Brian Large

Magic Moments of Music – Horowitz in Moscow (2019)

After more than 60 years, the uncrowned king of 20th century pianists returned to his freedom-torn homeland to perform his swan song in a piano recital. In the mid-1980s, a breathtaking concert took place in Moscow that many still recall with emotion. The ...

Don Giovanni (2018)

Jonas Kaufmann: An Evening with Puccini (2015)

In June 2015, superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann walked onto the stage of La Scala in Milan to perform a concert of Puccini arias. The concert made national news in Italy with the audience demanding five encores and a forty minute standing ovation. The film of ...

Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (2014)

With their "musical comedy" in the spirit of Mozart, Richard Strauss and his brilliant librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal created the most popular of all their works and one of the most frequently performed operas of all time. Disguised as a refined comedy, ...

A Recital with Renée Fleming: Vienna at the Turn of the 20th Century (2014)

A Recital with Renée Fleming: Vienna at the Turn of the 20th Century ...

Arabella (2014)

2014 marks a year of celebration recognizing the 150th birthday year of the German late-Romantic orchestral, operatic and lied master composer, Richard Strauss (1864-1949). Arabella (premiered 1933, Dresden) was the last of the half dozen Strauss works to ...

Parsifal live at the Salzburg Easter Festival (2013)

Christian Thielemann conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden in this performance of Wagner's opera recorded live in 2013. The performance was held for the Salzburg Easter Festival and featured vocalists including Johan Botha, Michaela Schuster, Stephen Milling ...

Capriccio (2013)

Richard Strauss' last stage work is an opera about opera as an art form, depicting the creation of a music drama in a wise and witty way. Which came first the words or the music? That is the question Strauss and his librettist Clemens Krauss address throug ...

MARISS JANSONS CONDUCTS - BEETHOVEN & STRAUSS (2013)

Richard Strauss - Ariadne Auf Naxos (2012)

Flemings voice might have been made for Ariadne and she achieved a great personal triumph in this production: The chief glory of the evening was hearing Renee Fleming, the Straussian soprano par excellence, making her role debut as Ariadne… As the posses ...

La Bohème (2012)

Live performance of Puccini's opera at the Salzburg Festival in Austria. Piotr Beczala stars as Rodolfo with Anna Netrebko as Mimi, Massimo Cavalletti as Marcello and Nino Machaidze as Musetta. Daniele Gatti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Sta ...

Ariadne Auf Naxos (2012)

Christian Thielemann conducts this Staatskapelle Dresden production of Richard Strauss' chamber opera. The opera follows events at the home of the wealthiest man in Vienna, who has booked both a comedy burlesque act and a serious opera group for entertainm ...

Erich Wolfgang Korngold - Die Tote Stadt (2012)

In 1920s Germany, Erich Korngold's work was considered "degenerate" and banned. Eventually, in 1934, he left for Hollywood. There, he made a name for himself as a film composer and only rarely wrote great works for the stage. Many of his quite successful o ...

Salzburg Festival 2012 Wiener Philharmoniker (2012)

Jewels - Mariinsky Ballet (2011)

George Balanchine's abstract ballet danced to existing pieces of music by composers Faure, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. Each section represents a different jewel: Emerald, Ruby and Diamond. ...

Beethoven: Symphonies 1-3 (2011)

Christian Thielemann and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performing Beethoven Symphonies Nos. ...

The Metropolitan Opera: Boris Godunov (2010)

Stephen Wadsworth's production of Mussorgsky's epic masterpiece brilliantly captures the suffering and ambition of the Russian people at a critical time in their nation's history. René Pape is riveting as the Tsar of the title, giving a commanding and cha ...

The Metropolitan Opera: Hamlet (2010)

After over a century out of the Met's repertoire, audiences were thrilled to discover just what a sensational evening in the theater Thomas's Hamlet can be. Simon Keenlyside's riveting performance as the tortured Prince of Denmark in Patrice Caurier and Mo ...

The Metropolitan Opera: Hamlet (2010)

In Concert at The Met (2010)

In Concert at the Met (DVD) - Highlights Five of the Met's greatest stars - Price, Horne, Troyanos, Domingo, and Milnes - joined James Levine for a series of irresistible concert programs, originally telecast in the 1980s. Featuring works by composers rang ...

Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic: The Inaugural Concert (2009)

A world-class pairing, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and their charismatic new Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, mark the start of their partnership with this concert, filmed live at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The program defines everything that is fresh a ...

Gurrelieder (2009)

Performance of Schoenberg's Gurrelieder by SBR, conducted by Mariss Jansons ...

Don Giovanni (2009)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni is performed live at the Theater an der Wien in this 1999 production starring Carlos Alvarez in the title role and featuring the music of the Choir and Orchester der Weiner Staatsoper performing under the guiding wand ...

Lucrezia Borgia (2009)

Live from Munich 2009 ...

Strauss R: Der Rosenkavalier (2009)

Herbert Wernicke's production of Richard Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier", filmed live at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden on 31 January 2009. Renée Fleming is the Marschallin, Diana Damrau is Sophie, Sophie Koch is Octavian, Franz Hawlata is Baron Ochs, Franz ...

The Metropolitan Opera: Puccini's La Rondine (2009)

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 sopra ...

New Year's Concert 2009 (2009)

The ever popular New Year's Concert from Vienna returns in another sparkling performance, broadcast live to over 50 countries! Daniel Barenboim makes his New Year's Concert debut and brings with him a number of works that have never been performed at the c ...

1984 (2008)

Inspired by one of the twentieth century's greatest novels, composer Lorin Maazel evokes Orwell's totalitarian nightmare, where "Big Brother" is always watching, and those guilty of "thoughtcrime" are condemned to face their worst fears in the infamous "Ro ...

Lohengrin: Bayreuth Festival Opera (2008)

Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin staged in 1987 by Werner Herzog in Bayreuth. ...

Manon Lescaut – The Met (2008)

One of today's most compelling singing actresses, Karita Mattila takes on the irresistible role of Manon Lescaut, the headstrong young woman torn between a life of luxury and the call of her true love: the Chevalier des Grieux, played by Marcello Giordani. ...

Pierre Fournier: Classic Archive (2008)

Part of the 'Classic Archive series, this programme features full-length, complete musical performances coupled with encore material as well as rare bonus footage. ...

Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker 2008 (2008)

Simon Boccanegra: Royal Opera House (2007)

Kiri Te Kanawa, Alexandru Agache, Michael Sylvesyer, and Roberto Scandiuzzi star in this Covent Garden production of the Verdi opera conducted by Sir Georg Solti. Verdi's tale of the eponymous medieval Doge of Genoa marries the political and the intimate ...

Eugene Onegin (2007)

The Wiener Philharmoniker mounts, and Andrea Breth stages, this 2007 production of Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin, starring Peter Mattei, Joseph Kaiser, Anna Samuil and Renée Morloc. The Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor lends adde ...

Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (2007)

The pain of unrequited love is portrayed unforgettably by two of today's greatest stars. Renée Fleming is musically and dramatically radiant as the shy Tatiana, who falls in love with the worldly Onegin, played with devastating charisma by Dmitri Hvorosto ...

Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker 2007 (2007)

The First Emperor (2007)

The incomparable Plácido Domingo began a new chapter in his legendary Met career when he created the role of Emperor Qin in the world premiere of Tan Dun's epic opera. Staged by revered film director Zhang Yimou, The First Emperor is both a rich pageant o ...

New Year's Concert: 2007 - Vienna Philharmonic (2007)

Metha performs his 4th New Year's Concert with the Vienna Philharmonic. Included are works by Johann Strauss II, Josef Strass, Joseph Hellmesberger, Johann Strauss I, and Eduard Strauss. ...

La Clemenza di Tito (2006)

The 1791 La Clemenza di Tito (or 'The Clemency of Titus') marked Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's final opera seria. With a libretto by Metastasio (edited slightly by Caterino Mazzolà), the work dramatizes the palace intrigues surrounding emperor Titus's attempt ...

The Marriage of Figaro (2006)

This release contains the celebrated 2006 production of Mozart's Nozze di Figaro that was directed for the stage by Claus Guth at that year's Salzburg Festival. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo takes the title role, and gets support from Anna Netrebko as Sussanna, B ...

New Year's Concert 2006 (2006)

Wiener Philharmoniker, director Mariss Jansons ...

La Traviata (2006)

This superb 2006 production of the Los Angeles Opera's La Traviata stars Renée Fleming, who joins the ranks of the elite handful of sopranos whose vocal and acting talents make their portrayals memorable. Her Violetta Valéry is a vulnerable figure torn b ...

La traviata (2005)

Violetta, a courtesan much wooed by Parisian society, organizes a grand party that is attended, amongst others, by the young Alfredo Germont. He confesses his feelings to Violetta, who is already suffering from consumption. She vacillates between genuine a ...

Roberto Devereux (2005)

Live from Munich, 2005. London, 1601: love, lust and a death sentence at the English royal court - that's just the mix for great Italian opera. Roberto Devereux - an opera for a sovereign, a work for Edita Gruberová! The prima donna assoluta of bel canto ...

New Year's Concert 2005 (2005)

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year Concert for 2005. ...

Der Rosenkavalier (2004)

This 2004 production of Richard Strauss's three-act comic opera Der Rosenkavalier (1911) emerged from the efforts of the Grosses Festspielhaus Salzburg. It stars Adrianne Pieczonka as Feldmarschallin, Franz Hawlata as Baron Ochs, Angelika Kirchschlager as ...

Rodelinda (2004)

Live from Munich 2004 ...

Neujahrskonzert 2004 (2004)

The Vienna Philharmonic's 2004 New Year's Concert was conducted by Riccardo Muti and featured a traditional program of music by the Strauss family and their contemporaries, performing well-known pieces like the "An der schönen blauen Donau" waltz and the ...

L'Upupa & Der Triumph der Sohnesliebe (2003)

This production of Hans Werner Henze's opera Upupa & Der Triumph der Sohnesliebe features Laura Aiken, John Mark Ainsley, and Alfred Muff in lead roles. Markus Stenz conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker. Live at the Salzburg Festival 2003. ...

New Year's Concert 2003 (2003)

The Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert for 2003. ...

Turandot (2002)

Valery Gergiev leads the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in this production of Puccini's opera, recorded live at the Salzburger Festspiele in 2002. David Pountney's production features performances by Gabriele Schnaut, Paata Burchuladze, Johan Botha and Cris ...

L'Orfeo (2002)

Taped live in Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu on January 31, 2002, this L'Orfeo is both a visual delight and a musically satisfying representation of Monteverdi's opera ...

Tchaikovsky: The Queen of Spades (2002)

The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 (Russian: Пиковая дама, Pikovaya dama, French: Pique Dame) is an opera in 3 acts (7 scenes) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the ...

Il Trovatore (2002)

José Cura, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Verónica Villarroel and Yvonne Naef lead the star cast of Verdi's blazingly passionate opera IL TROVATORE, in Elijah Moshinsky's new Royal Opera House production co-produced with Teatro Real Madrid, with sets by the noted ...

New Year's Concert 2002 (2002)

The New Year's Concert from in Vienna delights countless spectators every year. The list of star conductors who have conducted this traditional concert reads like a who's who of the international music scene and it is an honor for even the biggest star to ...

Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg (2001)

James Morris leads an all-star cast including Karita Mattila, Ben Heppner, Thomas Allen and René Pape, in this production of Wagner's comic opera, recorded live at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2001. James Levine conducts. ...

Mozart: Don Giovanni (Zurich Opera House) (2001)

Live 2001 production from the Zurich Opera House of the classic Mozart/Da Ponte opera, with Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting and directed for television and video by Brian Large. ...

Nabucco (2001)

Nabucco - live from Metropolitan Opera, June 2002. On its surface, Nabucco is about the epic struggle of Zaccaria and the Jews suppressed by Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar and his vengeful daughter, Abigaille. But to Italians fighting for their freedom fro ...

Rinaldo - Bayerische Staatsoper (2001)

This modern interpretation of Georg Frederick Handel's opera focuses on Rinaldo's attempts to break free from enchantress Armida and reunite with his true love, Almirena. In addition to the live performance, the program also includes a Handel documentary, ...

Little Women (2001)

An opera based on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. ...

Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice (2000)

Film recording of Robert Wilson's stage production of the opera by Gluck. John Eliot Gardiner conducts Berlioz's 1859 revision of Gluck's opera "Orphée et Eurydice" at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Soloists Magdalena Kožená, Madeline Bender and P ...

The Metropolitan Opera: The Magic Flute (2000)

Mozart's allegorical fairy tale has charmed audiences and inspired artists, for more than 200 years. A few weeks before this telecast, the Met unveiled a new production of the opera featuring the colorful designs of acclaimed artist David Hockney. His bold ...

Viva Vivaldi (2000)

Viva Vivaldi! is a concert by the Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli interspersing arias from the 20 surviving operas of Vivaldi with two concertos. Given with the early music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico before a very appreciative audience in the Thé ...

Mozart: Così Fan Tutte (Zurich Opera House) (2000)

A production of Mozart's opera recorded live at Zurich Opera House in 2000. Cecilia Bartoli leads an all-star cast including Roberto Saccà, Liliana Nikiteanu, and Agnes Baltsa. The conductor is Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Filmed live at the Zurich Opera House ...

Beethoven: Fidelio (2000)

When Act 2 of Fidelio is being poured out in the most glorious tones imaginable from Mattila, Heppner and Pape - who can possibly complain? Who would honestly want to replace any of them? Who can fail to be overwhelmed with gratitude to own this disc? If ...

Tristan und Isolde (1999)

Inspired by Wagner's own tortured affair with the wife of his patron, this searing masterwork is based on Arthurian legend and tells of an illicit romance between a Breton nobleman and the Irish princess betrothed to his uncle and king. The composer's larg ...

Waldbühne Berlin: Russian Night (1999)

Seiji Ozawa conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in this 1993 performance at Berlin's Waldbuhne, an amphitheater tucked into a natural valley and modeled on a similar structure in the ancient Greek city of Epidaurus. From this lovely vantage point, v ...

Cecilia & Bryn at Glyndebourne (1999)

The celebrated mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli joins Bryn Terfel for a recital of arias and duets recorded at Glyndebourne Opera House in 1999. The programme features favourite pieces from Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra ...

La Rondine (1998)

Washington National Choir and Orchestra ...

Samson et Dalila (1998)

Elijah Moshinsky's production of Saint-Saëns's "Samson et Dalila", recorded live at the Metropolitan Opera 28 September 1998. Plácido Domingo and Olga Borodina star as Samson and Dalila with Sergei Leiferkus as Grand-prêtre de Dagon, Richard Paul Fink a ...

Bartoli in Italy (1998)

In the awe-inspiring Teatro Olimpico,Vicenza, Cecilia Bartoli, recognised as one of the best singers of our time, gives the most outstanding recital of work from a variety of composers such as Caccini, Schubert, Handel, Vivaldi, Bellini, Donizetti,Mozart, ...

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (1998)

Depicts the consumerism of the mythical city of Mahagonny, conveying all its ripe decadence. A Hollywood Babylon full of pyramidal towers, carved elephants, commodified sex and licensed gluttony. An opera in three acts, live from the Salzburger Festspiele ...

Tristan und Isolde (1998)

Peter Konwitschny's new production on the première stage in Munich gives it a new, optimistic interpretation. At the opening of the Munich Opera Festival 1998, Tristan und Isolde was staged in what is now the ninth new production at the Bavarian State Ope ...

La Cenerentola (1997)

A timeless tale told in a florid bel canto style, Rossini's take on the Cinderella story offers an ideal propellant for a virtuosic mezzo-soprano to rocket from rags to riches. But in this retelling, the supporting characters soar just as high: Cinderella' ...

Le Comte Ory (1997)

Glyndebourne's intimate opera house provides the perfect setting for Rossini's third French opera, a sparkling medieval comedy of lust and chastity. ...

Mazeppa (1997)

Valery Gergiev directs the Kirov Opera and Ballet in this dramatic staging of Tchaikovsky's rarely performed historical opera, based on Pushkin's verse tale of the legendary Cossack chieftain. ...

Fedora (1997)

Princess Fedora, who is to marry the Count the following day, arrives and sings of her love for him, unaware that the dissolute Count has betrayed her with another woman. The sound of sleigh-bells is heard, and the Count is brought in mortally wounded. Doc ...

Andrea Chénier (1996)

Andrea Chenier is a poet during the French Revolution. He and Maddalena are in love. Gerard, former servant in Maddalena's house, denounces them to the Tribunal, but recants it too late. The lovers go to the guillotine together. ...

Europakonzert 1996 from St. Petersburg (1996)

Sergei Prokofiev: Highlights from "Romeo & Juliet" Sergei Rachmaninov: Cavatine of Aleko from "Aleko" Ludwig van Beethoven: Romances for Violine and Orchestra No. 1 in G major, and No. 2 in F major, Symphony No. 7 in A major Peter Tchaikovsky: "The Nutc ...

Metropolitan Opera Gala James Levine's 25th Anniversary (1996)

This tribute to James Levine, first shown on PBS, was only part of that glorious evening. Here we have the whole performance, up to three hours. I could not stop watching these discs. Let me say this much; Levine has done for the Met, making it the premier ...

Così fan tutte (1996)

Live performance from the Metropolitan Opera, 27 February, 1996. ...

The Rake’s Progress (1996)

Otello (1995)

Verdi's monumental score is fully the equal of Shakespeare's famous tragedy—and both demand great actors. This is one performance where both playwright and composer are well served. Plácido Domingo's Otello is one of the glories of the operatic world, b ...

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1995)

Giuseppe Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (1995)

This evocative production by Giancarlo Del Monaco sumptuously captures the look and feel of 14th century Genoa and is a perfect compliment to Verdi's setting of this story of searing conflict between public duty and private grief. Plácido Domingo is Gabri ...

The Makropulos Case (1995)

Recorded at Britain's Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Leos Janacek's opera follows the exploits of Emilia Marty (Anja Silja), a sexually irresistible prima donna who experiences everything imaginable in her long life, which lasts longer than 300 years. Direct ...

Arabella (1994)

Arabella, Op. 79, is a lyric comedy or opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration. ...

Il Tabarro & Pagliacci (1994)

Puccini's Il Tabarro & Leoncavallo's Pagliacci; Pavarotti and Domingo star in MET 1994-1995 season opener. ...

European Concert 1994 (1994)

European Concert 1994 From the Staatstheater Meiningen. ...

Elektra (1994)

The Otto Schenk production of Richard Strauss's "Elektra", filmed live at the Metropolitan Opera in January, 1994. Hildegard Behrens stars as Elektra, with Deborah Voigt as Chrysothemis, Brigitte Fassbaender as Klytämnestra, Donald McIntyre as Orest, and ...

Sadko (1994)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's dazzling opera by-line in seven tableaux. The epic journey of Sadko a sea-faring minstrel from Novgorod, his wife Libava and their encounters with Volkhova, a sea Princess and the court of her parents the Tsar and Tsarina of the S ...

Puccini: Turandot (San Francisco Opera) (1994)

Donald Runnicles directs the San Francisco Opera in this lavish production of Giacomo Puccini's final masterpiece, which was left unfinished upon his death and was later completed by Franco Alfano. Declaring himself a suitor of the beautiful Princess Turan ...

The Fiery Angel (1993)

Serge Prokofiev's enigmatic work, this is a tale of the supernatural, religious hysteria and demonic possession which is set in Germany at the time of The Inquisition. ...

Stiffelio - The Met (1993)

Giuseppe Verdi's opera of religion, revenge and redemption gets the star treatment in this 1993 Metropolitan Opera production conducted by James Levine and starring Plácido Domingo as the cuckolded man of God at the center of the tale. Sharon Sweet sings ...

The Maid of Orleans (1993)

The Maid of Orleans is an opera in 4 acts, 6 scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was composed during 1878–1879 to a Russian libretto by the composer, based on several sources: Friedrich Schiller's The Maid of Orleans. ...

Richard Wagner: Parsifal (1993)

The Met production easily has the most beautiful staging, designed by Otto Schenck, who also produced the fabulous set for the Met's previous Ring cycle. Kurt Moll is a wonderful Gurnemanz, but compared to his studio recording under Karajan a decade earlie ...

Falstaff (1993)

It is to composer and librettist Arrigo Boito and his constant pestering of the octogenarian Verdi that there remained within him one last great comedy fighting to get out that we owe this absolute miracle of an opera. Produced in 1893 as Verdi turned 80 t ...

Tosca: In the Settings and at the Times of Tosca (1993)

Performed in the actual Roman settings described in the libretto. Moreover, the scenes take place at the appropriate times of day. Rome, June 1800. Floria Tosca is a celebrated opera singer, better known as La Tosca. Her lover is Mario Cavaradossi, a young ...

Otello (1992)

The complete version of Verdi's Otello performed by Placido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Gala Performance in honour of Sir Georg Solti's 80th birthday.. 27 October 1992. BBC 2 Television live relay. ...

La Fanciulla del West (1992)

Giancarlo Del Monaco's atmospheric production brings to colorful life a 19th-century mining camp during the California Gold Rush. At the center of the action is the good-hearted bar owner Minnie, sung by Barbara Daniels, who takes a motherly interest in th ...

The Ghosts of Versailles (1992)

What happened to Figaro and his friends after the events told in Rossini's and Mozart's operas? One possible sequel is told in John Corigliano's "grand opera buffa" The Ghosts of Versailles—an uproariously funny and deeply moving work inspired by Beaumar ...

Die Frau ohne Schatten (1992)

Carlos Kleiber New Year’s Concert 1992 (1992)

Johann Strauss Jr.: Waltzes and Polkas. "The Thunder and Lightning" Polka, with its flashing cymbals and booming bass drum, has always been a favorite in our household. "The Blue Danube" Waltz isn't bad either and "The Radetzky March" (by Johann Sr.) is ha ...

A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert (1991)

A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert is an 89-minute television film starring the opera singers Kathleen Battle and Frederica von Stade, the jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the American Boychoir, the Christmas Concert Chorus, the O ...

L'Elisir d'Amore (1991)

John Copley's colorful production, with designs by Beni Montresor, was created around the beloved superstar Luciano Pavarotti. As the simple, good-hearted Nemorino, he enchanted audiences with his larger-than-life personality as well as his golden voice. E ...

Un Ballo in Maschera (1991)

Verdi's opera performed by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by James Levine. ...

Semiramide (1990)

In ancient Babylon, SEMIRAMIDE (Anderson) encourages her lover Assur (Ramey) to murder her husband, King Ninus. Her son, Ninius, disappears, believed dead, and Semiramide rules in her own right. 15 years later, as the opera opens, she is about to announce ...

Spirituals in Concert (1990)

"Spirituals in Concert" featuring Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle. ...

Giuseppe Verdi - Un Ballo in Maschera (1990)

Verdi - Un ballo in maschera / Domingo · Barstow · Quivar · Jo · Nucci · Rydl · Chaignaud · Wiener Phil. ...

The Original Three Tenors Concert (1990)

The Three Tenors is a name given to the Spanish singers Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and the Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti who sang in concert under this banner during the 1990s and early 2000s. This is the first collaboration of the trio, with a ...

Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (1990)

Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball) is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué. The plot concerns the assassi ...

Götterdämmerung (1990)

The stupendous climax to Wagner's four-part Ring cycle is brilliantly realized by the Otto Schenk/Günther Schneider-Siemssen production and byJames Levine's monumental conducting. The Met orchestra, chorus, and an all-star cast make this Götterdämmerung ...

Das Rheingold (1990)

From the gorgeous scene deep in the river Rhine that opens the opera, up to the magic Rainbow Bridge that appears at the end, leading to a glistening Valhalla, Otto Schenk's production captures the scenic world of Wagner's Ring as brilliantly as James Levi ...

Die Walküre (1990)

The gorgeous and evocative Otto Schenk/Günther Schneider-Siemssen production continues with this second opera in Wagner's Ring cycle. Hildegard Behrens brings deep empathy to Brünnhilde, the favorite daughter of the god Wotan (James Morris) who neverthel ...

Siegfried (1990)

Siegfried is the third of the four operas that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner. ...

Lohengrin (1990)

Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner. ...

Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman Sing Spirituals at Carnegie Hall (1990)

A filmed concert of two famed sopranos. ...

The Metropolitan Opera: Aida (1989)

Pharaoh's daughter Amneris loves general Radames, but he loves slave Aida. Aida's father leads the Ethiopian army to invade Egypt. When he's captured, he wants Aida to gain military secrets from Radames. ...

Aida (1989)

AIDA, an Ethiopian princess, is captured and brought into slavery in Egypt. A military commander, Radamès, struggles to choose between his love for her and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. To complicate the story further, Radamès is loved by the Pharaoh's dau ...

Adriana Lecouvreur (1989)

Francesco Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur concerns a doomed love based on a real story about an actress involved in a famous love triangle. Mirella Freni sings the title part in this production that was broadcast on television originally in 1989. Gianandrea Gav ...

Bluebeard’s Castle / Erwartung (The Met) (1989)

Bela Bartok's and Arnold Schoenberg's haunting excursions into the nightmare of the unconscious. ...

Khovanshchina (1989)

The last and arguably finest opera of Modest Mussorgsky is captured in one of its most powerful interpretations in this 1989 recording from the Vienna State Opera, conducted by Claudio Abbado. A moody opera that is thematically broad at times and intimatel ...

Elektra (1989)

Recorded at the Vienna State Opera house in 1989, this staging of Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Elektra is one of the glories of live opera on film, deserving of eternal availability. The DVD picture has great clarity, despite the darkness of ...

Carmen (1988)

This all-star cast is framed by Peter Hall's gritty, realistic production and conducted by James Levine, who brings out all the surging emotion and gripping drama in Bizet's score. At the center of the story is Agnes Baltsa, whose smoky mezzo is tailor-mad ...

The Met - Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1988)

With its hilarious hijinks and vocal virtuosity, Rossini's madcap comedy always proves a delightful treat. For this 1988 telecast, the Met assembled a cast capable of tackling both the musical and physical challenges of this bel canto farce, seen here in a ...

Il Trovatore (1988)

Luciano Pavarotti brings his spectacular voice and artistry to one of the most famous of all tenor roles—Manrico, the ardent troubadour, trapped in an impossible situation by forces beyond his control. The sensational Dolora Zajick, only days after her M ...

Les Contes d'Hoffmann (1988)

Otto Schenk's brilliant production captures both the dark romanticism of the story as well as its fairy-tale magic. It is a superb setting for Neil Shicoff's vivid portrayal of the tortured poet Hoffmann, as he recounts the loves of his life and the way he ...

La Boheme (1988)

Giacomo Puccini's bittersweet opera of high-spirited bohemians and the doomed love between Rodolfo, the idealistic poet and Mimi, the consumptive flower-maker, is a beautifully balanced series of tableaux depicting the infectious joie de vivre of youth and ...

Meyerbeer: L'Africaine (1988)

This was a 1988 revival of a 1971 production that teamed Domingo (Vasco da Gama) and Verrett (Selika - both then very much in their prime) in Meyerbeer's discursive swan-song. Seventeen years on, they are more statuesque than sexy, but both give larger-tha ...

Ariadne auf Naxos (1988)

Jessye Norman is a regal Ariadne, the mythological Greek heroine in this opera-within-an-opera, opposite the passionate Bacchus of the great James King. Kathleen Battle delivers the coloratura fireworks of Zerbinetta, the leader of a commedia dell'arte tro ...

Horowitz in Vienna (1987)

Vladimir Horowitz's piano recital in 1987 at the Musikvereinssaal in Vienna. ...

Wozzeck (1987)

1987 recording of Wozzeck by the Vienna State Opera with Claudio Abbado conducting. Based upon Georg Büchner's 1837 play, Alban Berg's Wozzeck details the harsh existence of the title character, a former soldier in the German army who has to struggle migh ...

Horowitz in Moscow (1986)

A recording of Horowitz's historic 1986 recital in Moscow, the program also includes highlights of his return to his native Soviet Union--his first visit in 61 years. ...

L'italiana in Algeri (1986)

L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli. Rossini composed L'italiana in Algeri when he was 21 in either 18 or 27 days, depending on which source one believes (Rossini, not ...

Lohengrin (1986)

Wagner's Romantic opera demands singing actors who can truly inhabit their parts, and that's just what we have here. Is it possible for a Knight of the Holy Grail to look more enticing than Peter Hofmann? No wonder Elsa (Eva Marton) falls in love at first ...

Nabucco (1986)

Live performance from La Scala in Milan. Nabucco was the first production of the theatre's 1986-87 season. ...

Cardillac (1985)

Wolfgang Sawallisch conducts this acclaimed staging of Paul Hindemith's ambitious opera of the goldsmith Cardillac, whom fortune seems to favor and then abandon, featuring Donald McIntyre and Maria de Francesca-Cavazza in the starring roles. Filmed in 1985 ...

Don Carlo (1985)

A 1985 performance of Luchino Visconti's 1958 staging for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Bernard Haitink memorably directs a superb cast that includes Ileana Cotrubas at the height of her powers and Luis Lima, unequalled in his tortured introspectio ...

Il Trovatore (1985)

tt0253843. Il Trovatore (1985) Verona. Verdi / Italian. Reynald Giovaninetti conducts the Orchestra of the Arena di Verona in a performance of Verdi's 'Il Trovatore'. The international cast includes Giorgio Zancanaro and Rosalind Plowright. The Count Di L ...

Der Rosenkavalier (1985)

Live performance, new production season 1984-5. BBC 2 Television relay on 30 March 1985 of performance of February 11. ...

American Ballet Theatre in San Francisco (1985)

Onstage at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, the American Ballet Theatre presents a variety of numbers from several recognized ballets, both traditional and modern, including Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet," Gottschalk's "Great Galloping Gottsc ...

Der fliegende Holländer (1985)

Simon Boccanegra (1984)

Live from the Metropolitan Opera: Simon Boccanegra ...

Francesca da Rimini (1984)

Live performance at the Metropolitan Opera, 1984. James Levine conducting Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Stage direction by Piero Faggioni. ...

Don Quixote (Kitri's Wedding), A Ballet In Three Acts (1984)

The American Ballet Theatre, performing at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, June 1983, led by Mikhail Baryshnikov, present Cervantes' story about the adventures of the Knight of Rueful Countenance. ...

I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata (1984)

Set during the Crusades, the story of Lombardi opens with the rivalry of two brothers -- Arvino and Pagano -- who vie with one another for the love of Viclinda. Pagano attempts to kidnap Viclinda and commit a fratricide, extinguishing Arvino, but succeeds ...

American Ballet Theatre at the Met (1984)

Witness three wonderful ballets performed live on stage at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. "Sylphides" stars legend Mikhail Baryshnikov, "Sylvia" features a lovely duet and "Paquita" is full of energetic Spanish-style choreography. The Ameri ...

Les Sylphides (1984)

Les Sylphides is a short, non-narrative ballet blanc to piano music by Frédéric Chopin, selected and orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov. ...

Manon Lescaut (1983)

The sets and costumes by Ponnelle are truly reflective of the 'grand style'. Plus the fact that the two lead characters are portrayed by top singers in their absolute prime - both Gruberova and Araiza weren't even 35 years old at the time of this performan ...

Berlioz: Les Troyens (1983)

Berlioz's colossal masterpiece requires stupendous forces—dozens of soloists, enormous chorus, orchestra and ballet, a superb conductor who understands the uniqueness of the score—plus a production that does visual justice to the work. "A stupendous ac ...

Il Trittico (1983)

Teatro Alla Scala 1983 production of three one-act operas from Puccini. ...

Manon Lescaut (1983)

"Manon", wrote Puccini to his publisher Giulio Ricordi in 1889, "is a heroine I believe in and therefore she cannot fail to win the heart of the public." This turned out to be a truly prophetic statement since none of Puccini’s other world successes were ...

Don Carlo (1983)

Ghiaurov, Freni, and Bumbry were great voices in their time, and they are still effective here -- good enough musicians to put over the quite heavy vocal and expressive demands of their roles. Louis Quilico was never quite in that league, and he sounds a b ...

Madama Butterfly (1983)

Raina Kabaivanska, though hardly passible as a teenager, shines in the title role. Her voice and acting are stunning. Nazzareno Antinori is also a solid Pinkerton with a pleasing voice, and Eleonora Jacovic is a wonderful Suzuki. To top things off the scen ...

Turandot (1983)

From the world famous Arena of Verona, an international cast perform one of Puccini's best loved operas. The cruel Princess Turandot, ruler of China, will only wed a prince who can answer correctly her three riddles. Those who fail are executed. Prince Cal ...

The Metropolitan Opera - Wagner: Tannhäuser (1982)

As renowned for its harmonious overture as for its romantic storybook characters, this three-act masterwork features some of the composer's most groundbreaking and unforgettable music, as well as a theme the young Wagner would revisit again and again later ...

The Magic Flute (1982)

Mozart's "The Magic Flute" ...

La Bohème (1982)

1982 revival of 1974 John Copley production. ...

Falstaff (1982)

This first-rate 1982 production of Verdi's Falstaff marked the great 20th century Italian maestro Carlo Maria Giulini's return to opera conducting after more than a decade's absence. Renato Bruson leads a brilliant cast as the lovable fat knight Sir John ...

Aida - San Francisco Opera (1981)

An Egyptian military commander, Radamès, struggles to choose between his love for the enslaved Ethiopian princess Aida, and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. To complicate the story further, the Pharaoh's daughter Amneris is in love with Radamès, although he d ...

Verdi: Rigoletto (1981)

The opera's dramatic structure frames and enhances the characters. Scenes of magnificence regularly alternate with scenes of darkness and squalor. From sumptuous interiors, we move to a dark street, a lonely inn. The secondary figures are astutely counterp ...

Les Contes d'Hoffmann (1981)

Seeking to exorcise the failure of his current love affair, the poet Hoffmann tells the tales of his three past loves - the doll-like Olympia, the high-class courtesan Giulietta, and the ambitious but delicate Antonia - and recalls how each was thwarted by ...

Nabucco (1981)

Set during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco), King of Babylon, the opera tells the tale of Nabucco's fictitious daughters, Abigaille and Fenena, who are rivals for the love of Ismaele, nephew of the King of Jerusalem. ...

La Traviata - The Met (1981)

James Levine leads a remarkable cast in one of Verdi's most enduringly popular operas and brings fresh insights to this beloved score. Ileana Cotrubas is poignant and touching as Violetta, the consumptive courtesan who finds true love with Alfredo, sung wi ...

Wagner: Das Rheingold (1980)

This is a beautifully conducted and thoughtfully staged performance of the first opera (the prologue) in Wagner's Ring Cycle. As soon as the clouds of mist have dissipated, while the daring, long-held opening chord is still reverberating, the screen clears ...

Wagner: Die Walküre (1980)

The second part of Patrice Chérau's epoch-making Bayreuth Ring is a radical re-imagining of Die Walküre, unprecedented in its psychological penetration. This production of " Die Walkure," staged as part of Patrice Chereau's Centenary celebration marking ...

Wagner: Siegfried (1980)

The third opera in Richard Wagner's epic Ring cycle, Siegfried follows the adventures of the son of demigods Siegmund and Sieglinde as he conquers his enemies and rescues the beauteous Brunnhilde with the help of his magic sword. This video preserves the c ...

Wagner: Götterdämmerung (1980)

Götterdämmerung, the fourth of Richard Wagner's four Ring operas. The cast features Manfred Jung as Siegfried and Gwyneth Jones as Brünnhilde, with music provided by Bayreuther Festspiele Orchester conducted by Pierre Boulez. This title is available in ...

Un Ballo in Maschera (1980)

Live from the Metropolitan Opera, 14 February 1980. This version takes place in Boston rather than Sweden. ...

Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (1979)

John Dexter's brilliant production, James Levine's masterful conducting of the eclectic score, and a sensational cast come together to make this Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht masterpiece a riveting evening of music theater. At the center of the action is Jim ...

Beethoven Piano Concertos 1-5 (1974)

These recordings, filmed in March and April 1974 for the BBC, occurred at the tail end of the old performance era and the very start of the new. Vladimir Ashkenazy was a graduate of the same Soviet school of piano playing that produced Sviatoslav Richter, ...

Owen Wingrave (1971)

A family conflict ensues after Owen, the youngest of the proud military family Wingrave, expected to continue the family tradition and become a soldier, rejects violence and war and proclaims himself a pacifist. ...

Peter Grimes (1969)

This 1969 BBC production is about as close as we can get to a definitive version of Benjamin Britten's PETER GRIMES, one of the greatest 20th Century operas. The story of the individualistic fisherman hounded by his neighbors who believe he murdered his yo ...

Leoš Janáček – velký příběh 20. století (2020)

Wagner: The Making of The Ring (1983)