Blu-ray

Verdi: Otello (Gran Teatre del Liceu)

Verdi: Otello (Gran Teatre del Liceu)

José Cura (Otello); Krassimira Stoyanova (Desdemona); Lado Ataneli (Jago); Vittorio Grigolo (Cassio); Ketevan Kemoklidze (Emilia);

"Verdi’s wise, passionate score was served with precision, gusto and a keen ear for drama by maestro Antoni Ros-Marbà and the solid, malleable Liceu orchestra." (Opera News)

Verdi: The Shakespeare Operas (The Royal Opera/Gran Teatro de Liceu/Glyndebourne)

Verdi: The Shakespeare Operas (The Royal Opera/Gran Teatro de Liceu/Glyndebourne)

Simon Keenlyside (Macbeth (Macbeth)); Liudmyla Monastryrska (Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)); Raymond Aceto (Banquo (Macbeth)); José Cura (Otello (Otello)); Krassimira Stoyanova (Desdemona (Otello)); Lado Ataneli (Jago (Otello)); Christopher Purves (Sir John Falstaff (Falstaff)); Tassis Christoyannis (Ford (Falstaff)); Dina Kuznetsova (Alice Ford (Falstaff));

"With strong conducting from Antoni Ros-Marbà, the whole cast collaborate to give us the truth of this desperately upsetting work, as no other DVD and few live performances I've seen of it ever have." (BBC Music Magazine - Otello)

Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Teatro Real)

Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (Teatro Real)

Marcelo Álvarez (Riccardo); Violeta Urmana (Amelia); Marco Vratogna (Renato); Elena Zaremba (Ulrico);

"Marcelo Álvarez surely has the most beautiful tenor voice to be heard today in any opera house…Violeta Urmana is one of the few dramatic sopranos regularly active just now and it is a pleasure to listen to her in such a demanding part as Amelia...Young Alessandra Marianelli made an exemplary Oscar, both as an actress and as a very accomplished singer. The role fits her like a glove and she was perfect...The orchestra gave a very good performance and the Chorus was on top form." (Seen and Heard International)

Wagner: Das Liebesverbot (Teatro Real)

Wagner: Das Liebesverbot (Teatro Real)

Manuela Uhl (Isabella); Christopher Maltman (Friedrich); Peter Lodahl (Lucio); Ilker Arcayürek (Claudio); Ante Jerkunica (Brighella); Ivor Bolton (Conductor); Kasper Holten (Director);

"Seen and Heard International" (...The production by Kasper Holten is excellent: fun, imaginative, lively, and beautifully suited to a comic opera)

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Bayreuth Festival)

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (Bayreuth Festival)

Samuel Youn (Der Holländer); Franz-Josef Selig (Daland ); Ricarda Merbeth (Senta ); Tomislav Mužek (Erik ); Christa Mayer (Mary ); Benjamin Bruns (Der Steuermann);

"... one revels in Christian Thielemann's masterly handling of the Overture's tempo modifications and, thereafter, the lustrous sonorities that support the singers in this single-act version of the opera... Youn is a particular revelation, with bass qualities to establish the character's emotional weight but also effective baritonal colours that convey anguish with great specificity." (Gramophone)

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (De Nederlandse Opera)

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer (De Nederlandse Opera)

Robert Lloyd (Daland); Catherine Naglestad (Senta); Marco Jentzsch (Erik); Marina Prudenskaja (Mary); Oliver Ringelhahn (Der Steuermann Dalands); Juha Uusitalo (Der Holländer);

"...must give utmost praise to conductor Hartmut Haenchen, who offers a whip-smart account of the score..." (International Record Review)