Opera

Tristan und Isolde

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Wagner Tristan und Isolde opera to libretto by the composer. This is the 2009 Bayreuth revival directed by Anna-Sophie Mahler after Christoph Marthaler production. tars Robert Dean Smith (Tristan), Iréne Theorin (Isolde), Robert Holl (King Marke), Jukka Rasilainen (Kurwenal), Ralf Lukas (Melot), Michelle Breedt (Brangäne), Clemens Bieber (Sailor), Arnold Bezuyen (Shepherd), and Martin Snell (Steersman). Peter Schneider conducts The Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus (Chorus Master Eberhard Friedrich). Costume and stage design by Anna Viebrock; dramaturgy by Malte Ubenauf. Directed for TV by Michael Beyer. Sung in German. Released 2010, 2-disc set has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D

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Il trittico

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Puccini Il trittico with three one-act operas directed 2007 by Christina Pezzoli at the Teatro Comunale di Modena. They are:

  • Il tabarro to libretto by Giuseppe Adami. Stars Alberto Mastromarino (Michele), Amarilli Nizza (Giorgetta), Rubens Pelizzari (Luigi), Alessandro Cosentino (Il Tinca), Alessandro Spina (Il Talpa), Annamaria Chiuri (La Frugola), Roberto Carli (Song pedlar), Chiara Moschini and Roberto Carli (Lovers), and Allessandra Cantin (Soprano voice).

  • Suor Angelica to libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. Stars Amarilli Nizza (Suor Angelica), Annamaria Chiuri (Princess), Elisa Fortunati (Abbess), Paola Leveroni (Monitress), Katarina Nikolič (Mistress of the novices), Paola Santucci (Suor Genovieffa), Alice Molinari (Suor Osmina), Camilla Laschi (Suor Dolcina), Alessandra Caruccio (Nursing sister), Alessandra Cantin (a Novice), Paola Leggeri (First Mendicant), Margherita Pistoni (Second Mendicant), Tiziana Tramonti (First Lay Sister), Beatrice Sarti (Second Lay Sister), Dan-I Kuo (First Young Sister), Alice Molinari (Second Young Sister), and Chiara Moschini (Third Young Sister).

  • Gianni Schicchi to libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. Stars Alberto Mastromarino (Gianni Schicchi), Amarilli Nizza (Lauretta), Annamaria Chiuri (Zita), Andrea Giovannini (Rinuccio), Alessandro Cosentino (Gherardo), Tiziana Tramonti (Nella), Grigorij Filippo Calcagno (Gherardino), Maurizio Lo Piccolo (Betto di Signa), Alessandro Spina (Simone), Mirko Quarello (Marco), Katarina Nikolič (La Ciesca), Gian Luca Ricci (Maestro Spinelloccio, doctor), Alessandro Busi (Ser Amantia di Nicolai, notary), Romano Franci (Pinellino, cobbler), and Antonio Manosperti (Guccio, dyer).

Julian Reynolds directs the Orchestra della Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, the Coro Lirico Amadeus—Teatro Comunale di Modena (Chorus Master Stefano Colò) and the Coro di Voci Bianche del Teatro Comunale di Modena (Chorus Master Melitta Lintner). Sets by Giacomo Andrico; costumes by Gianluca Falaschi; lighting by Cesare Accetta. Directed for TV by Loreena Kaufmann. Sung in Italian. Released 2009, disc has 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A

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Il trovatore

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Verdi Il trovatore opera to libretto by Salvadore Cammarano. Directed 2002 by Elijah Moshinsky at the Royal Opera House. Stars José Cura (Manrico), Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Count di Luna), Yvonne Naef (Azucena), Verónica Villarroel (Leonora), Tómas Tómasson (Ferrando), Gweneth-Ann Jeffers (Ines), Thomas Barnard (Old Gypsy), Douglas Telfer (Messenger), and Edgaras Montvidas (Ruiz). Carlo Rizzi conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Concert Master Vasko Vassilev) and the Royal Opera Chorus (Chorus Director Terry Edwards). Sets by Dante Ferretti; costumes by Anne Tilby; lighting by Howard Harrison; fight scenes by William Hobbs. Directed for TV by Brian Large. Sung in Italian. Released 2008, Blu-ray disc has 5.1 PCM sound. Grade: B

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Il turco in Italia

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Rossini Il turco in Italia opera to libretto by Felice Romani. Directed 2009 by Elisabetta Courir (after Egisto Marcucci) at the Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova. Stars Simone Alaimo (Selim), Myrtò Papatanasiu (Donna Fiorilla), Bruno de Simone (Don Geronio), Antonio Siragusa (Don Narciso), Vincenzo Taormina (Prosdocimo, a Poet), Antonella Nappa (Zaida), and Federico Lepre (Albazar). Jonathan Webb conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Carlo Felice (Chorus Master Ciro Visco). Set design by Emanuele Luzzati; costumes by Santuzza Cali; choreography and mimic art by Giovanni Di Cicco; lighting by Luciano Novelli; piano by Sirio Restani. Directed for TV by Andrea Dorigo. Sung in Italian. Released 2010, disc has 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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Die Vögel

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Walter Braunfels Die Vögel (The Birds) opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2009 by Darko Tresnjak at the Los Angeles Opera. Stars Désirée Rancatore (Nightingale), Brandon Jovanovich (Good Hope), James Johnson (Loyal Friend), Martin Gantner (Hoopoe), Stacey Tappan (Wren), Brian Mulligan (Prometheus), Matthew Moore (Eagle/Zeus), Daniel Armstrong (Raven), Valerie Vinzant (First Thrush), Courtney Taylor (Second Thrush), John Kimberling (Flamingo), Renee Sousa (First Swallow), Rebecca Tomlinson (Second Swallow), Ayana Haviv (Third Swallow), Nicole Fernandes (First Tit), Tara Victoria Smith (Second Tit), Adriana Manfredi (First Dove), Helene Quintana (Second Dove), Amber Erwin (Third Dove), and Jennifer Wallace (Fourth Dove). James Conlon conducts the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra (Concert Master Stuart Canin) and Chorus (Chorus Master Grant Gershon). Set design by David P. Gordon; costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by David Weiner, choreography by Peggy Hickey. Directed for TV by Kenneth Shapiro. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio surround sound. Grade B

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Zoroastre

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Jean-Philippe Rameau Zoroastre opera to libretto by Louis de Cahusac. Directed 2006 by Pierre Audi at the Drottningholm Slottstheater. Stars Anders J. Dahlin (Zoroastre), Evgueniy Alexiev (Abramane), Sine Bundgaard (Amélite), Anna Maria Panzarella (Erinice), Lars Arvidson (Zopire/La Vengeance) Markus Schwartz (Narbanor), Gérard Théruel (Oromasès/Ariman), and Ditte Andersen (Sèphie). Christophe Rousset conducts Les Talens Lyriques in collaboration with the Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra and Chorus. Features dancers from the Drotttningholm Theatre Dancers. Set and costume design by Patrick Kinmonth; lighting design by Peter von Praet; choreography by Amir Hosseinpour. Directed for TV by Olivier Simonnet; produced for TV by Christina Hörnblad and François Bertrand. Sung in French. Released 2008, disc has 5.1 Dolby TrueHD sound. Grade: A

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Der Zwerg and Der Zerbrochene Krug

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Der Zwerg and Der Zerbrochene Krug double bill directed 2008 by Darko Tresnjak at the Los Angeles Opera:

  • Alexander Zemlinsky Der Zwerg one-act opera to libretto by George Klaren. Stars Rodrick Dixon (The Dwarf), Mary Dunleavy (Donna Clara, Infanta of Spain), Susan B. Anthony (Ghita), James Johnson (Don Estoban), Melody Moore (First Maid), Lauren McNeese (Second Maid), Elizabeth Bishop (Third Maid), Karen Vuong (First Playmate), and Rena Harms (Second Playmate).

  • Viktor Ullmann Der Zerbrochene Krug one-act opera to a libretto by the composer. Stars James Johnson (Adam, the judge), Bonaventura Bottone (Licht, the court Clerk), Steven Humes (Superior Judge), Elizabeth Bishop (Frau Marthe Rull), Melody Moore (Eve), Jason Stearns (Veit Tümpel), Richard Cox (Ruprecht), Natasha Flores (Frau Brigitte), Rena Harms (First Maid), Lauren McNeese (Second Maid), and Ryan McKinney (Servant).

James Conlon conducts the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra (Concert Master Stuart Canin) and Chorus (Chorus Master Grant Gershon). Set design by Ralph Funicello; costume design by Linda Cho; lighting design by David Weiner; choreography by Peggy Hickey. Directed for TV by Kenneth Shapiro. Both titles sung in German. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade (for both titles): B

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Cyrano de Bergerac

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Franco Alfano Cyrano de Bergerac opera to a libretto by Henri Cain. Directed 2007 by Michal Znaniecki at the Palau de les Arts `Reina Sofia`Valencia. Stars Plácido Domingo (Cyrano), Sondra Radvanovsky (Roxane), Arturo Chacón Cruz (Christian), Rod Gilfry (De Guiche), Corrado Carmelo Caruso (Ragueneau), Roberto Accurso (De Valver), Javier Franco (Carbon), Itxaro Mentxaka (La Duègne/Sister Marthe),  Nahuel di Pierro (Le Bret), Silvia Vázquez(Lisa/A Nun), Miguel Sola (Lignière), Juan José Navarro (The Musketeer), Juan Felipe Durá (A Cook), Antonio Lozano Mora (First Sentinel), Antonio Gómez Cano (Second Sentinel), Amadis de Murga (Montfleury), and Rubén Belmonte (A Spanish Officer).

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The Cunning Little Vixen

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Janáček The Cunning Little Vixen opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2008 by Laurent Pelly at the Matsumoto Performing Arts Center in Japan as part of the Saito Kinen Festival. Stars singers Isabel Bayrakdarian (Vixen), Quinn Kelsey (Forester), Judith Christin (Wife/Owl), Dennis Petersen (School Master/Mosquito), Kevin Langan (Parson/Badger), Dale Travis (Poacher), Lauren Curnow (Fox), Tomo Matsubara (Pasek, the Innkeeper), Yayoi Masuda (Innkeeper's Wife), Marie Lenormand (Lapak, the Dog), Mayumi Kuroki (The Cock/Jay), and Mayumi Makino (Woodpecker). Stars dancers Jo Kanamori, Shintaro O-ue, Masahiro Yanagimoto, Shintaro Hirahara, Minoru Harata, Yoshimitsu Kushida, Sawako Iseki, Kaori Terasaka, Natsumi Tokoro, Erina Yamai, Harumi Takeuchi, and Ayako Nakano. Also stars the Tokyo Opera Singers and the SKF Matsumoto Children's Chorus. Seiji Ozawa conducts the Saito Kinen Orchestra. Costumes by Laurent Pelly; set by Barbara de Limburg Stirum; lighting by Peter van Praet; choreographed by Lionel Hoche. This title is also available as part of the Seiji Ozawa 75th Anniversary Box Set. Released 2010, disc has 5.0 PCM sound. Grade: B+

We assume (don’t know) this was sung in Czech. The videographer is not credited. This opera has been recorded many times. There are many YouTube clips, but we haven't found one that we can connect to this production in Japan. However, this was a co-production with Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and the show was recorded in 2009 at the Maggio Musicale with many of the same opera singers that appeared in Japan. The Maggio Musicale production was published by Arthaus in Blu-ray in 2013.

Amazon in Japan does not carry this title. The best chance to buy this title new appears to be with CD Japan. Click here to purchase.

The Cunning Little Vixen

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Leoš Janáček The Cunning Little Vixen opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2008 by André Engel with the Opéra national de Paris at the Opéra Bastille. Stars Elena Tsallagova (Vixen), Jukka Rasilainen (Forester), Michèle Lagrange (Wife/Owl), David Kuebler (Schoolmaster), Roland Bracht (Parson), Paul Gay (Vagrant), and Hannah Esther Minutillo (Fox). Dennis Russell Davies conducts the Orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris, the Choir of the Opéra national de Paris, and the Childrens' Choir of the Opéra national de Paris (Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine). The Chorus Master was Alessandro Di Stefano. Stage design by Nicky Rieti; costumes by Elizabeth Neumuller; choreography by Françoise Grès; lighting by André Diot; dramaturgy by Dominique Muller. Directed for TV by Don Kent. Released 2009,  disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B


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La Clemenza di Tito

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Mozart La Clemenza di Tito opera to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio adapted by Caterino Mazzolà. Directed 2005 by Ursel and Karl-Ernst Herrmann at the Palais Garnier, Paris.  Stars Susan Graham (Sesto), Hannah Esther Minutillo (Annio), Catherine Naglestad (Vitellia), Ekaterina Siurina (Servilia), Roland Bracht (Publio), and Christoph Prégardien (Tito). Sylvain Cambreling conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of The Opéra national de Paris (Chorus Master Peter Burian). Set and costume design by Karl-Ernst Herrmann; lighting by Karl-Ernst Herrmann and Heinz Ilsanker. Directed for TV by Thomas Grimm. Released 2010,  disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B+

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Cherevichki

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Tchaikovsky Cherevichki opera to a libretto by Yakov Polonsky. Directed 2009 by Francesca Zambello at the Royal Opera House. Stars Olga Guryakova (Oxana), Vsevolod Grivnov (Valuka), Larissa Diadkova (Solokha), Vladimir Matorin (Chub), Maxim Mikhailov (The Devil), Viacheslav Voynarovskiy (The Schoolmaster), Alexander Vassiliev (Pan Golova), John Upperton (Panas), Sergei Leiferkus (The Highness), Jeremy White (Master of Ceremonies), Olga Sabadoch (Odarka), Changhan Lim (Wood Goblin), and Andrew Macnair (Echo). Also stars dancers Mara Galeazzi, Gary Avis, Tara-Brigitte Bhavnani, Cindy Jourdain, Kristen McNally, Pietra Mello-Pittman, Bennet Gartside, Kenta Kura, Ernst Meisner, and Johannes Stepanek. Alexander Polianichko conducts The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Concert Master Peter Manning) and The Royal Opera Chorus (Chorus Directors Renato Balsadonna and Stephen Westrop). Set design by Mikhail Mokrov; costume design by Tatiana Noginova; lighting by Rick Fisher; choreography by Alastair Marriott; film direction by Jonathan Haswell. Released  2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: B

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Turandot

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Puccini Turandot opera to a libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Directed 2009 by David Kneuss after Franco Zeffirelli at the New York Met. Stars Maria Guleghina (Turandot), Marina Poplavskaya (Liù), Marcello Giordani (Calaf), Samuel Ramey (Timur), Charles Anthony (Emperor Altoum), Joshua Hopkins (Ping), Tony Stevenson (Pang), Eduardo Valdes (Pong), Mark de Chiazza, Andrew Robinson, Sam Meredith (Three Masks), Keith Miller (Mandarin), Antonio Demarco (Executioner), Sasha Semin (Prince of Persia), Anne Nonnemacher and Mary Hughes (Handmaidens), as well as Linda Gelinas, Alexandra Gonzalez, Annemarie Lucania, and Rachel Schuette (Four Temptresses). Andris Nelsons conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Chorus Master Donald Polumbo). Production and set designs by Franco Zeffirelli; costume design by Anna Anni and Dada Saligeri; lighting design by Gil Wechsler; choreography by Chiang Ching. Directed for TV by Gary Halvorson. Sung in Italian. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A

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Turandot

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Puccini Turandot opera to libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Directed 2008 by Chen Kaige at the Calatrava opera house Palau de las Arts "Reina Sofía" in Valencia. Stars Maria Guleghina (Turandot), Marco Berti (Calaf), Alexia Voulgaridou (Liù), Alexander Tsymbalyuk (Timur), Fabio Previati (Ping), Vincenç Esteve (Pang),  Roger Padullés (Pong), Javier Agulló (Altoum), Ventseslav Anastasov (Un Mandarino), Ossama Badreddine (Prince of Persia, with voice sung by Javier Agulló), Eguzki López (Executioner), plus Immaculada Burriel and Jacqueline Squarcia (Handmaids). Zubin Mehta directs the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana (Chorus Master Francesc Perales), and the Escolania de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats (Chorus Master Luis Garrido). Set design by Liu King; costume design by Chen Tong Xun; lighting design by Albert Faura. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Sung in Italian. Released 2009, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A

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La Cenerentola

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Gioachino Rossini La Cenerentola to libretto by Jacopo Ferretti. Directed 2005 by Sir Peter Hall at Glyndebourne. Stars Ruxandra Donose (Cenerentola), Maxim Mironov (Don Ramiro), Luciano Di Pasquale (Don Magnifico), Simone Alberghini (Dandini), Nathan Berg (Alidoro),  Raquela Sheeran (Clorinda), and Lucia Cirillo (Tisbe). Vladimir Jurowski directs the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Leader Pieter Schoeman) and the Glyndebourne Opera Chorus (Chorus Master Bernand McDonald). Design by Hildegard Bechtler; costumes by Moritz Junge; lighting by Peter Mumford; directed for TV by Robin Lough. Released  2008, disc has 5.0 PCM audio. Grade: A

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