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Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Deutsche Grammophon
Bellini - Norma

Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart - Cosi fan Tutte

Deutsche Grammophon
Humperdinck - Hansel und Gretel (1981)

Deutsche Grammophon
Verdi - La Traviata / Gruberova, Shicoff, Zancanaro, Rizzi, La Fenice

Kultur Video

La Traviata was recorded at what was one of Venice's most exquisite 18th-century opera houses, La Fenice, tragically destroyed by fire in 1996, and now rebuilt. This glorious house is where La Traviata was premiered in 1853. In this memorable performance with the orchestra and chorus of La Fenice and Balletto di Toscana, Slovak soprano Edita Gruberova takes the leading role of Violetta, the tragic heroine, persuaded by Alfredo's father, Giorgio, to sacrifice her happiness with Alfredo (Neil Shicoff) for the sake of family honor.
Mozart - Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail [Abduction from the Seraglio]

Deutsche Grammophon
Strauss: Arabella

Decca

A classic, historic and faithful account of Strauss s comedy of manners, the only film version available of this opera. Subtitles available: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese
R. Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos

Deutsche Grammophon

Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos premiered in 1916, was something new, a startling blend of comedy and tragedy, both a frothy entertainment and a serious dip into the big issues--life, death, art, and love. It succeeds as a musical and theatre experience, especially in a production as respectful of the composer’s intentions as this one, which more than fulfills his considerable musical demands on the performers. Strauss and his librettist, Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, fuse the tale of an opera company and a team of comedians hired to provide entertainment for a dinner party at the palatial home of Vienna’s "richest man." The two groups of artists are forced at the last moment to combine their incompatible talents in a hastily rewritten opera which follows the Prologue--the familiar story of Ariadne abandoned by Theseus on the Greek island. This DVD of Ariadne is a 1978 film based on Filippo Sanjust’s Vienna State Opera production. The bustling Prologue is set in the backstage area of the mogul’s palace and the 18th century costumes fit neatly. In the opera proper, the stage is transformed into a very stagey desert island with an improbable set of stairs leading to the heroine’s cave, the action spilling over into the theatre’s side boxes at times. While there’s nothing particularly imaginative about the production, it never distracts from the main event--the music. Strauss was profligate in his melodic gifts, his ability to make a reduced orchestra sound big, and his wonderful obsession with the female voice, which yields many glorious moments in the opera. Lavish casting helps.
Gundula Janowitz is the prima donna who sings the title role, her fresh voice and musicality make her lament moving, but the coloratura soprano, Edita Gruberova, all but steals the show as Zerbinetta, providing both singing and acting splendor. Her coloratura is flawless, the trills in the aria "Grossmächtige Prinzessin," effortless. The harassed Composer, seen only in the Prologue, is Trudeliese Schmidt, whose singing is first-rate and whose acting in the pants role suits the part admirably, the veritable archetype of the ardent, impetuous artist. Among the men, veteran Walter Berry is a fine Musicmaster, the voice of reason amid all the madcap goings-on, while the comedians are a feisty bunch with good voices. Special mention is due baritone Barry McDaniel’s Harlequin and lyric tenor Heinz Zednik’s Dancing Master (in the Prologue) and Brighella. The role of Bacchus is a thankless part and if René Kollo is sometimes stiff and blustery, so too, are most tenors in that role. Pacing and orchestral playing could not be bettered as the Vienna Philharmonic is led by the great Strauss conductor, Karl Böhm. John Vernon’s video direction is efficient, but his discreet use of fades and tight closeups may strike some as too much of a good thing. Filmed to a prerecorded soundtrack, lip-synching is smoothly done. There’s a fine 1988 MET production led by James Levine with Jessye Norman and a similarly starry cast, but you can’t go wrong with either--or both--of these versions of Strauss’s opera. -- Dan Davis
Ariadne auf Naxos is an all-regions DVD in color and 4:3 ratio. Sound options include PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 Surround. Sung in German with subtitles in English, French, Spanish, and Chinese.
Bellini - Beatrice di Tenda / Daniel Schmid - Gruberova, Volle, Kaluza - Viotti - Zurich Opera

Tdk DVD Video

Today’s audiences often find it difficult to comprehend what makes Vincenzo Bellini’s operas remarkable. Works like Beatrice di Tenda were not rediscovered and staged until the second half of the 20th century. Bellini's credo was, "I want to move to tears….". This sympathetic treatment of the text led his contemporaries to describe Bellini’s music as ‘filosofica’. Even Richard Wagner acknowledged this when he said, "Bellini’s music comes from the heart and closely follows the text". The premiere of the opera was given at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice on 16 March 1873 and was an abysmal failure. Shouts of "Norma! Norma!" were heard from the gallery, which was a clear indication that the audience missed the belcanto style in Beatrice di Tenda. In his new opera Bellini did not continue, as he did in Norma, with the virtuosity and coloratura artistry of the voices but explored a new way of musical expression, which brought to the fore a new warmth and different characteristics. Although Beatrice di Tenda is not one of Bellini’s most successful operas, the title role is a popular showpiece among sopranos. Special features include an interview with Marcello Viotti.
Massenet - Manon

Deutsche Grammophon
Donizetti - Roberto Devereux

Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart - Don Giovanni / Allen, Gruberova, Murray, Araiza, Desderi, Mentzer, Muti, La Scala Opera

BBC / Opus Arte

This 1987 performance of Don Giovanni is director Giorgio Strehler's interpretation of this opera, which presents the characters from a psychological standpoint, has been lauded as one of the most important Mozart productions yet. The British baritone Thomas Allen stars as the famous rapscallion.
Picture Format: 4:3
Sound Format: Dolby Stereo
Subtitles: GB
Sung in Italian
Mozart - Die Zauberflote / Gruberova, Talvela, Schreier, Cotrubas, Berry, Moser, Boesch, Murray, Mayr, Levine, Salzburger Festspiele Opera

Tdk DVD Video
Mozart - Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) / Bohm, Gruberova, Grist

Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart - Don Giovanni / Giorgio Strehler · Riccardo Muti · T. Allen · E. Gruberova · Teatro alla Scala

Image Entertainment
Verdi - Rigoletto / Chailly, Pavarotti, Wixell, Gruberova, Vienna Philharmonic

Decca

This extraordinarily powerful 1983 production may be the best-sung performance by Luciano Pavarotti on DVD, but when acting values are counted in, Ingvar Wixell manages to outshine the tenor star. Verdi gave the Duke two of Italian opera's most brilliant arias ("Questa o quella" and "La donna e mobile"), but he gave the deformed jester Rigoletto a depth and complexity of character that is reflected in music of great variety and enormous emotional impact: the cruel mockery of the opening scene, the self-doubts inspired by his dialogue with Sparafucile, the paternal anxieties and final despair at his daughter's sad fate, and the burning, self-destructive thirst for revenge. All these motives work their way into music of great dramatic richness, variety, and intensity. Wixell rises to its challenges, not only in the title role but in a cameo appearance as Rigoletto's nemesis Monterone. Location filming provides an atmosphere unavailable in staged productions. --Joe McLellan
Donizetti - Linda di Chamounix / Daniel Schmid · Adam Fischer - Gruberova · van der Walt · Polgár - Opernhaus Zürich

Tdk DVD Video
La Traviata [Region 2]
Opera Hits / Domingo, Carreras, Vickers, Ewing

Kultur Video
Linda di Chamounix