The Metropolitan Opera: Puccini's La Rondine(2009)

Verdi Nabucco(it)

NABUCCO may be Verdi's first masterpiece, and not just because of that amazing Chorus of Hebrews which is justly beloved by everyone who hears it. Dramatically, this opera is tightly constructed, with believable characters in an intense conflict over values and beliefs. And Verdi's music, however early in his career, however distant from triumphs like LA FORSA DEL DESTINO or AIDA, is highly animated, revealing inner turmoil and outer passions with beauty and economy. The ensembles are especially impressive, building to satisfying heights of emotional release for the singers and the audience. And Placido Domingo is a wonder to behold and hear. Even though his original voice was baritone, which he managed to transform into a tenor voice, he doesn't SOUND like a baritone to me. B-U-T his performance is so committed, so deeply interfused with Verdi's music, so generously integrated to the younger singers around him, that the waters part.

Fun(en)

Hillary and Bonnie meet one morning by the side of the road. They become fast friends, share their secrets, and, on a rising wave of frenzy, later that afternoon, murder an old woman. They did it, they say later, for fun.

Hide(en)

HIDE is a contained psychological thriller about one resilient wife’s (Nadine Malouf) fight to escape her husband’s (Ben Samuels) escalating gaslighting and abuse during lockdown. The female-centric genre film is lensed in the wife’s evolving perspective as she slowly comes to see what is happening to her and finds the support to fight back. Visually mesmerizing and emotionally arresting, the film’s pace and pathos pull us into a story that will feel uncomfortably familiar to too many of us.

Myself Pendu(pa)

The plot revolves around two guys, Preet and Harpal, who are from a middle class family and are carefree and not concerned about their future. They keep making schemes to make themselves rich. Their father tries to teach them the facts of life and to be efficient and independent. Their mother however supports them in whatever they do no matter how frivolous. The film takes a hilarious turn when the boys meet two rich girls and make a plan to get involved with the girls to extract money from them. In order to do this they need to adapt to the girls lifestyles and borrow money from their father. The plot gets murkier when they decide to marry the girls. Secrets are revealed and criminals are involved. What happens next? Do the boys succeed in their plan? Watch the movie to find out.

Love in 3-D(de)

Presumably inspired by Pete Walker's 4 Dimensions of Greta this is another 1970s sex comedy filmed in 3D. Walter Boos however went all the way - we do not have just the odd 3D boob scene, the whole film is made in 3D. The viewer is constantly reminded of that, because the cinematography is truly bizarre with plenty of scenes of rather peculiar camera angles that strongly emphasize the 3D effects, e.g. a girl on a swing moving towards (and above) the camera, twigs hitting a car window, and many many more. The exaggeration of 3D makes these scenes quite funny, as the effects are completely over the top.

Looking Like My Mother(en)

LOOKING LIKE MY MOTHER is a film about family relationships and personal destiny, about realizing one's own potential and one's limitations. It traces the individual experience, showing the emptiness one can feel as well as the discovery of a sense of meaning in life. It is a very personal and courageous film that doesn’t search for scientific explanations but instead uses documentary and fictional material to weave an intimate biography. This combination of perception and memory suggests a deep reconciliation and allows tender feelings of a mother’s love to emerge.

The Art of Political Murder(en)

An investigation into the truth behind the murder of Guatemalan Bishop, Juan Gerardi, who was killed in 1998 just days after trying to hold the country's military accountable for the atrocities committed during its civil war.

The Mysterious Fine Arts(fr)

In this film several objects make paintings on an empty canvas, which all turn into photos and films.

Rheme Maining Sources(pt)

A place-specific film-excavation of Bixiga neiborhood – São Paulo. Choreography of forces that cross present time. Filmancy, clairvoyance is the vision of what is taking shape.

Ellie My Love(ja)

Based on the comic by Mako Takami.

Inferno(sl)

Tragedy doesn’t come any more Dickensian in tone or Shakespearian in scope than this dark social drama of the disintegration of a little family of four. A series of small debts triggers the swift domino effect that unleashes chaos on a well-meaning working class dad who has the bad judgment to speak truth to power.

Tsuburo no Gara(ja)

A man and a woman wake up in a hospital room. She's a nurse, he's a patient. Problem: a large metal object on his back. While the woman tries desperately to escape, the man experiences an inner struggle on the borderline of dream and reality. What has happened before?

Cherry Juice(bs)

A young German actor, Niklas, is preparing the biggest role of his lifetime to be filmed in Sarajevo, where a screenwriter, Selma, is living in the shadow of the Bosnian War. After Niklas arrives only to learn that his big break has been cancelled, he decides to stay in Sarajevo for New Year’s Eve, where he crosses paths with Selma. Their worlds collide, and the two experience a night together that will change their lives forever.

Dinner Time(en)

Dinner Time is noted as the first sound cartoon short made after Warner Bros.' success with The Jazz Singer and produced even before Walt Disney's first sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (though released after).

Deadlock(en)

Barry and Susan O'Brien are a young married couple who have just inherited a house. They love their beautiful new home, and decide to throw a party. The party is partly to show off their new digs and partly because Barry, an actor, wants to butter up the producer of a soap opera in hopes that his character won't be killed off. But the O'Briens soon discover that they have to worry about death in the real world too, because a flock of demons is hiding out in one of the closets, waiting to be released.

At an Uncertain Time(pt)

It’s 1942, and Portugal languishes under dictatorship and WWII rages just beyond its borders. Secrets, half-truths, and mistrust prevail in the state security office of chief inspector Varga, who makes professional privilege a cover for his unprofessional interest in a boldly carnal refugee and her alleged brother. Director/writer Saboga (screenwriter for Raúl Ruiz’s MYSTERIES OF LISBON) saturates the dark world of this predatory tale with steamy eroticism and paranoia, starting with the incestuous desires of his bi-curious adolescent daughter and including the family maid.

Golden Arrows(hi)

Upcoming hindi movie.

Amadeus(en)

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Viennese composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The Ride to the Abyss(fr)

‘La course à l’abîme’ is a depiction of the final ride into hell from ‘La Damnation de Faust’ (1846) by Hector Berlioz.

Opéra National de Paris: Verdi's La Traviata(it)

In Benoît Jacquot’s production, Manet’s Olympia dominates the stage of the Opéra Bastille. In 1863, the painting caused a scandal: the prostitute awaits her client, her expression proud, her demeanour assured. Is this Violetta? Like Olympia, Verdi’s most celebrated heroine surrenders to the spectator just as she surrenders to love, going so far as to die on stage, a woman’s ultimate sacrifice for her lover. Or might it be the spectator who strips her bare and intrudes upon her privacy, in the image of this milieu of social voyeurism? Whatever the case, these two women regard us with defiance and subjugate those who cannot help but look at them.

Eine Nacht in Venedig(de)

The delightful light operatic farce by Johann Strauss is presented at the Morbisch Lake Festival (Seefestspiele Mörbisch) starring Herbert Lippert, Richard Samek, Heinz Zednik and Dagmar Schellenberger.

Alfano - Cyrano de Bergerac(fr)

While best known today for having composed the ending to Puccini's unfinished Turandot, Franco Alfano wrote some dozen operas, including Cyrano de Bergerac (1936) with a libretto by Henri Cain based on Edmond Rostand's drama of the same name. It is a moving tale of romantic misunderstanding, swashbuckling bravado and heartbreaking loyalty, in which the eloquent Cyrano feels unable to express his love for Roxane because of his famously protuberant nose except on behalf of his handsome but inarticulate friend, Christian.

Beethoven: Fidelio(en)

Beethoven Fidelio(de)

This production is a gala affair; the sets are traditional (evocative of 18th-19th century Spain); the lighting is bright, so colors are good and one can see all of the action. Singers are generally well chosen and perform admirably. However, at this point, slight reservations creep in; although Janowitz (Fidelio/Leonore) and Kollo (Florestan) look "good" and act well, the singing parts tax them a bit when pushed to the limit. Most of the time that doesn't matter, and an argument can be made that a little vocal strain is in character with their dire plight. Ideally, for me, Vickers as Florestan would have added extra vocal heft and more sensitive acting than Kollo.

Giordano: Andrea Chénier(it)

This live from the Met telecast from October 1996 of Giordano’s infrequently performed verismo gem is an absolute pleasure to watch and listen to and I highly recommend it. Nicholas Joel’s production is extremely elegant while at the same time being simple and uncluttered. Act I, for example, is dominated by an enormous gilt-framed mirror precariously tilted. I assume that it is a metaphor for the imminent downfall of the decadent aristocracy at the party given by the Contessa di Coigny. The costumes designs by Hubert Monloup are terrific. The prerevolutionary costumes in Act I are simply stunning each one individually tailored for the choristers and major performers.

Wagner: Die Walküre(de)

Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, (English: The Ring of the Nibelung). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on 26 June 1870, and received its first performance as part of the Ring cycle at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 14 August 1876.

Rusalka v parku(cs)

Jonas Kaufmann: Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci(it)

As comparably short operas, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci are often billed together, but seldom is the lead tenor making his double role debut as Turiddu and Canio on the same evening. At the 2015 Salzburg Easter Festival, Jonas Kaufmann did just that to rapturous praise. Universally hailed as a coup for Kaufmann, the plaudits were also showered on Philipp Stölzl for his innovative staging which includes live video projections while referencing the era of black-and-white movies.

Love Me Forever(en)

A man who loves an aspiring opera singer is prepared to sacrifice everything to help her with her career, even though he knows she doesn't love him.

Gounod: Romeo et Juliette(fr)

The sensational hit of Salzburg's 2008 festival season arrives on DVD! Starring tenor Rolando Villazón in a stunning performance, this was the must have ticket of the season. Soprano Nino Machaidze, only 25 years old, burst upon the Salzburg stage with an emotionally vulnerable and vocally spectacular performance. With movie star good looks and a large, warm voice, Machaidze wowed the press and audiences alike. Tony Award winner (South Pacific) Bartlett Sher directs this production of Gounod's classic opera. With sets by Michael Yeargan and costumes by Catherine Zuber, the visually vibrant production is sure to become the benchmark. Bonus materials includes "Salzburg Impressions--Behind the Scenes of Roméo et Juliette," "Love and Death in Verona" and Villazón giving an introduction to the opera.

Poulenc: Dialogues des Carmelites(en)

At the end of 2013, the year that marked the 50th anniversary of Francis Poulenc’s death, his gripping and moving operatic masterpiece, Dialogues des Carmélites was staged in Paris by director Olivier Py with a cast featuring some of France’s finest female singers – Patricia Petitbon, Véronique Gens, Sandrine Piau and Sophie Koch – under the baton of Jérémie Rohrer. Le Figaro described the production as “a thing of wonder,” while Le Monde called it: “A masterpiece ... the most exciting and consummately achieved show to have been seen on a Parisian stage in a long time … This was great work, magisterial and unforgettable.” “The memorable Dialogues des Carmélites at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées marked the climax of commemorative activities for the 50th anniversary of Poulenc’s death,” wrote Opera magazine of the production of Poulenc’s gripping and moving opera that was staged by the French director Olivier Py in Paris in December 2013.

Don Giovanni(de)

Semele(en)

Rossini Sigismondo(it)

Early Rossini has a youthful, buoyant vibrancy about it, even in the dark swirls of drammi per musica like Sigismondo. The work, centered on a mad king and his delusions, was rarely played after its premiere in 1814. This performance marked the first from the critical new edition at the 2010 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro and was hailed as a "perfect symbiosis of music and stage work" resulting in "truly brilliant theatre." Complete with a cast of sought-after Rossini singers, this is not to be missed.

Donizetti: La Fille du Régiment(fr)

In January 2007, superstar soprano Natalie Dessay, joined on stage by acclaimed tenor Juan Diego Florez dazzled British audiences in Laurent Pelly's new production of Donizetti's "LA FILLE DU REGIMENT". The perfectly staged & cast production became the operatic event of the year, receiving rave press reviews & rapturous audience ovations.

The Metropolitan Opera: Otello(en)

In Verdi’s retelling of Shakespeare’s towering tragedy, Renée Fleming gives a captivating performance as the innocent Desdemona, a role long considered one of her calling cards. Johan Botha as the title hero delivers an imposing portrayal of a proud warrior brought down by jealousy, and Falk Struckmann is thrilling as the villainous Iago. James Morris sings Lodovico. Elijah Moshinsky’s production is conducted by Semyon Bychkov.

Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann (Komische Oper Berlin)(de)

Walter Felsenstein's staging of Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann at the Komische Opera Berlin.