Giacomo Puccini La Bohème opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed 2012 by Stefan Herheim at the Oslo Opera House. Stars Diego Torre (Rodolfo), Vasilij Ladjuk (Marcello), Marita Sølberg (Mimì), Jennifer Rowley (Musetta), Giovanni Battista Parodi (Colline), Espen Langvik (Schaunard) and Svein Erik Sagbråten (Benoit/Parpignol/Alcindoro/Toll Gate Keeper/Death). Eivind Gullberg Jensen conducts the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, Norwegian National Opera Chorus, and Norwegian National Opera Children’s Chorus. Set and costume design by Heike Scheele; lighting design by Anders Poll; dramaturgy by Alexander Meier-Dörzenbach; directed for TV by Stein-Roger Bull; produced by NordicStories AS. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B+

Strauss Arabella opera to a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Directed 2012 by Sven-Eric Bechtolf at the Vienna State Opera. Stars Emily Magee (Arabella), Genia Kühmeier (Zdenka), Tomasz Konieczny (Mandryka), Michael Schade (Matteo), Wolfgang Bankl (Count Waldner), and Zoryana Kushpler (Adelaida). Franz Welser-Möst conducts the Orchestra, Chorus, and Stage Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. Set design by Rolf Glittenberg; costume design by Marianne Glittenberg, TV direction by Don Kent. Sung in German with subtitles in 7 languages. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Electric Pictures states on the Blu-ray keepcase that Arabella is a problematical work because Hugo von Hofmannsthal died before he could finish the libretto. But the claim is made that Sven-Eric Bechtolf came up with a "superbly convincing" version that resolves ambiguities left by Hofmannsthal.