Attila (2010)

Turandot

2013 revival of Andrei Serban's 1984 production. Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, September 2013. Andrei Serban's spectacular and thrilling 1984 production of Puccini's final and grandest opera has long been a classic at the Royal Opera House. First filmed for BBC TV in the 80s, this new recording – of its fifteenth revival – is in stunning HD and makes this famous production available for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray. The release will rightfully take its place alongside the outstanding Royal Opera Puccini DVDs of La Bohème, Tosca (on EMI) and Trittico. American Lise Lindstrom is one of the very few contemporary Turandots who can genuinely sing this ‘killer’ role, and is supported by a touching Liù from Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura and an unashamedly Italianite Calaf from Marco Berti. The young Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási directs the large orchestra and all-important chorus.

Ernani

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Ernani (2005) Parma. 'Ernani' is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play 'Hernani' by Victor Hugo. Ernani was first performed on 9 March 1844 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice.

Verdi: Falstaff

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Falstaff (2011) Parma. 'Falstaff' is an opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). The libretto was adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' and scenes from 'Henry IV, parts 1 and 2'. The work premiered on 9 February 1893 at La Scala, Milan

Giovanna d'Arco

This work predates Thchaikowsly’s for almost 4 years, and it is base don the Schiller play I have previously criticized for its lack of historical accuracy. It is essentially focused on three major voices, soprano, tenor and baritone, with a basso to spice it up. New Yorker Evan Bowers may not be a matinee idol, but he sails into the role with a bright, focused lyrico spinto tenor voice. Renato Bruson was 72 years old in 2008, when he took this role (first sung by him in1989) and it shows, with quite a wobble on many passages; yet his voice commands the stage and rises majestically in the ensembles. And then, Bulgarian Svetla Vassileva, who is not burned at the stake, as in “Maid”, but dies heroically in battle.

I due Foscari

Part of Tutto Verdi series - I due Foscari (2009) Parma

I Lombardi alla prima crociata

I Lombardi alla prima crociata (The Lombards on the First Crusade) was Verdi’s fourth opera and received its first performance at La Scala, Milan, in February 1843. The grandiloquent subject matter is fleshed-out with broad-brushed musical and dramatic effects and lavish choral scenes created a correspondingly impressive impact. A great success in Milan, it spread to the rest of Europe within a matter of only a few years.

Il corsaro

The caption on the DVD sleeve reads “This Is how Verdi should be played!” and I could not agree more. The trio of principals: Ribeiro, Lungu, and Dalla Benetta , offer youthful exhuberance and intensity, good looks and glorious voices. The rest of the cast is equally good. Superb conductor, traditional production, great staging. Anf of course, Verdi’s exquisite music. It has renovated my faith in the totality of the Verdi canon, not only its most performed titles.

La forza del destino

Director Stefano Poda set the action in the mid 19th century. There’s not a piece of furniture in the whole show. Just a lot of slabs which change position as the opera progresses. There were also a lot of non-singing characters in strange poses who popped up here and there. This sort of staging is not the usual for the Parma house which typically stays close to the traditional. There’s nothing wrong with the staging that a first rate musical effort couldn’t overcome. But that effort was not forthcoming.

Luisa Miller

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.

Un ballo in maschera

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Un ballo in maschera (2011) Parma. Based on a Scribe libretto and begun as 'Gustavo III' set in Sweden, it became 'Una vendetta in dominò' set in Germany, and finally 'Un ballo', set not in Sweden but in Boston, Massachusetts during the colonial era. These changes were caused by a combination of censorship regulations in both Naples and Rome, as well as by the political situation in France in January 1858.

Un giorno di regno

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Un giorno di regno (2010) Parma. 'Un giorno di regno, ossia il finto Stanislao' ('A One-Day Reign, or The Pretend Stanislaus', but often translated into English as 'King for a Day') is an operatic melodramma giocoso in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto written in 1818 by Felice Romani. Originally written for the Bohemian composer Adalbert Gyrowetz, the libretto was based on the play 'Le faux Stanislas' written by the Frenchman Alexandre Vincent Pineu-Duval in 1808.

I vespri siciliani

Part of Tutto Verdi series 'I vespri siciliani' ('The Sicilian Vespers') is a five-act Italian opera originally written in French for the Paris Opéra and translated into Italian shortly after its premiere in June 1855. Under its original title, 'Les vêpres siciliennes', the libretto was prepared by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier from their work 'Le duc d'Albe', which was written in 1838 and offered to Halévy and Donizetti before Verdi agreed to set it to music in 1854. The story is loosely based on a historical event, the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, using material drawn from the medieval Sicilian tract 'Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia'.

Verdi: La Traviata (Teatro Regio di Parma)

Part of Tutto Verdi series - La Traviata (2007) Parma. 'La traviata' ('The Fallen Woman') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on 'La dame aux Camélias' (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The opera was originally titled 'Violetta', after the main character. It was first performed on 6 March 1853 at the La Fenice opera house in Venice. Piave and Verdi wanted to follow Dumas in giving the opera a contemporary setting, but the authorities at La Fenice insisted that it be set in the past, "c. 1700". It was not until the 1880s that the composer and librettist's original wishes were carried out and "realistic" productions were staged.

Simon Boccanegra

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Simon Boccanegra (2010) Parma. Revised version (1881). 'Simon Boccanegra' is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play 'Simón Bocanegra' (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, whose play 'El trovador' had been the basis for Verdi's 1853 opera, 'Il trovatore'. Simon Boccanegra was first performed at Teatro La Fenice in Venice on 12 March 1857

Stiffelio

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Stiffelio (2012) Parma. 'Stiffelio' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. The origin of this was the novel “Le pasteur d’hommes”, by Émile Souvestre, which was published in 1838. This was adapted into the French play 'Le pasteur, ou L'évangile et le foyer' by Émile Souvestre and Eugène Bourgeois. That was in turn translated into Italian by Gaetano Vestri as 'Stifellius'; this formed the basis of Piave's libretto.

I Masnadieri

Part of Tutto Verdi series - I masnadieri (2012) Naples. 'I masnadieri' ('The Bandits' or 'The Robbers') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, based on 'Die Räuber' by Friedrich von Schiller. As Verdi became more successful in Italy, he began to receive offers from other opera houses outside the country. The London impresario Benjamin Lumley had presented Ernani in 1845 and, as a result of its success, commissioned an opera from the composer which became 'I masnadieri'. It was given its first performance at Her Majesty's Theatre on 22 July 1847 with Verdi conducting the first two performances.

Verdi: Otello

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Otello (2008) Salzburg. 'Otello' is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play 'Othello'. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887.

Alzira

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Alzira (2012) Dobbiaco. This is a concert performance. Alzira is an opera in a prologue and two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, based on the play Alzire, ou les Américains by Voltaire. The first performance was at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, on 12 August 1845.

Aida

Very nice set and costumes by Mauro Carosi. The procuction is well staged in the relatively small scene at Parma by Joseph Franconi Lee. Here's a performance that really works.Everything seems just right, but if you MUST have the top soloists (Pavarotti, Domingo...), look elsewhere. However, I think that the ones here (Susanna Branchini (Aida), Mariana Pentcheva (Amneris), Walter Fraccaro (Radames), Alberto Gazale (Amonasro), Carlo Malinverno (Il Re di Egitto) do a fantastic job. Also pluses for the ballet and the video production.

Cendrillon

Massenet composed his opera about Cenerentola nearly 80 years after Rossini did his. And if you are looking for the outburst of the non-stop hilarity and the musical jokes of Rossini, you won't find it here. Also, while the Cendrillon was highly successful and popular in its time, it does not reach up to the artistic and musical levels offered by Massenet's other operas, like Manon, or Thais or Werther. Nevertheless, this is a delightful opera and it is well presented by The Royal Opera. Laurent Pelly created a ingenious setting with movable walls which are covered [in French] with the story of Cinderella, and which open and close book-like.

Guillaume Tell

New production. Recorded live at Royal Opera House, July, 05, 2015.

Verdi: Don Carlos

Luc Bondy's 1996 production of Don Carlos was staged, recorded and filmed at the Chatelet in Paris. These seven performances were blessed with an all-star cast, loaded with important singers either starting their careers (Roberto Alagna) or at the height of their dramatic powers (Karita Mattila, Jose Van Dam.)

The Metropolitan Opera: Anna Bolena

David McVicar's atmospheric and brooding production captures the drama of this riveting piece of British history, retold as only Donizetti could. International superstar Anna Netrebko is Queen Anne Boleyn, trapped in an unhappy marriage to King Henry VIII (Ildar Abdrazakov) whose roving eye has settled on another woman—Jane Seymour (Ekaterina Gubanova), Anna's friend, but now her unwitting rival. Add in Anna's early love, Percy (Stephen Costello), just returned to the court from exile, and the result is a haunting, explosive account of Queen Anna's tragic final days, before she goes to her execution in one of the most moving and dazzling final scenes in all of opera.

The Metropolitan Opera: Don Carlo

Family jealousy, threat of rebellion, political back-stabbing and the Inquisition weigh heavy on the court of King Phillip II. The tension finally ignites at the King's coronation, where a number of heretics are to be burnt at the stake.

Don Carlo

C Majors Tutto Verdi project comes to one of Verdis most popular operas: Don Carlo. Based on Schiller's play of the same name, Don Carlos was written for the Paris Opéra in 1865-66 in the tradition of a French grand opera. Repeatedly revised and performed in Italian as Don Carlo, the opera is seen here in the version that Verdi prepared for Modena in 1886. In many respects, this is Verdi's most ambitious and most forward-looking work.