Product Review

The Essential Opera Collection is an exciting new mid-price series that brings together popular operas and classic productions in simple stylish packaging. The ten launch titles represent the leading opera houses of the world, including The Royal Opera House, Teatro Real, Paris Opera, Glyndebourne and The Netherlands Opera. This 19 DVD box set contains the first batch of ten titles at an extremely attractive price. Each title also available separately.

Works
Verdi: Aida (Liceu)
Stefano Palatchi, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Daniela Dessì, Fabio Armiliato, Roberto Scandiuzzi
Orchestra & Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu / Conductor: Miguel Ángel, Director: Gómez Martínez

Bizet: Carmen (Glyndebourne) Anne Sofie von Otter, Marcus Haddock, Laurent Naouri, Lisa Milne
Glyndebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra / Conductor: Philippe Jordan, Director: David McVicar

Wagner: Die Walküre (DNO)
John Keyes, Nadine Secunde, John Bröcheler, Jeannine Altmeyer, Kurt Rydl, Reinhild Runkel
De Nederlandse Opera, Netherlands, Philharmonic Orchestra / Director: Hartmut Haenchen,Director Pierre Audi

Mozart: Don Giovanni (Teatro Real)
Carlos Álvarez, Alfred Reiter, María Bayo, José Bros, Sonia Ganassi, Lorenzo Regazzo, Antonio López
José Moreno, Sonia Ganassi, Lorenzo Regazzo, Antonio López, José Moreno
Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real, Madrid Symphony, Orchestra and Chorus / Conductor: Pablo Pérez, Director: Lluis Pasqual

Verdi: Il Trovatore (ROH)
Jose Cura, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Yvonne Naef, Veronica Villarroel
The Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House / Conductor: Carlo Rizzi, Director: Elijah Moshinsky

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (Paris Opera)
Peter Mattei, Lorenzo Regazzo, Christiane Oelze, Heidi Grant, Murphy, Christine Schäfer
Orchestra and Chorus of The Opéra national de Paris / Conductor: Sylvain Cambreling, Director: Christoph Marthaler

Offenbach: Les contes d'Hoffmann (Bilbao)
Aquiles Machado, Milagros Poblador, María Bayo, Valentina Kutzarova, Konstantin Gorny, Katharine Goeldner
Chorus of Ópera de Bilbao, Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa / Conductor: Alain Guingal, Director: Giancarlo Del Monaco

Monteverdi: L'Orfeo (DNO)
John Mark Ainsley, Brigitte Balleys, Michael Chance, David Cordier, Mario Luperi, Russell Smythe
Tragicomedia and Concerto Palatino / Conductor: Stephen Stubbs, Director: Pierre Audi

Verdi: Rigoletto (ROH)
Paolo Gavanelli, Marcelo Alvarez, Christine Schäefer
Orchestra & Chorus of the Royal Opera House / Conductor: Edward Downes, Director: David McVicar

Puccini: Tosca (Teatro Real)
Daniela Dessì, Fabio Armiliato, Ruggero Raimondi
Chorus & Orchestra of the Teatro Real / Conductor: Maurizio Benini, Director: Nuria Espert

Press Reviews
"...a remarkable Rigoletto...a DVD that has to be in your collection." (International Record Review - Rigoletto)

"Violent, passionate, superbly played ... Glyndebourne's Carmen is simply gripping." (The Sunday Times - Carmen)

"Frankly, if you want a DVD of Orfeo, this should be your first option." (Musicweb International - L'Orfeo)

"Recommended on many levels." (Musicweb International - Tosca)

"... this sumptuous production will please any opera fan." (new-classics.com - Aida)

Production
Company: De Nederlandse Opera; Gran Teatre del Liceu; Glyndebourne Festival Opera; Baden-Baden Festspielhaus; Royal Danish Opera

Disc Information
Catalogue Number: OAMO6000D
Running Time: 2004 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Label: Opus Arte