Both Florez and Diana Damrau brought their bel canto expertise and superb vocalism to the service of Verdi's music. The Rigoletto, Zeljko Lucic, ran the gamut from tenderness with his Gilda to thundering fury with everyone else. I also liked the production. At first, when Rigoletto was putting on his grease paint during the overture, I was afraid that it might be a typical "Euro-trash" production, with a bit of warmed over I Pagliacci. But the sets and dramatic action really served the music and libretto. I would have to say that I came to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the story and characters as a result of seeing this performance.
Giovanna
Monterone
Il Conte di Ceprano
La Contessa di Ceprano
A male lion, right next to bars that are about 6 or 8 inches apart, keenly watches a uniformed zoo attendant toss small morsels of food into the cage. The lion alternates between finding the food on the cage floor and reaching through the bars to swipe at the man, who stays alarmingly close to the beast. In the background are the large rocks and brick wall at the back of the lion's habitat.
It's the end of the century at a corner of the city in a building riddled with crime - Everyone in the building has turned into zombies. After Jenny's boyfriend is killed in a zombie attack, she faces the challenge of surviving in the face of adversity. In order to stay alive, she struggles with Andy to flee danger.
Amid the low-rent neighborhoods of Montreal, the true nature of a career criminal is slowly unveiled. BenoÎt is a car thief perpetually running from the police, his family, his ex-lovers, and a 14-year-old hood who badly needs a father figure. But after he falls for the lovely Sylvie while trying to boost her car, can BenoÎt commit to turning his life around?
Irelands Number 1 comedian Tommy Tiernan’s live stand up show Ok Baby filmed at this years (2007) Bud Light Comedy Revue at the Iveagh Gardens, Dublin with extra bonus material This performance was filmed in July 2007. In typical Tommy Tiernan style it’s not for the faint hearted or ‘easily offended’ – wicked, wild and ferociously funny, nothing is sacred. Chapters: Opposite of Mass Farmer Time Touch Me Outdoor Lover Man Dark Matter Hot Rain No God….T-Rex
Vermin Supreme is no ordinary presidential candidate. Promising a free pony for every American, a fully funded time travel research program, and unprecedented zombie preparedness initiatives for a new American Republic, he truly is the people's candidate and the friendly fascist par excellence. "Who Is Vermin Supreme? An Outsider Odyssey" follows Vermin Supreme's raucous 2012 campaign from the Rainbow Gathering in the the Cherokee National Forest to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions to Occupy Wall Street protests, and all the way to heart of the American Empire in Washington, DC. From the unsettling gravitas of marauding riot police to the unbridled joy of songs sung for police officers and pranks played on anti-abortion fanatics, "Who Is Vermin Supreme?" is certain to show you America as you've never seen it before.
After the India of Varanasi’s boatmen, the American desert of the dropouts, and the Mexico of the killers of drugtrade, Gianfranco Rosi has decided to tell the tale of a part of his own country, roaming and filming for over two years in a minivan on Rome’s giant ring road—the Grande Raccordo Anulare, or GRA—to discover the invisible worlds and possible futures harbored in this area of constant turmoil. Elusive characters and fleeting apparitions emerge from the background of the winding zone: a nobleman from the Piemonte region and his college student daughter sharing a one-room efficiency in a modern apartment building along the GRA.
When Debbie comes home for Christmas, she and her mother Gayle are forced to confront the truth about their family's past.
At the end of September 1941, Soviet artillery troops in besieged Leningrad realize that pretty soon they will fire their last shot, and after that the defense of the city will be doomed. The film is based on a true event: a small group of fearless soldiers transported a large supply of gunpowder through enemy lines to Leningrad.
The great composer Arvo Pärt at work, whilst the artists who perform his music and are inspired by it illustrate the different aspects of the phenomenon the man is.
Two French journalists become embroiled in a criminal plot in New York City involving a disappeared United Nations diplomat.
One night, Leo, a Spaniard working in Brussels as a subway driver, sees a young man on the edge of the platform, just before he falls onto the tracks.
An examination of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 through to the present day. A semi-biographic film, in four chapters, about a family spanning from 1948 until recent times. Combined with intimate memories of each member, the film attempts to portray the daily life of those Palestinians who remained in their land and were labelled "Israeli-Arabs," living as a minority in their own homeland.
The story of two men, both named Antonio Pisapia, who are on the decline and lead strangely parallel lives. One is a pop singer whose success ends after a sex scandal; the other is a football player whose career is cut short by an injury.
Sundar, a waiter, is in love with Radha but does not have the courage to tell her. When he becomes a successful comedian, he confesses his feelings to her, only to find that she loves someone else.
This short film is an attempt to explore "Star Wars" (sic) style interplanetary wars. It stars Marcos Braun and Carli Bortolanza, with interpretations in the best "low budget" style possible.
When the most voluptuous, sought-after courtesan in the world meets an ascetic monk whose life is devoted to God, you know erotic sparks are going to fly. And when the clash takes place in a glorious, but rarely performed, opera by Massenet, it’s a delight to the ear just as much as to the eye. Renée Fleming is every inch the glamorous Thaïs, swathed in elegant gowns designed by Christian Lacroix. Thomas Hampson is Athanaël, the tortured man of God. This production by John Cox, which premiered in December 2008, brilliantly sets the stage for a confrontation as old as civilization itself.
First staged at the Teatro La Fenice in 1846, Verdi’s ninth opera, Attila, returns to the stage of La Scala on December 7th. Following the inauguration of the 2015-2016 Season with Giovanna d’Arco and in anticipation of Macbeth, with Attila Musical Director Riccardo Chailly continues his study of Verdi’s early works, renewing a successful collaboration with creative director Davide Livermore that began with his acclaimed production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale for La Scala. In this complex opera Verdi experiments with fresh perspectives, featuring spectacular historical settings, introspective angles and moral uncertainties. Attila demands of its performers not only passion and confidence, but also the ability to find subtle accents and psychological nuances.
The Glyndebourne Opera's 1981 production of the Benjamin Britten opera, based on Shakespeare's play.
A stage performance of the Shostakovich opera, filmed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.
Maometto II (or Maometto secondo) is an 1820 opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Cesare della Valle. Set in the 1470s during a time of war between the Turks and Venetians, the work was commissioned by the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. Della Valle based his libretto on his earlier play Anna Erizo. The name of the title character, Maometto II, refers to the real-life Ottoman Sultan and conqueror of Constantinople Mehmed II, who lived from 1432 to 1481.
The Met’s spectacular production of Verdi’s Egyptian epic captures both the grandeur and the intimacy of this powerful tale of love and politics. Liudmyla Monastyrska is Aida, the Ethiopian princess-turned-slave in love with the Egyptian warrior Radamès, sung by Roberto Alagna. Olga Borodina is her rival, Amneris, daughter of the Pharao, and George Gagnidze sings Aida’s father, Amonasro, the King of Ethiopia. Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.
Live from the Metropolitan Opera 19 December 2009.
Otto Schenk’s brilliant production captures both the dark romanticism of the story as well as its fairy-tale magic. It is a superb setting for Neil Shicoff’s vivid portrayal of the tortured poet Hoffmann, as he recounts the loves of his life and the way he has been foiled by his nemesis—a marvelous James Morris in a tour-de-force performance of the opera’s four villains. Gwendolyn Bradley is the doll Olympia, Tatiana Troyanos sings the courtesan Giulietta, and Roberta Alexander portrays the innocent Antonia.
Live performance from Salzburg Festival Opera, August 2007. The story tells of Cellini's love for Teresa, daughter of the Papal Treasurer Balducci. His rival, the Papal Sculptor Fieramosca, overhears Cellini plotting to run away with Teresa during the carnival.
The prestigious Gran Teatre del Liceu from Barcelona presents Mozart's beloved opera in an elegant, dramatic twist with a sparkling cast of world-class stars, led by coloratura soprano Diana Damrau as Constance and rising star Olga Peretyatko as Blonda. Director Christophe Loy has created a thought-provoking and surprisingly original script in which both Constance and Blonda feel respect, admiration and even deep love for their captors. As a result of this tantalizing, torturous approach, traditional norms and concepts of good and evil were turned upside down.
Live performance from Oper Leipzig, 26 November 2005.
Live performance from the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, 23 July 2005.
Live from the Metropolitan Opera, 14 February 1980. This version takes place in Boston rather than Sweden.