Verdi La Traviata opera to libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Directed 2021 by Davide Livermore at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Stars Nadine Sierra (Violetta Valéry), Francesco Meli (Alfredo Germont), Leo Nucci (Giorgio Germont), Caterina Piva (Flora Bervoix), Luca Bernard (Gastone de Letorières), Catherine Meldolesi (Annina), Francesco Samuele Venuti (Baron Douphol), William Corrò (Marchese d'Obigny), Emanuele Cardaro (Dr. Grenvil), Alfio Vacanti (Giuseppe, Servant of Violetta), Giovanni Mazzei (Commissionario), and Egidio Massimo (Un domestico di Flora). Zubin Meta conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Chorus Master Lorenzo Fratini). Set designs by Giò Forma; costume designs by Mariana Fracasso; light designs by Antonio Castro; video designs by D-wok. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Video Production by Metis. Sound by MASClassica Audio Recording—Claudio Speranzini and Antonio Martino. Sung in Italian. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

This is the hard-edge Swinging Sixties update to La Traviata . . .

Donizetti L'elisir d'amore opera to libretto by Felice Romani. Directed 2021 by Frederic Wake-Walker with assistant director Lorenzo Ponte at Teatro Donizetti Bergamo as part of the Donizetti Opera Festival. Stars Caterina Sala (Adina), Javier Camarena (Nemorino), Florian Sempey (Belcore), Roberto Frontali (Dulcamara), Anaïs Mejias (Giannetta), and Manuel Ferreira (Master of ceremonies). Ricardo Frizza conducts Orchestra Gli Originali and the Coro Donizetti Opera (Chorus Master Fabio Tartari). Fortepiano by Daniela Pellegrino. Puppets by Daniele Cortesi. Set designs by Federica Parolini with assistant set designer Marta Solari; costume designs by Daniela Cernigliaro with assistant costume designer Marta Solari; lighting by Fiammetta Baldisserri with assistant lighting designer Emanuele Agliati. Directed for TV by Matteo Ricchetti. Sound recording by Rino Trasi and Vera Zanotti; editing and post-production by Rino Trasi. Sung in Italian. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA ‎

Another pandemic production with the chorus wearing masks.

Verdi Gustavo III opera to libretto by Antonio Somma. Directed 2021 by Jacopo Spirei on a project by Graham Vick at the Teatro Regio di Parma. Stars Piero Pretti (Gustavo III), Anna Pirozzi (Amelia), Amartuvshin Enkhbat (Il Conte Gian Giacomo Anckastrom), Anna Maria Chiuri (Ulrica), Giuliana Gianfaldoni (Oscar), Fabio Previati (Cristiano), Fabrizio Beggi (Ribbing), Carlo Cigni (Dehorn), Cristiano Olivieri (Il ministro di giustizia), and Federico Veltri (Un servo del Conte). Roberto Abbado conducts Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini - Orchestra Rapsody, and the Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma (Chorus Master Martino Faggiani). Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini; sound recording, editing and post-production by Elfride Foroni - BHaudio. Released 2022, this disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Verdi Falstaff opera to libretto by Arrigo Boito. Directed 2021 by Sven-Eric Bechtolf at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Stars Nicola Alaimo (Sir John Falstaff), Simone Piazzola (Ford), Matthew Swensen (Fenton), Christian Collia (Dr. Cajus), Antonio Garés (Bardolfo), Gianluca Buratto (Pistola), Ailyn Pérez (Mrs. Alice Ford), Francesca Boncompagni (Nannetta), Sara Mingardo (Mrs. Quickly), and Caterina Piva (Mrs. Meg Page). John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Chorus Master Lorenzo Fratini). Set design by Julian Crouch; costume design by Kevin Pollard; lighting design by Alex Brok; video design by Josh Higgason. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini; video production by Metis; sound recording by MASClassica Audio Recording, Claudio Speranzini, and Antonio Martino. Sung in Italian. Released in 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Donizetti La fille du régiment opera to libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François-Alfred Bayard. Directed 2021 by Luis Ernesto Doñas (assisted by Vanessa Codutti) at the Teatro Donizetti Bergamo. Stars Adriana Bignagni Lesca (La Marquise de Berkenfield), Paolo Bordogna (Sulpice), John Osborn (Tonio), Sara Blanch (Marie), Cristina Bugatty (La Duchesse de Krakenthorp), Haris Andrianos (Hortensius), Adolfo Corrado (Un caporal), and Andrea Civetta (Un paysan). Michele Spotti conducts the Orchestra Donizetti Opera and Coro dell’Accademia Teatro alla Scala (Chorus Master Salvo Sgrò); features percussionist Ernesto López Maturell. Set design by Angela Sala (assisted by Denia Gonzalez); costume design by Maykel Martínez; lighting design by Fiammetta Baldisserri (assisted by Emanuele Agliati); choreography by Laura Domingo; playwright was Stefano Simone Pintor. Directed for TV by Matteo Ricchetti; recorded by Rino Trasi and Slilvano Landonio; editing and post production by Rino Trassi. Sung in French. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Umberto Giordano Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria opera to libretto by Giacomo Badoaro. Directed 2021 by Robert Carsen at the Teatro della Pergola as part of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Stars Charles Workman (Ulisse), Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani (Telemaco), Delphine Galou (Penelope), John Daszak (Iro), Francesco Milanese (Il Tempo), Marina De Liso (Guinone), Eleonora Bellocci (La Fortuna), Gianluca Margheri (Giove), Guido Loconsolo (Nettuno), Arianna Vendittelli (Minerva), Konstantin Derri (Amore), Andrea Patucelli (Antinoo), Pierre-Antoine Chaumien (Anfinomo / L’Humana fragilità), James Hall (Pisandro), Miriam Albano ( Melanto / L’Humana fragilità); Hugo Hymas (Eurimaco); Mark Milhofer (Eumete / L’Humana fragilità), and Natascha Petrinsky (Ericlea). Ottavio Dantone conducts the Accademia Bizantina. Assistant direction by Jean-Michel Criqui; set design by Radu Boruzescu; assistant set direction by Catalina Delta;; lighting design by Robert Carsen and Peter van Praet; costume design by Luis Carvalho; assistant costume design by Edoardo Russo; playwright was Ian Burton. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini; video produced by Metis; sounds recording, editing, and post-production by MASClassica Audio Recording, Claudio Speranzni, and Antonio Martino. Sung in Italian. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Umberto Giordano Siberia opera to libretto by Luigi Illica. Directed 2021 by Roberto Andò at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Stars Sonya Yoncheva (Stephana), Giorgi Sturua (Vassili), George Petean (Gléby), Caterina PIva (Nikona), Giorgio MIsseri (Il Principe Alexis), Antonio Garés (Ivan), Francesco Verna (Il Banchiere Miskinsky), Emanuele Cordaro (Walinoff), Francesco Samuele Venuti (Il Capitano), Joseph Dahdah (Il Sergente), Alfonso Zambuto (Il Cosacco), Adolfo Corrado (Il Governatore), Davide Piva (L’Invalido), Amin Ahangaran (L’Ispettore), and Caterina Meldolesi (La Faniciulla). Also features extras Paulo Arcangeli, Mauro Barbiero, Fabrizio Casagrande, Alessandro Ciardini, Leonardo Cirri, Cristiano Colangelo, Giacomo Dominici, Stefano Francasi, Marco Martelli, Stefano Mascalehi, Matteo Mazzuccato, Domenico Nuovo, Federico Vazzola, and Silvio Zanoncelli. Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentio (Chorus Master Lorenzo Fratini). Features chorus soloist Alfio Vacanti. Set and light design by Gianni Carluccio; costume design by Nanà Cecchi; video design by Luca Scarzella. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini; video production by Metis; sound recording, editing and post-production by MASClassica Audio Recording with Claudio Speranzini and Antonio Martino. Sung in Italian, disc has 5.1 dts HD master audio sound. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Verdi Rigoletto opera to libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Directed 2021 by Davide Livermore at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Stars Javier Camarena (Il Duca di Mantova), Luca Salsi (Rigoletto), Enkeleda Kamani (Gilda), Alessio Cacciamani (Sparafucile), Caterina Piva (Maddalena), Valentina Corò (Giovanna), Roman Lyulkin (Il Conte di Monterone), Francesco Samuele Venuti (Marullo), Antonio Garés (Matteo Borsa), Davide PIva (Il Conte di Ceprano), Rosalia Cid (La Contessa di Ceprano), Amin Ahangaran (Usciere di corte), and Greta Doveri (Paggio della Duchessa). Riccardo Frizza conducts the Coro e Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Chorus Master Lorenzo Fratini). Set design by Giò Forma; costume design by Gianluca Falaschi; lighting design by Antonio Castro; video by D-wok. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini; video production by Metis; recording, editing, and post-production by MASClassica Audio Recording, Claudio Speranzini, and Antonio Martino. Sung in Italian. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle performed 2010-2013 at the National Opera and Ballet in Sofia, Bulgaria with Plamen Kartaloff as stage director and Pavel Baleff and Erich Wächter conducting. The box includes the four titles described in more detail on this site:

1. Das Rheingold

2. Die Walküre

3. Siegfried

4. Götterdämmerung

We have given every title in this Ring production a D grade.

Donizetti Linda di Chamounix opera to a libretto by Gaetano Rossi. Directed 2021 by Cesare Lievi at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Stars Jessica Pratt (Linda), Teresa Iervolino (PIerotto [giovane orfano savoiardo]), Francesco Demuro (Antonio [Visconte di Sirval]), Marina De Liso (Maddalena [madre di Linda]), Fabio Capitanucci (Il Marchese di Boisfleury), Michile Pertusi (Il Prefetto), and Antonio Garés (L’intendente del feudo). Also stars Elena Barsotti, Maria Lucia Bianchi, Paolo Arcangeli, Andrea Bassi, Lorenzo Cencetti, Cristiano Colangelo, Giacomo Dominici, Francesco Grossi, Filippo Lai, and Lorenzo Terenzi as extras. Michele Gamba conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Chorus Master Lorenzo Fratini). Set and costume design by Luigi Perego; lighting design by Luigi Saccomandi. Directed for TV by Matteo Ricchetti; recorded by Rino Trasi, Giuseppe Famularo, and Vera Zanotti. Sung in Italian. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Alessandro Scarlatti Griselda opera to libretto by Apostolo Zeno. Directed 2021 by Rosetta Cucchi at the Valle d’Itria Festival. Stars Raffaele Pe (Gualtiero), Carmela Remigio (Griselda), Francesca Ascioti (Ottone), Mariam Battistelli (Costanza), Krystian Adam (Corrado), Miriam Albano (Roberto), and Carlo Buonfrate (Everardo). Special Extras are Roberta Chirulli, Vanessa Liberto, and Serena Rizzi. Extras are Marco Chiatante, Fabio Convertini, Alberta Demita, Michela Desé, Donato Liberto, Lorenzo Sportelli, Antonella Trisciuzzi, and Alessandro Villanova. George Petrou conducts La Lira di Orfeo and the Coro Ghislieri (Chorus Master Giulio Prandi). Assistant directors are Davide Gasparro and Marco Fragneli; set design by Tiziano Santi (with assistant set designer Alessia Colosso); costume design by Claudia Pernigotti; lighting design by Pasquale Mari (with assistant lighting designer Gianni Bertoli); sound recording by Rino Trasi and Vera Zanotti; sound editing and mixing by Rino Trasi. Directed for TV by Marco Scalfi. Sung in Italian. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Wagner Götterdämmerung to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2013 by Plamen Kartaloff at the Sofia Opera and Ballet, Bulgaria. Stars Kostadin Andreev (Siegfried), Atanas Mladenov (Gunther), Biser Georgiev (Alberich), Petar Buchkov (Hagen), Yordanka Derilova (Brünnhilde), Tsvetlana Bandalovska (Gutrune), Petya Tsoneva (First Norn), Dimitrinka Raycheva (Second Norn / Flosshilde), Flora Tarpomanova (Third Norn), Tsveta Sarambelieva (Waltraute), Milena Gyurova (Woglinde), and Silvia Teneva (Wellgunde). Erich Wächter conducts the Orchestra of the Sofia Opera and Ballet (Concertmaster Maria Evstatieva; Chorus Master Violeta Dimitrova). Assistant direction by Julia Krasteva; multimedia designs by Georgi Hristov and Vera Petrova; set and costume design by Nikolay Panayotov; lighting design by Andrej Hajdinjak. Directed for TV by Ruman Kovachev and Plamen Kartaloff; sound engineer was Yordan Tomov; video editing by Angel Hristov. Sung in German. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: D