1. Lumee's Dream
Lumee, one of the two main characters , sings this aria while smoking outside a nightclub in the second act, providing a window into her selfish fantasies. Not a recorded section of the opera, but a companion piece meant to depict the character's imagined realities.
2. L'heure espagnole (L'heure espagnole)
(L'heure espagnole)
3. Alcina
The setting of the opera is the enchantress Alcina's island: here by her magic powers she has created a magnificent palace in a beautiful landscape, to lure her many lovers into her power. One of these is Ruggiero, a warrior, who under Alcina's spell has forsaken his duty and his betrothed, Bradamante.
4. Parsifal
Production from Antwerp.</p><p> The knight Titurel has built a fortress for two sacred objects he has miraculously obtained: thechalice from the Last Supper in which Christ's blood was later collected, and the spear thatwounded Christ on the cross. The chalice is believed to be the Holy Grail that gives life and has apurifying effect on the human race. The Grail has become the focus for a community of knightswho, strengthened by the holy chalice, are willing to fight for the faith. All the knights have takena vow of chastity. However, the Grail King Amfortas, their leader and Titurel’s son, fails to resistseduction by Kundry, a woman with a double life: she is both a Grail messenger and temptressin the service of Klingsor.
5. Death
An operatic film adaptation of the poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar of the same name.
6. The Metropolitan Opera: Ariadne auf Naxos
Elijah Moshinsky’s witty production deftly walks the line between the lighthearted humor and the profound philosophical underpinnings of Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s opera, masterfully conducted here by Met Music Director James Levine. Deborah Voigt stars as Ariadne, the mythical heroine abandoned on the island of Naxos by her lover, and Richard Margison is Bacchus, the young god who eventually takes her away to a new life. The spectacular Natalie Dessay as Zerbinetta leads the troupe of comedians who unsuccessfully try to cheer Ariadne up. Susanne Mentzer is delightful as the young Composer of the opera-within-the-opera, and Wolfgang Brendel sings the Music Master.
7. Billy Budd
John Dexter’s brilliant production of Britten’s searing opera stars Dwayne Croft in the title role of the handsome young sailor whose kindness and innocence cause his downfall. The great James Morris is Claggart, master-at-arms on the 18th-century warship Indomitable, who falsely accuses Billy of inciting a mutiny. Philip Langridge sings Captain Vere, the honest commander who knows that Billy is innocent but finds himself unable to save him. Steuart Bedford, Britten’s close collaborator during the last years of the composer’s life, is on the podium.
8. Idomeneo, König von Kreta - Mozart bei den Opernfestspielen Aix-en-Provence (Idomeneo, König von Kreta - Mozart bei den Opernfestspielen Aix-en-Provence)
(Idomeneo, König von Kreta - Mozart bei den Opernfestspielen Aix-en-Provence)
9. La Voix humaine
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House presents a new production of Poulenc's short opera La Voix Humaine, featuring soprano Danielle de Niese and shot on location in Paris and London.
10. Werther (Werther)
Alain Guingal conducts the Orchestre du Teatro Regio di Torino in this production of Massenet's opera based on the novel 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' by Goethe. Roberto Alagna stars as the titular character, a lovelorn poet whose heart is set on a beautiful young woman of his acquaintance. Unfortunately, the girl in question has already pledged herself to another. How will Werther deal with the thwarting of his romantic ambitions?
11. Così fan tutte (Cosi Fan Tutte)
Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker in this filmed studio performance of Mozart's opera recorded in 1988.
12. Weber: Der Freischütz (Weber: Der Freischütz)
Director Rolf Liebermann’s 1968 filmed-for-TV production of Carl Maria von Weber’s opera, with the Hamburg State Opera performing an adapted stage version. Soloists include Bernhard Minetti, Toni Blankenheim and Arlene Saunders. The conductor is Leopold Ludwig.
13. Falstaff
The Graham Vicks production of FALSTAFF opened the new Covent Garden Royal Opera House, and was not to everybody's taste; the garish primary colours of the costumes. The staging is effective--the complicated counterpoint of the ensembles is reflected in unobtrusive blocking that keeps the vocal lines clear and separate, especially in the final fugue. Bryn Terfel's Falstaff is a memorable creation, self-mocking and self-aggrandising at the same time--so much so, in fact, that he almost does not need the vast prosthetic body he has to wear for the part. Desiree Rancatore is an admirably sweet-toned Nanetta; Bernadette Manca di Nissa an appropriately sardonic Mistress Quickly; Roberto Frontali as Ford, in his Act 2 scena, perfectly distils and parodies every jealousy aria ever written, including Verdi's own. Haitink's conducting is exemplary in the lyrical passages, gets almost everything out of the fast and furious comic sections.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
14. Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Sferisterio di Macerata) (Madama Butterfly)
The story of Cio-Cio-San, called Butterfly, a young Nagasaki geisha who, abandoned by her American lover after giving birth to their son, ultimately kills herself, continues to impress audiences today. In this outstandingly authentic and elegant production from the Sferisterio Opera Festival, Puccini's highly emotional music is expertly delivered. The superior cast is headed by Raffaella Angeletti, "certainly one of the best Butterflies of our time" , who has performed this role in many Italian theatres, as well as in Madrid and at the Vienna Staatsoper.
It has an average vote of 7.8 on TMDB.
15. Show Boat
Hammerstein and Kern’s Show Boat is a true classic of American musical theater - a tale of life on the Mississippi from the 1880s to the 1920s is both a poignant love story and a powerful reminder of the bitter legacy of racism. The exuberant production from the San Francisco Opera features songbook classics such as “Ol’ Man River” and “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man”.
16. The Five Moons of Lorca (Las cinco lunas de Lorca)
A short opera about the assassination of poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca at the hands of Nationalist forces at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.
17. Gallup (Na'nízhoozhí)
Two mystical beings emerge from the scenery, embarking on a journey through Gallup— Na'nízhoozhí in the Navajo language— before melting back into the desert at nightfall.
18. 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.
19. Turandot (Turandot)
2013 revival of Andrei Serban's 1984 production. Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, September 2013. Andrei Serban's spectacular and thrilling 1984 production of Puccini's final and grandest opera has long been a classic at the Royal Opera House. First filmed for BBC TV in the 80s, this new recording – of its fifteenth revival – is in stunning HD and makes this famous production available for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray. The release will rightfully take its place alongside the outstanding Royal Opera Puccini DVDs of La Bohème, Tosca and Trittico. American Lise Lindstrom is one of the very few contemporary Turandots who can genuinely sing this ‘killer’ role, and is supported by a touching Liù from Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura and an unashamedly Italianite Calaf from Marco Berti. The young Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási directs the large orchestra and all-important chorus.
20. 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.
