Mark Adamo Becoming Santa Claus opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2015 by Paul Curran at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas. Stars Jennifer Rivera (Queen Sophine), Jonathan Blalock (Prince Claus), Matt Boehler (Donkey/Messenger), Hila Plitmann (Yan), Lucy Schaufer (Ib), Keith Jameson (Yab), and Kevin Burdette (Ob). Also features dancers Kym Cartwright, Caradee Cline, Jason Fowler, Matt Holmes, Tom Kilps, and Elise Lavallee. Emmanuel Villaume conducts the Dallas Opera Orchestra, with associate conductor Paolo Bressan, handbell director Tim Effler; musical preparation by Kirk Severtson and Christopher Devlin. Choreography by Paul Curran; set and costume design by Gary McCann; lighting design by Paul Hackenmueller: projection design by Driscoll Otto; wig and make-up design by David Zimmerman; assistant director was Opheli Wolf; stage manager was Lisa Marie Lange; assistant stage directors were Katy Reeves and Miranda Wilson. Directed for TV by Aaron Butler. Sung in English. Released 2017, disc has LPCM stereo and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. Grade: NA

Tod Machover Death and the Powers opera to a libretto by Robert Pinsky (from a story by Randy Weiner and Robert Pinsky). Directed February 2014 at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas by Andrew Eggert (with assistance from Allegra Libonati) using original stage directions of Diane Paulus. Stars baritone Robert Orth (Simon Walter Powers, an aging Jillionaire), mezzo-soprano Patricia Risley (Simon's Trophy Wife), soprano Joélle Harvey (Miranda, Simon's step-daughter), tenor Hal Casalet (Simon's protégé whom Simon rescued as a deformed infant foundling), counter-tenor Frank Kelley (The United Way, an important charity in the United States), baritone David Kravitz (The United Nations), and bass Tom McNichols (The Administration). Nicole Paiement conducts The Simon Walter Powers Post-Organic-Age Orchestra (a small ensemble of unidentified mechanical devices and electronic gadgets), the Miseries Chorus, and the Chorus of Operabots. Visionary technology provided by Opera of the Future Group and MIT Media Lab. Production designs by Alex McDowell; choreography by Karole Armitage; costumes by David C. Woolard; lighting by Donald Holder; sound design by Chris Full; wig and make-up by David Zimmerman; visual design and software systems by Peter Torpey; media design by Matt Checkowski, sound technology by Ben Bloomburg; robot mechanical design and technical development by Bob Hsiung; robotic control systems by Michael Miller; interaction design by Elena Jessop.

The credits in the previous paragraph relate to what the live audience in Dallas saw. In addition, there was a simulcast of the opera to some 10 locations in Dallas and other cities. It appears WFAA, a Dallas TV station, was responsible for the vision and sound simulcast transmissions and that the Blu-ray recording we review here is the same electronic document as the simulcast. TV credits: Jerry Cadigan was the Production Manager; Don Hazen was Facilities Manager; and Aaron Butler was Director with Assistant Director Rob Horning; cameras were operated by Chris Brock, Chris Cook, Bryan Walor, Chuck Crosswhite, Jim Conrad, Bill Sons, Bobby Hester, and DodeBigley.

It appears this title is published jointly by the Dallas Opera and the MIT Media Lab. There are no bonus extras, but the keepcase booklet has a lot of information including a detailed synopsis. Sung in English. There are subtitles in English only. The video is 1080i. Released 2015, the LPCM stereo sound was recorded at 48kHz/24-bits. The surround audio is 5.1 Dolby Digital recorded at 48kHz (no word-length given).

This title is currently available only from www.cdbaby.com, a company that sells recordings from independent sources at reasonable prices. Grade: B+ (but "A+" if you like science-fiction, contemporary opera, poetry, or robots)