for its vibrancy. The compact and well lit setting of the Globe theater, with spectators standing at the foot of the stage (and even with their elbows resting on the stage itself) gives a sense of intimacy that viewers can experience, sitting comfortably in their home theaters, half a world away. Occasional use of light music adds to the spectacle of some of the soliloquies. Musical interludes provide pageantry. The costumes are colorful, well designed, and never distracting. The set design is uncomplicated (one stage, one set) with minimal props; this allows the play to flow seamlessly from scene to scene.

    But the aspect of the play that proves the most vital also happens to be the most important aspect of any good production: the acting. Here Dromgoole directs his young actors to play their parts with equal measures vocal and physical relish; the bawdy scenes are bawdy, the dramatic scenes are dramatic. Adetomiwa Edun, as Romeo, exudes boyish charm as he leaps across the stage in love with the world. He starts the play wide-eyed and worry free (even if he does lament how Rosaline won't return his love), expresses vividly his joy and excitement after meeting Juliet, and throws himself into despair as tragedy builds on tragedy. Ellie Kendrick, as Juliet, convincingly plays the curious mix of teenage boldness and apprehension. Of course the strength of any production of Shakespeare lies foremost in the words, and here the actors are just as strong. They speak clearly and emote believably.

    From a technical standpoint, the disc is well done. The picture is clear and bright and the sound is top notch. If there is one complaint to be had, it is that only English subtitles exist. Unlike opera, which can be admired by speakers of any language for the high level of singing and music, plays, especially Shakespeare, are built on understanding the words. As such only native speakers or those who have studied English extensively should consider purchasing this disc. But for those who are interested in Shakespeare, or fans curious to see how well done a play can be in high definition, this disc is a solid "A." Henry McFadyen III May 2010.]

    [We originally gave this Romeo and Juliet the grade of "A." But the L'OperaDou jury graded it "B." In the meantime, we saw the Globe production of As You Like It, which we liked even better than the Romeo and Juliet. So we revised the grade to B+ as a compromise between our earlier grade and the opinion of the L'OperaDou jury. Henry McFadyen Jr July 2010]


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  64. Wagner Parsifal opera to libretto by the composer. Directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus in 2004. Stars Christopher Ventris, Waltraud Meier, Matti Salminen, Thomas Hampson, Tom Fox, Bjarni Thor Kristinsson, Johannes Eidloth, Taras Konoshchenko, Nina Amon, Katharina Rikus, Thomas Stückemann, Marco Vassalli, Abbie Furmanksy, Emma Gardner, Alexandra Lubchansky, and Andrea Stadel. Also stars dancers Ute Baur, Sandra Fritz, Simina German, Sarah Kinn, Fabienne Kühn, Sandra Metzger, Iris Mündörfer, Annalena Plathe, Eveline Schwarztrauber, Juliette Van der Meer, Julia Weber, and Afanasia Zwick. Kent Nagano conducts the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Baden-Baden Festspielchor. Sets by Raimund Bauer; costumes by Andrea Schmidt-Futterer; lighting by Duane Schuler; choreography by Denni Sayers; TV direction by Thomas Grimm. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts Master Audio. It is available now in the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
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  65. Ondine ballet. Choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton to a score by Hans Werner Henze. Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, June 2009. Stars Miyako Yoshida, Edward Watson, Genesia Rosato, Ricardo Cervera, and Gary Avis with Mara Galeazzi, José Martin, Helen Crawford, Samantha Raine, Brian Maloney, Sergei Polunin and other artists of the Royal Ballet. Barry Wordsworth conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (concert master Peter Mannig). Solo piano Robert Clark. Designs by Lila de Nobili; lighting by John B. Read; staging by Christopher Carr and Grant Coyle; ballet mistress Ursula Hageli; principal coach Jonathan Cope. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. It is available now in the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
    [Here we have a remarkable modern ballet first staged by The Royal Ballet in 1958. The story of a romance between a Prince and a water spirit wouldn't seem to hold much dramatic interest, but I find myself more affected by the story each time I see it. In 2009, Ondine was danced by the then 45-year-old Miyako Yoshida, but I would have guessed that she was 30 (she has since retired). Beautiful and voluptuous for a ballerina, her Japanese features give her an air of exotic mystery. The atmosphere of wonder is enhanced by the strange score, which Henze wrote bar by bar to match each action on the stage as set out in a detailed script furnished to him by choreographer Ashton. At first the music seems incongruous with the sets and costumes from medieval times; but after you get used to it, you realize that every note is right. Edward Watson projects the neurotic tension you would expect from a man who would fall in love with an illusion. The dancing, acting, sets, costumes, lighting, and special effects (all purely physical) charm you until you begin to think that the Prince can pull it off---but Ondine knows better. Henry McFadyen Jr. May 2010]

  66. Donizetti L'elisir d'amore opera to libretto by Felice Romani. Directed by Annabel Arden at Glyndebourne in 2009. Stars Ekaterina Siurina, Peter Auty, Alfredo Daza, Luciano di Pasquale, Eliana Pretorian, and James Bellorini. Maurizio Benini conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra with leader Pieter Schoeman and the Glyndebourne Chorus prepared by chorus master Thomas Blunt. Designs by Lez Brotherston; lighting by Giuseppe Di Iorio; movement direction by Leah Hausman; TV direction by Robin Lough. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts Master Audio. It is available now in the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, and France.
     
    [Non-stop beautiful song in funny but touching drama. All the stars sound, look, and act as they should. The design moves the setting from 1830 to 1930 in an Italian village where just about everybody was dirt poor but every girl had at least one pretty dress. Clever directing gets by with one detailed, realistic, and appealing set. I think Annabel Arden spend most of her budget on letting Leah Hausman (movement director) drill the Glyndebourne Chorus, which turns in the best sung, staged, and acted performance by a chorus that I can remember. All is lovingly, warmly, closely recorded to ravish eye and ear. This title gets an "A" for sure and is an "A+" for any bel canto fan. Henry McFadyen Jr. 2010]

  67. Purcell The Fairy Queen opera to anonymous libretto. Directed by Jonathan Kent. Recorded live at the Glyndebourne Opera House, July 2009. Stars Joseph Millson, Sally Dexter, Jotham Annan, Desmond Barrit, Robert Burt, Jack Chissick, Brian Pettifer, Roger Sloman, Taliesin Knight, Terrence Hardiman, William Gaunt, Susannah Wise, Helen Bradbury, Oliver Kieran Jones, and Oliver Le Sueur; with singers Claire Debono, Anna Devin, Desmond Barrit, Carolyn Sampson, Ed Lyon, Andrew Foster-Williams, Robert Burt, Sean Clayton, Adrian Ward, Lukas Kargl, Lucy Crowe, Helen-Jane Howells, Miriam Allan, Rachel Redmond, and John Mackenzie; with dancers Laura Caldow, Nuni Campos, Tommy Franzén, Caroline Lynn, Omar Gordon, Anthony Kurt-Gabel, Maurizio Montis, and Sarah Storer. Designed by Paul Brown, lighting by Mark Henderson; choreography by Kim Brandstrup. William Christie conducts The Glyndebourne Chorus and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with leader Alison Bury and assistant chorus master Oliver Gooch. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts Master Audio. It is available now in the US, UK, Germany, and France. It is available now for pre-order in Canada.
     
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  68. Shakespeare As You Like It play. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole. Designed by Dick Bird; composed by Stephen Warbeck; choreographed by Fin Walker; fights choreographed by Kevin McCurdy; musical direction by Rob Millet. Recorded at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London, in October 2009. Stars Brendan Hughes, Naomi Frederick, Laura Rogers, Dominic Rowan, Gregory Gudgeon, Sean Kearns, Philip Bird, Tim McMullan, Peter Gale, Jamie Parker, Jack Laskey, Trevor Martin, Michael Benz, Jade Williams, Sophie Duval, Ewart James Walters, Rob Millet, Ben Grove, Tracy Holloway, David Powell, and Dai Pritchard. With musicians Rob Miller, Ben Grove, Tracy Holloway, David Powell and Dai Pritchard. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts Master Audio. It is available now in the US, UK, Germany, France, and Canada.
     
    [The acting, directing, and design of this production are all overwhelmingly impressive and delightful. The video and sound (there's music in this production) are both great. So this is probably the best video of a play ever made. Anyone who devotes time studying As You Like It will find seeing this production reward enough for making his investment in learning the play. And this HDVD has to be a part of any course on Shakespeare taught in English in a high school or college.
    The only possible reservation about this title is that it has subtitles only in English. It would probably be futile to try to translate the firehose flow of characters and poetry in this work into other languages. But would it be technically and economically feasible to provide helpful adaptations or comments in other languages that would allow non-English speakers to enjoy the play? I guess Opus Arte thinks not, but I would urge them to reconsider this point as they bring out more Globe plays.
    This title deserves the grade of "A+." It clears all the hurdles of excellence, and it will have broad appeal among English speakers.     Henry McFadyen Jr July 2010]

  69. Strauss Salome opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed by David McVicar. Recorded at Royal Opera House in 2008. Stars Nadja Michael, Michaela Schuster, Thomas Moser, Michael Volle, Joseph Kaiser, Daniela Sindram, Christian Sist, Alan Ewing, Vuyani Mlinde, Pumeza Matshikiza, Adrian Thompson, Martyn Hill, Hubert Francis, Ji-Min Park, Jeremy White, Iain Paterson, Julian Tovey, Duncan Meadows, Kenneth Bryars, Andrew Carter, Peter Cooney, Trevor Goldstein, Sam Guttman Hancocks, Irene Hardy, Nathan T Heys, Pano Masti, Lee Mathieson, Frances Milar, Emma Reed, Anna-Marie Sullivan, and Sirena Tocco. Designs by Es Devlin. Lighting by Wolfgang Göbbel. Choreography by Andrew George. Video Designs by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for Fifty Nine Productions. Philippe Jordan conducts The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House with Associate Concert Master Sergey Levitin. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts Master Audio. It is available now in the UK, Germany, and France. It is available now for pre-order in the US and Canada.
     
    [The history of opera can be divided in 4 periods: The Early Age, The Age of Aria, The Age of Orchestration, and the Age of Experimentation. Salome (from 1905) is an "important" opera in that it is the most prominent marker for the beginning of the The Age of Orchestration. Because it depicts incest, child abuse, juvenile sexual depravity, murderous brutality, necrophilia, and cannibalism, it has always been the most controversial of operas in the canon. It takes great singers, a superb orchestra, and taut directing to keep Salome under control. In this production, McVicars was able to put it all together.
    We start with our Salome, the stupendous soprano Nadja Michael. Nadja was born in then East Germany. As a child, she was a swimmer in the infamous East German sports system! When the coaches wanted to give her steroids, her parents pulled her out, and she eventually escaped to the West. She has apparently always been a fitness nut---at about age 37 (in 2008) she was rail thin, flexible and mobile physically, looked like age 27, and able to portray a girl of 17 (more or less). Though small and lithe, she can sing accurately over the 116-piece Straussian band. Further, she can act with big gestures to the live audience and small-scale facial expressions and moves that make her terrifying in high-definition close-up shots. McVicar holds nothing back in taking advantage of this. There is a silver platter. But most of the time Nadja fondles and cuddles John's head like her rag doll. The head was designed to bleed for 10 minutes; by the end of the show, Nadja is all but drenched in red. This fully sets the scene for Herodes to say to his wife in ominous voice-over (on the screen), "Sie ist ein Ungeheure, deine Tochter. (She is a monster, your daughter.)" The horror show is coming to an end, and the nasty girl must die. In this production, the naked executioner breaks her neck.
    Thomas Moser realistically portrays Herod in combining the swagger of a tyrant with the nervousness of one who has keen insight into his own weaknesses. Michaela Schuster is utterly disgusting as Herodias. Michael Volle sings beautifully as Jokanaan (he does not look emaciated, however, as required by the libretto). All the supporting singers are excellent. The orchestra plays as if they were afraid Philippe Jordan might throw them into the cistern. All technical aspects of this disc are fully satisfactory.
    McVicar moved the setting of Salome from Biblical times to the time between WW I and the end of WW II. Instead of foremen and slaves, policemen and inmates (three nude) from prisons serve Herod. This 1940 look is apt since Salomeic atavistic depravity was a hallmark of the police states of that time in both Western and Eastern Europe.
    This brings us to the famous dance by Salome that pleased Herod. According to reports on the Internet, Nadja Michael is, in addition to all her other glories, also an excellent dancer. So observers were expecting something pretty salacious from McVicar. No way. In this show, Salome puts on more clothes than she takes off, only dances a (rather elegant) little waltz with Herod, and otherwise thrashes about like a patient in a padded cell (which is where she should have been). At the end of the dance, Herod declares it wonderful. All this suggests that Herod was a more complicated man than your typical sex-crazed dictator. H'mm---come to think of it, maybe dictators are usually more interested in other things than sex. By the time they got into power, no matter what horrors were unfolding in their domains, both Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were personally quite squeamish---and so is McVicar's Herod.
    At this point, I would like to praise another excellent feature of this Opus Arte disc--- the German language subtitles. For Strauss, the orchestra was the star. The singers had to swim or sink. I speak German pretty well. The German libretto to Salome is straight-forward German prose that is easy for me understand as written text. But trying to make out where the singers are in the libretto during performance is dauntingly difficult. 35 years ago, in a determined effort to learn Salome, I bought the Brigit Nilsson version with Georg Solti and the Vienne Philharmonic on London LPs. Included in the set was a beautiful full libretto in German and English. Alas. I could never follow the libretto from the recording, and I gave up on     Salome. Now when it comes to getting both the orchestra and the singers on record, the Opus Arte HDVD is vastly superior to my LPs. This improvement is independent from the tremendous help you get in understanding the singing from seeing the action in the video. After watching the Opus Arte dics 4 times, I now can follow every word of the singing in real time, if I have the German subtitles on. When I have the German subtitles off, I can follow about half the words. To master the libretto without the German sub-titles, I would have to memorize it, which I do not have time to do. So I am grateful to Opus Arte for the care they give in producing their products, including the provision of subtitles in the language being sung on the disc. This is a hugely important factor in helping consumers take full advantage of the fabulous works Opus Art is providing us in HDVD. (The last thing I did was to go back to the LPs again---I still can hardly understand a word.)
    Time to sum up: this is an A+ title for any serious opera student or Strauss fan and it sets the limbo stick pretty low for future competition. Because of the nudity and bloody horror shown, I'm not sure how broad the appeal of this will be, so I give it a "A" grade on our Alphalist.     Henry McFadyen Jr June 2010]

  70. Berg Lulu opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed by Christof Loy at Royal Opera House in 2009. Stars Agneta Eichenholz, Michael Volle, Klaus Florian Vogt, Jennifer Larmore, Gwynne Howell, Peter Rose, Philip Langridge, Heather Shipp, Will Hartman, Jeremy White, Kostas Smoriginas, Vuyani Mlinde, Monika-Evelin Liiv, Frances McCafferty, and Simona Mihai. Antonio Pappano conducts The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House with concert master Peter Manning. Designs by Herbert Murauer; costumes by Eva-Mareike Uhlig; lighting by Reinhard Traub; movement direction by Thomas Wilhelm; film direction by Robin Lough. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts Master Audio sound. It is available now in the UK, Germany, and France. It is available now for pre-order in the US and Canada.
     
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  71. Puccini La Bohème opera to a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Directed by John Copley. Recorded at Royal Opera House in 2009. Stars Teodor Ilincai, Hibla Gerzmava, Gabriele Viviani, Inna Dukach, Kostas Smoriginas, Jacques Imbrailo, Jeremy White, Donald Maxwell, Alan Duffield, Bryan Secombe, and Jonathan Coad. Designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman. Andris Nelsons conducts The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House with concert master Peter Manning, the Royal Opera Chorus (chorus director Renato Balsadonna), and the Tiffin Children's Chorus (chorus director Simon Toyne). Designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman; lighting design by John Charlton after William Bundy; film direction by Robin Lough. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts Master Audio sound. It is available now in the UK, Germany, and France. It is available now for pre-order in the US and Canada.
     
    [This John Copley production of La Bohème harks back to 1974. It competes now in HDVD with the Del Monaco production at the Teatro Real and the Dornhelm motion picture. Both of these shows make Copley's small, chopped up interior sets (Acts 1,2, & 4) and fussy costumes look obsolete.
    All the singers in this production sang well. Alas, problems come from weak acting and/or directing. Copley does a good job of coordinating the stage movements to the text in the fast-moving scenes of banter among the 4 roommates and the dinner at Cafe Momus. But his love scenes between Rodolfo and Mimi (Acts 1 and 3) and the death scene are unsatisfying. Stout Hibla Gerzmava has neither the looks or acting ability to be convincing as Mimi. Teodor Ilincai as Rodolfo too often looks bored. They spend much of their love scenes standing 5 to 15 feet apart singing (quite well) to the audience as if at recital. (Contrast this to Del Monaco's heart-wrenching Act 3 reconciliation scene where he has Inva Mula and Aquiles Machado huddled under a small blanket.) In Act 4, Gerzmava gets out of her death bed and walks to some steps to sit for a while. She then walks back and stays propped up on a big pillow until it's time to die. Why all this coming and going (a line from the opera shortly thereafter)? Was Gerzmava having trouble breathing while reclined?
    This opera has two love stories: Mimi is the girl who dies and Musetta is the one who lives. So a good     La Bohème must have a good Musetta. Inna Dukach has a great voice for Musetta and is beautiful in still photographs. But her overacting, rubber mouth, and tendency to make faces result in some startling moments in this show.
    I wonder how many times the folks in the pit at the Royal Opera House have played     La Bohème? Would this eventually gets tiresome? Well, to pep things up, get a new conductor. Young Andris Nelsons is a perfect choice to get the players' attention. When he starts a piece, he looks like a panther getting set to leap on the head of concert master. Another odd thing about this recording is that there seem to be a lot of empty seats in the house. I get the impression there were not that many people in England who had yet to see this production of La Bohème.
    In summary, at this writing, the Del Monaco Teatro Real     La Bohème is still the King of the Mountain in HDVD. I don't see any reason to get this ROH version unless you want a record of the Copley sets and costumes or have a special interest in the singers, etc. So I give this title the grade of "C+." Henry C McFadyen Jr June 2010.]

  72. Mozart La Clemenza di Tito opera to a libretto by Metastasio. Directed by Ursel and Karl-Ernst Herrmann at the Palais Garnier, Paris, in May & June 2005. Stars Susan Graham, Hannah Esther Minutillo, Cahterine Naglestad, Ekaterina Siurina, Roland Bracht, and Christoph Prégardien. Sylvain Cambreling conducts Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra national de Paris. Released 2010, this disc has 5.0 dts Master Audio sound. It is available now in the UK. It is available for pre-order in France.
     
    [This was an excellent production in DVD, which I viewed many times. It's even better in HDVD. The rather austere staging and, at times, perhaps puzzling mixture of styles creates a rarefied atmosphere in which the tensions and emotions of the characters become larger than life. Susan Graham is at her best as Sesto, fawning to the scheming, heartless Vitellia, sung by Catherine Nagelstad, and ready to do anything---just anything for an approving glance--- even assassinate the Emperor! The Emperor himself, sung by Christoph Prégardien, is considered by some critics to be the weakest link in this production. But being both imperious and infinitely compassionate are not easy extremes to reconcile, and my feeling is that Prégardien does it very competently. Publio, the Emperor's closest aide, is superbly sung and acted by Roland Bracht, wearing the unique combination of polished breastplate and dinner jacket. In its day, this opera was one of Mozart's most popular and the first of his operatic works to be staged in London. This HDVD earns it new acclaim and may even reinstate it alongside the De Ponte masterpieces. In any event, the HDVD release gives us a fresh insight into this work. The added sharpness of the image and crystal-clear high definition sound (as contrasted with the DVD) makes it one of the gems in any collection. Gordon Smith July 2010]

  73. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost play. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole. Designed by Jonathan Fensom; composed by Stephen Warbeck. Recorded at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London, in October 2009. Stars Philip Cumbus, Trystan Gravelle, William Mannering, Jack Farthing, Michelle Terry, Thomasin Rand, Jade Anouka, Siân Robins-Grace, Tom Stuart, Paul Ready, Seroca Davis, Christopher Godwin, Patrick Godfrey, Andrew Vincent, Fergal McElherron, Rhiannon Oliver, and James Lailey. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts Master Audio. It is available for pre-order in the UK,
     
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  74. Nutcracker ballet. Music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. Choreographed by Peter Wright after Lev Ivanov. Directed by Peter Wright. Performed by The Royal Ballet, November and December 2009. Stars Miyako Yoshida, Rciardo Cervera, Steven McRae, and Gary Avis. Koen Kessels conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opear House. To be released September 1, 2010, has 5.1 dts digital sound. It is available for pre-order in the UK.
     
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