Benjamin Britten Death in Venice opera to a libretto by Myfanwy Piper. Directed by Deborah Warner in 2013 at The London Coliseum. Stars John Graham-Hall (Gustav von Aschenbach), Andrew Shore (Traveller/Elderly Fop), Tim Mead (Apollo), Sam Zaldivar (Tadzio), Laura Caldow (The Polish Mother), Mia Angelina Mather (Polish Daughter), Xhuliana Shehu (Polish Daughter), Joyce Henderson (The Governess), and Marcio Teixeira (Jaschiu, Tadzio's friend). Edward Gardner conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the English National Opera. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreGeorge Benjamin Written on Skin opera to a libretto by Martin Crimp. Written on Skin had its first performance at the Grand Théâtre de Provence, France in July, 2012. It was soon thereafter produced in Bonn and in Amsterdam. The performance on this disc was directed by Katie Mitchell in March 2013 at the Royal Opera House. Stars Christopher Purves (The Protector), Barbara Hannigan (Agnès, wife of the Protector), Bejun Mehta (Angel 1/The Boy), Victoria Simmonds (Angel 2/Marie), Allan Clayton (Angel 3/John), as well as David Alexander, Laura Harling, Peter Hobday, and Sarah Northgraves (Angel Archivists). The composer himself conducted the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Design by Vicki Mortimer; lighting design by Jon Clark; fight direction by Kate Waters. Produced and directed for TV by Margaret Williams. Sung in English. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. The video was shot at 23.976 fps with a Cinemascope (letterbox) picture ratio of 1:2.35 (incorrectly printed on the letterbox as "1:2:35"). Grade B+
Read MoreVerdi Falstaff opera to libretto by Arrigo Boito. Directed 2009 by Richard Jones at Glyndebourne. Stars Christopher Purves (Falstaff), Tassis Christoyannis (Ford), Dina Kuznetsova (Alice Ford), Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Mistress Quickly), Adriana Kučerova (Nannetta) Bülent Bezdüz (Fenton); Jennifer Holloway (Meg Page), Peter Hoare (Br. Caius), Paolo Battaglia (Pistol), and Alasdair Elliott (Bardolph). Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Leader Pieter Schoeman) and the Glyndebourne Chorus (Chorus Master Thomas Blunt). Set and costumes by Ultz; lighting by Mimi Jordan Sherin; movement direction by Linda Dobell. François Roussillon was TV Director and Producer; Toni Hajal was Executive Producer; Sound Supervisor was Jean Chatauret. Sung in Italian with Italian, English, German, French, and Spanish subtitles. Released in 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A
Read MoreCharles Gounod Faust opera to libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. Directed 2011 by Des McAnuff at the Met. Stars Jonas Kaufmann (Faust), René Pape (Méphistophélès), Marina Poplavskaya (Marguerite), Russell Braun (Valentin), Jonathan Beyer (Wagner), Michele Losier (Siebel), and Wendy White (Marthe). Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Orchestra, Chorus, and Ballet of The Metropolitan Opera (Chorus Master Donald Palumbo). Set designs by Robert Ball; costume designs by Paul Tazewell; lighting designed by Peter Mumford; choreography by Kelly Devine; videos designs by Sean Nieuwenhuis. TV Director was Barbara Willis Sweete; Music Producer was Jay David Saks; Supervising Producers were Louisa Briccetti and Victoria Warivonchik. Released 2014, disc has dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreRossini Le Comte Ory opera to libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles-Gaspard Delestre-Poirson. Directed by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier. Stars Javier Camarena (Le Comte Ory), Cecilia Bartoli (La Comtesse Adèle), Rebecca Olvera (Isolier), Carlos Chausson (Le Gouverneur), Oliver Widmer (Raimbaud), Liliana Nikiteanu (Ragonde), and Teresa Sedlmair (Alice). Muhai Tang conducts the Orchestra La Scintilla and the Chorus of the Opernhaus Zürich. Directed for TV by Olivier Simonnet. Released 2014. Grade: NA
Read MoreRossini Otello opera to libretto by Francesco Maria Berio di Salsi. Directed by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier. Stars John Osborn (Otello), Cecilia Bartoli (Desdemona), Peter Kálmán (Elmiro), Javier Camarena (Rodrigo /Lucio), Edgardo Rocha (Jago), Liliana Nikiteanu (Emilia), Nicola Pamio (Doge di Venezia), Ilker Arcayürek. Muhai Tang conducts the Orchestra La Scintilla and the Supplementary Chorus of the Opernhaus Zürich (Chorus Master Jürg Hämmerli). Set design by Christian Fenouillat, costumes by Agostino Cavalca, lighting by Christophe Forey and Hans-Rudolf Kunz; dramaturgy by Konrad Kuhn. Directed for TV by Olivier Simonnet and produced by Pierre-Olivier Bardet. Released 2014, disc has dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBenjamin Britten Billy Budd opera to a libretto by E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier. Directed 2010 by Michael Grandage at Glyndebourne. Stars (in order of apperance) John Mark Ainsley (Captain Vere), Michael Wallace (First Mate), John-Owen Miley-Read (Second Mate), Matthew Rose (Mr. Flint), Richard Mosley-Evans (Bosun), John Moore (Donald), Peter Gijsbertsen (Maintop), Ben Johnson (Novice), Colin Judson (Squeak), Iain Paterson (Mr. Redburn), Darren Jeffrey (Lieutenant Ratcliffe), Phillip Ens (Claggart), Alasdair Elliott (Red Whiskers), Tony Girling (Arthur Jones), Jacques Imbrailo (Billy Budd), Alexander Robin Baker (Novice's Friend), Jeremy White (Dansker), Sam Honeywood (Cabin Boy), Freddie Benedict, Alastair Dixon, Adam Lord, and Joseph Wakeling (all Midshipmen). Mark Elder conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra (with Leader Pieter Schoeman) and the Glyndebourne Chorus (with Chorus Master Jeremy Bines). Set design by Christopher Oram; lighting by Paule Constable; movement direction by Tom Roden; sound supervision by Jean Chatauret. TV Director was François Roussillon; Executive Producer was Toni Hajal. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read MoreLeoš Janáček Katia Kabanova opera to libretto by the composer based on The Storm, a play by Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky. Directed 2008 by Robert Carsen at the Teatro Real in Madrid. Stars (in order of appearance) Oleg Bryjak (Dikoj), Miroslav Dvorský (Boris), Dalia Schaechter (Kabanicha), Guy De Mey (Tichon), Karita Mattila (Kát'a), Gordon Gietz (Kudrjáš), Natascha Petrinksy (Varvara), Marco Moncloa (Kuligin), Itxaro Mentxaka (Glaša) and María José Suárez (Fekluša). Jiří Bělohlávek conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Real (Chorus Master Peter Burian). Dancers are Ana Aguilar, Magdalena Aizpúrua, Diana Bernedo, Vanesa Calderón, Sandra Cardozo, Leticia Castro, Lorena Díaz, Henar Fuentetaja, Rebeca González Lázaro, María González, Marta Gorriz, Salome Jimenez, Amaia Otcabide, Marta Marcelli, Carmen Mayordomo, Natalia Méndez, Carolina Pastor, Yara Paz, Vanesa Tejedor, Almudena Ramos, Licía Rey Castillo, Diana Samper, Isabel Sánchez, Ainhoa Sarmiento, Beatriz Silva, Izaskun Valmaseda, and Aisha Wizuete. Sets and costumes by Patrick Kinmonth; lighting by Robert Carsen and Peter van Praet; choreography by Philippe Giraudeau; sound supervision by Jean Chatauret; directed for TV by François Roussillon; produced by Tony Hajal). Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A-
Read MoreTchaikovsky Eugene Onegin opera to libretto by the composer and K. Shilovsky based on the verse novel by Alexander Pushkin. Directed 2013 by Deborah Warner at the Met. Stars Mariusz Kwiecien (Onegin), Anna Netrebko (Tatiana), Piotr Beczala (Lenski), Oksana Volkova (Olga), and Alexei Tanovitski (Gremin). Valery Gergiev conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and Ballet. Sets by Tom Pye; costumes by Chloe Obolensky; lighting by Jean Kalman; video designs by Ian William Galloway and Finn Ross; choreography by Kim Brandstrup; directed for video by ?. Released 2014. Grade: NA
Read MoreMozart Die Zauberflöte opera to a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. Directed 2012 by Jens-Daniel Herzog at the Salzbulg Festival Felsenreitschule. Stars Bernard Richter (Tamino), Julia Kleiter (Pamina), Mandy Fredrich (Queen of the Night), Georg Zeppenfeld (Sarastro), Markus Werba (Papageno), Elisabeth Schwarz (Papagena), Rudolf Schasching (Monostatos), Martin Gantner (Speaker), Sandra Trattnigg (1st Lady), Anja Schlosser (2nd Lady), Wiebke Lehmkuhl (3rd Lady), Members of the Tölzer Knaben, Lucian Krasznec (1st armed man), and Andreas Hörl (2nd armed man). Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the Concentus Musicus Wien and the Wein State Opera Chorus (Chorus Master Ernst Raffelsberger). Sets and costume design by Mathis Neidhard; lighting design by Stefan Bolliger; dramaturgy by Ronny Dietrich; choreography by Ramses Sigl. Directed for TV by Felix Breisach. Sung in German. Released 2014. Grade: NA
Read MoreRichard Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos opera to libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Directed 2012 by Sven-Eric Bechtolf at the Salzburg Festival. Stars Emily Magee (The Prima Donna/Ariadne), Elena Moșuc (Zerbinetta), Jonas Kaufmann (The Tenor/Bacchus), Eva Liebau (Naiad/A Shepherdess), Marie-Claude Chappuis (Dryad/A Shepherd), Eleonora Buratto (Echo/A Singer), Gabriel Bermúdez (Harlequin), Michael Laurenz, (Scaramuccio), Tobias Kehrer (Truffaldino), Martin Mitterrutzner (Brighella), Peter Matić (The Major-Domo), Cornelius Obonya (M. Jourdain), Thomas Frank (The Composer), Michael Rotschopf (Hofmannsthal), Regina Fritsch (Ottonie/Dorine), Stefanie Dvorak (Nikoline), and Johannes Lange (Lackey). Dancers are: Arsen Mehrabyan, Artur Babajanyan, Boris Myasnkov, Flavio Salamanka, Hasan Topcuoglu, Oleksandr Kirichenko, Sergiy Kirichenko, and Tigran Mikayelyan. Daniel Harding conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker. Set designs by Rolf Glittenberg; costume designs by Marianne Glittenberg; choreography by Heinz Spoerli; dramaturgy by Ronny Dietrich; lighting by Jürgen Hoffmann. Directed for TV by Hannes Rossacher. Released 2014, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreWagner Parsifal opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2013 by Francois Girard at the New York Met. Stars Jonas Kaufmann, Katarina Dalayman, Peter Mattei, René Pape, Evgeny Nikitin, Rúni Brattaberg, and Maria Zifchak. Daniele Gatti conducts the Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera. Sets and costumes by Alexander Polzin; lighting by Urs Schönebaum; choreography by Annett Göhre; video directed by Brian Large. Released 2014. Grade: NA
Read MoreMussorgsky Boris Godunov opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2013 by Calixto Bieito at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Stars Alexander Tsymbalyuk, Yulia Sokolik, Eri Nakamura, Heike Grötzinger, Gerhard Siegel, Markus Eiche, Anatoli Kotscherga, Sergey Skorokhodov, Vladimir Matorin, Ulrich Reß, Kevin Conners, and Goran Juric. Kent Nagano conducts the Bayerisches Staatsorchester and the Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper Lighting by Michael Bauer; sets by Rebecca Ringst; costumes by Ingo Krügler; dramaturgy by Andrea Schönhofer. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreVerdi Messa da Requiem. Recorded 2012 at the Teatro alla Scala. Daniel Barenboim conducts the Orchestra and Coro del Teatro alla Scala (Chorus Master Bruno Casoni). Soloists are Anja Harteros (soprano), Elīna Garanča (mezzo-soprano), Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), and René Pape (bass). Directed for TV by Andy Sommer; director of photography was Martial Barrault; sound engineer was Rodrigue Durand. Sung in Latin. There are, however, no subtitles in Latin, nor is there a printed libretto in the keepcase booklet. Subtitles are translated into English, French, and German. Released 2013, sound was recorded at 48kHz/24-bit and disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B
Read MoreHenry Purcell Dido and Aeneas opera to a libretto by Nahum Tate. Directed 2008 by Deborah Warner at the Paris Opéra Comique. Stars Malena Ernman (Dido), Christopher Maltman (Aeneas), Judith Van Wanroij (Belinda), Hilary Summers (Sorceress), Lina Markeby (Second Woman), Céline Ricci (First Witch), Ana Quintans (Second Witch), Damian Whiteley (Sailor), and Marc Mauilon (Spirit). Fiona Shaw speaks the Prologue. William Christie conducts Les Arts Florissants Orchestra and Choir (Chorus Master François Bazola). Sets and costumes by Chloé Obolensky; lighting by Jean Kalman; directed for TV by François Roussillon; produced by Tony Hajal and David Kulas. Sung in English; subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read More