Ludwig Minkus
LA BAYADÈRE

Marius Petipa’s exotic ballet, set in legendary India, is a story of love, death and vengeful judgement. Natalia Makarova’s sumptuous recreation of Petipa’s choreography, with atmospheric sets by Pier Luigi Samaritini and beautiful costumes by Yolanda Sonnabend, stars Tamara Rojo as the Bayadère (temple dancer) Nikiya, CarlosAcosta as Solor, and Marianela Nuñez as Gamzatti whose alluring presence challenges Solor’s love for Nikiya. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true surround sound.

‘There wasn’t a single physical gesture that didn’t mean something, that didn’t speak of love trying and failing to blossom.’ -- The Daily Telegraph

Solar – Carlos Acosta
Gamzatti – Marianela Nuñez
Nikiya – Tamara Rojo
The High Brahmin – Gary Avis
Rajah – Christopher Saunders
Magdaveya – Kenta Kura
Solor's Friend – Valeri Hristov

Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Valeriy Ovsyanikov, conductor

Natalia Makarova, choreographer

Recorded live from the Royal Opera House, January 2009

- Tamara Rojo on dancing La Bayadère
- Leanne Cope and Francesca Filpi on the corps de ballet
-Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta rehearse with Alexander Agadzhanov
- Natalia Makarova on choreographing La Bayadère

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM Stereo / DTS 5.0
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu languages: English
Subtitles (Bonus): English, French, German, Spanish
Running time: 166 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

Widely lauded by critics, choreographer Jonathan Watkins' 1984 is an awe-inspiring retelling of George Orwell's masterpiece. Winston Smith lives in a world of absolute conformity, his every action scrutinized by Big Brother. However, when Winston meets Julia, he dares to rebel by falling in love. Danced by Northern Ballet - the UK's foremost narrative ballet company - to a score by Tony-nominated composer Alex Baranowski, this thoroughly modern take on 1984 will change the way you think about ballet. 'Batley [Winston Smith] and Leebolt [Julia] are excellent, their bodies as vividly present as their faces are haunted. At the chilling end, we realise not only how intently we have been watching, but also that we too may be watched.' (Sanjoy Roy, The Guardian) "This is gripping storytelling" (The Stage) "..an ambitious, compelling and, ultimately, moving new ballet. Even more powerful are the intimate duets for Winston and Julia, verboten lovers who are dancing on a metaphorical razor's edge. Thinking themselves free of the gaze of Big Brother, they give themselves to each other with a genuinely moving passion, which is danced gorgeously by Tobias Batley and Martha Leebolt" (The Daily Telegraph

This epic collection brings together all of Opus Arte's recordings from the Bayreuth Festival. Included are many of Wagner's much-admired operas which show how the mastery of composer, conductor, and performer can combine to create a true musical excellence. Wagner's epic four-opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen, is a work of extraordinary scale and is given an interpretation that is both thrilling and sensitive by the conductor Christian Thielemann and a cast of renowned Wagner interpreters. Thielemann also presents an incredible account of Der fliegende Holländerin a recording which secured his place as the world's greatest Wagner conductor. Klaus Florian Vogt is staggering in the title role of Lohengrin, with Andris Nelsons brings out the best in the festival chorus and orchestra. This recording of Tannhäuser, Wagner’s tale of the struggle between spiritual and profane love, and of redemption through love, was described by Opera Journal as 'outstanding’, whilst Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which tells a humorous tale about artistically inclined craftsmen, was described as ‘on an entirely new Wagnerian scale...” (The Washington Post). The set is completed by the critically acclaimed recording of Tristan und Isolde starring the leading Wagner exponents Robert Dean Smith and Iréne Theorin in the title roles.

Rigoletto is the sharp-tongued jester to the serial womaniser, the Duke of Matua. But when the Duke turns his seductive ways towards Rigoletto's daughter, Gilda, the jester learns that he is powerless to protect her. What follows is an epic tale of deceit, revenge and, above all, love.

Director Oliver Mears makes his Royal Opera debut with his 'thrilling new production’ (The Times), which frames Verdi’s masterpiece as a modern morality play, pitting power against innocence in a decadent world of corruption and social decay. Antonio Pappano conducts an outstanding cast that includes an 'utterly compelling' Carlos Álvarez in the title role, Lisette Oropesa as 'a matchless Gilda' (The Guardian) and tenor Liparit Avetisyan as the Duke of Mantua.

Award-winning director Claus Guth’s acclaimed production of Jenůfa is a striking representation of an oppressed society ‘infused with heart-warming humanity’ (Evening Standard). Two courageous women struggle for fulfillment against the backdrop of a claustrophobic rural community. With music inspired by the traditional folk melodies of his native Moravia, Janáček’s score movingly captures Jenůfa’s progression from hope to despair to eventual radiant happiness, while her stepmother, the Kostelnicka, is one of opera’s most complex maternal figures. Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási conducts Asmik Grigorian in her much-anticipated Royal Opera House debut in the title role, alongside Karita Mattila as the Kostelnicka and a star cast.

REVIEW:

The first wave of Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s great operas centered on tragic heroines: together with Káťa Kabanová and The Makropulos Case, which followed it, Jenůfa is a triumphant and insightful music drama, as Oliver Mears’ 2021 staging at London’s Royal Opera House shows. Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian plays the demanding title role sensitively and intelligently, the great Finnish soprano Karita Matilla is just as powerful as Kostelnicka, her stepmother, and conductor Henrik Nánási leads the orchestra and chorus in a gripping account of Janáček’s intense score. The hi-def video and audio are first-rate.

-- The Flip Side (Kevin Filpski)

A classic story of love under the microscope is given a contemporary perspective in this performance of Mozart’s “school for lovers”. Così fan tutte is a compassionate examination of young love, full of wit and wonderful music which ensure its lasting popularity. Così fan tutte was Mozart’s final collaboration with the Italian librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, and Jonathan Miller’s production, created for The Royal Opera, brings out the timelessness of this exploration of the human condition. Jonathan Miller’s Royal Opera production of Cosi fan tutte was a staple of the repertory for nearly twenty years. He died in 2019.

One of the finest dancers of his generation, Vadim Muntagirov has twice won the Best Male Dancer at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards as well as Dance Europe’s Outstanding Dancer Award and the prestigious Benois de la danse. Since joining The Royal Ballet in 2014, he has excelled in many of ballet's most celebrated lead roles, as well as proving his skills as a sensitive partner to some of The Royal Ballet's most revered stars. This special collection brings together four of his most show-stopping performances. In The Sleeping Beauty, Muntagirov’s elegant classicism shines as Prince Florimund, and in Kenneth MacMillan's Manon, his heartfelt characterization brings eloquent depth to the impassioned pas de deux between Manon and Des Grieux. Described as 'technically thrilling' (Guardian), Muntagirov's performance as Count Albrecht makes the quintessential Romantic ballet Giselle powerfully resonant today. In delightful contrast, his cheeky performance in Coppélia reveals a wonderful flair for comedy.

Since joining The Royal Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2002, Lauren Cuthbertson has become a much-loved member of the Company, ascending to Soloist and Principal Dancer, and this special boxed set showcases why - combining five outstanding performances by one of the world’s leading ballerinas. This collection includes two iconic roles she created for The Royal Ballet: the fun-filled, eponymous Alice (“the part she was born to play" - The Daily Telegraph) in Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; and Jacqueline du Pré in the biographical work The Cellist by Cathy Marston. The latter is paired with Frederick Ashton’s delightful The Two Pigeons in a new collection created especially for this box. Finally, two all-time classics feature Lauren as the Sugar-Plum Fairy in Peter Wright’s magical production of The Nutcracker, and then as a heart-breaking Juliet in Kenneth MacMillan’s signature work, Romeo & Juliet.

Escape with us to the glamour and grace of Paris, 1960. Step into the studio, watch the dancers warm up and hear the piano start to play – a new show is taking shape that will be fit for the gods. One of the first choreographers to bring the ‘American style’ to Europe, the legendary Gene Kelly was invited to create an original work for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1960.

Kenneth MacMillan’s passionate choreography for Romeo and Juliet shows The Royal Ballet at its dramatic finest. Sergey Prokofiev’s famously evocative score is the driver for some of the most ardent pas de deux and powerful set pieces in ballet history. The vibrant crowd scenes with magnificent designs by Nicholas Georgiadis vividly recreate the color and bustle of 16th\-century Verona in this Royal Ballet classic. “Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball will hug their first Romeo and Juliet their whole lives. What a dream debut for these two youngsters…” (The Spectator) “Kenneth MacMillan was a consummate storyteller, and in Romeo and Juliet he came as close to perfection as it’s possible to get.” (Culture Whisper) “From the quarrelling townsfolk to the stately ball guests, this is a Romeo packed with life, the whole company caught up in the ballet’s unfolding tragedy.” (The Independent)

Originally presented as part of the 700th anniversary celebrations of the poet’s death, Dante’s epic journey through the afterlife in The Divine Comedy, is realized in a major artistic collaboration between trailblazing forces of the contemporary arts scene. Wayne McGregor’s ground breaking choreography comes together with a virtuosic new score by one of the most influential musicians of the 21st century, composer conductor Thomas Adès, and designs by the renowned artist Tacita Dean, celebrated for her pioneering and poetic work across film and other mediums. Together they illuminate the extraordinary vision of Dante in this three-part work for the full Company. This world premiere recording also marks the final production starring acclaimed dancer Edward Watson as Royal Ballet Principal, after 27 years with the Company.

Two classic court operas are brought together to tell the stories of love, be it between gods or royalty in the historic Confidencen Theatre, Sweden. Venus & Adonis, composed in 1683 by John Blow, is considered the earliest example of English opera. It tells the enchanting story of two mythical lovers and their cruel fate in scenes reaching from light-hearted comedy to heartfelt despair. Henry Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas from 1689 has become one of the most famous and beloved operas from the Baroque era, with its sumptuous music, dramatic plot and its themes of love, friendship, jealousy, and cruelty. The opera is perhaps best known for Dido’s painfully beautiful lament When I am Laid in Earth.

Puccini began to compose Manon Lescaut in 1889. It was an act of supreme bravado as only five years previously Massenet had premiered Manon, based on the same novel by Abbé Prévost. The story is set in France and Louisiana in the early 18th century and focuses on – in a way different to Massenet – the fortunes and tragedy of the hero, the Chevalier des Grieux, and his lover, Manon. Its ceaseless melodic beauty and drama were recognized immediately and the first night was an overwhelming triumph, with Puccini effectively anointed as Verdi’s successor and Italy’s greatest operatic composer. Ninety years after its 1893 premiere in Turin, the work was staged by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The 1983 production was conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli, making his British operatic debut to such remarkable effect that The Times referred to him as ‘Europe’s most spectacular new opera star’. The cast included three of the greatest exponents of their roles; Plácido Domingo as the romantic hero whose performance ‘was a cause for drop-jawed wonder’ (The Spectator), the radiant Kiri Te Kanawa as Manon and Thomas Allen as her brother, Lescaut. Director Götz Friedrich’s largely traditional staging proved a major theatrical success.

Mussorgsky was inspired to compose his masterpiece Boris Godunov after reading Pushkin’s Shakespeare-inspired play of the same name. It features one of the most dramatically rewarding bass-baritone roles: a noble ruler who loves his children and his people, but whose thirst for power has led him to commit a terrible crime. Bryn Terfel is “a powerful new Boris” (The Observer) in Richard Jones’ new production of the original 1869 score. Antonio Pappano conducts an outstanding cast that also includes John Graham-Hall as the crafty Prince Shuisky and John Tomlinson as the vagabond monk Varlaam.

Pious restraint comes face to face with sensuous hedonism in Camille Saint-Saens’s grand-opera retelling of the Bible story of Samson and Delilah. Multi-Olivier Award winning director Richard Jones returns to The Royal Opera to stage this spectacular fin-de-siecle masterpiece, not performed at Covent Garden since 2004. Elina Garanca stars as the Philistine Dalila, SeokJong Baek as the inspiring Jewish hero Samson and Antonio Pappano conducts the full forces of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. With superb singing in solos and duets of great intimacy and fervour, gorgeous music with thrilling orchestral interludes, and splendid choral numbers for the Royal Opera Chorus – this is a performance to remember.

This box set includes a special collection of classic performances from The Royal Ballet. In the feature-length documentary Essential Royal Ballet, Katie Derham introduces carefully curated excerpts from productions that span the history of ballet and goes behind the scenes to see what it takes to be a dancer in The Royal Ballet as they prepare to take to the stage.

With stunning solos, passionate pas de deux and jaw-dropping numbers for the corps de ballet, Essential Royal Ballet is a chance to see the Company’s much-loved dancers past and present up close. Including many favourites from the likes of Carlos Acosta, Marianela Nuñez, Natalia Osipova, Steven McRae, Francesca Hayward and Matthew Ball, the artists share stories of their life on the stage and thoughts on what these celebrated ballets mean to them. In Pas de Deux: the ‘steps for two’ so central to the form of ballet are celebrated further in 16 exceptional examples from The Royal Ballet’s repertory. A collection from across the Company’s heritage and contemporary classics, Pas de Deux demonstrates the choreographic diversity, technical brilliance, show-stopping spectacle and artistry for which The Royal Ballet is acclaimed around the world.

The Christopher Wheeldon Collection showcases three of Wheeldon's most acclaimed recent productions for The Royal Ballet, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2018), The Winter's Tale (2014) and Like Water for Chocolate (2022).

Lewis Carroll’s ever-popular story provides the basis for Wheeldon’s spectacular production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Bob Crowley’s vivid sets and costumes take us down the rabbit hole into a colourful world full of curious creatures and captivating characters. Joby Talbot’s original score is full of sweeping melodies and contemporary sounds. Lauren Cuthbertson stars as the inquisitive Alice, with Federico Bonelli as the charming Knave of Hearts, Steven McRae as the tap-dancing Mad Hatter and Laura Morera as the formidable Queen of Hearts. This exuberant and engaging ballet is spectacular entertainment for the whole family.

Wheeldon drew on the same music and design team to create an evocative reimagining of The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare's enduring story of jealousy, compassion and forgiveness. The staging effortlessly captures the work's profound emotional trajectory, with powerful designs by Crowley, Talbot's skilful score and Wheeldon’s constantly inventive choreography. Strong company performances—among them Edward Watson's Leontes, Zenaida Yanowsky's Paulina and Sarah Lamb's Perdita—put the finishing touches to a gleaming production.

In Like Water for Chocolate, a modern Mexican classic provides the basis for a theatrical tale of love, jealousy, repression, and revolution. The 2022 production reunited Wheeldon with Talbot and Crowley, now an established and stellar creative team. Inspired by Laura Esquivel’s novel, the central character’s emotions spill out through cooking to influence everyone around her in startling and dramatic ways. The full Company, led by Francesca Hayward as Tita and Marcelino Sambe as Pedro, reshape this captivating family saga into a richly layered and engrossing new ballet where passion, mystery and magic combine.

Julia Bullock, Joyce DiDonato and Jakub Józef Orlinski star in Katie Mitchell’s thrilling new production of Handel’s Theodora in an alternative modern-day reality, Theodora, a religious fundamentalist, plots for the resistance against the Roman occupation. But when her secret plan to destroy the Roman embassy is discovered, she learns the true brutality of her oppressors. Not heard in Covent Garden since the 18th Century and sung in the original English libretto by Thomas Morell, Theodora is a tour de force for soloists and chorus alike, with ensembles, duets and arias of profound depth and beauty. This new interpretation, conducted by Baroque specialist Harry Bicket, shines a new, feminist light on the story.

From the headlong rush of the overture, Mozart’s timeless comedy is a breathless journey through one very eventful day in the life of an 1830s château. Figaro and his bride Susanna conspire to foil the unwanted advances of Count Almaviva, while the Countess has her heart stolen by a cross-dressing pageboy. Mozart’s music unfolds with beautiful solos and ensembles to amplify the deep emotions behind the seemingly farcical surface. Music Director of The Royal Opera Antonio Pappano brings his specialist perspective to Mozart’s effervescent score. A young and predominantly Italian cast, including Ricardo Fassi, Giulia Semenzato and Germán E. Alcántara, perform this revival of David McVicar’s sumptuous and hugely popular period staging.

Marianela Nunez and Vadim Muntagirov star as Cinderella and The Prince in Frederick Ashton’s timeless reworking of Charles Perrault’s famous rags-to-riches story, showcasing the choreographer’s deft musicality and the beauty of Prokofiev’s transcendent score. A creative team steeped in the magic of theatre, film, dance and opera brings new atmosphere to Cinderella’s ethereal world of fairy godmothers and pumpkin carriages, handsome princes and finding true love

Rusalka, a water spirit, lives with her family in the pure waters of the forest lake. When she falls in love with a Prince, she sacrifices her voice and leaves her home in the hope of finding true love in a new world - a world that does not love her back.�Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee create a poetic, contemporary new staging of Dvorak's lyric fairy tale, revealing our uneasy relationship with the natural world and humanity's attempts to own and tame it. Semyon Bychkov conducts an all-star cast featuring Asmik Grigorian in the title role.

Adam: Giselle

Poulenc wrote his "Stabat Mater," a hauntingly passionate work, after visiting the sacred shrine of the Black Madonna of Rocamadour. He made a pilgrimage to her remote chapel in the south of France after a good friend of his was hilled in a car accident.

PROM AT THE PALACE
Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Thomas Allen,The London Adventist Chorale, Julian Bliss, Ashley Wass, Roberto Bolle, Zenaida Yanowsky, Mstislav Rostropovich with cello section LSO, The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus Sir Andrew Davis

All-time classical favourites from the first ever public concert held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, hosted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
FEATURING Music by Walton, Handel, Bizet, Gershwin, Messager, Holst, Tchaikovsky, Rossini, German, Arnold, Villa-Lobos, Puccini, Verdi, Elgar and Arne. PLUS special performances from the magnificent ballroom & the music room of Buckingham Palace ‘...some of the world’s finest classical artists gave their all. ...The whole atmosphere even before the concert was great. It doesn’t get better than this.’ THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

‘This is a souvenir d’occasion of the first ever public concert held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace… Bob Coles’s slick direction captures the spirit of the evening… undoubtedly gives us – the uninvited millions – a better view and sound mix than that which those present experienced. …[an] unmissable turn was the astonishing 12-year-old clarinettist Julian Bliss in Messager’s Solo de concours.’ BBC Music Magazine

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players, and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Franz Léhar
THE MERRY WIDOW
(Sung in English)
(Blu-ray Disc Version)

Anna Glawari – Yvonne Kenny
Count Danilo Danilovitch – Bo Skovhus
Valencienne – Angelika Kirchschlager
Camille de Rosillon – Gregory Turay
Baron Mirko Zeta – Carlo Hartmann
Vicomte Cascada – Curtis Sullivan
Raoul de St. Brioche – Jonathan Boyd
Kromow – Bob Amaral
Olga – Marnie Breckenridge
Pritschitch – William Saetre
Praskowia – Jayne Taini
Bogdanovitch – Peter Strummer
Sylviane – Colleen McGrath
Njegus – Elijah Chester
Zozo – Janice Lynde
Maître d’hôtel – Matt Logan

San Francisco Opera Ballet
San Francisco Opera Chorus
San Francisco Opera Orchestra
Erich Kunzel, conductor

Lotfi Mansouri, stage director

Recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco on 8 December 2001.

Bonus:
- Illustrated synopsis and cast gallery
- Impressions - Lotfi Mansouri, Yvonne Kenny, Bo Skovhus, Angelika Kirchschlager and Gregory Turay discuss The Merry Widow.

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and 4.0
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: French, German, Spanish
Running time: 189 mins
No. of DVDs: 1 (BD 50)