Opus Arte
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Special offer. Puccini: Madama Butterfly
Asmik Grigorian (Cio-Cio San), Joshua Guerrero (Pinkerton), Lauri Vasar (Sharpless), Hongni Wu (Suzuki), Ya-Chung Huang (Goro), Jeremy White (The Bonze)
Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Kevin John Edusei, Moshe Leiser & Patrice Caurier
If there are vocal imperfections – some pitch trouble on her entrance, though Grigorian is in good company there – they are soon forgotten by the intensity of the soprano’s delivery, and countless... —
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Special offer. Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, K621
Richard Croft (Tito), Anna Stéphany (Sesto), Alice Coote (Vitellia), Michèle Losier (Annio), Joélle Harvey (Servilia), Clive Bayley (Publio); Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Glyndebourne Chorus, Robin Ticciati, Claus Guth
Croft’s mature acting and ardent singing vividly bring to life Tito’s torn emotions…The cruel manipulation by Alice Coote’s psychotic Vitellia of Anna Stéphany’s puppyish Sextus is painful to... —
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Verdi: Rigoletto
Carlos Álvarez (Rigoletto), Lisette Oropesa (Gilda), Liparit Avetisyan (Il Duca), Ramonza Zaharia (Maddalena), Brindley Sherratt (Sparafucile), Eric Greene (Monterone)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano, Oliver Mears
Vocal and musical standards are high. From the doom-laden opening bars of the prelude onwards, Antonio Pappano’s conducting is masterly, offering one of the best accounts available. Carlos Álvarez... —
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The Shakespeare's Globe Collection
Stephen Fry, Mark Rylance, Roger Allam, Jamie Parker (vocals), Samantha Spiro, Catherine Bailey, Eve Best, Jessie Buckley, Dominic Dromgoole, Blanche McIntyre, Jeremy Herrin, Toby Frow, Jonathan Munby
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Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers
William Morgan (Marco), Mark Nathan (Giuseppe), Ellie Laugharne (Gianetta), Sioned Gwen Davies (Tessa), Yvonne Howard (Duchess), Richard Suart (Duke), Ben McAteer (Don Alhambra), Catriona Hewitson (Casilda), Dan Shelvey (Luiz)
Scottish Opera, Derek Clark, Stuart Maunder
Bolder G&S stagings are available (live, if not on record), but this Gondoliers is fresh, affectionate and intensely musical proof that these masterly comic operas can still hit their mark,... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, January 2026, DVD/Bluray of the Month
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Special offer. Mozart Operas Box Set
Will Hartmann (Tamino), Dorothea Röschmann (Pamina), Diana Damrau (Königin der Nacht), Franz-Josef Selig (Sarastro), Simon Keenlyside (Papageno), Ailish Tynan (Papagena), Adrian Thompson (Monostatos), Thomas Allen (Sprecher), Gillian Webster, Christine Rice, Yvonne Howard (Drei Damen), Alan Oke,...
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Special offer. Bizet: Carmen
Benazir Hussain, Daryl Brandwood, Errol Pickford & Melissa Aurisch
West Australian Ballet & West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Nicolette Fraillon
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Special offer. Wagner: Das Rheingold
John Bröcheler (Wotan), Henk Smit (Alberich), Reinhild Runkel (Fricka), Chris Merritt (Loge), Peter Mikulás (Fasolt), Carsten Harboe Stabell (Fafner), Graham Clark (Mime), Jürgen Freierin (Donner), Albert Bonnema (Froh), Anne Gjevang (Erda), Carola Höhn (Freia), Gabriele Fontana (Woglinde), Hanna...
The drama is played straight, the mythical elements respected, with towering giants, sinister Nibelungen, and suitable god-like gods… musically this is equally promising. Haenchen's studied... —
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Celibidache makes the most of Prokofiev's balletic moments, and has a keen sense of pacing and balance in Strauss. The sound could be more opulent, both from the orchestra, and as recorded. —
