Dvd
Verdi: Il trovatore; Rigoletto; Falstaff (The Royal Opera)
José Cura (Manrico); Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Count di Luna); Bryn Terfel (Falstaff); Roberto Frontali (Ford); Christine Schäfer (Gilda); Marcelo Alvarez (Il Duca);
"All four are in excellent voice. Cura...supports Naef with beautiful quiet singing...Hvorostovsky is formidable...There are two other filmed Trovatores available at present, for a combination of musical excellence and intelligent production neither comes close to this one." (International Record Review)
Verdi: La Traviata (Glyndebourne)
Venera Gimadieva (Violetta Valéry); Michael Fabiano (Alfredo Germont); Tassis Christoyannis (Giorgio Germont); Emanuele D’Aguanno (Gastone, Viscount de Letorières); Magdalena Molendowska (Annina); Hanna Hipp (Flora Bervoix); Eddie Wade (Baron Douphol); Oliver Dunn (Marchese D'Obigny); Graeme Broadbent (Doctor Grenvil);
" a Traviata that glances to the past while stepping resolutely into opera’s emotional and dramatic future." (The Independent ★★★★)
Verdi: La Traviata (Teatro Real)
Norah Amsellem (Violetta); José Bros (Alfredo); Renato Bruson (Germont);
"Norah Amsellem's Violetta flourishes - vocally and dramatically, nothing is a challenge to her...Thanks to Pizzis intelligence, every detail in the action works in this production...Jesus Lopez Cobos maturity is astonishing...his perfect conducting looks for emotion and finds it...This production is only waiting for a DVD to make history." (Le Monde de la Musique)
Verdi: La Traviata (The Royal Opera)
Renée Fleming (Violetta); Joseph Calleja (Alfredo); Thomas Hampson (Germont);
"Antonio Pappano takes charge of this revival, searching out the meaning of Verdi's score in a supple, sentient reading that sweeps you along." (The Guardian)
Verdi: La traviata (The Royal Opera)
Ermonela Jaho (Violetta Valéry); Charles Castronovo (Alfredo Germont); Plácido Domingo (Giorgio Germont); Catherine Carby (Annina); Aigul Akhmetshina (Flora Bervoix); Germán E Alcántara (Baron Douphol); Simon Shibambu (Doctor Grenvil); Thomas Atkins (Gastone de Letorieres); Jeremy White (Marquis D'Obigny);
"Jaho gives everything she has, especially an exceptional diversity of soft singing, intimate, vulnerable, dreamy, apprehensive, intense and the result is a deeply moving portrayal." (The Financial Times ★★★★)
Verdi: Les vêpres siciliennes (De Nederlandse Opera)
Barbara Haveman (Hélène); Burkhard Fritz (Henri); Alejandro Marco-Buhrmester (Guy de Montfort); Balint Szabo (Jean Procida);
"Alejandro Marco-Buhrmeister succeeds in evoking our sympathy in 'Au sein de la puissance'. The lovers sing tenderly; but what stands out in their Act 2 duet is some exquisite phrasing in the strings...There are a few cuts, including the cabaletta of Procida's 'Et toi, Palerme', but it's a worthwhile addition to the modest number of French grand operas on DVD." (Gramophone)