The longing to overcome human boundaries lead the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to begin an experiment that formed a threat to the whole of humanity, and whose scientific results still do today. The question of the moral implications of the atomic bomb is raised in John Adams’ opera, just as much as that of the influence on the private lives of the main characters. Doctor Atomic is the fifth work to result from almost twenty years of collaboration between the American composer and his fellow American director and Erasmus Prize-winner Peter Sellars.

J. Robert Oppenheimer: Gerald Finley
Kitty Oppenheimer: Jessica Rivera
General Leslie Groves: Eric Owens
Edward Teller: Richard Paul Fink
Jack Hubbard: James Maddalena
Robert Wilson: Thomas Glenn
Captain James Nolan: Jay Hunter Morris
Pasqualita: Ellen Rabiner

Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Musical Director: Lawrence Renes
Stage Director: Peter Sellars

Recorded live at Het Musiektheater, Amsterdam on 7th, 25th & 29th June 2007.

 

Sir Charles Mackerras teases the romantic beauty from Gounod’s score, which has been much admired and performed since its first performance, at the Théâtre Lyrique, Paris, in 1867. In this 1994 recording, the youthful Roberto Alagna as Roméo, and Leontina Vaduva as the unattainable Juliette, lead an excellent cast in a touching portrayal of this story of impossible love, based on the play by William Shakespeare.

Roméo: Roberto Alagna
Juliette: Leontina Vaduva

The Royal Opera Chorus
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor: Charles Mackerras
Stage Director: Nicolas Joël

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 15th & 17th November 1994.

PLEASE NOTE: A BLU-RAY PLAYER IS REQUIRED TO VIEW THIS DISC - IT WILL NOT FUNCTION ON A STANDARD DVD PLAYER.

With up to six times the resolution of a standard DVD, and up to 7.1 channels of High Definition surround sound, Blu-ray offers a stunning audio-visual experience. A Blu-ray disc can store up to 50GB of data – or five times the capacity of today’s DVDs, and offers a fully interactive experience including internet connectivity and live content.

It is called Blu-ray because it uses a blue-violet laser that's focused to produce an incredibly precise pinpoint of light - five times smaller than the beam falling on the surface of a DVD.

Alessandro Corbelli takes the title role in Annabel Arden’s whirlwind production of Puccini’s compact opera, in which the scheming Gianni Schicchi retrieves for himself the spoils of a disinherited family to pave the way for his daughter to marry her love.

Gianni Schicchi: Alessandro Corbelli
Rinuccio: Massimo Giordano
Lauretta: Sally Matthews
Zita: Felicity Palmer
La Ciesca: Marie McLaughlin

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski
Stage Director: Annabel Arden

Recorded live at Glyndebourne Opera House, Sussex, UK, on 11th July 2004.

PLEASE NOTE: A BLU-RAY PLAYER IS REQUIRED TO VIEW THIS DISC - IT WILL NOT FUNCTION ON A STANDARD DVD PLAYER.

With up to six times the resolution of a standard DVD, and up to 7.1 channels of High Definition surround sound, Blu-ray offers a stunning audio-visual experience. A Blu-ray disc can store up to 50GB of data – or five times the capacity of today’s DVDs, and offers a fully interactive experience including internet connectivity and live content.

It is called Blu-ray because it uses a blue-violet laser that's focused to produce an incredibly precise pinpoint of light - five times smaller than the beam falling on the surface of a DVD.

In Guy Joosten’s ingenious production of Bellini’s masterpiece, Norma is about more than just beautiful singing. It becomes a layered, timeless drama in which Norma is the archetypal successful woman struggling to retain her dominant but vulnerable position. Hasmik Papian’s lyrical and intense interpretation of the title role accentuates the striking similarity between a Druid high priestess and a modern opera diva. Conductor Julian Reynolds guides the brilliant cast, choir and Netherlands Chamber Orchestra to great heights, providing a refreshing new take on the chef d’oeuvre of bel canto.

Pollione: Hugh Smith
Oroveso: Giorgio Giuseppini
Norma: Hasmik Papian
Adalgisa: Irini Tsirakidis
Clotilde: Anna Steiger
Flavio: Carlo Bosi

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera
Musical Director: Julian Reynolds
Stage Director: Guy Joosten

Recorded live at Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, in 2005.

Mozart’s fourth opera – written when he was only 14 – displays all the hallmarks of the fresh, inventive writing that was to flourish into extraordinary genius in his later works and, with a cast as good as this, The Royal Opera’s production takes Mitridate, re di Ponto to the highest levels of operatic achievement. Based on a play by Jean Racine, it is a story of jealous love and political intrigue.

Mitridate: Bruce Ford
Farnace: Jochen Kowalski
Sifare: Ann Murray
Aspasia: Luba Orgonasova
Ismene: Lillian Watson

The Royal Opera Chorus
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor: Paul Daniel
Stage Director: Graham Vick

TV Director: Derek Bailey

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 20th & 22nd October 1993.