
This 1981 Bolshoi production performed in the concert hall of The Kremlin is by far the best available, despite the more ‘historical’ picture and mono sound. The production itself is a very classic period production, with utterly authentic costumes and aptly dramatic sets. There are even horses on stage. The depiction of the Don Cossacks’ Khan Konchak and his tribe is colourful and historically informed in one. Needless to say, the scene of the Polovtsian Dances is spectacularly presented with great choregraphy and terrific dancing, in the league of the Spartacus of Bolshoi, no less.

This 1981 Bolshoi production performed in the concert hall of The Kremlin is by far the best available, despite the more ‘historical’ picture and mono sound. The production itself is a very classic period production, with utterly authentic costumes and aptly dramatic sets. There are even horses on stage. The depiction of the Don Cossacks’ Khan Konchak and his tribe is colourful and historically informed in one. Needless to say, the scene of the Polovtsian Dances is spectacularly presented with great choregraphy and terrific dancing, in the league of the Spartacus of Bolshoi, no less.
1981-01-01
10
5.9Amber, a mean popular girl who gets electrocuted and dies, is not allowed to enter into heaven unless she helps the least popular girl in school become Prom Queen within a week, but things do not go as planned.
10.0Ansio Bruselas must overcome the phobia that keeps him prisoner in his tidy, comfortable and safe home, because of the certain possibility that her sister will have her breasts amputated with a tool as unsubtle as a saw. The journey does not seem difficult: find a box with a mysterious content and take it to where Ana Ele, the sister , is held captive. He only has to arrive as quickly as possible to his destination, with box and its contents intact. However, Ansio's innocent curiosit , and phobia will turn his simple journey into an endless succession of strange and incoherent events. Because reality is reality until it's not anymore, you know?
6.5Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu's greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc.
6.5John Falk is on a routine mission with the Gothenburg police special unit GSI. With the help of a Norwegian undercover police and a civilian infiltrator in one of Gothenburg's heaviest criminal gangs, the GSI are trying buy six assault rifles and thus get them off the street. But suddenly everything changes when a new unknown player suddenly and immediately wants to buy not only those weapons but even more, including armor-piercing shells. GSI realizes that this can not be any ordinary robbers. Someone will start a war on the streets of Gothenburg. At the same time as the situation gets more and more complicated for John Falk's infiltrator Frank Wagner when the leader of the gang he infiltrated realize that one of his own leaking to the police.
7.1It's Christmas Eve, 1938, when Madge Arwell comes to the aid of an injured Spaceman Angel as she cycles home. He promises to repay her kindness - all she has to do is make a wish.
9.1SCOOBY-DOO fans have spoken! 4 of SCOOBY-DOO'S most popular mysteries - selected by the fans themselves - are now available in this fun DVD. Watch as Scooby-Doo gets into a mixed-up mystery when he unexpectedly meets the seaweed-covered ghost of Captain Cutler in "A Clue for Scooby-Doo!" Next, see the seafaring sleuths collide with a mystery ship and try to uncover clues to a vanished crew in "Hassle in the Castle!" Then, follow Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang as they outwit a bank robber in "Jeepers, It's the Creeper!" And finally, see them take to the stage to crack some crazy capers in "The Backstage Rage."
7.0Martin Scorsese’s portrait of writer and social commentator Fran Lebowitz, celebrated for her sharp wit and observations on modern life. Filmed at New York’s Waverly Inn and intercut with archival footage and interviews, the documentary captures Lebowitz’s distinctive worldview through her spontaneous monologues and public appearances.
5.5Europe and Russia are shocked by the unexpected death of the young Emperor Peter II. He died at the age of 14, leaving behind neither an heir nor a will. Who will get the crown of the Russian Empire? A fierce struggle for power begins. Having chosen Anna Ioannovna, the Privy Council hoped to use her as a puppet and a screen for the implementation of their own selfish plans. But the nobles were mistaken - the people do not like eight tyrants. Let there be a tyrant, but only ONE!
6.8A timid housewife is jolted into a fight for her survival or sanity when she thinks she hears her new partner at a weekly bridge game whisper a shocking threat.
7.5Adapted from a comedy of the brothers Alvarez Quintero, raised in a spirit rather routine and a remarkable lack of imagination. The minor nature of the adapted work greatly limited their chances, but there was no resolution film the slightest hint of creativity, merely a recreation under the sign of awkwardness.
9.4Chunauti is an action-packed romantic comedy that tells a story of love, struggle, and justice. Ajaya and his wife Prabha move to Kathmandu, where Ajaya starts working as a teacher. Later, his sister Gita joins them and enrolls in the same college. There, she meets a kind and charming student, but trouble arises when Madhav, a troublesome student, also starts liking her. One day, a fight breaks out in the college, and when Gita tries to stop it, an inspector arrives and brings the situation under control. Angered by this, Madhav and his group cause harm to Prabha and Gita. They also try to escape punishment through legal means. With no strong evidence, Ajaya takes a stand and challenges the court. In the end, he decides to take justice into his own hands, leading to a tragic ending where the inspector, fulfilling his duty, stops Ajaya. Chunauti is a story of love, courage, and sacrifice in the face of injustice.
5.3If exchanging lives would exchange family members, would you still be willing? After Zhong Da and Jin Hao went on a blind date, he accidentally changed bodies with Lu Xiaogu, a boy who had a crush on Jin Hao, and exchanged family members by mistake, opening a story that is hilarious and tearful.
8.0A devoted family man in rural Wisconsin gives up the security of a successful 20-year career to pursue his dream in the boom-or-bust world of pinball manufacturing. While trying to break into a tough competitive market and build a thriving business, he must navigate the bumpy roads that new startups inevitably face, without plunging his family into financial ruin. THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT: THE SPOOKY PINBALL STORY chronicles the journey of The Emery Family – Charlie, Kayte, Morgan (“Squirrel”), and Corwin (“Bug”) – as they meet the challenges of building their family-run business in the small community of Benton, Wisconsin. With no backup plan, Charlie and his Spooky Pinball team are all-in and committed to doing whatever it takes to succeed.
7.0When Margo, Edith, and Agnes chase after an ice cream truck, little Agnes struggles to keep up and takes a tumble while pedaling her bike. Seeing her disappointment, the Minions spring into action to lift her spirits. Using their quirky ingenuity, they construct a unicorn-themed motorcycle to help Agnes ride in style. With her new wheels, Agnes embarks on a whimsical and heartwarming ride through town, showcasing the Minions’ unwavering dedication to bringing joy to the girls’ lives. This short captures the charm of teamwork, creativity, and pure delight.
6.6The life and career of Italian opera singer Farinelli, considered one of the greatest castrato singers of all time.
0.02014 marks a year of celebration recognizing the 150th birthday year of the German late-Romantic orchestral, operatic and lied master composer, Richard Strauss (1864-1949). Arabella (premiered 1933, Dresden) was the last of the half dozen Strauss works to feature a libretto by the great Austrian writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal. This production, from the most recent Salzburg Easter Festival is, after Capriccio, the second of three Richard Strauss operas C Major is releasing in honor of the composers birth, life and work. The star-laden cast includes soprano Renèe Fleming, baritone Thomas Hampson, Albert Dohmen (Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, MET) and Gabriela Beaková (Wiener Staatsoper, Covent Garden). With Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden, the music of Richard Strauss is in the best of hands. (ORF) Thielemann gets the best out of the cast...especially Renée Fleming with her luxurious soprano FAZ
0.0Rarely has a production of Verdi’s Otello been staged in such a prestigious location: the courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale in Venice! This special outdoor “event production” of the Teatro La Fenice takes place amidst genuine late-Gothic and Renaissance architecture highlighted by spectacular projections: “A set of singular fascination” (Il Corriere Musicale). Critics were full of praise for the musical performance, designating conductor Myung-Whun Chung as the “absolutely dominating force” of the performance (GB Opera). The lead role is sung by Gregory Kunde, who successfully interpreted both Verdi’s and Rossini’s Otello in one year, perhaps the first tenor ever to do so. He “reproduces every accent, every colour demanded by Verdi with sensibility and intelligence” (OperaClick).
3.0Götterdämmerung, the final instalment of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung, is a story of human passions. Two essentially benevolent creatures, involved with and possibly doomed by their traffic with the gods, find treachery and evil in the world of the humans, and are ruined by the dark side of humanity. Iréne Theorin, acclaimed worldwide for her portrayal of Wagner’s heroines, stars as Brünnhilde opposite Lance Ryan, who continues his radiant portrayal of the tragic hero Siegfried. The strong cast also includes Mikhail Petrenko as the dark antagonist Hagen and Johannes Martin Kränzle, who once again shines as his father Alberich. Waltraud Meier has a memorable appearance as Brünnhilde’s sister Waltraute. With this 2013 recording of Götterdämmerung, the musically and visually compelling Scala Ring Cycle by Daniel Barenboim and Guy Cassiers was completed and proved to be one of the highlights of the Richard Wagner bicentenary.
0.0Witness the Zurich Opera's stunning production of Richard Wagner's masterpiece "Tannhauser," conducted by Franz Welser-Most and featuring Peter Sieffert (Tannhauser), Solveig Kringelborn (Elisabeth) and Roman Trekel (von Eschenbach). Initially produced in Dresden in 1845, "Tannhauser" instilled a sense of wonder in a few of Strauss's ardent friends and admirers, among them Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt. Opera buffs will love it.
8.0Live performance from the Schwetzinger Festspiele, 1987. At the age of 21, Italian composer Giacchino Rossini penned the masterful comic opera “L’Italiana in Algeri” (“The Italian Girl in Algiers”) in less than a month. The composer’s youthful exuberance comes across in this infectious 1987 performance. Though she’s known mainly for her Wagner roles, acclaimed German mezzo-soprano Doris Soffel shines in the title role of Isabella. Ralf Weikert conducts, and Mauro Pagano oversees sets and costumes.
1.0Gustav Von Aschenbach, a passionate composer, arrives in Venice as a result of wanderlust and there meets a young man by whose beauty he becomes obsessed.
0.0Jules Massanet's lyrical opera is transformed into a superb film production by Petr Weigl, shot on location in Prague, with music conducted by Libor Pesek. First produced by the Vienna Opera in February 1892, "Werther" rapidly confirmed Massanet's position on the French opera scene and achieved enormous popularity outside France, notably in Italy, America and England. The tragic story tells of Werther's intense passion for Charlotte, who has married his best friend, Albert, fulfilling a pledge to her now deceased mother. But Werther's letters of love bring Charlotte to his side when he promises to take his own life.
5.0This tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto's beautiful daughter Gilda. The opera's original title, La maledizione (The Curse), refers to the curse placed on both the Duke and Rigoletto by a courtier whose daughter had been seduced by the Duke with Rigoletto's encouragement. The curse comes to fruition when Gilda likewise falls in love with the Duke and eventually sacrifices her life to save him from the assassins hired by her father.
6.0Take a perfect cast, a great conductor and a groundbreaking staging in-out makes a 'Tristan' for eternity. The 1983 performance in Bayreuth was a great moment for the world of opera. The ensemble performance of René Kollo, Johanna Meier and Matti Salminen with, then as now the Wagner admirer, Daniel Barenboim conducting the Bayreuth orchestra inspired singers and instrumentalists to peak performance. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle created a dream-beautiful stage.
0.0Lovely but lethal, the evil Princess Turandot comes to life through the performance of Luana De Vol in this visually stunning production of Giacomo Puccini's Peking-set opera directed by Nuria Espert and conducted by Giuliano Carella. In this 2004 performance at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain, all the subtleties of Puccini's unique tonality and unconventional instrumentation are in ample evidence.
0.0Shortly after WWII, the DEFA Studios produced a series of operas and operettas which belonged to the classical German musical heritage. This enchanting film, the very first opera production of DEFA, stands out because of its lavish decor and costumes, its outstanding actors and their masterful voices of that time.
0.0The tale of a quick-witted fox and her escape from confinement for a life in the forest.
0.0Kent Nagano superbly masters the challenges presented by this score, shapes the dynamics with subtle intensity, and casts the score in a mellow glow. As Marfa, the spurned lover of Ivan Khovansky‘s son Andrei, Doris Soffel unfolds such a rich palette of sonorities, from the pathos of the lower ranges to shaded discant heights, that “one is tempted to speak of a Russian mezzo”. The final chorus, which Mussorgsky did not compose, is played in the orchestrally transparent version of Igor Stravinsky – the third great Russian composer who contributed to making “Khovanshchina“ a timeless, gripping stage work. With his stripped-down sets and historicising costumes, director Dmitri Tcherniakov, one of the new voices of contemporary Russian theatre, builds a bridge to the political present. A lesson in history and music!