1. Giordano: Andrea Chénier (Giordano: Andrea Chénier)
This live from the Met telecast from October 1996 of Giordano’s infrequently performed verismo gem is an absolute pleasure to watch and listen to and I highly recommend it. Nicholas Joel’s production is extremely elegant while at the same time being simple and uncluttered. Act I, for example, is dominated by an enormous gilt-framed mirror precariously tilted. I assume that it is a metaphor for the imminent downfall of the decadent aristocracy at the party given by the Contessa di Coigny. The costumes designs by Hubert Monloup are terrific. The prerevolutionary costumes in Act I are simply stunning each one individually tailored for the choristers and major performers.
2. Fidelio (Fidelio)
(Fidelio)
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
3. Beethoven Fidelio (Beethoven Fidelio)
This production is a gala affair; the sets are traditional ; the lighting is bright, so colors are good and one can see all of the action. Singers are generally well chosen and perform admirably. However, at this point, slight reservations creep in; although Janowitz and Kollo look "good" and act well, the singing parts tax them a bit when pushed to the limit. Most of the time that doesn't matter, and an argument can be made that a little vocal strain is in character with their dire plight. Ideally, for me, Vickers as Florestan would have added extra vocal heft and more sensitive acting than Kollo.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
4. What Remains (O Que Resta)
Emilio is a lifelong farmer in his eighties who lives alone on his abandoned farm. Everyone close is gone. One animal is all there is left. Today is the day he decides to sell it.
It has an average vote of 4.5 on TMDB.
5. The Metropolitan Opera: Puccini's La Rondine (The Metropolitan Opera: Puccini's La Rondine)
This elegant romance is the least-known work of the mature Giacomo Puccini . The story concerns a kept woman who defies convention to chase a dream of romantic love with an earnest, if naïve, young man. This Met Opera production features the dynamic soprano Angela Gheorghiu and Frenchborn tenor Roberto Alagna performing the roles of Magda and Ruggero, it blooms into its rightful place in the glorious Puccini canon. La Rondine was commissioned by Vienna s Carltheater in 1913. Due to the impending outbreak of World War I, premiered in 1917, at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo with Gilda Dalla Rizza and Tito Schipa. Set in a Parisian salon, it is the story of Magda, the glamorous mistress of wealthy banker Rambaldo. Her yearning for romantic love compels her into the arms of the ardent and adoring young Ruggero.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
6. Shepherd (Ovčar)
The tribulations of a hardy shepherd and a young boy fighting local peasants in order to have the right to graze his sheep. The old man is killed by some enraged peasants but the young boy carries on his work and battle.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
7. Der Rosenkavalier (Der Rosenkavalier)
(Der Rosenkavalier)
8. Hippolyte and Aricie (Paris National Opera)
Topi Lehtipuu and Anne-Catherine Gillet star in the 2012 Opera National de Paris production of Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera Hippolyte et Aricie. Also starring Sarah Connolly and Stephane Degout.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
9. The Cunning Little Vixen
Nicholas Hytner's enchanting production, sung in the original Czech, is conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, a master of the best Janacek style. Through myriad shifts of scene, the episodic story is presented in brightly-colored sets and costumes of blissful innocence and simplicity, designed by Bob Crowley. Jean-Claude Gallotta's choreography for the insects and animals, and Jean Kalman's lighting add to the nostalgically poetic effect of the whole. With Thomas Allen as the Forester, the cast includes Eva Jenis, Hanna Minutillo, Richard Novak and Ivan Kusnjer. This live recording comes from the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
10. Youth Without Youth
Professor of language and philosophy Dominic Matei is struck by lightning and ages backwards from 70 to 40 in a week, attracting the world and the Nazis. While on the run, the professor meets a young woman who has her own experience with a lightning storm. Not only does Dominic find love again, but her new abilities hold the key to his research.
It has an average vote of 6.1 on TMDB.
11. Love Me Forever
A man who loves an aspiring opera singer is prepared to sacrifice everything to help her with her career, even though he knows she doesn't love him.
It has an average vote of 4 on TMDB.
12. John Adams: Nixon in China (John Adams: Nixon in China)
Besides the landing on the moon by the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, Richard Nixon’s meeting with China’s leader Mao Zedong in February 1972 then represented one of the biggest media spectacles in history. Nixon himself established the reference between the two events: “We came in peace for all mankind” not only marked the lunar module Eagle’s landing spot – Nixon also spoke of it into the microphones just before his departure to China. It was not John Adam’s aim to create a superficial or even a caricaturing representation of Nixon’s visit when composing his opera. He attempted to create a “heroic opera” about the construction of modern myths by using archetypical characters and situations. Director Marco Štorman stages Adams’ minimal music opera as a deconstruction review about the power of images, the politics of staging and the staging of politics.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
13. Stars Over Broadway
An aggressive agent turns a hotel porter into an overnight sensation.
It has an average vote of 5.2 on TMDB.
14. Tristan & Isolde
An affair between the second in line to Britain's throne and the princess of the feuding Irish spells doom for the young lovers.
It has an average vote of 6.684 on TMDB.
15. Mozart and Salieri (Моцарт и Сальери)
Film version of the Rimsky Korsakov opera from the Pushkin story. Motsart i Salyeri , based on a legend that Salieri poisoned Mozart, meditates on the nature of creativity while introducing, in brilliantly compressed speeches, what was to be one of the important Russian themes—metaphysical rebellion against God.
16. Korngold: Die tote Stadt (Korngold: Die tote Stadt)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold's "Die tote Stadt" in a Bayerische Staatsoper production from 2019, directed by Simon Stone. Kirill Petrenko is conducting Jonas Kaufmann and Marlis Petersen.
17. My Child (می زاک)
harming drama set in a rural area of post-war Iran. This heartwarming story follows a thoughtful young woman who serves as a leader to the community and a seemingly naive young man who is smitten with a local girl. The film observes their customs and traditions in the tranquil setting of their natural environment. Despite the irreparable damage to their lives due to the war, the villagers remain warm-hearted and kind to those they encounter. The past haunts their lives, but their hearts remain pure and strong in war torn times.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
18. The Flying Dutchman: Teatro Real Madrid (The Flying Dutchman: Teatro Real Madrid)
Spectacular! Opera in three acts. Filmed at a series of outstanding performances at the Teatro Real de Madrid in December 2016, this recording will especially delight lovers of Wagnerian music drama with its faithful reflection of the grandiose staging of Alex Olle, a member of La Fura dels Baus, whose earlier productions have attracted widespread attention. A conductor equally at home in Monteverdi, Boulez, Praetorius and Schumann, Pablo Heras-Casado can rely on a cast totally committed to this breathtaking musical hurricane!
19. MeTube 2: August Sings Carmina Burana
The sequel to the 2013 short, August sings Carmen 'Habanera'. After Elfie and her nerdy son August successfully proved themselves on their home webcam in MeTube 1, the odd pair venture onto the street to present the biggest, boldest, and sexiest operatic flash mob the internet has ever witnessed!
It has an average vote of 6.7 on TMDB.
20. Barren Lives (Vidas Secas)
In vivid images, the documentary-like story of a drover and his family in the northern badlands of Brazil during the drought. A family in the search of new hope and destiny.
It has an average vote of 7.355 on TMDB.
