Verdi Operas - Box Set (The Royal Opera)

Simon Keenlyside (Macbeth); Liudmyla Monastyrska (Lady Macbeth); Renée Fleming (Violetta Valéry); Joseph Calleja (Alfredo Germont); José Cura (Manrico); Yvonne Naef (Azucnea);

This trio of unforgettable Royal Opera productions feature some of the most cherished and admired examples of Verdi’s operatic genius. The composer returned to his early masterpiece Macbeth after the great successes Il trovatore and La traviata had propelled him to universal fame, and his 1865 revision – today the most popular version of the work – shares the marks of dramatic and musical innovation that enshrine all three operas as undying classics. Phyllida Lloyd stages Verdi’s setting of the Scottish play, featuring Simon Keenlyside’s athletic, brooding Thane opposite Liudmyla Monastyrska’s imperious Lady. Rivalry blazes between José Cura’s troubadour and Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s Count in an Elijah Moshinsky production with sets by noted film designer Dante Ferretti. Starring as the illfated courtesan Violetta in Richard Eyre’s classic production is Renée Fleming, loved by Joseph Calleja as Alfredo against the wishes of his unyielding father, played by Thomas Hampson. Verdi’s best-loved works brought vividly to life.

IL TROVATORE (2002)
José Cura / Dmitri Hvorostovsky

LA TRAVIATA (2009)
Renée Fleming / Joseph Calleja

MACBETH (2011)
Simon Keenlyside / Liudmyla Monastyrska

Reviews

"... an impressive company showcase, full of moments when chorus and orchestra are at full throttle. Whipped up by Antonio Pappano's baton, they sound truly thrilling." (The Guardian - Macbeth)

"Simon Keenlyside and Liudmyla Monastyrska give one of the finest portrayals of the couple that I have come across. In both cases what lifts them into the category of the very special is the way they manage to chart the character’s development. Macbeth is a role that Keenlyside has grown into. He has the depth, the charisma and the energy that make the role complex and interesting; more than a great soldier laid low. His baritone is rounded and complex, just right to capture the many facets of the character’s journey." (Musicweb International - Macbeth)

"The beautiful sounds she [Renée Fleming] makes, especially in the Act One finale and the Act Two party, are well worth hearing, and the high-quality film-work puts us right at the heart of the action." (Financial Times - La Traviata ★★★★)

"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 - La Traviata)

"Elijah Moshinsky’s production is surely as lively and moving as Verdi’s intricate masterpiece deserves. Jose Cura sizzles. Dimitri Hvorostovsky is everything one could want to see and hear in a Verdi baritone. This new “Trovatore” DVD is a reminder that not every golden age happened long ago." (San Francisco Chronicle - Il Trovatore)

"All four are in excellent voice. Cura...supports Naef with beautiful quiet singing ... Hvorostovsky is formidable ... There are two other filmed Trovatore’s available at present, for a combination of musical excellence and intelligent production neither comes close to this one." (International Record Review - Il Trovatore)