Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le nozze di Figaro to libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Directed 2006 by Claus Guth at the Salzburg Festival (Haus für Mozart). Stars Anna Netrebko (Susanna), Ildebrando D'Arcangelo (Figaro), Bo Skovhus (Conte di Almaviva), Dorothea Röschmann (Contessa), Christine Schäfer (Cherubino), Marie McLaughlin (Marcellina), Franz-Josef Selig (Bartolo), Patrick Henckens (Basilo), Oliver Ringelhahn (Don Curzio), Florian Boesch (Antonio), Eva Liebau (Barabrina), and Uli Kirsch (mute role). Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker and Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor (Chorus Master Andreas Schüller). Continuo: harpsichord, Stefan Fottfried; cello, Franz Bartholomey. Stage and costume design by Christian Schmidt; choreography by Ramses Sigl; lighting by Olaf Winter. Directed for TV by Brian Large. Released 2008, disc has 5.1 PCM and 5.1 dts-HD sound. Grade: B
Read MoreVincenzo Bellini Norma opera to libretto by Felice Romani. Directed 2005 by Guy Joosten at De Nederlandse Opera. Stars Hasmik Papian (Norma), Hugh Smith (Pollioni), Giorgio Giuseppini (Oroveso), Irini Tsirakidis (Adalgisa), Anna Steiger (Clotilda), and Carlo Bosi (Friend of Pollioni). Julian Reynolds conducts the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera (Chorus Master Matthew Halls). Set design by Johannes Leiacker; costumes by Jorge Jara; lighting by Davy Cunningham; dramaturgy by Luc Joosten. Directed for TV by Misjel Vermeiren. Released 2008, disc has 5.0 PCM sound. Grade: B-
Read MoreTōru Takemitsu My Way of Life staged concert spectacular or performance art work. Directed 2005 by Peter Mussbach at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Main Hall. Stars Dwayne Croft (Old Hag), Christine Oesterlein (Old Woman), Georgette Dee (Actress), Mélanie Fouché (Girl), Karen Rettinghaus (Girl), Kifu Mitsuhashi (Shakuhachi), Yukio Tanaka (Biwa), Yasunori Yamaguchi (Percussion), and Daisuke Suzuki (Guitar). Kent Nagano conducts the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Tokyo Opera Singers. Set design by Erich Wonder; costumes by Eiko Ishioka; lighting by Alexander Koppelmann. We don't know who to credit for the filming of this.
This is a 2 disc set. Disc 1 is the HDVD recording of the performance. It has 5.1 PCM (48kHz/16 bit) and 5.1 Dolby Digital (48kHz/16 bit) surround sound. Disc 2 is a DVD with an extremely detailed and valuable documentary about Takemitsu's life and the making of Disc 1.
This was published in 2010, primarily for the Japanese market. But the disc menus and the box booklet have enough English text for an English-speaking person to navigate and enjoy the production. Oddly, when the characters sing or speak in Japanese or French, there are English subtitles. But when they use English, it's assumed that the English speaking viewer can understand and the subtitles are in Japanese only. But understanding the English being sung in such a strange setting as this is quite difficult and frustrating. If the viewer commands neither Japanese nor English, this production will most likely remain a closed book. Grade: B+
Read MoreSir Harrison Birtwistle The Minotaur opera to libretto by David Harsent. Directed 2008 by Stephen Langridge at the Royal Opera House. Stars John Tomlinson (Minotaur), Johan Reuter (Theseus), Christine Rice (Ariadne), Andrew Watts (Snake Priestess), Philip Langridge (Hiereus), Amanda Echalaz (Ker), Rebecca Bottone (First Innocent), Pumeza Matshikiza (Second Innocent), Wendy Dawn Thompson (Third Innocent), Christopher Ainslie (Fourth Innocent), Tim Mead (Fifth Innocent), Katy Batho, Tamsin Dalley, Amanda Dean, Siobháin Gibson, Kyrsia Mansfield, Lucy Tregear, Helen Withers (Keres), Simon Archer, and Patrick King (Onstage tympani). Antonio Pappano conducts the Royal Opera Orchestra (Concert Master Peter Manning) and Chorus (Chorus Director Renato Balsadonna). Set and costume design by Alison Chitty; lighting design by Paul Pyant; choreography by Philippe Giraundeau; video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer; directed for TV by Jonathan Haswell. Released 2010, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+
Read MoreTchaikovsky Pique Dame opera (The Queen of Spades) to a libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky. Directed 2010 by Gilbert Deflo at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona. Stars Misha Didyk (Hermann), Lado Ataneli (Count Tomsky/Zlatogor), Loduvic Tézier (Prince Yeletsky), Ewa Podleś (Countess), Emily Magee (Lisa), Elena Zaremba (Pauline/Milovzor), Francisco Vas (Chekalinsky), Alberto Feria (Surin), Mikhail Vekua (Chaplitsky), Kurt Gysen (Norumov), Jon Plazaola (Master of Ceremonies), Stefania Toczyska (Governess), Claudia Schneider (Masha), and Michelle Marie Cook (Prilepa). Dancers are Anna M. Arias, Lea Baduria, Marina Cardona, Naila Fiol, Lidia Ibáñez, Christina Miralles, Raquel Pérez, Gisela Riba, Laia Santanach, Jordi Alguacil, Miquel Barcelona, Roberto Gómez, Rubén Jiménez, Roberto Miguel, Vicenç Palomo, Màrius Peran, Heriberto Rodríguez, and Arkaitz Soria. Michael Boder conducts the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Chorus Intermezzo (Chorus Master José Luis Basso), and the Escolania de Montserrat (Director Bernat Vivancos). Sets and costumes by William Orlandi; lighting by Albert Faura; choreography by Nadejda L. Loujine. TV direction by Pietro d'Agostino; Executive Producer was Barbara Berini; Producer was Gemma Felius. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreRichard Wagner Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle performed 2008 at the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar and published by Arthaus Musik. Save money by buying all the Weimar Ring operas in a boxed set. The box includes the four titles described in more detail on this site at Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung. See individual titles for individual grades. This set has the Arthaus Cat. No. 101374. Our blended grade for the box set is D+.
Read MoreRichard Wagner Das Rheingold opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2007 by Carlus Padrissa and La Fura dels Baus at the Calatrava opera house Palau de las Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia. Stars Juha Uusitalo (Wotan), Ilya Bannik (Donner), Germán Villar (Froh), John Daszak (Loge), Matti Salminen (Fasolt), Stephen Milling (Fafner) , Franz-Josef Kapellmann (Alberich), Gerhardt Siegel (Mime), Anna Larsson (Frica), Sabina von Walther (Freia), Christa Mayer (Erda), Silvia Vázquez (Woglinda), Ann-Katrin Naidu (Wellgrunde), and Hannah Esther Minutillo (Floßhilde). Zubin Mehta conducs the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana. Videos created by Franc Aleu; sets by Roland Olbeter; lighting by Peter van Praet; costumes by Chu Uroz. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Grade: B
Read MoreRichard Wagner Das Rheingold to libretto by the composer. Directed 2008 by Michael Schulz at the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar. Stars Mario Hoff (Wotan), Alexander Günther (Donner), Jean-Noël Briend (Froh), Erin Caves (Loge), Tomas Möwes (Alberich), Frieder Aurich (Mime), Renatus Mészár (Fasolt), Hidekazu Tsumaya (Fafner), Christine Hansmann (Fricka), Marietta Zumbült (Freia), Nadine Weissmann (Erda), Silona Michel (Woglinde), Susann Günther-Dissmeier (Wellgunde), Christiane Bassek (Floßhilde), Luise Grabolle, Marie-Louise Winde, and Luisa Wöllner (Norns). Carl St. Clair conducts the Staatskapelle Weimar. Set design by Dirk Becker; costumes by Renée Listerdal; dramaturgy by Wolfgang Willaschek. Directed for TV by Brooks Riley. Sung in German. Released 2009 and then re-released 2019 with new cover artwork showing the gold ring. Disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C+
Read MoreSeiji Ozawa 75th Anniversary Box Set. This set has 5 Blu-ray jewel boxes:
1. Brahms Symphony No. 2 & Shostakovich Symphony No. 5. This is a superb HDVD that you can buy separately. We graded both titles A+ elsewhere on this site.
2. Janáček Cunning Little Vixen. This is a nice HDVD that you can buy separately. We graded it B+ elsewhere on this site.
3. The Last Don Quixote. Mstislav Rostropovich and Seiji Ozawa playing Strauss's Don Quixote. This is a complicated two disc set. Disc 2 is the main show---a performance (43 minutes) of Don Quixote from 2002 with the Saito Kinen Orchestra. This performance has decent video and was recorded with 5.0 PCM 96 kHz/24 bit surround sound. Disc 1 is a strange mixed bag. It has a 1 hour, 15 minute documentary, with good video and 5.0 PCM 96 kHz/24 bit surround sound, about the Don Quixote recording. The documentary includes rehearsal video with a lot of personal information about Rostropovich. The documentary also has a fanciful Don Quixote movie (43 minutes) that illustrates the Cervantes story as told by Strauss in the tone poem. Then follows a 1995 concert with Rostropovich and the NHK Orchestra playing the Dvořák Concerto for Cello. This performance has remarkable good video but there is only stereo sound (which is quite good).
4. Beethoven Symphony No. 7/Mahler Symphony No. 9. This disc has material shot in 1989 & 2002 and does not meet our standards for an HDVD.
5. Extras Disc. This disc doesn't have an NSBS catalog number like the other disc packages because its just extras, including two short tutorials about western music from Ozawa & trailers for NHK HDVDs. This is all in Japanese with no subtitles. Some material is in SD & stereo. The value of this part of the set is nil for Japanese speakers and 0 for westerners.
So we can sum up the boxed set as follows: it has two fine titles (1 & 2 above) you can buy separately and an odd title (3 above) with a lot of material about the Strauss Don Quixote plus a recording of the Dvořák Concerto for Cello. Then there are two jewel boxes (4 & 5 above) you can throw away.
Read MoreMieczysław Weinberg The Passenger opera to libretto by Alexander Medvedev after a novel by Auschwitz survivor Zofia Posmysz. (The title in German is Die Passagierin.) Directed 2010 by David Pountney at the Bregenz Festival. Stars singers Michelle Breedt (Lisa), Roberto Saccà (Walter), Elena Kelessidi (Wartha), Artur Rucinski (Tadeusz), Svetlana Doneva (Katja), Angelica Voje (Krzystina), Elżbieta Wróblewska (Vlasta), Agnieszka Rehlis (Hannah), Talia Or (Ivette), Helen Field (Alte), Liuba Sokolova (Bronka), Tobias Hächler (1st SS Officer), Wilfried Staber (2nd SS Officer), David Danholt (3rd SS Officer), Richard Angas (Elderly Passenger/Steward), Heide Capovilla (Senior Overseer/Capo), David Gabl, Michael Koch, Juliusz Kubiak, and Anton Schwärzler (4 Soldiers), Michelle Lau and Matthias Zuggal (Soldiers on watchtowers), and violinist Andreas Semlitsch (Double for Tadeusz in violin scene). Also stars stage musicians Raphael Brunner, Stefan Mikic, Roger Szedalik, Dominik Neunteufel, and Michael Schatzmann. Teodor Currentzis conducts the Weiner Symphoniker and the Prague Philharmonic Choir (Choirmaster Lukáš Vasilek). Set design by Johan Engels; costume design by Marie-Jeanne Lecca; lighting design by Fabrice Kebour; video direction by Felix Breisach. Because this is a world premiere recording, a special keepcase book is provided with an introduction by Shostakovich and the libretto in German, English, French, and Polish as well as other background information. The opera is sung in German, English, French, Russian and Yiddish. Multi language subtitles are provided as well as translations in German, English, French, Polish, and Russian. There is also a documentary film "In der Fremde" in German with English subtitles. It appears this is the first opera video to be released in HDVD (Blu-ray) only. Released 2010, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound and the documentary and extras are in stereo. Grade: A
Read MoreWagner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2008 by Katharina Wagner at the Bayreuth Festspiele. Stars Franz Hawlata (Hans Sachs), Artur Korn (Veit Pogner), Charles Reid (Kunz Vogelgesang), Rainer Zaun (Konrad Nachtigal), Michael Volle (Sixtus Beckmesser), Markus Eiche (Fritz Kothner), Edward Randall (Balthasar Zorn), Hans-Jürgen Lazar (Ulrich Eisslinger), Stefan Heibach (Augustin Moser), Martin Snell (Hermann Ortel), Andreas Macco (Hans Schwarz), Diogenes Randes (Hans Foltz), Klaus Florian Vogt (Walther von Stolzing), Norbert Ernst (David), Michaela Kaune (Eva), Carola Guber (Magdalene), and Friedemann Röhlig (A nightwatchman). Sebastian Weigle conducts the Bayreuther Festspiele Orchestra and the Beyreuther Festspiele Chorus (Chorus Master Eberhard Friedrich; Music Supervisor Christoph Ulrich Meier). Stage design by Tilo Steffens; costume design by Michaela Barth and Tilo Steffens; lighting by Andreas Grüter; dramaturgy by Robert Sollich. Directed for TV by Andreas Morell. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B
Read MoreAribert Reimann Medea opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2010 by Marco Arturo Marelli at the Wiener Staatsoper. Stars Marlis Petersen (Medea), Michaela Selinger (Kreusa), Elisabeth Kulman (Gora), Michael Roider (Kreon), Adrian Eröd (Jason), and Max Emanuel Cenic (Herold). Michael Boder conducts the Orchestra of the Wiener Staatsoper. Set & lighting design by Marco Arturo Marelli; costume design by Dagmar Niefind. Directed for TV by Peter Schröder. Released in 2011, has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B-
Read MoreMartha Argerich & Mischa Maisky concert. Argerich, Maisky, and the Lucerne Symphony perform:
Dvořák Scherzo capriccioso in D flat major
Shchedrin Romantic Offering (world premiere)
Franck Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Major
Shostakovich Symphony No. 9
Neeme Jarvi conducts the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester. Directed for TV by Michael Beyer. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B+
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