Bizet Carmen opera to libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Directed 2009 by Adrian Noble at the Opéra Comique. Stars Anna Caterina Antonacci (Carmen), Andrew Richards (Don José), Anne-Catherine Gillet (Micaëla), Nicolas Cavallier (Escamillo), Virginie Pochon (Frasquita), Annie Gill (Merédès), Matthew Brook (Zuniga), Riccardo Novaro (Moralès), Françis Dudziak (Le Dancaïre); Vincent Ordonneau (Le Remendado), and Simon Davies (Lillas Pastia). Sir John Eliot Gardner conducts the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, the Monteverdi Choir, and the Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine (Chorus Master Gaël Darchen). Set and costume design by Mark Thompson; lighting design by Jean Kalman; movement collaborator was Sue Lefton. Directed for TV by François Roussillon. Sung in French. Released 2021, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
This video harks back to 2009, and it was published in 2010 by FRAmusica (with the eye-catching cut-through keepcase cover), but in DVD only. Critics reviewing the disc were favorable even while they ranked it as runner-up to the famous Covent Garden Blu-ray of Carmen that had come out in 2008 with Antonacci and Kaufman.
Read MorePuccini La Bohème opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed 2020 by Richard Jones at the Royal Opera House. Stars Sonya Yoncheva (Mimì), Andrzej Filończyk (Marcello), Charles Castronovo (Rodolfo), Peter Kellner (Colline), Gyula Nagy (Schaunard), Jeremy White (Benoît), Andrew Macnair (Parpignol), Simona Mihai (Musetta), Eddie Wade (Alcindoro), John Morrisey (Customs Officer), and Thomas Barnard (Sergeant). Emmanuel Villaume conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Concert Master Sergey Levitin) and Royal Opera Chorus (Chorus Master William Spaulding). Designs by Stewart Laing; lighting design by Mimi Jordan Sherin; movement direction by Sarah Fahie. Directed for TV by Johnathan Haswell. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBeethoven Piano Concerto No. 1, Symphony No. 2, and Symphony No. 3 concert. Recorded 2020 at the Concert Hall of the KKL Luzern. Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. Features pianist Martha Argerich. Directed for TV by Ute Feudel; produced by Paul Smaczny. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreLe Corsaire ballet. Choreographed by Anna-Marie Holmes after Marius Petipa and Konstantin Sergeyev. Music by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Léo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo, and Peter von Oldenburg—all orchestrated by Kevin Galiè. Staged 2018 at La Scala. Stars Nicoletta Manni (Medora); Martina Arduino (Gulnare); Timofej Andrijashenko (Conrad); Marco Agostino (Lankendem); Antonino Sutera (Birbanto); Mattia Semberboni (Ali, the slave); Antonella Albano (Zulmea); Virna Toppi, Maria Celeste Losa, and Alessandra Vassallo (Three Odalisques); Alessandro Grillo (Pasha); Emanuela Montanari, Mariafrancesca Garritano, Christian Fagetti, and Massimo Garon (Two Corsair couples); as well as dancers from the Ballet Company of Teatro alla Scala and the Ballet Academy Teatro alla Scala. Patrick Fournillier conducts the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala. Assistant to the choreographer was Natalia Akhmarova; sets and costumes by Luisa Spinatelli with assistant Monia Torchia; lighting by Marco Filibeck. Directed for TV by Arnalda Canali. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B+
Le Coursaire is not considered a great ballet, but it’s popular because it has a fun story with lots of action and tons of characters and opportunities to get everybody in the corps out on the stage. And there are lots of slave girls and concubines for the men . . .
Read MoreDonizetti 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
Read MoreAlessandro 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
Read MoreThe Art of Lauren Cuthbertson 4 Disc Set released 2022. Below are the discs for five ballets featuring Lauren Cuthbertson at the ROB. Please note that The Cellist and The Two Pigeons were originally released with other ROB material not staring Lauren Cuthbertson. For this box set, Opus Arte has created a new disc combining The Cellist and The Two Pigeons.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Talbot. 2011. Grade: A+
Romeo and Juliet, Prokofiev. 2013. Grade: B+
The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky. 2017. Grade: B
The Cellist. Feeney. 2021. Grade: B+
The Two Pigeons. Messager. 2017. Grade: C+
Read MoreHonegger Symphony No. 3 “Liturgique” and Brahms Symphony No. 4 performed 2021 at the Salzburg Festival by conductor Herbert Blomstedt and the Wiener Philharmoniker. Directed for TV by Dick Kuijs. Released 2022. Grade: NA
Read MoreBruckner Symphony No. 5 performed 2021 by conductor Christian Thieleman and the Wiener Philharmoniker. Program includes Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5, plus, for confirmed Bruckner fanatics, two early Bruckner symphonies that are not included normally in the “complete” symphonies 1 through 9:
It appears this is the first time Symphonies “00” and “0” have been recorded in Blu-ray. PR also includes “extensive bonus material.” Directed for TV by Benedict Mirow. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+
Our “D” grade doesn’t mean something is of low quality. It just means we don’t suggest you buy this unless you know what you are doing and have a good reason to want it.
Read MoreJohann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concertos 1-6. Claudio Abbado conducts the Orchestra Mozart in 2007, using some period instruments, at the Teatro Municipale Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia. Directed for TV by Andreas Morell; photography directed by Andreas Naumann; produced by Paul Smaczny and Maria Stodtmeier. Disc has 5.1 PCM sound. Grade: A
This was released in 2008 by medici arts. It was re-released in 2022 by EuroArts. I believe the music on the two releases is identical. If you have the slightest interest in instrumental music, you will be thrilled by this disc. A combination of seasoned veterans and beautiful young protégés go after these 6 concertos like foxes after a hare. And seeing this performance of these (so often-heard) pieces was a revelation. I had no idea how small the forces were that Bach had or how different the ensembles were for each number. These pieces were for Bach a bit like a jazz jam session— for whatever forces were available, Bach would just whip up a masterpiece . . .
Read MoreKes Reimagined dance film based on the novel A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines. Directed 2019 by Ross MacGibbon. Choreographed by Jonathan Watkins (based on Watkins’s 2014 stage version). Music by Alex Baranowksi. Stars Chester Hayes (Billy), Tobias Batley (Jud), Kristen McNally (Mum), Dom Czapski (Mr. Farthing), Phil Snowden (Mr. Sugden), Anton Skrzypiciel (Mr. Gryce), Laura Careless (Kes Puppetry / Woman in WMC), and Barnaby Meredith (Bookshop Owner) as well as Brandon Brereton, David Stirrup, Jonathan Layton, Spike King, Oliver Stanton, Susannah Neave, Edie Marriage Massey, Charlotte Page, and Emmanuella Sarpong (classmates). Set and costumes by Ben Stones; lighting by Mark Henderson; projections by Daniel Denton; puppetry by Rachael Canning; dramaturgy by Ruth Little. Executive Producer was Helen Spencer. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C+
The kestrel is a type of falcon. It was once the only bird of prey that a serf was allowed to own
Read MoreRichard Strauss Elektra opera to a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Directed 2020 by Krzysztof Warlikowski at the Felsenreitschule as part of the Salzburg Festival. Stars Aušrinė Stundytė (Elektra), Tanja Ariane Baumgartner (Klytaemnestra), Asmik Grigorian (Chrysothemis), Michael Laurenz (Aegisth), Derek Welton (Orest), Tilmann Rönnebeck (Orest’s Tutor), Verity Wingate (The Trainbearer), Valeriia Savinskaia (The Confidante), Matthäus Schmidlechner (A Young Servant), Jens Larsen (An Old Servant), and Sonja Šarić (The Overseer). Franz Welser-Möst conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor (Chorus Master Ernst Raffelsberger). Set and costume design by Małgorzata Szczęśniak; lighting design by Felice Ross; video design by Kamil Polak; choreography by Claude Bardouil; dramatic adviser was Christian Longchamp. Directed for TV by Myriam Hoyer. Sung in German. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B
It’s summer 2020 during the pandemic. We are at the horrible Felsenriteschule stage for a Salzburg Festival opera. The director for Elektra is eurotrashmaster Krzysztof Warlikowski. No curtain, no fly, no turntable—it’s like being outside except you are in a cave. Since this was a stable for horses, it has plumbing . . .
Read MoreCharles Gounod Faust opera to libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. Directed 2019 by David McVicar at the Royal Opera House. Stars Michael Fabiano (Faust), Erwin Schrott (Méphistophélès), Irina Lungu (Marguerite), Germán E. Alcántara (Wagner), Stéphane Degout (Valentin), Marta Fontanals-Simmons (Siébel), and Carole Wilson (Marthe Schwertlein). Also features principal dancers Megan Griffiths and Yasset Roldan. Dan Ettinger conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Associate Concert Master Ania Safonova) and the Royal Opera Chorus (Chorus Master William Spaulding). Set design by Charles Edwards; costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel; lighting design by Paule Constable. Directed for TV by Rhodri Huw. Sung in French. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
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![Götterdämmerung]()
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
Read MoreUmberto Giordano Andrea Chénier opera to libretto by Luigi Illica. Directed 2017 by Mario Martone at La Scala. Stars Yusif Eyvazov (Andrea Chénier), Anna Netrebko (Maddalena Di Coigny), Luca Salsi (Carlo Gérard), Riccardo Fassi (Major-Domo), Annalisa Stroppa (Bersi), Mariana Pentcheva (Contessa Di Coigny), Costantino Finucci (Pietro Fléville), Manuel Pierattelli (The Abbé), Francesco Verna (Mathieu), Carlo Bosi (An Incroyable), Gabriele Sagona (Roucher), Judit Kutasi (Madelon), Gianluca Breda (Fouquier-Tinville), and Romanno Dal Zovo (Schmidt). Riccardo Chailly conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala (Chorus master Bruno Casoni). Sets by Margherita Palli; costumes by Ursula Patzak; lighting by Pasquale Mari. Directed for TV by Patrizia Carmine. Sung in Italian. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Andrea Chénier, popular with true fans of Italian verismo opera, is about a free-thinking member of the French aristocracy who lost his head to the guillotine just days before the end of the Reign of Terror. His poetry was little known during his life, but he was increasingly venerated when his posthumously published Romantic works became popular
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