C Major
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Special offer. Verdi: La forza del destino
Carlos Álvarez (Don Carlo), Nina Stemme (Leonora), Salvatore Licitra (Don Alvaro), Nadia Krasteva (Preziosilla), Alastair Miles (Padre Guardiano), Fra Melitone (Tiziano Bracci), Elisabeta Marin (Curra)
Wiener Staatsoper, Zubin Mehta, David Pountney
Tenor Salvatore Licitra as Don Alvaro in La forza del destino, caught in Vienna 10 years ago- his singing is admirably clean, his tone noble. Alongside him, Nina Stemme is a gutsy Leonora, assiduously... —
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Verdi: Messa da Requiem
Anna Tomowa-Sintow (soprano), Agnes Baltsa (mezzo), José Carreras (tenor), José van Dam (bass-baritone)
Wiener Philharmoniker, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Herbert von Karajan
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Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro
Mari Eriksmoen (Susanna, Andrè Schuen (Figaro), Christine Schäfer (Countess), Bo Skovhus (Count), Elisabeth Kulman (Cherubino)
Concentus Musicus Wien, Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
this is a Mozart with a difference: rather than interpreting, singers and orchestra confront text and music with a liveliness and intensity that should also compel viewers to see things differently. —
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Special offer. Auerbach: Tatiana (ballet)
Helene Bouchet, Edvin Revazov, Leslie Heylmann, Alexandr Trusch, Carsten Jung
Hamburg Ballet & Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Simon Hewett
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Special offer. Mozart: Don Giovanni
Carlos Álvarez (Don Giovanni), Alex Esposito (Leporello), Irina Lungu (Donna Anna), Maria José Siri (Donna Elvira), Saimir Pirgu (Don Ottavio), Natalia Roman (Zerlina), Christian Senn (Masetto), Rafał Siwek (Il Commendatore)
Arena di Verona, Stefano Montanari, Franco Zeffirelli
They really don’t make them like this any more…The production is lavish and highly populated, 18th-century Seville in all its Baroque glory...Although the playing of the Arena di Verona Orchestra... —
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Brahms: Double Concerto
Lisa Batiashvili (violin), Gautier Capuçon (cello), Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann
The real highlight of this well-produced DVD is the Tchaikovsky, which is a winner from start to finish. —
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Special offer. Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Peter Hofmann (Tristan), Hildegard Behrens (Isolde), Yvonne Minton (Brangaene), Hans Sotin (Marke), Bernd Weikl (Kurwenal), Heribert Steinbach (Melot), Heinz Zednik (Hirt), Raimund Grumbach (Steuerman), Thomas Moser (Seemann)
Leonard Bernstein, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
There is no acting as such in terms of movement of props used…But it is a strong cast. It’s good to be reminded of Hofmann’s big, deep tenor…, of Hildegard Behrens’s passionate use of the text... —
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Special offer. Puccini: Turandot
Iréne Theorin (Turandot), Jorge de Leon (Calaf), Ermonela Jaho (Liu), Alexander Vinogradov (Timur), Chris Merritt (Altoum), Chorus and Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre Del Liceu, Josep Pons
Jaho is a remarkable actress and her singing is exquisite here, refining her high notes down to a whisper...The rest of the cast are under-directed but their vocal performances are strong. Iréne... —
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Carl Orff: Carmina Burana
Regula Mühlemann (soprano), Michael Schade (tenor), Markus Werba (baritone), Coro Del Teatro La Fenice, Piccoli Cantori Veneziani, Teatro La Fenice (opera company), Fabio Luisi
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Special offer. Gluck: Alceste
Dorothea Röschmann (Alceste), Charles Castronovo (Admète), Michael Nagy (High Priest of Apollo), Bayerische Staatsoper, Antonello Manacorda
The chorus and orchestra under Antonello Manacorda are fine, as is Tiziano Mancini’s video direction —
