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), Marita Sølberg (Mimì), Vasilij Ladyuk (Marcello), Jennifer Rowley (Musetta), Giovanni Battista Parodi (Colline), Espen Langvik (Schaunard), and Svein Erik Sagbråten (Benoît / Parpignol / Alcindoro / Toll Gate Keeper / Death). Eivind Gullberg Jensen conducts the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, the Norwegian National Opera Chorus, and the 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. Sung in Italian. Released 2022, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B+
A Blu-ray of this performance was originally published by Electric Picture. (See images 3 and 4 in the gallery above.) I Electric Picture no longer exists, and Naxos purchased the right to publish this recording.
Gordon Smith (our first wonk) showed the original Electric Picture version to his friends on the much celebrated L’ OperaDou Jury . . .
Read MoreOpéra de Paris: A (Very) Special Season documentary film. Directed by Priscilla Pizzato. Cinematography by Yann Staderoli; edited by Khalid Mamoun; sound by Arnaud Calvar; production manager was Stéphane Garnes; produced by Muriel Meynard. Has bonus interview with Aurélie Dupont and rehearsal scenes with Hugo Marchand, Amandine Albisson, and Mathias Heymann. Released 2022, disc has 2.0 stereo sound. Grade: D+
This title gets off to a bad start because the name isn’t even correct. It’s not a documentary about the Paris Opera. It’s about the Paris Opera Ballet. So a correct name might be Le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris: une saison (très) particulière. Too long! Maybe the name should be in English: Paris Opera Ballet v. Covid.
We already have La Danse, a “direct cinema” documentary about the Paris Opera Ballet shot in 2008 by Frederick Wiseman. Maybe Pizzato planed to update La Danse before the pandemic arrived. For sure the title we now review was an attempt to salvage something from a broken project. In a slightly shorter version it would make a decent forgettable hour on TV. But now we are asked to buy it and keep it on our shelf . . .
Read MoreThird Practice modern dance performance. Choreography by Tero Saarinen. Performed 2021 by the Tero Saarinen Company at the Finnish National Opera. Music by Claudio Monteverdi. Aapo Häkkinen conducts the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra with tenor Topi Lehtipuu and “virtual soprano” Núria Rial. Dancers are Jenna Broas, Annika Hyvärinen, Natasha Lommi, Pekka Louhio, David Scarantino, and Eero Vesterinen with understudies Elina Häyrynen, Oskari Kymäläinen, Mikko Lampinen, and Emma Pennanen. Music arranged by Aapo Häkkinen; lighting by Eero Auvinen (TTT-Theatre); costumes by Erika Turunen; projection design by Thomas Freundlich; sound design by Marco Melchior; choreographer’s assistants were Henrikki Heikkilä and Satu Halttunen. Title includes a documentary about the work of Tero Saarinen called Rooted with Wings. Recital and documentary directed for TV by Thomas Freundlich. No subtitles for Third Practice songs in Italian and Latin. Released 2022, disc has PCM 2.0 sound. Grade: B-
Read MoreThe Six Brandenburg Concertos dance recital choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker to JS Bach’s famous music. Performed 2019 at the Opéra national de Paris (Palais Garnier). Created with and performed by the dancers of Rosas, including Boštjan Antončič, Carlos Garbin, Frank Gizycki, Marie Goudot, Robin Haghi, Cynthia Loemij, Mark Lorimer, Michaël Pomero, Jason Respilieux, Igor Shyshko, Luka Švajda, Jakub Truszkowski, Thomas Vantuycom, Samantha van Wissen, Sandy Williams, and Sue Yeon Youn. Amandine Beyer conducts the B’Rock Orchestra. Set and lighting design by Jan Versweyveld; costumes by An D’Huys; dramaturgy by Jan Vandenhouwe; artistic assistant was Femke Gyselinck; musical advice by Kees van Houten. Directed for TV by Louise Narboni. Produced by Antoine Perset, Denis Morlière, and Laurent Métivier. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B-
It appears Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker is unusual as a choreographer in that she never trained in someone else’s dance company. She was a music student who took some dance courses. She was from the beginning a universal genius . . .
Read MoreHandel Semele opera to libretto by William Congreve. Directed 2021 by Thomas De Mallet Durgess and Jacqueline Coats for The New Zealand Opera. Performed and recorded at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland. Stars Emma Pearson (Semele), Amitai Pati (Jupiter/Apollo), Sarah Castle (Juno/Ino), Paul Whelan (Cadmus/Somnus), Stephen Diaz (Athamas), Chelsea Dolman (Iris), and Sashe Angelovski (Priest). Peter Walls conducts the New Zealand Opera Baroque Orchestra (Concert Master Peter Clark), the New Zealand Opera Chorus, and the Holy Trinity Cathedral Choir (Chorus Master Andrew Crooks). Designs by Tracy Grant Lord; lighting by Jo Kilgour. Directed for TV by Rebecca Tansley. Sung in English. Released 2023, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: NA
This is our first title from New Zealand! Also our first opera staged and recorded in a cathedral . . .
Read MoreBellini Bianca e Fernando opera to a libretto by Domenico Gilardoni, revised by Felice Romani. Directed 2021 by Hugo de Ana (with Assistant Director Filippo Tonon) at the Opera Carlo Felice Genova. Stars Salome Jicia (Bianca), Giorgio Misseri (Fernando), Nicola Ulivieri (Filippo), Alessio Cacciamani (Clemente), Giovanni Battista Parodi (Viscardo), Carlotta Vichi (Eloisa), and Antonio Mannarino (Uggero). Mimes are Andrea Baldassarri, Simone Campisi, Sabrina Cerrone, Leuca De Rinaldo, Dario Greco, Ivano La Rosa, Allesandro Percuoco, Martin L. Ruis, Martina Serra, Savino Somma, Stefania Ventura, Marianna Zanaglio, and Elidon Zemblaku. Donato Renzetti conducts the Orchestra e Coro dell’Opera Carlo Felice Genova (Chorus Master Francesco Aliberti). Set and costumes by Hugo de Ana (with Assistant Set Designer Nathalie Deana and Assistant Costume Designer Cristina Aceti); lighting by Valerio Alfieri. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. 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
This is an early and rarely performed Bellini opera. It’s not top drawer Bellini, but from the looks of the trailer below, it seems Hugo de Ana and his team have given this top-drawer support . . .
Read MoreThe Cellist and The Two Pigeons ballet program performed at the Royal Opera House. These are two of what appear to be the most popular short narrative ballets in the ROH repertory. Both recordings star Lauren Cuthertson. Both these titles were published before by the ROH/But Opus Arte:
Long ago we gave a B+ The Cellist and a C+ to The Two Pigeons. It seems our grades were too low. We are maybe too picky . . .
Read MoreWagner 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:
Das Rheingold
Die Walküre
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung
We have given every title in this Ring production a D grade.
Read MoreThe Art of Vadim Muntagirov 4 Disc Box Set released 2022 by the Royal Opera Ballet. Below are the four ballets in the box that star Muntagirov.
The Sleeping Beauty. Tchaikovsky. 2018. Grade: A+
Manon. Massenet. 2019. Grade: A+
Coppélia. Delibes. 2020. Grade: A-
Giselle. Adam. 2017. Grade: A
Read MoreBellini I Capuleti e i Montecchi opera to a libretto by Felice Romani. Directed 2015 by Arnaud Bernard at Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Stars Jessica Pratt (Giulietta), Sonia Ganassi (Romeo), Rubén Amoretti (Capellio), Shalva Mukeria (Tebaldo), and Luca Dell’Amico (Lorenzo). Omer Meir Wellber conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro La Fenice. Set design by Alessandro Camera; costume design by Carla Ricotti; lighting design by Fabio Barettin. Directed for TV by Stéphane Vérité. Sung in Italian. Released 2022, disc has PCM stereo audio output. Grade: NA
Read More"Pag and Cav" opera double feature directed and staged 2019 by Robert Carson at the Dutch National Opera:
First plays the Ruggero Leoncavallo Pagliacci to a libretto by the composer. Stars Roman Burdenko (Tonio), Ailyn Pérez (Nedda), Brandon Jovanovich (Canio), Marco Ciaponi (Peppe), and Mattia Olivieri (Silvio).
Then plays the Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria rusticana to libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzeti and Guido Menasci. Stars Anita Rachvelishvili (Santuzza), Rihab Chaieb (Lola), Brian Jagde (Turiddu), Roman Burdenko (Alfio), and Elena Zilio (Mamma Lucia).
Lorenzo Viotti conducts the Netherlands Philharmonica Orchestra, the Chorus of the Dutch National Opera (Chorus Master Ching-Lien Wu), and the Nieuw Amsterdams Kinderkoor (Chorus Master Anaïs De La Morandais. Set design by Rudu Boruzescu; costume design by Annemaria Woods; lighting design by Robert Carson and Peter von Praet; choreography by Marco Berriel; dramaturge was Ian Burton. Directed for TV by François Roussillon. Sung in Italian. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
We already have 5 HDVDs of the traditional “Cav and Pag” with their of slice-of-life “verismo” stories set in small towns in Italy. But director Carsen switches the customary order making this a “Pag and Cav” in a setting stripped of local color . . .
Read MoreVerdi Falstaff opera to libretto by Arrigo Boito. Directed 2018 by Mario Martone at the Berlin Staatsoper under den Linden. Stars Michael Volle (Sir John Falstaff), Alfredo Daza (Ford), Francesco Demuro (Fenton), Jürgen Sacher (Dr. Caius), Stephan Rügamer (Bardolfo), Jan Martiník (Pistola), Barbara Frittoli (Mrs. Alice Ford), Nadine Sierra (Nannetta), Daniela Barcellona (Mistress Quickly), and Katharina Kammerloher (Mrs. Meg Page). Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatkapelle Berlin and the Staasopernchor (Chorus Master (Martin Wright). Set design by Margherita Palli; costume design by Ursala Patzak; lighting design by Pasquale Mari; choreography by Raffaella Giordano; dramaturgy by Menjamin Wäntig. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Sung in Italian. Released in 2020, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Mario Martone's Falstaff is not a fat and impoverished member of the aristocracy seeking to maintain his status with a class he admires. Martone portrays Falstaff as an aging hippy forced to ingratiate himself with the upper class he used to despise. But, per Wikipedia, the key to both figures is their sense of "sublime self-conceit."
Picking on an aging champion of counterculture sounds a bit cruel rather than funny, but Hugo Shirley, who saw this live, says that Volle’s comic chops and charisma makes it work . . .
Read MoreMozart La flûte enchantée opera to a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. This is a French-language version of Die Zauberflöte. Directed 2020 by Cécile Roussat and Julien Lubek at the Château de Versailles. Stars Florie Valiquette (Pamina), Mathias Vidal (Tamino), Marc Scoffoni (Papageno), Lisa Mostin (The Queen of the Night), Tomislav Lavoie (Sarastro), Pauline Feracci (Papagena), Olivier Trommenschlager (Monostatos), Suzanne Jerosme (First Lady), Marie Gautrot (Second Lady), Mélodie Ruvio (Third Lady), Matthieu Lecroart (The Speaker), Matthieu Chapuis (First Priest, Man in Armor), and Jean-Christophe Lancièce (Second Priest, Man in Armor). Also features acrobats Antoine Hélou, Alex Sander Dos Santos, Sayaka Kasuya, Mathieu Hibon, Iris Garabedian, and Elvis Pisicchio as well as children Tanina Laoues, Emma De La Selle, and Garance Laporte Duriez. Hervé Niquet conducts Le Concert Spirituel. Set and lighting design by Cécile Roussat and Julien Lubek; costume design by Sylvie Skinazi; stage set assistant was Élodie Moet. Sung in French. Please note that the title also includes a DVD and CD version along with the Blu-ray. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
It appears this production has played in several French-language opera houses in recent years in an attempt to translate the German singspiel (which was immediately popular with the German-speaking public of Mozart’s time) into something immediately accessible to French-speaking audiences today . . .
Read MoreVerdi Messa da Requiem concert. Recorded 2020 at the Parco Ducale di Parma. Roberto Abbado conducts the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini and the Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma (Chorus Master Martino Faggiani). Soloists are Eleonora Buratto (soprano), Anita Rachvelishvili (mezzo), Giorgio Berrugi (tenor), and Roberto Tagliavini (bass). Directed for TV by Marco Scalfi; recording, editing and post-production by Elfride Foroni - BHaudio. Sung in Latin. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreChaya Czernowin Heart Chamber opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2019 by Claus Guth at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Stars Patrizia Ciofi (She), Noa Frenkel (Her Internal Voice), Dietrich Henschel (He), Terry Wey (His Internal Voice), Frauke Aulbert (The Voice), and Uli Fussenegger (The Double Βass Player). Johannes Kalitzke conducts the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Ensemble Nikel Vocal Ensemble. Set and costume design by Christian Schmidt; video design by rocafilm; live electronics by SWR Experimentalstudio. The opera lasts 87 minutes and a feature film, I Did Not Rehearse to Say I Love You lasts 86 minutes as an extra feature. Opera and film both directed by Uli Aumüller. Sung in English. Released 2021, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
We have a few truly avant-garde modern operas in Blu-ray by composer like Unsuk Chin and now, Chaya Czernowin. Here is a comment about Heart Chamber from Tim Rutherford-Johnson that was included in the program notes at the world premiere in Berlin in 2019 . . .
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