Ljubka Biagioni, the 2002 winner of the European Union's Franco Capuana International Competition for Conductors, was born into the family of an Italian politician in Rome. After receiving a classical education at a grammar school and intensive piano tuition, she won a scholarship to study music theory at the National Academy of Music in Sofia, where she graduated with distinction as a choral and orchestral conductor. After graduating, she undertook further studies with Karl �sterreicher in Varna, Bulgaria, Norbert Balatsch and Leonard Bernstein at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and Ferdinand Leitner and Valery Gergiev at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. In 1997, her career significantly benefited from working with Ilya Musin and Valery Gergiev in Rotterdam. She has been principal conductor of Sofia Symphonics since 2013. Her status as one of Sofia's great musical figures is confirmed by the nigh on euphoric reactions to the most recent performance of her Traviata at the National Palace of Culture.

First performed in French at the Paris Opera in 1867, Don Carlo is in many ways an amazingly innovative work. The opera seems to underline Verdi's shift from the Manichean division between good and evil, which had been a clear, structural element of his dramaturgy up to that point in his career. In this opera, Verdi assembles all his mainstay music theatre themes: power, with its honors and burdens; the contrasts of impossible love; the conflict between father and son; and an oppressed people demanding freedom. Verdi radically revised the score in 1883, using an Italian libretto and reducing the opera from five acts to four. The popularity of Don Carlo has grown unremittingly ever since, with today's critics almost unanimously recognizing it as one of Verdi's greatest masterpieces, an opera that continues to reveal new gems. Daniel Oren is fully in control on the podium, ensuring unanimity between orchestra and singers. The Maestro softens teh dark tones of the score, which are well reflected in the visuals, choosing instead to emphasize the various changes of mood.

ERNANI

The young Giuseppe Verdi had his first large-sclae stage work with him - Oberto - when in 1839, he embarked on his journey to conquer the home of grand opera, Milan. At just 25 years of age, he showed immense skill in his use of punchlines, timing and the musical balance of the overall work - here was a true undertaking of Verdian proportions!

Verdi: Duetti verdiani

Classical Music

The Italian soprano Amarilli Nizza was born in Milan and grew up in a family dedicated to singing for the past four generations. + In 1993 she won the "Mattia Battistini" competition and debuted as Cio-Cio-San in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" at Rieti's Flavio Vespasiano theatre. + From the beginning she was a lyric soprano, but with time, thanks to very solid technique and wise repertoire choices she has also developed dramatic accents and nuances. + Her impressive technique, coupled with fine acting skills, has granted her access to the most important venues and International Festivals.

Classical Music

Marcelo Alvarez, Violeta Urmana, Marco Vratogna, and Elena Zaremba star in this Teatro Real de Madrid/Royal Opera co-production of the Verdi opera conducted by Jesus Lopez Cobos.

This recording includes an amazing vocal performance of Orlin Anastasov, recorded at the very impressive medieval stronghold of Tsaverets (Bulgaria). As Benjamin Lumley wrote in his memoirs, perhaps no other opera by Verdi was received more enthusiastically or won the composer more laurels than Attila.

MacBeth undoubtedly marked a turning point in Verdi's operatic writing, i. e. , the foregrounding of the characters' introspective, psychological aspects. This DVD/Blu-ray captures the production staged at Novara's Teatro Coccia during the 2013-14 season, with thriller/horror filmmaker Dario Argento tackling opera direction for the first time. One could only expect a direction in line with his films, and from that point of view this MacBeth meets expectations, with the visualization of the opera's bloody, indeed gory scenes matching the dark, brutal character of Shakespeare work.

Written for exceptional singers, Il Trovatore has remained popular ever since its first performance at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on January 19, 1853, when even the toughest critics were convinced of its place in the repertoire. People are attracted to Il Trovatore because of its rousing melodies, its brutal, powerful plot, and its simple structure: elements tha tmake it one of the best examples of Verdi's theatre pieces. Recorded live at the Sferisterio theatre of Macerata in the summer of 2016, under conductor Daniel Oren's vibrant and incisive direction, this production boasts a first-rate cast and elegant direction from Francisco Negrin. The sets and costumes by Louis Desire and lightning by Bruno Poet were well received by the Sferisterio audience.

This selection is a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording.
This selection is also available in Super Audio CD format.

Classical Music

C Major continues it's Tutto Verdi edition with his Messa da Requiem. This film includes a 52-minute bonus documentary introducing US to Verdi's beautiful homeland, the region of Parma; from the little village where Verdi was born, to the estate close to Parma where Verdi always came back to and chose to spend most of his life.