The Metamorphosis, a dance-theatre adaptation after the Kafka short story. Choreographed and directed by Arthur Pita especially for Edward Watson, a principal dancer for the Royal Opera House Ballet. Performed 2013 at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio Theater (where the work was premiered in 2011). Original music composed and performed by Frank Moon, who plays guitar, oud, violin, tam-tam, and sings. Edward Watson plays the role of the main character, Gregor Samsa. Supporting dancers are Laura Day (Grete Samsa, Gregor's sister), Nina Goldman (Mrs. Samsa, Gregor's mother), Neil Reynolds (Mr. Samsa, Gregor's father), as well as Bettina Carpi (Maid, Coffee Lady, Dream Figure, Bearded Man), Greig Cooke (Train Conductor, Dream Figure, Bearded Man), and Amir Giles (Clerk, Dream Figure, Bearded Man). Designs by Simon Daw; lighting by Guy Hoare. Assistant Choreographer was Scarsett Perdereau; Producer was Poppy Ben-David; TV Director was Ross MacGibbon. Disc has extra features named "Introduction to The Metamorphosis" and "Bringing The Metamorphoses to Life." This title is part of the Royal Opera House Collection Series. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A
Read MoreWagner Parsifal opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 1998 by Wolfgang Wagner at the Bayreuth Festival. Stars Falk Struckmann (Amfortas), Matthias Hölle (Titurel), Hans Sotin (Gurnemanz), Poul Elming (Parsifal), Ekkehard Wlaschiha (Klingsor), and Linda Watson (Kundry). Giuseppe Sinopoli conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Bayreuther Festspiele (Chorus Master Norbert Balatsch). Set design by Wolfgang Wagner. Directed for TV by Horant H. Hohlfeld. Sung in German. Released 2014, disc claims 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBruckner Symphony No. 8. Christian Thielemann conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden in 2012. Directed for TV by Henning Kasten. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreDonizetti Don Pasquale opera to libretto by Giovanni Ruffini. Directed 2013 by Mariame Clément at Glyndebourne. Stars Alessandro Corbelli (Don Pasquale), Danielle de Niese (Norina), Nikolay Borchev (Malatesta), Alek Shrader (Ernesto), James Platt (Notary), and Anna-Marie Sullivan (Servant). Enrique Mazzola conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Leader Pieter Schoeman) and Glyndebourne Chorus (Chorus Master Jeremy Bines). Designs by Julia Hansen; lighting by Bernd Purkrabek; directed for TV by Myriam Hoyer. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreRichard Strauss Capriccio opera to a libretto by Clemens Krauss and Richard Strauss. Directed 2013 by Marco Arturo Marelli at the Vienna State Opera. Stars Renée Flemming (Countess), Bo Skovhus (Count, Brother of Countess), Michael Shade (Flamand, a Musician), Markus Eiche (Olivier, a Poet), Angelika Kirchschlager (Clairon, an Actress), Kurt Rydl (La Roche, a Theater Director), Michael Roider (Monsieur Taupe, a Prompter), Íride Martínez (an Italian Singer), Benjamin Bruns (an Italian Tenor), Josefine Tyler (Young Dancer), Samuel Colombet (Young Dancer), and Clemens Unterreiner (the Major-Domo). Christoph Eshenbach conducts the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. Sets and lighting by Marco Arturo Marelli; costumes by Dagmar Niefind; choreography by Lukas Gaudernak; video directed by Brian Lange. Released 2014, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreRossini La Cenerentola to libretto by Jacopo Ferretti. Directed 2007 by Joan Font at the Liceu Theatre. Stars Joyce DiDonato (Angelina, the Cenerentola or Cinderella), Juan Diego Flórez (Prince Ramiro), Bruno De Simone (Don Magnifico), David Menéndez (Dandini), Simón Orfila (Alidoro), Cristina Obregón (Clorinda) and Itxaro Mentxaka (Tisbe). Patrick Summers conducts the Met Orchestra & Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Sets and costumes by Joan Guillen. Released 2014. Grade: NA
Read MorePuccini Turandot opera to a libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Directed 2013 by Andrew Sinclair, after Andrei Serban, at the Royal Opera House. Stars Lise Lindstrom (Turandot), Marco Berti (Calaf), Eri Nakamura (Liù), Michel de Souza (Mandarin), Raymond Aceto (Timur), Dionysios Sourbis (Ping), David Butt Philip (Pang), Doug Jones (Pong), and Alasdair Elliott (Emperor Altoum). Henrik Nánási conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Concert Master Vasko Vassilev) and the Royal Opera Chorus (Chorus Director Renato Balsadonna). Designs by Sally Jacobs; lighting design by F. Mitchell Dana; choreography by Kate Flatt; choreologist was Tatiana Novaes-Coelho. Directed for TV by Ian Russell. Sung in Italian. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBruckner Symphony No. 7 concert. Part of the Bruckner Mature Symphonies series by Accentus. Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin at the Philharmonie Berlin in 2010. Directed for TV by Elizabeth Malzer; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBach St. Matthew Passion oratorio. The video recording was directed 2011 by Louise Narboni at the Basilica Cathedral Saint-Denis, Paris. Solosist are Werner Güra (Evangelist), Stephen Morscheck (Jesus), Lucy Crowe (soprano), Christine Rice (mezzo-soprano), Nicholas Phan (tenor), Matthew Brook (bass) and Bertrand Grunenwald (bass). John Nelson conducts the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, and the Maîtrise de Paris. Includes a 52-minute documentary extra called John Nelson's Saint Matthew Passion---The Journey, also directed by Narboni, as well as information about Soli Deo Gloria. Released 2014, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound.
The 43-person Orchestre de Chambre de Paris (Paris Chamber Orchestra) is a leading French chamber group. The current President of the orchestra is Brigitte Lefèvre, who is also the Director of the Paris Opera Ballet. John Nelson is currently Honorary Music Director of the orchestra. The Schola Cantorum of Oxford is a famous 30-person chamber choir directed by James Burton, most of the members of which are college students at Oxford. The Maîtrise de Paris is a famous French choir for young women directed by Patrick Marco.
Soli Deo Gloria, a U.S. charity that promotes sacred music performances and recordings all over the world, recruited all these forces. Assuming the artists got enough rehearsal time, the result could be a fabulous performance and recording. Grade: NA
Read MoreWagner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2011 by David McVicar at Glyndebourne. Stars Gerald Finley (Hans Sachs), Marco Jentzsch (Walter von Stolzing), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Sixtus Beckmesser}, Alastair Miles (Veit Pogner), Anna Gabler (Eva), Topi Lehtipuu (David), Michaela Selinger (Magdelena), Colin Judson (Kunz Vogelgesang), Andrew Slater (Konrad Nachtigall), Henry Waddington (Fritz Kothner), Robert Poulton (Herrman Ortel), Alasdair Elliot (Balthasar Zorn), Daniel Norman (Augustin Moser), Adrian Thompson (Ulrich Eisslinger), Graeme Broadbent (Hans Foltz), Maxim Mikhailov (Hans Schwarz), Mats Almgren (Nightwatchman). Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Leader Pieter Schoeman; Assistant Conductor Anthony Negus) and the Glyndebourne Chorus (Chorus Master Jeremy Bines). Design by Vicki Mortimer; lighting design by Paule Constable; choreography by Andrew George; fight direction by Nicholas Hall; film direction by François Roussillon; soundd supervision by Andy Rose; executive production by George Bruell; produced by Toni Hajal. Released 2012, 2 discs have 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A
Read MoreHenry Purcell The Fairy Queen semi-opera to anonymous adaptation (with massive cuts) of Shakespeare'sA Midsummer Night's Dream. Directed 2009 by Jonathan Kent at Glyndebourne. Stars as actors Joseph Millson (Oberon), Sally Dexter (Titania), JothamAnnan (Puck), Desmond Barrit (Bottom), Robert Burt (Flute), Jack Chissick (Snout), Paul McCleary (Quince), Brian Pettifer (Snug), Roger Sloman (Starveling), Taliesin Knight (Changeling Boy), TerrenceHardiman (Egeus), William Gaunt (Theseus), Susannah Wise (Hermia), Helen Bradbury (Helena), Oliver Kieran Jones (Lysander), and Oliver Le Sueur (Demetrius). Singing stars are Claire Debono (First Fairy/Spring), Anna Devin (Second Fairy), Desmond Barrit (Drunken Poet), Carolyn Sampson (Night), Ed Lyon (Secrecy/Adam), Andrew Foster-Williams (Sleep/Coridon), Robert Burt (Mopsa), Sean Clayton (Summer), Adrian Ward (Autumn), LukasKargl (Phœbus), Lucy Crowe (Juno), and Helen-Jane Howells (Eve) as well as Miriam Allan, Rachel Redmond, and John Mackenzie (Soloists from the Glyndebourne Chorus). Dancing stars are Laura Caldow, NuniCampos, Tommy Franzén, Caroline Lynn, Omar Gordon, Anthony Kurt-Gabel, MaurizioMontis, and Sarah Storer. William Christie conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Leader Alison Bury) and the Glyndebourne Chorus (Assistant Chorus Master Oliver Gooch). Designs by Paul Brown; lighting by Mark Henderson; choreography by Kim Brandstrup; TV direction by FrançoisRoussillon; executive production by Toni Hajal; sound supervision by Jean Chatauret. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: B
Read MoreWagner Götterdämmerung opera. Directed 2013 by Guy Cassiers at the Teatro alla Scala. Stars Lance Ryan (Siegfried), Gerd Grochowski (Gunther), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Albrerich), Mikhail Petrenko (Hagan), Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilda and Third Norn), Anna Samuil (Gutrune), Waltraud Meier (Waltraute and 2nd Norn), Margarita Nekrasova (1st Norn), Aga Mikolaj (Woglinda), Maria Gortsevskaya (Wellgunda), and Anna Lapkovskaja (Flosshilda). Daniel Barenboim conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala (Chorus Master Bruno Casoni). Set design by Guy Cassiers; set and lighting design by Enrico Bagnoli; costume design by Tim van Steenbergen; video design by Arjen Klerkx and Kurt D'Haeseleer; choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui; TV direction by Patrizia Carmine. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreOttorino Respighi Belkis, Queen of Sheba concert film. Directed 2012 by Martin Andersson in Stuttgart. Gabriel Feltz conducts the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker and the Czech Philharmonic Choir, Brno (Choir Master Petr Fiala). Features narratress Julia Jentsch, mezzo soprano Stella Doufexis, and tenor Metodi Morartzaliev. Produced by Martin Andersson, eyecatchproductions, and the Stuttgarter Philhamoniker; published by the Breyer Gaido Music Production Company in Germany. This is a German language product with subtitles in English. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 surround sound (no further details on sound available). The picture format is Cinemascope 1:2.35 to be shown in HD TV in letterbox. Grade: NA
Read MorePuccini Tosca opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed 2009 by Robert Carsen at Opernhaus Zürich. Stars Emily Magee (Tosca), Jonas Kaufmann (Caravadossi), Thomas Hampson (Scarpia), Valeriy Murga (Angelotti), and Giuseppe Scorsin (Sacristan). Paolo Carignani conducts the Orchestra, Chorus and Children's Chorus of Opernhaus Zürich. Set and costume design by Anthony Ward; lighting design by Davy Cunningham. Directed for TV by Felix Breisach, executive producer was Alexander Pereira. Sung in Italian. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBach Mass in B minor concert. Georg Christoph Biller conducts the Thomanerchor Leipzig & Freiburger Barockorchester at the Leipzig Bach Festival in 2013. Soloists are Reglint Bühler (soprano), Susanne Krumbiegel (mezzo‐soprano), Susanne Langner (alto), Martin Lattke (tenor) and Markus Flaig (bass). Directed for video by Ute Feudel. Produced by Paul Smaczny and Günter Atteln. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
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