Off The Bookshelf Wagner - Die Walkure (Boulez, Bayreuther Festspiele) [2001] Search DVD

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1.Three Tenors: Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti In Concert [1990] starring: Josep Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Zubin Mehta directed by: Brian Large April 27, 1998
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: £15.99 Off The Bookshelf's Price: £13.98 You Save: £2.01 (13%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: £8.72
This 1990 World Cup concert, which launched the Three Tenors phenomenon, has a beautiful open air setting at the Caracalla Baths in Rome. This means however, a loss of acoustics. Orchestral sounds that would be enriched by a little reverberation literally drift away on the evening breeze. But the singing is excellent. They sing 4 solos each, then - after a sinfonia, or orchestral interlude - 3 more as a trio; 16 tracks in all. All three singers are perfectly at ease in the Romance languages, but struggle with German and English, sometimes quite badly. In the worst example, 'Maria' from West Side Story, Pavarotti bellows, "Say it soft and it's almost like praying". Well, we'll have to take his word for it. Despite these imperfections, ... Read More:

2.Parsifal - Wagner/Stein [2007] directed by: Brian Large July 16, 2007
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: £24.99 Off The Bookshelf's Price: £22.49 You Save: £2.50 (10%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: £115.85
My favourite performance of this work, not only on video but also musically. Jerusalem is in his prime (if only his later Siegfrieds and Tristans preserved the voice in this state), and Weikl is simply the greatest Amfortas -- an underrated baritone in his finest role, rising fully to the 3rd Act demands which Fischer-Dieskau and Van Dam so glaringly fail to meet. In all other respects it's more than acceptable, and the production, which I saw live, captures the unique atmosphere of the work and the venue.

3.Bizet - Carmen (Levine, Metropolitan Opera) [1988] (NTSC) starring: Agnes Baltsa, Josep Carreras, Samuel Ramey, Leona Mitchell, Myra Merritt directed by: Brian Large November 20, 2000
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: £19.99 Off The Bookshelf's Price: £11.98 You Save: £8.01 (40%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: £8.70
A fantastic record of a live performance Broadcast from the Met in the late 1980's. As you would anticipate the production is both spectacular and overblown - complete with horses and a cast of 1000s. So much for a small tavern in Seville - this one would make the largest hotels look spartan. But the performance contains fantastic performances from all 4 principals. Mitchell is a sweet innocent, if slightly nervous Michaela on what was her Met debut; Ramey a flamboyantly virile, wonderfully sung Escamillo; Carreras is maybe not your ideal Don Jose, and can be wooden but sings beautifully throughout. However the real star is the great Agnes Baltsa - a hugely dramatic, fantastically sung performance at the peak of her career. The orchestra under ... Read More:

4.Verdi: Aida -- Metropolitan Opera (NTSC) starring: Aprile Millo, Plácido Domingo, Dolora Zajick, Sherrill Milnes, Paata Burchuladze directed by: Brian Large November 20, 2000
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: £19.99 Prices subject to change. Used Price: £9.78
Verdi's Aida comes thrillingly to life in this splendid production from the Metropolitan Opera. Aprile Millo is in excellent voice in the title role and sings with great musicality throughout. Indeed this sense of musical values being the most important is reflected in the fine performances of the rest of this all star cast most notably Placido Domingo and Dolora Zajick as Radames and Amneris respectively. The production is old fashioned but attractive and the physical acting is rudimentary but the vocal acting gets prizes all round. This was a favourite performance for me on video and is now excellently transferred onto DVD (sub titles optional). First rate.

5.Maazel - 1984 / Keenlyside, Lepage (Royal Opera House) starring: Simon Keenlyside, Nancy Gustafson, Diana Damrau, Richard Margison, Lorin Maazel directed by: Brian Large, Robert Lepage May 12, 2008
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: £19.99 Prices subject to change. Used Price: £14.53
Verdi's Aida comes thrillingly to life in this splendid production from the Metropolitan Opera. Aprile Millo is in excellent voice in the title role and sings with great musicality throughout. Indeed this sense of musical values being the most important is reflected in the fine performances of the rest of this all star cast most notably Placido Domingo and Dolora Zajick as Radames and Amneris respectively. The production is old fashioned but attractive and the physical acting is rudimentary but the vocal acting gets prizes all round. This was a favourite performance for me on video and is now excellently transferred onto DVD (sub titles optional). First rate.

6.Mozart 22 - Le Nozze Di Figaro - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Nikolaus Harnoncourt/Ann Netrebko [2006] starring: Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bo Skovhus, Dorothea Röschmann, Anna Netrebko, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo directed by: Brian Large June 11, 2007
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: £24.99 Prices subject to change. Used Price: £14.15
Empty sets, invented characters, no levity and gimmicky direction. I'm afraid to say that everything that makes Figaro great is missing from this production. Frankly, I cannot see how any fan of the opera can feel anything but cheated by this, and the wasting of such a fine cast. There are some saving graces - namely the singing of both d'Archangelo as Figaro and Schaeffer as Cherubino, but these really do not compensate for the absurdity of the production. Any sense of humour or life has been sucked from the opera by the bleak setting and ponderous conducting, which does otherwise fine singers like Skovhus and Roschmann no favours. The invention of a prancing, male angel adds nothing to the drama but a sense of irritation whenever he appears. Why is he even ... Read More:

7.Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen -- Metropolitan/Levine (NTSC) starring: Siegfried Jerusalem, Hildegard Behrens, James Morris (IX), Heinz Zednik, Birgitta Svendén directed by: Brian Large October 14, 2002
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: £70.99 Off The Bookshelf's Price: £43.98 You Save: £27.01 (38%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: £50.00
This is the Ring how Wagner imagined it would/should be. Every stage shot and directorial decision follows what 'The Master' had in mind and wrote down. The director is Otto Schenk and 2009 marks the last time this landmark Ring Cycle will be shown at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Hopefully, it will be filmed in glorious HD! Nonetheless, having this on 'ordinary' DVD still preserves what is a most enjoyable and watchable version. There are recordings of this out there that are simply unwatchable (Naxos/Lothar Zagrosek) and others that will challenge your mind (DG/Boulez) and are highly recommendable, but for wanting to know what Wagner had in his mind, this is the one. Having said that, some of it looks very silly. The transformation of Alberich in ... Read More:

8.Verdi - La Traviata [2006] starring: Anna Netrebko, Helene Schneiderman, Diane Pilcher, Rolando Villazón, Thomas Hampson directed by: Brian Large December 03, 2007
Average Rating: >>More Details		Used Price: £25.00
Incredible and brilliant! You have to take into account this is a contemporary production and in set in modern times - not the 19th century. If you are not prepared for this and expect something traditional then look else where. Willy Decker has done a brilliant job here and made something very special. I can't fault it but I reckon its worth seeing the "Bonus DVD" first as this explains the concept and how the production was made. As ever Anna and Rolando were electric on stage, with also a fine performance by Thomas Hampson. Buy it - you won't regret it.

9.Cecilia And Bryn At Glyndebourne - Arias And Duets [1999] starring: Cecilia Bartoli, Bryn Terfel, Myung-Whun Chung directed by: Brian Large July 01, 2002
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: £19.99 Prices subject to change. Used Price:
To see and listen to Cecilia and Bryn singing is pure joy: their mastering of technique is superbe and as interpreters they are very far from the stiff opera singers of older times. They enjoy singing, we enjoy listening to them. Their choice of repertoire is quite intelligent for it sets on their various capabilities, running away from the mere display of technical virtuosity. The energy they convey jumps out of the TV and takes us on a wonderful musical session.

10.Wagner - Die Walkure (Boulez, Bayreuther Festspiele) [2001] starring: Peter Hofmann (II), Matti Salminen, Elisabeth Glauser, Marga Schiml, Carmen Reppel directed by: Brian Large July 11, 2005
Average Rating: >>More Details		Off The Bookshelf's Price: £24.99 Prices subject to change. Used Price: £27.68
From a dramatic point of view Die Walkure is arguably the most intense of the four parts of The Ring, owing it's success (or failure) to the ability of a cast to act as well as sing, and time has proved the success of Chereau's casting. Gwyneth Jones' Brunnhilde has now become almost legendary. While her acting ability may not quite match up to Behrens, who followed her in Hall and Solti's subsequent Bayreuth production, she throws her formidable vocal might into the part with an enthusiasm worthy of Birget Nilsson. No-one is going to worry about her occasional tendancy to overact the part so long as she can sustain that voice! She really shows her greatest dramatic strength during her extended dialogues with Wotan. Critically, Wotan often falls into Brunnhilde's shadow, but ... Read More:

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