Wagner Die Walküre to libretto by the composer. Directed 2007 by Stéphane Braunschweig at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Stars Robert Gambill (Siegmund), Mikhail Petrenko (Hunding), Sir Willard White (Wotan), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Sieglinde), Eva Johansson (Brünnhilde), Lilli Paasikivi (Fricka), Joanna Porackova (Gerhilde), Elaine McKrill (Ortlinde), Julianne Young (Waltraute), Andrea Baker (Schwertleite), Erika Sunnegårdh (Helmwige), Heike Grötzinger (Siegrunde), Eva Vogel (Grimgerde), and Anette Bod (Rossweisse). Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker. Stage design by Stéphane Braunschweig; costume design by Thibault Vancraenenbroeck; lighting design by Marion Hewlett. Directed for TV by Don Kent. Sung in German. Released 2008, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+
Read MoreWagner Die Walküre to libretto by the composer. Directed 2008 by Michael Schulz at the Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar. Stars Erin Caves (Siegmund), Hidekazu Tsumaya (Hunding), Renatus Mészár (Wotan), Kirsten Blanck (Sieglinde), Catherine Foster (Brünnhilde), Christine Hansmann (Fricka), Silona Michel (Helmwige), Susann Günther-Dissmeier (Gerhilde), Joana Caspar (Ortlinde), Marie-Helen Joël (Waltraute), Carola Guber (Sigrune), Christiane Bassek (Roßweiße), Kerstin Quandt (Grimgerde), Nadine Weissmenn (Schwertleite), Erika Krämer (Grane), Elisabeth Anetseder-Meyer (Freia as Harpist), Lars Creuzburg (Donner), and Steffen Bärtl (Froh/Loge). Carl St. Clair conducts the Staatskapelle Weimar. Set design by Dirk Becker; costume design by Renée Listerdal; dramaturgy by Wolfgang Willaschek. Directed for TV by Brooks Riley. Sung in German. Released 2009, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C-
Read MoreGiacomo Puccini La Bohème opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Staged 2012 by Damiano Michieletto at the Salzburg Festival. Stars Anna Netrebko (Mimi), Nino Machaidze (Musetta), Piotr Beczala (Rodolfo), Massimo Cavalletti (Marcello), Alessio Ardunini (Schaunard), Carlo Colombara (Colline), Davide Fersini (Benoît), Peter Kálmán (Alcindoro), Paul Schweinester, Steven Forster, Liviu Gheorghe Burz, Michael Wilder, and Martin Müller. Daniele Gatti conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker, the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor (Chorus Master: Ernst Raffelsberger), the Salzburger Festspiele und Theater Kinderchor (Chorus Master; Wolfgang Götz), and members of the Angelika Prokopp Sommerakademie of the Wiener Philharmoniker (stage music). Set design by Paolo Fantin; costumes by Carla Teti; lighting by Martin Gebhardt; dramatic advice by Kathrin Brunner; choreography by Nikolaos Lagousakos; directed for TV by Brian Large. Released 2012, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C
Read MoreRossini Demetrio e Polibio opera to a libretto by Vincenzina Viganò-Mombelli. Directed 2010 by Davide Livermore at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. Stars María José Moreno, Victoria Zaytseva, Yijie Shi, and Mirco Palazzi. Corrado Rovaris conducts the Orchestra Sinfonica G. Rossini and the Prague Chamber Choir (Chorus Master Lubomír Mátl). Stage and costume design by the Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino; lighting by Nicolas Bovey; répétiteur and piano by Gianni Fabbrini; cello continuo by Andrea Agostinelli; Alessandre Premoli assisted in direction; special effects by Alexandra. Released 2012. Grade: NA
Read MoreHandel Deidamia opera to a libretto by Paolo Antonio Rolli. Directed 2012 by David Alden at the De Nederlandse Opera. Stars Sally Matthews (Deidamia), Veronica Cangemi (Nerea), Olga Pasichnyk (Achille), Silvia Tro Santafé (Ulisse), Andrew Foster-Williams (Finice), Umberto Chiummo (Licomede), and Jan-Willem Schaafsma (Nestore). Ivor Bolton conducts Concerto Köln. Set design by Paul Steinberg; costume design by Constance Hoffman; lighting design by Adam Silverman; choreography by Jonathan Lunn; TV direction by Joost Honselaar. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreRossini Mosè in Egitto opera to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Directed 2011 by Graham Vick at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. Stars Riccardo Zanellato, Alex Esposito, Olga Senderskaya, Dmitry Korchak, Sonia Ganassi, Yijie Shi, Enea Scala, and Chiara Amarù. Roberto Abbado conducts the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna and the Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna (Chorus Master Lorenzo Fratini). Set and costume design by Stuart Nunn; lighting design by Giuseppe di Iorio; video direction by Tiziano Mancini. Released 2012. Grade: B+
Read MoreWagner Götterdämmerung opera. Directed 2012 by Robert Lepage. Stars Maria Radner (First Norn), Elizabeth Bishop (Second Norn), Heidi Melton (Third Norn), Deborah Voigt (Brünnhilde), Jay Hunter Morris (Siegfried), Iain Paterson (Gunther), Hans-Peter König (Hagen), Wendy Bryn Harper (Gutrune), Waltraud Meier (Waltraute), Eric Owens (Alberich), Erin Morley (Woglinde), Jennifer Johnson Cano (Wellgunde), and Tamara Mumford (Floßhilde). Fabio Luisi conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Chorus Master Donald Palumbo). Associate Direction by Neilson Vignola; set design by Carl Fillion; costume design by François St.-Aubin; lighting design by Etienne Boucher; video image art by Lionel Arnould in collaboration with Ex Machina. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read MoreWagner Das Rheingold. Directed 2010 by Robert Lepage. Stars Lisette Oropesa (Woglinde), Jennifer Johnson (Wellgunde), Tamara Mumford (Flosshilde), Eric Owens (Alberich), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Bryn Terfel (Wotan), Wendy Bryn Harmer (Freia), Franz-Josef Selig (Fasalt), Hans-Peter König (Fafner), Adam Diegel (Froh), Dwayne Croft (Donner), Richard Croft (Loge), Gerhard Siegel (Mime), and Patricia Bardon (Erda). James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Associate Direction by Neilson Vignola; set design by Carl Fillion; costume design by François St.-Aubin; lighting design by Etienne Boucher; video image art by Boris Firquet in collaboration with Ex Machina. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read MoreWagner Siegfried opera. Directed 2011 by Robert Lepage. Stars Gerhard Siegel (Mime), Jay Hunter Morris (Siegfried), Bryn Terfel (The Wanderer), Eric Owens (Alberich), Hans-Peter König (Fafner), Mojca Erdmann (The Forest Bird), Patricia Bardon (Erda), and Deborah Voigt (Brünnhilde). Fabio Luisi conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Associate Direction by Neilson Vignola; set design by Carl Fillion; costume design by François St.-Aubin; lighting design by Etienne Boucher; video image art by Pedro Pires in collaboration with Ex Machina. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read MoreVerdi I Lombardi alla prima crociata opera to a libretto by Temistocle Solera. Directed by Lamberto Puggelli in 2009 at the Teatro Regio di Parma Verdi Festival. Stars Roberto De Biasio, Michele Pertusi, Cristina Giannelli, Dimitra Theodossiou, Roberto Tagliavini, Gregory Bonfatti, Jansons Valdis, Francesco Meli, Daniela Pini, and Francesco Meli. Daniele Callegari conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma (Chorus Master Martino Faggiani). Sets by Paolo Bregni, costumes by Santuzza Calí, lighting by Andrea Borelli; co-direction by Lorenza Cantini; directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreVerdi I Due Foscari opera to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Directed by Joseph Franconi Lee in 2009 at the Teatro Regio di Parma Verdi Festival. Stars Leo Nucci, Roberto De Biasio, Tatiana Serjan, Roberto Tagliavini, Gregory Bonfatti, Marcella Polidori, Mauro Buffoli, and Alessandro Bianchini. Donato Renzetti conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma (Chorus Master Martino Faggiani). Sets and costumes by William Orlandi; lighting by Valerio Alfieri; choreography by Marta Ferri; directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreVerdi Ernani opera to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Direction, sets, costumes, and lighting by Pier'Alli in 2005 at the Teatro Regio di Parma Verdi Festival. Stars Marco Berti, Carlo Guelfi, Giacomo Prestia, Susan Neves, Nicoletta Zanini, Samuele Simoncini and Alessandro Svab. Antonello Allemandi conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma (Chorus Master Martino Faggiani). Light design realized by Andrea Borelli; sets realized by Michele Ricciarini; costumes made by Tatiana Lerario; assistant director was Silvia Morandini. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MorePavarotti died September 6, 2007. The Pavarotti Tribute is our name for The Tribute to Pavarotti concert presented in 2008 in Petra, Jordan by Nicoletta Mantovani Pavarotti and Princess Haya Bint al Hussein of Jordan. (We changed the name of the title slightly to make it easy to find on the Alphlist.) Stars José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Cynthia Lawrence, Andrea Griminelli, Jonanotti, Sting, Zucchero, Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, and Alem Kandour (juvenile artist). Eugene Kohn conducts the Prague Philharmonia. This title also has a long documentary with memorial comments about the decedent by family members, friends, and colleagues. Released 2009, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C
Read More2006 Europakonzert: Mozart Masterpieces (my name) concert. Daniel Barenboim conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker at the 2006 Europakonzert. This is the annual May 1st concert given by the Berlin Philharmoniker each year in a special venue, usually in a different European city. In 2006 the venue was the Theater of the Estates in Prague---the theater in which Mozart conducted the premier of Don Giovanni. For this performance the orchestra sits on a stage that is a reconstruction of the sets used in the first production of Don Giovanni. Grade: B
Read MorePuccini Il trittico with three one-act operas. Directed 2011 by Richard Jones at the Royal Opera House. They are:
Il tabarro to libretto by Giuseppe Adami. Stars Lucio Gallo (Michele), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Giorgetta), Aleksandrs Antonenko (Liugi), Alan Oke (Tinca), Jeremy White (Talpa), Irina Mishura (Frugola), Ji-Min Park (Song Seller), Anna Devin and Robert Anthony Gardiner (Lovers). Set design by Ultz; costume design by Nicky Gillibrand; lighting design by D.M. Wood; movement by Sarah Fahie; fight direction by Natalie Dakin.
Suor Angelica to libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. Stars Elena Zilio (Monitress), Melissa Alder and Kate McCarney (Two Lay Sisters), Elizabeth Sikora (Mistress of the Novices), Eryl Royale (Sister Osmina), Anna Devin (Sister Genovieffa), Katy Batho (Novice), Ermonela Jaho (Sister Angelica), Elizabeth Key (Sister Dolcina), Elizabeth Woollett (Nursing Sister), Gillian Webster and Kathleen Wilder (Two Alms Sisters), Irina Mishura (Abbess), Anna Larsson (The Princess), as well as Tamsin Coombs, Kiera Lyness, Renata Skarelyte, and Amy Catt (Nuns). Set deisgn by Miriam Buether; costume design by Nicky Gillibrand; lighting design by D.M. Wood; movement by Sarah Fahie.
Gianni Schicchi to libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. Stars Peter Curtis (Buoso Donati), Gwynne Howell (Simone), Elena Zilio (Zita), Francesco Demuro (Rinuccio), Jeremy White (Betto di Signa), Robert Poulton (Marco), Marie McLaughlin (La Ciesca), Alan Oke (Gherardo), Lisa Anne Robinson (Nella), Filippo Turkheimer (Gherardino), Lucio Gallo (Gianni Schicchi), Ekaterina Siurina (Lauretta), Henry Waddington (Maestro Spinelloccio), Enrico Fissore (Ser Amantio di Nicolao), Daniel Grice (Pinellino), and John Molloy (Guccio). Associate direction by Benjamin Davis; set design by John Macfarlane; costume design by Nicky Gillibrand; original lighting design by Mimi Jodran Sherin; revival lighting design by D.M. Wood; choreography by Lucy Burge; revival choreography by Sarah Fahie.
Richard Jones directs all productions. Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus (Concert Master Peter Manning; Chorus Director Renato Balsadonna). Directed for screen by Francesca Kemp. Sung in Italian. Released in 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A
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