Blu-ray
Verdi: Aida (Arena di Verona) - Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray
Hui He (Aida); Marco Berti (Radames); Andrea Ulbrich (Amneris ); Ambrogio Maestri (Amonasro ); Roberto Tagliavini (The King); Antonella Trevisan (High Priestess); Antonello Ceron (A messenger); Orchestra, Chorus and Corps de Ballet of the Arena di Verona (Choir and Orchestra); Daniel Oren (Conductor); Gianfranco De Bosio (Director);
"It's straightforward, recalling Edwardian toy theatre...And the spectacle isn't overdone...Ulbrich is a fiery Amneris. But it's the Ethiopians who carry the day, with Maestri's thundering Amonasro and, above all, Chinese soprano Hui He's Aida, vocally strong and passionate and commanding a decent mezza voce" (BBC Music Magazine)
Verdi: Don Carlo (Teatro Regio, Torino)
Ramón Vargas (Don Carlo ); Svetlana Kasyan (Elizabeth); Ildar Abdrazakov (Filippo II ); Ludovic Tézier (Rodrigo); Daniela Barcellona (Princess Eboli); Marco Spotti (Grand Inquisitor);
"Without doubt, the Argentinian director’s [Hugo de Ana] production is one of the best around…" (Liricamente)
Verdi: Falstaff (Glyndebourne)
Christopher Purves (Falstaff); Tassis Christoyannis (Ford); Dina Kuznetsova (Mrs Ford); Marie-Nicolre Lemieux (Mistress Quickly); Jennifer Holloway (Mrs Page); Bulent Bezduz (Fenton);
"Some of Glyndebournes more entrenched punters took umbrage at Richard Joness updating of Falstaff to a 1940s Ealing-comedy Windsor. Most, though, as you can hear throughout this film, roared at the gags in a production so sharply coordinated with the music." (BBC Music Magazine)
Verdi: I Due Foscari (The Royal Opera)
Plácido Domingo (Francesco Foscari); Francesco Meli (Jacopo Foscari ); Maria Agresta (Lucrezia Contarini ); Maurizio Muraro (Jacopo Loredano); Samuel Sakker (Barbarigo); Rachel Kelly (Pisana);
"Domingo ... is, unquestionably, rather fine in it. There’s strong conducting from Antonio Pappano, and the dark-hued score, all sombre brass and low strings, is excitingly played." (The Guardian)
Verdi: Il trovatore (The Royal Opera)
José Cura (Manrico); Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Count di Luna); Yvonne Naef (Azucena); Verónica Vilarroel (Leonora);
"Elijah Moshinsky's production is surely as lively and moving as Verdis intricate masterpiece deserves. Jose Cura sizzles. Dimitri Hvorostovsky is everything one could want to see and hear in a Verdi baritone. This new Trovatore DVD is a reminder that not every golden age happened long ago." (San Francisco Chronicle)