Rosi´s "Carmen" with Domingo and Migenes on blu-ray

Young Placido Domingo in one of his favourite roles

Francesco Rosi´s version (1984) of Bizet´s opera Carmen is without doubt one of the finest opera films ever made. Fortunately, it is now available on an excellent blu-ray disc, which I would like to warmly recommend to all opera lovers.

Julia Migenes is amazing as Carmen

The movie is shot beutifully on location in Spain, so you get the sceneries that you will never be able to enjoy on opera stages. But above all, you get to hear and see young Placido Domingo in one of his all time favourite roles as don José. And there are few Carmens as alluring and seductive as Julia Migenes! The great Italian bass-baritone Ruggiero  Raimondi is an outstanding Escamillo and Faith Esham´s Michaëla is also very good.

Ruggiero Raimondi as Escamillo

Another testimony to the vast improvement brought about by the blu-ray technology! This film is also an excellent introduction to the world of opera for beginners!

 

 

"The Berlin Concert" with Domingo, Netrebko and Villazón on blu-ray

Domingo, Netrebko and Villazón in top voice in Berlin

The title of one of my recent posts is "The Baden-Baden concert 2007 - The best ever opera gala?". Now I am pleased to have at least added the question mark, because yesterday I watched another opera concert recording, which is at least as good, and in certain respects maybe even better!

The blu-ray I am talking about is the "Berlin Concert, live from the Waldbühne" amphitheater with Plácido Domingo, Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón. The three stars are accompanied by the Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, conducted by the great Italian maestro Marco Armiliato (who, by the way also appears in the Baden-Baden recording).

I remember watching the Berlin concert in the live broadcast on 7 July 2006, timed as a prelude to the soccer World Cup final two days later. The blu-ray version of the concert, with excellent picture and sound quality, adds a new dimension to this unforgettable evening of opera.

Netrebko and Villazón, opera´s new "dream couple"

With Domingo,  Netrebko and Villazón in top form - and clearly enjoying making music together - no wonder that the over 20,000 opera lovers in the audience and also the critics were ecstatic. The Berliner Morgenpost aptly stated that "This evening is the stuff of myth".

The Berlin Waldbühne is a wonderful setting for summer concerts

Anna Netrebko once again seduced the audience with her version of Lehár´s " my lips kiss so hotly"

Plácido Domingo "still works his magic", wrote Die Welt am Sonntag

Netrebko and Domingo in Già nella notte densa from Verdi´s Otello

Marco Armiliato has become "the new Zubin Mehta" of mega concerts

The Red Shoes - A visual and musical masterpiece

Vicky Page (Moira Shearer), a young ballerina, torn between her love for composer Julan Crasher (Marius Goring) and artistic devotion to ballet dancing.

In several earlier blogs I have praised blu-ray versions of classical movies. Having watched the wonderfully restored "special restoration edition" of Michael Powell´s and Emeric Pressburger´s "The Red Shoes" I have reason to do it again.

Vicky Page here with the famous impresario Lermontov (Anton Walbrook)

This special edition is a visual and musical delight with its stunning technicolor colour, wonderful acting and dancing and great directing by Powell and Pressburger. It is easy to agree with director Martin Scorcese, whos had this to say about the film:

"Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger created a vision in The Red Shoes that has really never been matched. Truly the most beautiful technicolor film ever made."

The Red Shoes also offers beautiful Mediterranean panoramas ...

and this nice view of the Palais Garner, the Paris Opera House in 1948

Vicky Page and the composer Julian Craster discussing their future 

Moira Shearer shines both as a dancer and an actor


PS

Buy this wonderful special edition blu-ray! You will not regret it, even if you are not particularly interested in ballet.

The Baden-Baden concert 2007 - The best ever opera gala?

Elīna Garanča and Anna Netrebko

There are many excellent opera gala concerts available on dvd or blu-ray, but the Baden-Baden concert from 2007 must be one of the best, if not the best. The consert that brought together four of the the world´s most illustrious singers -  Anna Netrebko, Elīna Garanča, Ramón Vargas and Ludovic Tézier - is remarkable both with regard to the the high quality of music making and the fine choice of music. The concert is now available also on blu-ray. If you want to enjoy bel canto at its best, buy this recording! You will not regret it.

PS

An added bonus on the dvd/blu-ray is Anna Netrebko´s unforgettable version of Lehár´s "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss"

The Beauty of the Mariinsky Ballerinas

The other day I watched the 2007 Mariinsky Theater version of Tchaikovsky´s Swan Lake. What a wonderful performance!

The star of the evening is of course the great Ulyana Lopatkina, who together with the other stunningly beautiful Mariinsky ballerinas makes this an unforgettable performance.

The Madonna of the Mariinsky

The Sound of Music shines on blu-ray

Today I received my copy of the blu-ray version of one of my absolute favourite musical movies, The Sound of Music. What a visual and musical delight the new blu-ray disc is! If you enjoy the movie, it is well worth investing a few dollars in this wonderful disc. One never gets tired of watching and listening to Julie Andrews! And Cristopher Plummer and all the others are excellent, too.