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). Sets by Liu King; costumes by Chen Tong Xun; lighting by Albert Faura. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Sung in Italian. Released 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A

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 (Merédès), 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 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B+

Puccini La Bohème opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed 2014 by Ettore Scola at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago. Stars Daniela Dessì (Mimì), Alida Berti (Musetta), Fabio Armiliato (Rodolfo), Alessandro Luongo (Marcello), Federico Longhi (Schaunard), Marco Spotti (Colline), Angelo Nardinocchi (Benoît/Alcindoro), Ugo Tranquini (Parpignol), Marco Simonelli (Customs officer), and Jacopo Bianchini (Customs man). Valerio Galli conducts the Orchestra and Choir of the Puccini Festival (Chorus Master Stefano Visconti) and the Coro delle voci bianche del Festival Puccini (Chorus Master Sara Matteucci). Set designs by Luciano Ricceri; costume designs by Cristina da Rold; lighting design by Valerio Alfieri; video direction by Francesca Nesler. Released 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Offenbach Les contes d'Hoffmann opera to a libretto by Jules Barbier. Directed 2015 by Stefan Herheim at the Bregenz Festival. Stars Daniel Johansson (Hoffmann), Kerstin Avemo (Olympia, Giulietta), Mandy Friedrich (Antonia, Giulietta), Rachel Frenkel (Muse, Niklausse, Voice of Antonia's mother), Michael Volle (Lindorf, Luther, Coppélius, Dr. Miracle, Dapertutto), Bengt-Ola Morgny (Spalanzani), Ketil Hugaas (Crespel) and Christophe Mortagne (Andrès, Cochenille, Frantz, Pitichinaccio). Back art  leaves out Stella, who is played it seems by Pelle Karlsson. But Herheim cuts Schlemil. Johannes Debus conducts the Wiener Symphoniker and Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Chorus Master Lukáš Vasilek). Set design by Christof Hetzer; costume design by Esther Bialas; lighting design by Phoenix (Andreas Hofer); videos by fettFilm (Momme Hinrichs and Torge Møller); dramaturgy by Olaf A. Schmidt; video direction by Felix Breisach. Released 2016, Blu-ray disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA

Charles Gounod Faust opera to libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. Directed 2015 by Stefano Poda at the Teatro Regio di Torino. Stars Charles Castronovo (Faust), Ildar Abdrazakov (Méphistophélès), Irina Lungu (Marguerite), Vasilij Ladjuk (Valentin), Samantha Korbey (Marthe), Ketevan Kemoklidze (Siebel), and Paolo Maria Orecchia (Wagner). Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Torino (Chorus Master Claudio Fenoglio). Set, costume, and lighting designs by Stefano Poda; chororeography by Stefano Poda; assistant stage direction by Paolo Giani Cei; technical direction by Saverio Santoliquido. Directed for TV by Tiziano Mancini. Released 2016, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B

Stefano Poda, one of the most distinctive opera directors, has been involved in some 100 productions including at least 15 in his “unity style” in which he designs and directs everything that happens on the stage.