Opera

Madama Butterfly

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Puccini Madama Butterfly opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed 2009 by Pier Luigi Pizzi at the Sferisterio venue as part of the Macerata Opera Festival. Stars Raffaella Angeletti (Cio-Cio-San or Butterfly), Annunziata Vestri (Suzuki), Massimiliano Pisapia (B. F. Pinkerton), Claudio Sgura (Sharpless), Thomas Morris (Goro), Enrico Cossutta (Prince Yamadori), Enrico Iori (Il Bonzo), Nino Batatunashvili (Kate Pinkerton), Antonio Maria Golini (Uncle Yakusidé). Matteo Ferrara (The Imperial Commissioner), Alessandro Pucci (The Regitrar), Mirela Cisman (Butterfly's Mother), Roberta Carota (Butterfly's Aunt), and Maria Elena Mariangeli (Butterfly's Cousin). Daniele Callegari conducts the Fondazione Orchestra Regionale Delle Marche and the Coro Lirico Marchigiano "Vincenzo Bellini" (Chorus Master David Crescenzi). Set and costume design by Pier Luigi Pizzi; lighting by Sergio Rossi; choreography by Roberto Maria Pizzuto; video direction by Tiziano Mancini. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B

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Carmen (Uria-Monzon)

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Georges Bizet Carmen opera to libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Directed 2010 by Calixto Bieito at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Stars Béatrice Uria-Monzon (Carmen), Roberto Algana (Don José), Marina Poplavskaya (Micaëla), Erwin Schrott (Escamillo), Eliana Bayón (Frasquita), Itxaro Mentxaka (Mercédès), Marc Canturri (Le Dancaïre), Francisco Vas (Le Remendado), Àlex Sanmartí (Moralès, a Sergeant), Josep Ribot (Zungia, the Lieutenant), Abdel Aziz El Mountassir (Lillas Pastia), Xavi Estrada (mute/nude Toréador), and Tamara Santiago (Macarena). Marc Piollet conducts the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu (Chorus Master José Luis Basso) and the Cor Vivaldi - Petits Cantors de Catalunya (Chorus Master Òscar Boada). Set design by Alfons Flores; costume design by Mercè Paloma; lighting design by Xavi Clot; video direction by Pietro d'Agostino; produced for video by Gemma Felius; video executive production by Barbara Berini. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B+

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Salome

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Richard Strauss Salome opera to a libretto from Hedwig Lachmann's German translation of Oscar Wilde's play Salome. Directed 2011 by Nikolaus Lehnhoff at the Festspielhaus, Baden-Baden. Stars Angela Denoke (Salome), Kim Begley (Herodes or Herod in English), Doris Soffel (Herodias), Alan Held (Jochanaan), Marcel Reijans (Narraboth), Jurgita Adamonytė (Page of Herodias), Jeffrey Francis (First Jew), Benjamin Hulett (Second Jew), Timothy Robinson (Third Jew), Pascal Pittie (Fourth Jew), Reinhard Dorn (Fifth Jew), Steven Humes (First Nazarene), Roman Grübner (Second Nazarene), David Jerusalem (First Soldier), Artur Grywatzik (Second Soldier), Iwona Sakowicz (A Page), and Patrick Büttner (Naaman the Executioner). Stefan Soltesz conducts the Berlin Deutsches Symphony-Orchestra. Stage design by Hans-Martin Scholder; costume design by Bettina Walter; lighting design by Duane Schuler; choreography by Denni Sayers. Directed for TV by Thomas Grimm. Sung in German. Released 2012, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+

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Salome

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Richard Strauss Salome opera to a libretto from Hedwig Lachmann's German translation of Oscar Wilde's play Salome. Directed 2008 by David McVicar at Royal Opera House. Stars Nadja Michael (Salome), Michaela Schuster (Herodias), Thomas Moser (Herod), Michael Volle (Jokanaan), Joseph Kaiser (Narraboth), Daniela Sindram (Page to Herodias), Christian Sist (First Soldier), Alan Ewing (Second Soldier), Vuyani Mlinde (A Cappadocian), Pumeza Matshikiza (A Slave), Adrian Thompson (First Jew), Martyn Hill (Second Jew), Hubert Francis (Third Jew), Ji-Min Park (Forth Jew), Jeremy White (Fifth Jew), Iain Paterson (First Nazarene), Julian Tovey (Second Nazarene), and Duncan Meadows (Namann the Executioner). In addition, stars actors Kenneth Bryars, Andrew Carter, Peter Cooney, Trevor Goldstein, Sam Guttman Hancocks, Irene Hardy, Nathan T Heys, Pano Masti, Lee Mathieson, Frances Milar, Emma Reed, Anna-Marie Sullivan, and Sirena Tocco. Philippe Jordan conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (Associate Concert Master Sergey Levitin). Designs by Es Devlin; lighting by Wolfgang Göbbel; choreography by Andrew George; video designs by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer. Directed for TV by Jonathan Haswell. Sung in German. Released 2010, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A-

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I Puritani

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Bellini I Puritani opera to libretto by Carlo Pepoli. Directed 2009 by Francisco Negrin at the Netherlands Opera. Stars Mariola Cantarero (Elvira), John Osborn(Arturo), Scott Hendricks (Ricarrdo), Riccardo Zanellato (Giorgio), Fredrika Brillembourg (Enrichetta di Francia/Henrietta of France), Daniel Borowski (Lord Walton), and Gregorio Gonzalez (Bruno). Giuliano Carella conducts the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chorus of the Netherlands Opera (Chorus Director Martin Wright).  Set design by Es Devlin; costume design by Louis Désiré; lighting design by Brunto Poet; directed for screen by Misjel Vermeiren. Released 2012, disc has 4.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B+

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I Puritani

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Bellini I Puritani opera to libretto by Carlo Pepoli. Directed 2007 by Sharon Thomas at the New York Metropolitan Opera. Stars Anna Netrebko (Elvira), Eric Cutler (Arturo), Franco Vassallo (Riccardo), John Relyea (Giorgio), Valerian Ruminski (Gualtiero), Eduardo Valdes (Bruno), and Maria Zifchak (Enrichetta). Patrick Summers conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus  (Chorus Master Raymond Hughes). Set design by Ming Cho Lee; costumes by Peter J. Hall; directed for TV by Gary Halvorson. Released 2008, disc has 5.1 PCM and 5.1 dts-HD sound. Grade: A+

 

Bellini I Puritani opera to libretto by Carlo Pepoli. Directed 2007 by Sharon Thomas at the New York Metropolitan Opera. Stars Anna Netrebko (Elvira), Eric Cutler (Arturo), Franco Vassallo (Riccardo), John Relyea (Giorgio), Valerian Ruminski (Gualtiero), Eduardo Valdes (Bruno), and Maria Zifchak (Enrichetta). Patrick Summers conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus  (Chorus Master Raymond Hughes). Set design by Ming Cho Lee; costumes by Peter J. Hall; directed for TV by Gary Halvorson. Released 2008, disc has 5.1 PCM and 5.1 dts-HD sound. Grade: A+

It's about 1650 in England. The Puritans, followers of Oliver Cromwell, are pursuing the English Revolution with Parliament pitted against the royal Stuart family. Elvira (Anna Netrebko) is the daughter of Lord Walton, a Puritan General. As the opera opens, she is getting married, and the chorus is singing her praises. (You might notice how similar this is to the opening of La Sonnambula, another famous Bellini opera):

Elvira's hand had been promised to Riccardo (Franco Vassallo), a Puritan colonel. But Elvira was in love with Arturo, a cavalier and supporter of the royal family. Here we see Elvira:

She learns that her uncle Giorgio (John Relyea) interceded for her and got permission from her father that she may marry Arturo:

This is crushing news for Riccardo, just home from the wars dreaming of marrying Elvira as promised:

The Puritans and Royalists are playing for keeps, and King Charles I has just had his head cut off. Still, Arturo is allow to cross enemy lines for the wedding at the Puritan fortress. Well, it seems security at the fortress is a bit lax---Enrichetta, a mysterious imprisoned woman connected to the Royalists, is wandering around the grounds making friends with everyone including Elvira. The Puritans don't realize she is the widow of King Charles I:

Arturo arrives to marry Elvira:

 

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I Puritani

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Bellini I Puritani opera to libretto by Carlo Pepoli. Directed 2009 by Pier'Alli (born Pierliugi Pieralli). Stars Juan Diego Flórez (Lord Arturo Talbo), Nino Machaidze (Elvira), Ildebrando D'Arcangelo (Sir Giorgio Valton), Ugo Guargliardo (Lord Gualtiero Valton), Gabrielle Viviani (Sir Riccardo Forth), Gianluca Floris (Sir Bruno Roberton), and Nadia Pirazzini (Enrichetta di Francia). Michele Mariotti conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Set and costume design by Pier'Alli; lighting by Pier'Alli and Daniele Naldi; directed for TV by Andrea Bevilacqua. Released 2014, disc was recorded with 48kHz/24bit sound sampling and has 5.0 dts HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D

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Les Troyens

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Berlioz Les Troyens opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2003 by Yannis Kokkos at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Stars Susan Graham (Didon), Anna Caterina Antonacci (Cassandre/Clio), Renata Pokupić (Anna), Gregory Kunde (Énée), Ludovic Tézier (Chorèbe), Nicolas Testé (Panthée), Laurent Naouri (Nalbal/Le Grand Prêtre), Mark Padmore (Iopas), Stéphanie d'Oustrac (Ascagne/Une soprano), Topi Lehtipuu (Hylas/Hélénus/Un tenor), Fernand Bernadi (Le Fantôme d'Hector), René Schirrer (Priam/Mercure), Danielle Bouthillon (Hécuba), Laurent Alvaro and Nicolas Courjal (Deux Sentinelles Troyennes), Benjamin Davies (Un Soldat), Robert Davies (Un Chef Grec), Frances Jellard (Polyxèna), Lydia Koniordou (Andromaque), and Quentin Gac (Astyanax). Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, the Monteverdi Choir, and the Chœur du Théâtre du Châtelet (Chorus Master Donald Palumbo). Set and costume design by Yannis Kokkos; lighting design by Patrice Trottier; choreography by Richild Springer. Directed for TV by Peter Maniura; produced for TV by François Roussillon and Jacques Hédouin; produced for Blu-ray by Chloë Carleton and Hans Petri. Sung in French. Released 2010, two-disc set has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+

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Les Troyens

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Berlioz Les Troyens opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2012 by David McVicar (Associate Director Leah Hausman) at the Royal Opera House. Stars (appearance order): Anna Caterina Antonacci (Cassandra), Fabio Capitanucci (Coroebus), Ashley Holland (Panthus), Ji Hyun Kim (Helenus), Barbara Senator (Ascanius), Pamela Helen Stephen (Hecuba), Robert Lloyd (Priam), Jenna Sloan (Polyxena), Sophia McGregor (Andromache), Sebastian Wright (Astyanax), Bryan Hymel (Aeneas), Jihoon Kim (Ghost of Hector), Lukas Jacobski (Greek Captain), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Dido), Hanna Hipp (Anna), Ji-Min Park (Iopas), Brindley Sherratt (Narbal), Daniel Grice (Soldier, Voice of Mercury), Ed Lyon (Hylas), Adrian Clarke (First Soldier), and Jeremy White (Second Soldier). Antonio Pappano conducts the Royal Opera Orchestra (Concert Master Peter Manning) and Chorus (Chorus Director Renato Balsadonna). Sets by Es Devlin; costumes by Moritz Junge; lighting by Wolfgang Göbbel; choreography and movement by Andrew George. Directed for TV by François Roussillon; produced for Blu-ray by James Whitbourn; Executive Producer Ben Pateman. Sung in French. Released 2013, two-disc set has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A

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Les Troyens

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Berlioz Les Troyens opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2009 by Carlus Padrissa at the Palau de les Arts "Reina Sofía" in Valencia with staging by La Fura dels Baus. Stars Lance Ryan (Énée), Gabriele Viviani (Chorèbe), Giorgio Giuseppini (Panthée), Stephen Milling (Narbal), Eric Cutler (Iopas), Oksana Shilova (Ascagne), Elisabete Matos (Cassandre), Daniela Barcellona (Didon), Zlata Bulicheva (Anna), Dmitri Voropaev (Hylas), Askar Abdrazakov (Priam), Tomeu Bibiloni (Un chef gret), Yuri Vorobiov (L'ombre d'Hector), Javier Agulló (Helenus), Yuri Vorobiov and Vincent Pavesi (Deux Sentinelles Troyennes), Bonifaci Carrillo (Un Prêtre de Pluton), Dolores Lahuerta (Polyxèna), María Luisa Corbacho (Hécuba), Pepa Juan (Andromaque), and Darío March (Astyanax). Stars ballet dancers Tatiana Tkachenko, Elena Yevseyeva, Anton Pimonov, and Alexei Timofeyev of the Mariinsky Theatre, with choreography by Emil Faski. Also stars mimes and dancers Manuel Alcaide, Joaquín Bello, Pablo Bosch, Jordi Cano, Cristina Carrión, María Casasempere, María José Cases, Juan José Dalmau, Blanca Diago, Almudena Mahiques, Aycha Naffaa, Roseta Plasencia, Diego Ramírez, María Jesús Sánchez, Juan Carlos Serrano, José Luis Soria, and Miguel Ángel Sweeney. Valery Gergiev conducts the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valensiana and the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana (Chorus Master Francesc Perales). Stage music provided by Fundación Desarroya (Director Ricardo Casero). Stage design by Roland Olbeter; video creation by Franc Aleu; lighting design by Peter Van Praet; costume design by Chu Uroz; choreography by María Jesús Sánchez. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Sung in French. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+

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Partenope

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Handel Partenope opera to a libretto by an unknown author from a libretto originally written by Silvio Stampiglia. Directed 2008 by Francisco Negrin at Det Kongelige Teater (The Royal Danish Theater). Stars Inger Dam-Jensen (Partenope), Andreas Scholl (Arsace), Tuva Semmingsen (Rosmira), Christophe Dumaux (Armindo), Bo Kristian Jensen (Ermilio), and Palle Knudsen (Ormonte). Lars Ulrich Mortensen conducts the Concerto Copenhagen. Directed for TV by Peter Borgwardt. Released 2014, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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Parsifal

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Wagner Parsifal opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 1998 by Wolfgang Wagner at the Bayreuth Festival. Stars Falk Struckmann (Amfortas), Matthias Hölle (Titurel), Hans Sotin (Gurnemanz), Poul Elming (Parsifal), Ekkehard Wlaschiha (Klingsor), and Linda Watson (Kundry). Giuseppe Sinopoli conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Bayreuther Festspiele (Chorus Master Norbert Balatsch). Set design by Wolfgang Wagner. Directed for TV by Horant H. Hohlfeld. Sung in German. Released 2014, disc claims 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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Don Pasquale

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Donizetti Don Pasquale opera to libretto by Giovanni Ruffini. Directed 2013 by Mariame Clément at Glyndebourne. Stars Alessandro Corbelli (Don Pasquale), Danielle de Niese (Norina), Nikolay Borchev (Malatesta), Alek Shrader (Ernesto), James Platt (Notary), and Anna-Marie Sullivan (Servant). Enrique Mazzola conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Leader Pieter Schoeman) and Glyndebourne Chorus (Chorus Master Jeremy Bines). Designs by Julia Hansen; lighting by Bernd Purkrabek; directed for TV by Myriam Hoyer. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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Capriccio

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Richard Strauss Capriccio opera to a libretto by Clemens Krauss and Richard Strauss. Directed 2013 by Marco Arturo Marelli at the Vienna State Opera. Stars Renée Flemming (Countess), Bo Skovhus (Count, Brother of Countess), Michael Shade (Flamand, a Musician), Markus Eiche (Olivier, a Poet), Angelika Kirchschlager (Clairon, an Actress),  Kurt Rydl (La Roche, a Theater Director), Michael Roider (Monsieur Taupe, a Prompter), Íride Martínez (an Italian Singer), Benjamin Bruns (an Italian Tenor), Josefine Tyler (Young Dancer), Samuel Colombet (Young Dancer), and Clemens Unterreiner (the Major-Domo). Christoph Eshenbach conducts the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. Sets and lighting by Marco Arturo Marelli; costumes by Dagmar Niefind; choreography by Lukas Gaudernak; video directed by Brian Lange. Released 2014, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

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La Cenerentola

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Rossini La Cenerentola to libretto by Jacopo Ferretti. Directed 2007 by Joan Font at the Liceu Theatre. Stars Joyce DiDonato (Angelina, the Cenerentola or Cinderella), Juan Diego Flórez (Prince Ramiro), Bruno De Simone (Don Magnifico), David Menéndez (Dandini), Simón Orfila (Alidoro), Cristina Obregón (Clorinda)  and Itxaro Mentxaka (Tisbe). Patrick Summers conducts the Met Orchestra & Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Sets and costumes by Joan Guillen. Released 2014. Grade: NA

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