"Cav and Pag" opera double feature directed 2009 by Grischa Asagaroff at the Zurich Opera House.
1. First plays the Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria rusticana to libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzeti and Guido Menasci. Stars José Cura (Turiddu), Paoletta Marrocu (Santuzza), Liliana Nikiteanu (Lola), Irène Friedli (Lucia), and Cheyne Davidson (Alfio).
2. Then follows the Ruggero Leoncavallo Pagliacci to libretto by the composer. Stars José Cura (Canio), Fiorenza Cedolins (Nedda), Carlo Guelfi (Tonio), Gabriel Bermúdez (Silvio), and Boiko Zvetanov (Peppe).
Stefano Ranzani conducts the Orchestra and Chorus (Chorus Master Jürg Hämmerli) of the Zurich Opera. Set design by Luigi Perego; lighting by Hans-Rudolf Kunz; directed for TV by Nele Münchmeyer. Released 2010, disc has 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. For both operas Grade: B
Read More"Cav and Pag" opera double feature directed by Giancarlo del Monaco 2007 at the Madrid Teatro Real.
1. First plays the Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria rusticana to libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzeti and Guido Menasci. Stars Violeta Urmana (Santuzza), Vincenzo La Scola (Turiddu), Dragana Jugovic (Lola), Viorica Cortez (Mama Lucia), and Marco di Felice (Alfio).
2. Then follows the Ruggero Leoncavallo Pagliacci to libretto by the composer. Stars Vladimir Galouzine (Canio), María Bayo (Nedda), Carlo Guelfi (Tonio), Antonio Gandía (Beppe), and Ángel Ódena (Silvio).
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; directed for TV by Ángel Ruis Ramirez. This is a single disc, released in 2009, with 5.1 PCM sound. For both operas, Grade: A-
Read MoreGeorges Bizet Carmen opera to libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Directed 2002 by David McVicar at Glyndebourne. Stars Anne Sophie von Otter (Carmen), Marcus Haddock (Don José), Hans Voschezang (Moralès), Lisa Milne (Micaëla), Jonathan Best (Zuniga), Mary Hegarty (Frasquita), Christine Rice (Mercédès), Anthony Wise (Lillas Pastia), Laurent Naouri (Escamillo), Quentin Hayes (Le Dancaïre), Colin Judson (Le Remendado), and Franck Lopez, (Le Guide). Philippe Jordan conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Leader Pieter Schoeman), the Glyndebourne Chorus (Chorus Master Tecwyn Evans) 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; directed for TV by Sue Judd; produced for TV by Peter Maniura. Released 2008, disc has 5.1 Dolby TrueHD sound. Grade: B
Read MoreBruckner Symphony No. 8 and Bruckner Symphony No. 9 concert disc. Stanislaw Skrowaczewski conducts the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. Symphony No. 8 was performed at Suntory Hall, Tokyo in 2010; Symphony No. 9 was perform there in 2009. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 PCM surround sound. Grade: B / D
Read MoreBrahms The Violin Sonatas concert. In 2009, Anne-Sophie Mutter plays all 3 of Brahms' sonatas for violin and piano with Lambert Orkis as accompanist. The venue was the splendid Library Hall at the Polling Abbey located in Polling, Germany (about 30 miles SW of Munich). Released in 2010, this disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A
Read More2002 Europakonzert: Claudio Abbado conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2002 at the Teatro Massimo, Palermo, Sicily. This was the traditional Europakonzert performed on May 1 each year by the Berliner Philharmoniker in a special venue, usually in a different European city. Gil Shaham is the violin soloist.
Here are the selections on this title:
- Beethoven 'Egmont' Overture
- Brahms Violin Concerto
- Dvořák Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"
- Verdi Overture to Les Vêpres siciliennes
TV direction by Bob Coles. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade B for both the Brahms and the Dvořák.
Read Morechúcarro - Piano Selections concert (our name, which doesn't appear on the case). Joaquín Achúcarro plays:
Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain (Noches en los jardines de España) with Simon Rattle conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker in a performance that lasts 27 minutes.
There is also a 75-minute recital in Madrid with the following pieces:
- Albéniz Navarra
- Debussy La Puerta del Vino
- Debussy La Soirée dans Grenade
- Falla Hommage-"Pour le tombeau de Claude Debussy"
- Falla Fantasía baetica
- Granados Quejas ó La maja y el ruiseñor
- Ravel Gaspard de sa nuit
- Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales
- Scriabin Nocturne
Released in 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: F
Read MoreSpecial notes: We usually exclude titles shot in large open arenas or theaters because it is so hard to make images there that will look good in the home theater. (We make exceptions to this rule for titles that turn out well despite being shot outdoors.) We cover this Tosca now as proof of the wisdom of our exclusion rule. Above are 4 images of the same Tosca shot at the Arena de Verona. Two images show the regular price disc. Two other images are for the bargain disc that also has trailers for 47 other Arthaus titles. This is the same recording as an earlier Tosca released by TDK. This show is now (January 2020) quite old. In the future these discs will likely be discontinued and may also become collector items.
Puccini Tosca opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed 2006 by Hugo de Ana at the Arena di Verona. Stars Fiorenza Cedolins (Floria Tosca), Marcelo Álvarez (Mario Cavaradossi), Ruggero Raimondi (Barone Scarpia), Marco Spotti (Cesare Angelotti), Fabio Previati (The Sacristan), Enrico Facini (Spoletta), Giuliano Pelizon (Sciarrone), Angelo Nardinocchi (a Jailor), and Ottavia Dorrucci (A Shepherd). Daniel Oren conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Arena di Verona (Chorus Master Marco Faelli) and the Accademica Lirica Verona Children's Choir (Conductor Paola Facincani). Set, costumes, and lighting design by Hugo de Ana; stage design by Giuseppe De Filippi Venezia; lighting design by Paolo Mazzon; costume design by Tirelli Costumi. Directed for TV by Loreena Kaufmann; production supervised by Tiziano Mancini; executive producer was Mario Dradi. Sung in Italian. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D
Read MoreVerdi Macbeth opera to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei. Directed 2009 by Dmitri Tcherniakov at the Paris Opéra Bastille. Stars Dimitris Tiliakos (Macbeth), Ferruccio Furlanetto (Banquo [Banco]), Violeta Urmana (Lady Macbeth), Letitia Singleton (Lady attending Lady Macbeth), Stefano Secco (Macduff), Alfredo Nigro (Malcolm), and Yuri Kissin (Doctor/Servant). Teodor Currentzis conducts the Paris Opera Orchestra and the Paris Opera Children Chorus (Chorus Master Alessandro Di Stéfano). Set and costume design by Dmitri Tcherniakov; lighting by Gleb Filshtinksy, costume design collaboration by Elena Zaytseva; scenic video by Leonid Zalessky of Ninja Films; directed for video by Andy Sommer; produced by Flançois Duplat. Released in 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreThe 2010 Opening Concert for the Salzburg Festival consists of:
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4
- Boulez Notations for Orchestra
- Bruckner Te Deum
Daniel Barenboim conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and is the piano soloist for the piano concerto. Soloists in the Te Deum are Dorothea Röschmann (soprano), Elīna Garanča (mezzo), Klaus Florian Vogt (tenor), and René Pape (bass). Directed for TV by Michael Beyer; Video Editor was Gernot Arendt; audio by Alfred Zavrel; produced for home video by Hartmut Bender. Released 2011, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. (See individual sections of review for grades of each piece.)
Let's start with general comments. PQ is excellent throughout. Although this doesn't purport to be an audiophile-level sound recording with 96kHz/24 bit sound-sampling, the dts-HD Master Audio sound beats CDs and DVDs. In the past we got quite a few HDVDs of ad hoc concerts performed to celebrate events. A lot of these titles are mediocre. But this is a serious program performed by a top orchestra augmented with much guest-artist glitter.
Read MoreBorodin Symphony No. 2 and Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition are the main pieces at the 2007 New Year's Eve gala concert by the Berliner Philharmoniker directed by Simon Rattle. Concert also has:
- Borodin Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances
- Mussorgsky Introduction to Khovanshchina.
- Shostakovich Dance from The Golden Age
Lighting by Björn Breitsprecher; TV director was Elisabeth Malzer. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C+
Here's a sure-to-please New Year's Eve collection of Russian musical Farbegé eggs. You can show this with confidence to your friends, neighbors, and family members who hate Mahler, Wagner, and Handel. Music is fine artistically and technically.
But . . .
Read MoreMussorgsky Boris Godunov opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2010 by Andrei Konchalovsky at the Teatro Regio di Torino. Stars Orlin Anastassov (Boris Godunov), Alessandra Marianelli (Xenia), Pavel Zubov (Fyodor), Ian Storey (The Pretender, known as Gri gory) , Vladimir Vaneev (Pimen), Peter Bronder (Prince Shuisky), Vasily Ladjuk (Andrey Shchelkalov), Vladimir Matorin (Varlaam), Luca Casalin (Missail), Nadezhda Serdjuk (Innkeeper), Evgeny Akimov (Holy Fool), Elena Sommer (Nurse), John Paul Huckle (Nikitich), Oliviero Giorgiutti (Mityukha), Matthias Stier (Boyar-in-attendance), Alessandro Dimasim (Krushchyov), Bruno Pestarino (Lewicki), and Riccardo Ferrari (Czernikowski). Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Turin Orchestra, the Chorus of the Teatro Regio (Chorus Master Roberto Gabbiani), and the Children's Choir of the Teatro Regio and the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire, Turin (Chorus Master Claudio Fenoglio). Assistant Director was Irkin Gabitov; lighting by Andrei Konchalovsky; sets by Graziano Gregori; costumes by Carla Teti; movement direction by Ramune Chodorkaite; directed for TV by Francesca Nesler; Executive Producer was Edoardo Fioravanti. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MorePuccini La Bohème opera to a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Directed 2009 by John Copley at the Royal Opera House. Stars Teodor Ilincai (Rodolfo), Hibla Gerzmava (Mimì), Gabriele Viviani (Marcello), Inna Dukach (Musetta), Kostas Smoriginas (Colline), Jacques Imbrailo (Schaunard), Jeremy White (Benoit), Donald Maxwell (Alcindoro), Alan Duffield (Parpignol), Bryan Secombe (Sergeant), and Jonathan Coad (Costums Officer). Andris Nelsons conducts The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (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 directed by Robin Lough; music direction by Frances Whitaker; produced by David Groves. Released 2010, this disc has 5.1 dts- Master Audio sound. Grade: C+
This John Copley production of La Bohème harks back to 1974. It competes now (2011) with the Del Monaco production at the Teatro Real, the Dornhelm motion picture, and Jonathan Miller's version at the ENO. These shows tend to make Copley's small, chopped-up interior sets and fussy costumes look obsolete.
Read MorePuccini La Bohème opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. English libretto by Amanda Holden based on the Italian version. Directed 2009 by Jonathan Miller at the English National Opera. Stars Roland Wood (Marcello), Alfie Boe (Rodolfo), Pauls Putinš (Colline), David Stout (Schaunard), Simon Butteriss (Benoit), Melody Moore (Mimì), Philip Daggett (Parpignol), Hanan Alattar (Musetta), Richard Angas (Alcindoro), Christoper Ross (Policeman), and Andrew Tinkler (Official). Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducts the chorus & orchestra of the English National Opera. Set designs by Isabella Bywater; lighting by Jean Kalman; directed for TV by Robin Lough. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. Grade: C+
This new Jonathan Miller English language production of La Bohème was first staged in 2009 at the English National Opera Coliseum.
We love Amanda Holden's fresh new English transliteration. To make the words easy to follow she comes up with tons of new thoughts and images that sound natural to contemporary English speakers while remaining faithful to the spirit of Giacosa and Illica. If you are a native English speaker and just getting into opera, you might prefer the ENO version for this reason alone. Kultur kindly provided English language subtitles. With the subtitles on we could follow almost all the singing perfectly.
Read MoreGiacomo Puccini La Bohème opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. This is a motion picture version of the opera directed by Robert Dornhelm. Stars Anna Netrebko (Mimì), Rolando Villazón (Rodolfo), Nicole Cabell (Musetta), George von Bergen [voice by Boaz Daniel] (Marcello), Adrian Eröd [voice by Stéphane Degout] (Schaunard) , and Vitaly Kovalyou (Colline). Bertrand de Billy conducts the Baravian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Chorus of the Bayerischer Rundfunk, and the Children's Chorus of the Staatstheatre am Gärtnerplatz, Munich. Released in 2009, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. An HDVD of this movie was released in the U.S. by Kultur, which may be restricted to Region A. It appears this Axiom version is region free. Grade: A-
In this mini-review we discuss the merits of the Dornhelm movie as compared to the Opus Arte HDVD of La Bohème directed by Giancarlo del Monaco at Theatro Real in Madrid. Earlier we praised del Monaco for "movie-slick" directing with "fine acting touches." And now we have a real movie made with the full armada of technology devoted to photographing persons who are acting to match pre-recorded music. (That's right, Netrebko, Villazón, Cabell, and Kovalyov were not recorded at the photographic sessions. Von Bergen and Eröd are not singers at all and were selected for their looks).
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