Manuel de Falla La vida breve opera to a libretto by Carlos Fernández-Shaw. Directed 2011 by Giancarlo del Monaco at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia. Stars Cristina Gallardo-Domâs (Salud), Jorge de León (Paco), María Luisa Corbacho (La abuela), Felipe Bou (El tío Sarvaor), Sandra Ferrández (Carmela/1st and 3rd street-seller), Natalia Lunar (2nd street-seller), Isaac Galán (Manuel), and Antonio Lozano (Voice in the forge/Distant voice/Voice of a street-seller). Features flamenco performers Esperanza Fernández and Juan Carlos Gómez Pastor. Also features dancers Alberto Ferrero, Alejandra Garcia, Sara Gil, Yolanda López, Iván Martin, Antonio Martínez, Lara Pla, Carolina Pozuelo, Alexis Maximiliano Rebman, and Cristhian Sandvoal. Also features mimes Juan José Dalmau and Zvonimir Ostoic. Lorin Maazel conducts the Orchestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Cor de la Comunitat Valenciana (Chorus Master Francesc Perales). Set design by Giancarlo del Monaco; costume design by Jesús Ruiz; lighting design by Wolfgang von Zoubeck; choreography by Goyo Montero. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Sung in Spanish. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B-

Although the music to La vida breve is fairly well-known, the short, one-dimensional opera is rarely produced. The center of attention is the Gypsy girl Salud

Handel Xerxes opera to a libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz (Serse in Italian). Directed 2017 by Tilmann Köhler at the Frankfurt Opera. Stars Gaëlle Arquez (Xerxes), Lawrence Zazzo (Arsamene), Elizabeth Sutphen (Romilda), Louise Alder (Atalanta), Tanja Ariane Baumgartner (Amastre), Brandon Cedel (Ariodate), and Thomas Faulkner (Elviro). Constantinos Carydis conducts the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumorchester and the Vocalensemble Frankfurt. Set design by Karoly Risz; costume design by Susanne Uhl; lighting design by Joachim Klein; live video by Marlene Blumert; dramatic advisor was Zsolt Horpácsy. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Sung in Italian. Released 2018, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Janáček Věc Makropulos (The Makropulous Thing) opera to a libretto by the composer after Karel Čapek’s play. Directed 2011 by Christoph Marthaler at the Großes Festspielhaus as part of the Salzburg Festival. Stars Angela Denoke (Emilia Marty), Raymond Very (Albert Gregor), Peter Hoare (Vítek, the lawyer's clerk), Jurgita Adamonytė (Krista, his daughter), Johan Reuter (Jaroslav Prus), Aleš Briscein (Janek, his son), Jochen Schmeckenbecher (Dr. Kolenatý, the lawyer), Linda Ormiston (A Scottish maid) Peter Lobert (A conscientious objector), Ryland Davies (Hauk-Šendorf), Sasha Rau (Jin Ling), Silvia Fenz (Mary Lang), and Antia Stadler (Anita Stadler). Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor (Chorus Master Jörn H. Anderson), and Members of the Angelika Prokopp Sommerakademie of the Wiener Philharmoniker. Set and costume design by Anna Viebrock; lighting design by Olaf Winter. Directed for TV by Hannes Rossacher; produced by Magdalena Herbst. Sung in Czech. Released in 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A-

Věc Makropulos is usually translated as The Makropulos Affair or Case Makropulos, but it should be called The Makropulos Thing. This is perhaps the weirdest opera in the canon because it is (1) a philosophical discourse on the meaning of life, (2) a comedy of manners, (3) although no crime was committed, a who-done-it-type detective story, (4) the only opera ever about a decedent’s probate case that has lasted for 100 years, and (5) the only opera ever with a character who is 337 years old! Director Christoph Marthaler ratchets up the weirdness