Leonora
Azucena
Ferrando
Ines
Ruiz
The writer Dario Fo applies his inventive genius to Rossini's comic opera in its premiere DVD release. Recorded in 2005 under the musical direction of Maurizio Barbacini, Fo's production brings fresh vitality and colour to the story of Lisetta, and of her father Don Pomponio's increasingly ridiculous attempts to find a husband for her through an advertisement in the newspaper LA GAZZETTA. Filmed using high definition cameras with multitrack sound.
Live performance by the Bolshoi Theatre at the Palais Garnier, Opéra National de Paris, 2008.
Tenor Jonas Kaufmann is riveting as the title character of Gounod’s popular opera, seen in this Live in HD presentation of Des McAnuff’s thrilling 2011 production that places the mythical and timeless story in an early 20th-century setting. René Pape as Méphistophélès is menacing and elegant in equal measure, and Marina Poplavskaya delivers a searingly intense portrayal of the innocent Marguerite. Russell Braun as her brother, Valentin, shines in his Act II aria. On the podium, Yannick Nézet-Séguin brings out all the lyricism and drama of Gounod’s score.
Stephen Wadsworth’s production of Mussorgsky’s epic masterpiece brilliantly captures the suffering and ambition of the Russian people at a critical time in their nation’s history. René Pape is riveting as the Tsar of the title, giving a commanding and charismatic performance of one of the greatest bass roles in the repertoire—his Boris is dominating, tortured, flawed and utterly unforgettable. The extraordinary cast and the Met Orchestra and Chorus are led by Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, the foremost Mussorgsky interpreter of our time.
Live from the Metropolitan Opera, 14 February 1980. This version takes place in Boston rather than Sweden.
David Alden’s elegant 2012 production moves Verdi’s thrilling drama to a timeless setting inspired by film noir. Marcelo Álvarez is Gustavo III, the Swedish king in love with Amelia (Sondra Radvanovsky), the wife of his best friend and counselor, Count Anckarström (Dmitri Hvorostovsky). When Anckarström joins a conspiracy to murder the king, tragedy ensues. Stephanie Blythe is the fortuneteller Madame Ulrica Arvidsson and Kathleen Kim sings the page Oscar. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.
Audiences went wild for Bartlett Sher’s dynamic production, which found fresh and surprising ways to bring Rossini’s effervescent comedy closer to them than ever before. The stellar cast leapt to the challenge with irresistible energy and bravura vocalism. Juan Diego Flórez is Count Almaviva, who fires off showstopping coloratura as he woos Joyce DiDonato’s spirited Rosina—with assistance from Peter Mattei as the one and only Figaro, Seville’s beloved barber and man-about-town.
It is a rare opera indeed that calls for one soprano diva and no fewer than six tenors. Mary Zimmerman’s fanciful production of Rossini’s drama, designed by Richard Hudson and with choreography by Graciela Daniele, provides the perfect setting for superstar Renée Fleming’s captivating performance of the title role. A beautiful but evil sorceress in the times of the Crusades, Armida sets out to regain the love of the Frankish knight Rinaldo (Lawrence Brownlee) by putting her magical spells on him. She at first succeeds to draw him into her web of sorcery, but ultimately divine intervention—and his fellow soldiers—free Rinaldo from his enchantment—much to the vengeful fury of Armida and her demons.
Live performance from the Grand Théâtre de Genève, February 25 2016.
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 Oper Leipzig, 26 November 2005.
Live performance from the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, 23 July 2005.
Live performance from Chorégies d'Orange, 11 July 2015.
Live performance from the Opéra de Lyon, July 1 2012. Controversial production by Olivier Py.
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.
As the release of the ‘Tutto Verdi’ series from the Teatro Regio progresses, one has begun to have fears that the later Verdi operas will fail to measure up to the standards that have been set on DVD by productions from international houses across the globe. The issues of the early and middle period Verdi works have been welcome, because these pieces are so rarely encountered in the opera house; but with Macbeth and Luisa Miller we are coming to operas that have been performed by major artists in major productions with superb orchestras and conductors.
Kevin and James deal with the aftermath of their brush with death on Halloween night. As Hazel Falls P.D. arrive on the scene, they quickly realize the nightmare isn't over just yet.
In wartime England, a railway official learns that the chairman of the line had sexually abused his wife as a child, then given him the job so he could continue having sexual access to her. The husband and wife kill him together, but are seen by a train driver, who also has problems of his own. The wife tries to divert suspicion by implicating another driver and befriending the witness, but it doesn't go that smoothly.
The band "Techno Brothers" played by Watanabe, brother Watanabe Yuji and pal Kurosaki Takanori, go to find fame and fortune in Tôkyô. It’s more accurate, though, to call it their manager’s plan. Named Himuro, she channels the look and attitude of famed Vogue editor Anna Wintour, from her bobbed hair and ever-present sunglasses to her commanding air and iron will.
On the heights of Los Angeles, Nathan, 18, dreams of Hollywood. He seems to be trapped in the strange house he lives in.
A comic book artist uses supernatural means to avenge his mother's death.
Working at a nightclub in Chengdu, a transgender Chinese woman receives an unexpected visit from her cousin informing her that the mother she has brushed aside, has died. As the only "son", she feels obligated to return to her birthplace for the sake of her family, even though she'll have to hide her true self from those that once shared her past.
When you've given everything, what do you have left? After achieving his dream summit, an elite climber finds himself empty. Broken and untethered, he searches for a fulfillment more lasting than a faraway peak.
In suburban Michigan, in the mid-2000s, Tess, a reserved and strange middle schooler, stains the floor at a sleepover.
After a series of ill-fated romantic entanglements, The Womaniser finds himself cursed by a vengeful force. As he grapples with the consequences of his actions, eerie and inexplicable events unfold around him, blurring the lines between reality and the supernatural.
Documentary about the First World War hero and later St. Kilda Mayor. Today Albert Jacka is almost forgotten, yet his heroic feats captured the imagination of a generation. In the early decades of the century he personified the archetypal Australian.
Two people in love will find a hut in the woods that they decide to sleep in. The cottage is located on the shore of a lake and beautiful views is just a shadow of an ax stuck in the executioner's block of wood near the house. When they wake up one morning, they see a peacock and the cottage has been transformed into a beautiful palace...
A very jealous man, convinced that his wife is cheating on him, hires a private detective to follow her. Soon after, the detective develops a strong attraction to her target.
The Stievenart family decides to spend their vacation far away and puts an ad on the internet. The Mailon family responds by offering to exchange homes. But the Stievenart family has an environmentally friendly house, while the Mailons consume a lot of energy.
In this modern-day western, rumor has it that notorious gangster Frank Lowies hid millions in cash before getting tossed in the slammer. Going on little more than cryptic tattoos on a sexy stripper's body, every gunslinging scoundrel in the desert hot town of Copenhagen is on the hunt, their brows dripping with sweat and blood, and their pistols blazing in unflinchingly graphic showdowns -- but where the hell is the money?
It is springtime for everyone. However, Prince Ahmed - a fine young boy living in the most wonderful palace existing, does not rejoice over it. On the contrary, he drags along languidly from one lesson by Eben Bonabben, his wise tutor, to another. Today, it cannot be denied that Ahmed is very learned: he knows everything about everything, including talking with birds. No, not everything mind you. There is ONE realm that is not his: the kingdom of the heart. The reason is obvious, although unknown to the prince himself. On the day of his birth, the astrologers of the court predicted that terrible disasters would arise if Ahmed should ever find love.
Something is rotten in England. A plague of North American grey squirrels threatens the beloved native red squirrel. The English are up in arms, and a band of patriots - including lords, priests, artists and farmers - has come together to fight back against the grey menace.