La fille mal gardée is the oldest ballet in today's repertory. This is the leading version today with choreography by Frederick Ashton. Ferdinand Hérold originally composed the music (based on numerous folk songs), and John Lanchbery adapted and arranged the version of the music used on this disc. This was staged 2005 by Alexander Grant and Christopher Carr at The Royal Ballet. Stars Marianela Nuñez (Lise), Carlos Acosta (Colas), William Tuckett (Widow Simone), Jonathan Howells (Alain), David Drew (Thomas), Giacomo Ciriaci (Cockerol), Gemma Bond, Bethany Keating, Iohna Loots, and Natasha Oughtred (hens), Christina Arestis, Deirdre Chapman, Lauren Cuthbertson, Cindy Jourdain, Sarah Lamb, Laura Morera, Vanessa Palmer, Christina Elida Salerno (Lisa's friends), and Alastair Marriott (Notary). Anthony Twiner conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Associate Concert Master Sergey Levitin). Sets by Jean Dauberval; designs by Osbert Lancaster; lighting by John B. Read; directed for TV by Ross MacGibbon. Released 2009, music was recorded with 48kHz/24-bit sound, and disc has 5.1 PCM sound output. Grade: A+
Read MoreLang Lang Live in Versailles, a piano recital by Lang Lang, features the following:
1. Chopin Scherzo No. 1
2. Chopin Scherzo No. 2
3. Chopin Scherzo No. 3
4. Chopin Scherzo No. 4
5. Tchaikovsky The Seasons.
This should have been called The Months. Here are the 12 short pieces in The Seasons:
1. January: "At the Fireside"
2. February: "Carnival"
3. March: "Song of the Lark"
4. April: "Snowdrop"
5. May: "White Nights"
6. June: "Barcarolle"
7. July: "The Reaper's Song"
8. August: "The Harvest"
9. September: "The Hunt"
10. October: "Autumn Song"
11. November: "Troika"
12. December: "Christmas"
Performed 2015 in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. Directed for TV by Andy Sommer; produced by François Duplat. Released 2015, music was recorded at 48kHz/24-bit and the disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound output. Grade: A-
Read MorePuccini Turandot opera to a libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Directed 2012 by Giuliano Montaldo at the Teatro Carlo Felice after an original production by Fausto Cosentino. Stars Daniela Dessi (Turandot), Massimo La Guardia (Emperor Altoum), Ramaz Chikviladze (Timur), Mario Malagnini (Calaf), Roberta Canzian (Liù), Francesco Verna (Ping), Enrico Salsi (Pang), Manuel Pierattelli (Pong), Fabrizio Beggi (A Mandarin), Pasquale Graziano (The Prince of Persia), Annarita Cecchini (First Handmaid), and Simona Pasino (Second Handmaid). Also stars mimes Filippo Bandiera, Dario Greco, Robert Pierantoni, Davide Riminucci, and Simone Sistarelli. Donato Renzetti conducts the Orchestra, Chorus and Children’s Choir of the Teatro Carlo Felice (Chorus Master Marco Berrini; Chorus Master of the Children’s Choir Gino Tanasini). Set design by Luciano Ricceri; costume design by Elisabetta Montaldo Bocciardo; lighting design by Luciano Novelli; choreography by Giovanni Di Cicco. Directed for TV by Matteo Ricchetti. Sung in Italian. Released 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MorePurcell The Indian Queen opera. The music was composed in 1695. The original libretto was by John Dryden and Sir Robert Howard. The book was completely rewritten by Peter Sellars to create a modern version of the conquest of the New World by the Spanish. Theodor Currentzis, an avant-garde conductor who has worked a lot with the likes of Dmitri Tcherniakov, conducts MusicAeterna, a group that plays on baroque instruments. Released 2016. Grade: NA
Read MoreMozart Don Giovanni opera to libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. Directed 2011 by Robert Carsen at the Teatro alla Scala. Stars Peter Mattei (Don Giovanni), Bryn Terfel (Leporello), Anna Netrebko (Donna Anna), Giuseppy Filianoti (Don Ottavio), Barbara Frittoli (Donna Elvira), Štegan Kocán (Maseto), Anna Prohaska (Zerlina), and Kwangchul Youn (Commhendatore). Daniel Barenboim conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala. Set designs by Michael Levine; costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel; lighting by Robert Carsen and Peter van Praet; choreography by Philippe Giraudeau. Directed for video by Andreas Morell. Released 2015. Grade: NA
Read MoreWagner Tannhäuser opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2014 by Sasha Waltz (not a typo) at the Staatsoper Berlin. Stars Peter Seiffert (Tannhäuser), Marina Prudenskaya (Venus), Ann Petersen (Elisabeth), Peter Mattei (Wolfram von Eschenbach), René Pape (Hermann, Landgraf von Thüringen), Peter Sonn (Walther von der Vogelweide), Tobias Schabel (Biterolf), Jürgen Sacher (Heinrich der Schreiber), Jan Martiník (Reinmar von Zweter), and Sónia Grané (Ein Hirtenknabe). Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin. Choreography by Sasha Waltz; costume design by Bernd Skodzig; set design by Pia Maier Schriever and Sasha Waltz; lighting design by David Finn. Directed for TV by Vincent Bataillon; produced by François Duplat. Sung in German. Released 2015, disc has dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreStrauss & Ravel Concert. Vladimir Jurowski conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in 2009 in the Richard Strauss Metamorphosen and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. Hélène Grimaud joins as soloist in the Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major. TV direction by Louise Narboni; produced by Pierre-Martin Juban. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grades: A- for the Ravel and B- for the two Strauss pieces.
Read MoreNapoli ballet to music by Edvard Helsted, H.S. Paulli, H.C. Lumbye, and Louise Alenius. Choreographed by Sorella Englund and Nikolaj Hübbe after August Bournonville. Stars Alban Lendorf (Gennaro), Alexandra Lo Sardo (Teresina), Benjamin Buza (Golfo), Lis Jeppesen (Veronica), Alba Nadal (Geovanina), Mette Bødtcher (Flora), Jean-Lucien Massot (Peppo), Fernando Mora (Giacomo), Poul Erik Hesselkilde (Pascarillo), Josephine Berggreen (Pilgrim), Magnus Christoffersen (Cyclist), Mogens Boesen (Carlino), Eva Bloborg (Carla, Guesthouse Owner), Cédric Lambrette (Fra Ambrosio), Maria Bernholdt (Prostitute), and Josee Bowman (Prostitute). Corps dancers include: Ulrik Birkkjaer, Carolina Baldwin, Marcin Kupinski, Gregory Dean, Holly Jean Dorger, Amy Watson, Susanne Grinder, Ide Praetorius, Christina Michanek, Amalie Adrian, and Jonathan Chmelensky. Graham Bond conducts Det Kongelige Kapel. Sets and costumes by Maja Ravn; lighting by Mikki Kunttu; dramaturgical retelling by Camilla Hübbe; staging by Sorella Englund and Nikolaj Hübbe assisted by Silja Schandorff and Claire Still; assistant direction of children by Ann Kolvig. Produced by Jens Lange; directed for the screen by Uffe Borgwardt and Peter Borgwardt. There are no bonus features. Opus Arte includes a cheap keepcase booklet with typefonts so tiny and ugly that you may need a maginfying glass to read it. Released 2015, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B-
Read MoreVerdi Macbeth opera to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. The 2007 Adrian Nobel production is revived in 2014 at the Met and directed by Assistant Stage Directors Gregory Anthony Fortner and Gina Lapinski. Stars Željko Lučić (Macbeth), Anna Netrebko (Lady Macbeth), René Pape (Banquo), Joseph Calleja (Macduff), Raymond Renault (Duncan), Noah Baetge (Malcolm), Claudia Waite (Lady-in-waiting), Christopher Job (Servant), Moritz Linn (Fleanzio), Richard Bernstein (Murderer), Seth Malkin (Herald), James Courtney (Doctor), David Crawford (Warrior Apparition), Ashley Emerson (Bloody Child Apparition), and Jihee Kim (Crowned Child Apparition). Fabio Luisi conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus (Donald Palumbo Chorus Master) and Ballet (Sue Lefton Choreographer). Stage band conducted by Jeffrey Goldberg. Sets and costumes by Mark Thompson; lighting by Jean Kalman; directed for live TV by Gary Halvorson; music producer Jay David Saks. Supervising Producers are Mia Bongiovanni and Elena Park; Producers are Louisa Briccetti and Victoria Warivonchik. Released 2015, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreOffenbach Les contes d'Hoffmann opera to a libretto by Jules Barbier. New version directed 2014 by Christoph Marthaler with Joaquim Rathke at the Teatro Real. Stars Eric Cutler (Hoffmann), Anne Sofie Von Otter (La Muse/Nicklausse), Vito Priante (Lindorf/Coppélius/Dr. Miracle/Dapertutto), Christoph Homberger (Andrès/Cochenille/Frantz/Pitichinaccio), Ana Durlovski (Olympia), Measha Brueggergosman (Antonia/Giulietta), Altea Garrido (Stella), Lani Poulson (La Mère d’Antonia), Jean-Philippe Lafont (Maître Luther/Crespel), Gerardo López (Nathanaël), Graham Valentine (Spalanzani), Tomeu Bibiloni (Hermann), and Isaac Galán (Schlemil). Actors and dancers are: Joaquín Abella, Catalina Amorós, Mauricio Bautista, Beatriz Bergamín, Paco Celdrán, Veronica Garzón, Haizam Fathy, Ada Fernádez, Macarena Hoffmann, Carolina Isach, Jack Jamison, Antonio Jiménez, and Fátima Rojas. Sylvain Cambreling conducts the Orchestra & Chorus of the Teatro Real de Madrid (Chorus Master Andrés Másparo). Sets and costumes by Anna Viebrock; lighting by Olaf Winter; dramaturgy by Malte Ubenauf; choreography by Altea Garrido; directed for TV by Jérémie Cuvillier; produced by François Duplat and Xavier Dubois. Sung in French. Released 2015, Blu-ray disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A-
Read MoreDavid Dunnett in 2012 plays the following selections on the grand organ of the Norwich Cathedral:
1. Handel "Coro" from Water Music (arr. Osborne Peasgood)
2. J. S. Bach "Sinfonia on Cantata No. 29" (arr. Marcel Dupré)
3. J. S. Bach "Sheep May Safely Graze"
4. Heathcote Statham "Rhapsody on a Ground"
5. Percy Whitlock "Folk Tune"
6. Handel "Hornpipe" from Water Music (arr. Osborne Peasgood)
7. Saint-Saëns "Fantaisie in E flat"
8. Jehan Alain "Le Jardin suspendu"
9. Alexandre Guilmant "March on a Theme of Handel "
10. William Walond "Voluntary in G"
11. Ronald Watson "Kum ba'yah"
12. Percy Fletcher "Festival Toccata"
13. Elgar "Angel's Farewell" from The Dream of Gerontius (arr. Sir Herbert Brewer)
14. Iain Farrington "Live Wire"
Priory specializes in church and organ music. This package has a Blu-ray, a DVD, and a CD! Recorded and produced by Paul Crichton; filmed and edited by Richard Knight; Associate Producer was Callum Ross; Executive Producer was Neil Collier. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. Grade: A
Read MoreVerdi Falstaff opera to libretto by Arrigo Boito. Directed by Robert Carsen at the Metropolitan Opera. Stars Carlo Bosi (Dr. Caius), Ambrogio Maestri (Sir John Falstaff), Keith Jameson (Bardolfo), Christian Van Horn (Pistola), Jennifer Johnson Cano (Meg Page), Angela Meade (Alice Ford), Stephanie Blythe (Mistress Quickly), Lisette Oropesa (Nannetta), Paolo Fanale (Fenton), and Franco Vassallo (Ford). James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera, Orchestra & Chorus (Chorus Master Donald Palumbo). Set design by Paul Steinberg; costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel; lighting design by Robert Carsen and Peter Van Praet. Released in 2015, disc has dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreDonizetti L'elisir d'amore opera to libretto by Felice Romani. Directed 2005 by Otto Schenk at the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus. Stars Rolando Villazon (Nemorino), Anna Netrebko (Adina), Leo Nucci (Belcore), and Ildebrando d'Arcangelo (Dulcamara), Inna Los (Gianneta) and Michael Burggasser (Dulcamera's assistant). Alfred Eschwé conducts the Orchester and Chor der Wiener Staatsoper. Sets and costumes by Jürgen Rose; directed for TV by Karina Fibich. Released 2015. Grade: NA
Read MoreKarol Szymanowski King Roger opera to libretto by the composer and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. Directed 2015 by Kasper Holten at the Royal Opera House. Stars Mariusz Kwiecien (King Roger II of Sicily), Georgia Jarman (Roxana), Saimir Pirgu (Shepherd), Kim Begley (Edrisi), Alan Ewing, (Archbishop), and Agnes Zwierko (Deaconess). Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Concert Master Peter Manning) and the Royal Opera Chorus (Chorus Director Renalto Balsadonna). Designs by Steffen Aarfing; lighting design by John Clark; video design by Luke Halls; choreograpy by Cathy Marston; dramaturgy by John Lloyd Davies; directed for video by Ian Russell. Released in 2015, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio surround sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreMozart La finta giardiniera opera (composed at age 18) to a libretto possibly from Giuseppe Petrosellini. Directed by Tobias Moretti at Opernhaus Zürich in 2006. Stars Eva Mei (Sandrina), Christoph Strehl (Il Contino Belfiore), Rudolf Schasching (Il Podestà Don Anchise), Isabel Rey (Arminda), Liliana Nikiteanu (Il Cavalier Ramiro), Julia Kleiter (Serpetta), and Gabriel Bermúdez (Nardo). Nikolaus Harnoncourt directs the Orchestra "La Scintilla" of the Zurich Opera. There is no chorus. Set design by Rolf Glittenberg; costumes by Renate Martin and Andreas Donhauser; lighting by Jürgen Hoffmann; directed for TV by Felix Breisach. Released 2009, disc has 5.1 dts-HD sound. Grade: A
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