Designed to be the follow up to the best-selling 2012 'Ballets for Children' box set, Fairytale Ballets collects performances from the Paris Opera Ballet and Dutch National Ballet troupes of some of the most popular ballets in the repertory: Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Cinderella and Copp�lia. With a handsomely bound box and individual slipcases for each ballet featuring a specially-commissioned cover illustration from the artist that designs the covers for the top-selling Terry Pratchett fantasy novels. Intended to specifically appeal to the 10-16 age group, but all fans of these immortal ballets will find much to be compelled by with this budget priced box set.

Outstanding singers, conductors and directors come together in five diverse but compelling operas by Benjamin Britten. The turbulent, inward fishing community of Peter Grimes is transposed to a merciless 1980s society in Richard Jones' production. An 'outstanding' Sarah Connolly (Guardian) stars in The Rape of Lucretia, navigating the difficult tale with superb poise. Billy Budd is grippingly staged aboard the claustrophobic MS Indomitable, with Jacques Imbrailo portraying the troubled sailor in the 2010 Glyndebourne Festival Opera production by Michael Grandage. More light-hearted is the Royal Opera House staging of Gloriana, penned by Britten to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and featuring Susan Bullock as the monarch. Finally, Edward Gardner conducts the English National Opera in Deborah Warner's highly acclaimed production of Death in Venice, In which John Graham-Hall stars as the ageing Gustav von Aschenbach. These productions from some of the world's best opera houses offer five masterful performances that are an ideal way to experience Benjamin Britten's music. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true Surround Sound.

A BRITTEN COLLECTION
(7-DVD Box Set)

PETER GRIMES

Peter Grimes - John Graham Hall

Boy - Francesco Malvuccio
Ellen Orford - Susan Gritton
Captain Balstrode - Christopher Purves
Auntie - Felicity Palmer
First Niece - Ida Falk Winland
Second Niece - Simona Mihai
Bob Boles - Peter Hoare
Swallow - Daniel Okulitch
Mrs. Sedley - Catherine Wyn-Rogers
Rev. Horace Adams - Christopher Gillett
Ned Keene - George von Bergen

Milan La Scala Chorus and Orchestra
Robin Ticciati, conductor
Richard Jones, stage director

Recorded live at the Teatro alla Scala, June 2012

THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA

Lucretia - Sarah Connolly
Tarquinius - Christopher Maltman
Bianca - Catherine Wyn-Rogers
Lucia - Mary Nelson
Junius - Leigh Melrose
Collatinus - Clive Bayley
Female Chorus - Orla Boylan
Male Chorus - John Mark Ainsley

English National Opera Orchestra
Paul Daniel, conductor

David McVicar, stage director

Recorded live at the Aldeburgh Festival, The Maltings, Snape, 2001

BILLY BUDD

Captain Vere - John Mark Ainsley
Billy Budd - Jacques Imbrailo
Claggart - Phillip Ens
Mr. Redburn - Iain Paterson
Mr. Flint - Matthew Rose
Lieutenant Ratcliffe - Darren Jeffery
Red Whiskers - Alasdair Elliott
Donald - John Moore
Dansker - Jeremy White
Novice - Ben Johnson
Squeak - Colin Judson
Bosun - Richard Mosley-Evans

Glyndebourne Chorus
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Mark Elder, conductor
Michael Grandage, stage director

Recorded live at the Glyndebourne Opera House, 8 and 11 June 2010

GLORIANA

Queen Elizabeth I - Susan Bullock
Earl of Essex - Toby Spence
Countess of Essex - Patricia Bardon
Lord Mountjoy - Mark Stone
Lady Rich - Kate Royal
Sir Robert Cecil - Jeremy Carpenter
Sir Walter Raleigh - Clive Bayley
Ballad Singer - Brindley Sherratt

Royal Opera Chorus
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Paul Daniel, conductor
Richard Jones, stage director

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, June 2013

DEATH IN VENICE

Gustav von Aschenbach - John Graham Hall
Traveller / Elderly Fop / Gondolier / Barber / Hotel Manger / Player / Dionysus - Andrew Shore
Apollo - Tim Mead
Tadzio - Sam Zaldivar
The Polish Mother - Laura Caldow
Two Daughters - Mia Angelina Mather / Xhuliana Shehu
The Governess - Joyce Henderson
Jaschiu - Marcio Teixeira

English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra
Edward Gardner, conductor
Deborah Warner, stage director

Recorded live at the London Coliseum, June 2013

---

Bonus:
- Cast gallery (all)
- Introduction to the opera (Billy Budd, Gloriana)
- Introduction to the designs (Billy Budd)
- Interviews with the cast and crew (Peter Grimes)
- Comments from the director (The Rape of Lucretia)
- Britten’s Aldeburgh (Gloriana)

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: DTS 5.1 (all) / + LPCM 2.0 (The Rape of Lucretia, Billy Budd, Gloriana) / + Dolby Digital 2.0 (Peter Grimes, Death in Venice)
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Audio Language: English
Menu Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, German (all) + Japanese (Peter Grimes, The Rape of Lucretia, Gloriana) + Korean (Death in Venice) / + Spanish (Billy Budd)
Running time: 13 hrs 10 mins (opera) + 27 mins (bonus)
No. of DVDs: 7 (DVD 9)

Napoli, a cornerstone of the Royal Danish Ballet, was created in 1842 by choreographer and ballet master, August Bournonville. This timeless tale is set in Naples and focus on Gennaro, a young fisherman, on his quest to rescue Teresina, his beloved, who has supposedly drowned at sea. For this production, the Company has chosen to set the scene in the 1950s, taking inspiration from Federico Fellini's early films. Maja Ravn has created elaborate sets and constumes and Nikolaj Hubbe and Sorella Englund bring striking new choreography to Bournonville's classic routines. An entirely new musical score has been created for Act II just for this production! Leading this cast is Alban Lendorf as Gennaro and Alexandra Lo Sardo as Teresina. Graham Bond conducts this fabulous ballet, recorded live in 2014 at the Royal Danish Ballet, Copenhagen.

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

Also available on standard DVD

So memorably described as ‘a dancer who slashes across space faster than anyone else, who lacerates the air with shapes so clear and sharp they seem to throw off sparks’ (Independent), Carlos Acosta has been at the forefront of contemporary ballet since his arrival at the Royal Ballet in 1998. Here he sparkles in three of his most celebrated roles: the young lover Colas in the joyfully bucolic La Fille mal gardée, which received five stars from the Guardian, Times and Mail on Sunday; the innocent but doomed Romeo in Prokofiev’s sumptuously-scored adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous play; and, acting as producer and choreographer for the first time, as Basilio in Don Quixote, a production that wowed audiences thanks to its ‘intelligent’ choreography and Acosta’s ‘titanic determination, bullet-proof charisma [and] delectably trusting and playful rapport’ with co-star Marianela Núñez (Daily Telegraph). These three compelling ballets showcase Carlos Acosta’s world-class reputation as a dancer and choreographer, bolstered by outstanding co-stars and artists of the Royal Ballet. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true Surround Sound.

CARLOS ACOSTA – Dances Royal Ballet Classics
(3 Blu-ray Disc Box Set)

Ferdinand Hérold
LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE

Lise - Marianela Nuñez
Colas - Carlos Acosta
Widow Simone - William Tuckett
Alain - Jonathan Howells

Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Anthony Twiner, conductor

Frederick Ashton, choreographer
Osbert Lancaster, set designer

Sergey Prokofiev
ROMEO AND JULIET

Romeo - Carlos Acosta
Juliet - Tamara Rojo
Mercutio - José Martin
Tybalt - Thiago Soares
Nurse - Sandra Conley
Lord Capulet - Christopher Saunders
Lady Capulet - Elizabeth McGorian
Paris - David Pickering
Benvolio - Yohei Sasaki
Royal Ballet
Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Boris Gruzin, conductor

Kenneth MacMillan, choreographer
Nicholas Georgiadis, costume designer
John B. Read, lighting designer

Ludwig Minkus
DON QUIXOTE

Kitri - Marianela Nuñez
Basilio - Carlos Acosta
Don Quixote - Christopher Saunders
Sancho Panza - Philip Mosley
Lorenzo - Gary Avis
Gamache - Bennet Gartside
Espada - Ryoichi Hirano
Mercedes - Laura Morera

Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Martin Yates, conductor

Carlos Acosta, choreographer (after M
arius Petipa)
Tim Hatley, set and costume designer Hugh Vanstone, lighting designer

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, 2 February 2005 (La fille mal gardée), 2007 (Romeo and Juliet) and October 2013 (Don Quixote)

Bonus:
- Cast gallery and illustrated synopsis (La fille mal gardée)
- Interviews with cast and crew (Don Quixote)
- Introductions to Acts II and III (Don Quixote)

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 (all) / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote) / Dolby Digital 5.1 (La fille mal gardée)
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: French, German, Spanish, Italian (La fille mal gardée)
Running time: 6 hrs 15 mins (ballet) + 12 mins (bonus)
No. of Discs: 3 (BD 50)

Also available on standard DVD

To mark 100 years since the First World War, the Royal Shakespeare Company chose to set this uncommon but apt pairing of two of The Bard's comedies in the era of the Great War. The first of the two is situated in the relatively carefree period a few months before the outbreak of conflict in 1914; the second just after it's end four years later. Although the jury is still out on whether the play more commonly known as Much Ado About Nothing was alternatively titled Love's Labour's Won in Shakespeare's time, the coupling of plays is unquestionably fitting. The characters may be different, but the earlier comedy leaves a number of threads dangling (or labors seemingly lost) at it's conclusion, and it is much the same tensions - interpersonal, philosophical or political - that are shown to exist between other, analogous characters, and that are finally resolved, in the later play. The exquisite acting, ingeniously composed music and accomplished directing of these complementary productions by the company and staff of the RSC bring Shakespeare's comic masterpieces together to create a result both coherent and un-missable.

Also available on Blu-ray

Also available on Blu-ray

Welcome to 'Rossiniland': where the 1800s meet the 2000s, and tourists are free to wander and gawp at the scintillating spectacle taking place around them. Innovative theatre company Teatro Sotterraneo has transferred Rossini's light-hearted one-act operatic farce to a modern-day theme park, complete with popcorn stand and balloons. Mistaken identities and general confusion abound, all exaggerated to a delightful degree by Rossini's forward-thinking comedic effects. Helped by outlandish costumes and off-the-wall stage design - created by the Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino - a polished cast serves to bring Rossini's engaging drama to life, making this 'clever production' (New York Times) one not to be missed.

Gioachino Rossini
IL SIGNOR BRUSCHINO

Gaudenzio - Carlo Lepore
Sofia - Maria Aleida
Bruschino senior - Roberto de Candia
Bruschino junior / Police Officer - Francisco Brito
Florville - David Alegret
Filiberto - Andrea Vincenzo Bonsignore
Marianna - Chiara Amarù

Orchestra Sinfonica G. Rossini
Daniele Rustioni, conductor

Teatro Sotterraneo, stage director
Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino, set and costume designer
Roberto Cafaggini, lighting designer

Recorded live at the Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro, August 2012

Bonus:
- The making of Il Signor Bruschino
- Cast gallery

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: Dolby Stereo / DTS Surround
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean
Running time: 96 mins (opera) + 20 mins (bonus)
No. of DVDs: 1

#N/A

Also available on Blu-ray

Richard Wagner’s Tannhauser, a tale of the struggle between spiritual and profane love, and of redemption through love, is given a radical visual update in Sebastian Baumgarten’s controversial Bayreuth production. • Joep van Lieshout’s giant installation ‘The Technocrat’ dominates the stage, its industrial interior suggesting that Tannhäuser is in fact one big experiment. • Torsten Kerl interprets the title role, with Camilla Nylund in the role of Elisabeth. • ‘‘Camilla Nylund’s Elisabeth and Kwangchul Youn’s Landgraf deservedly received the most applause at the curtain calls.’’ (Bachtrack)

Richard Wagner
TANNHÄUSER

Hermann / Landgrave of Thuringia - Kwangchul Youn
Tannhäuser - Torsten Kerl
Wolfram von Eschenbach - Markus Eiche
Walther von der Vogelweide - Lothar Odinius
Biterolf - Thomas Jesatko
Heinrich der Schreiber - Stefan Heibach
Reinmar von Zweter - Rainer Zaun
Elisabeth / The Landgrave’s niece - Camilla Nylund
Venus - Michelle Breedt
A Young Shepherd - Katja Stuber

Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra
(chorus master: Eberhard Friedrich)
Axel Kober, conductor

Sebastian Baumgarten, stage director
Joep van Lieshout, set designer
Nina von Mechow, costume designer
Franck Evin, lighting designer

Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival, July 2014

Bonus:
- Interviews with Sebastian Baumgarten, Axel Kober, Eberhard Friedrich, Torsten Kerl and Camilla Nylund
- Short films
- Cast gallery

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: Dolby Stereo / DTS Surround
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Korean
Running time: 252 mins (opera) + 30 mins (bonus)
No. of DVDs: 2 (DVD 9)

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

Also available on standard DVD

Richard Wagner’s Tannhauser, a tale of the struggle between spiritual and profane love, and of redemption through love, is given a radical visual update in Sebastian Baumgarten’s controversial Bayreuth production. • Joep van Lieshout’s giant installation ‘The Technocrat’ dominates the stage, its industrial interior suggesting that Tannhäuser is in fact one big experiment. • Torsten Kerl interprets the title role, with Camilla Nylund in the role of Elisabeth. • ‘‘Camilla Nylund’s Elisabeth and Kwangchul Youn’s Landgraf deservedly received the most applause at the curtain calls.’’ (Bachtrack)

Richard Wagner
TANNHÄUSER

Hermann / Landgrave of Thuringia - Kwangchul Youn
Tannhäuser - Torsten Kerl
Wolfram von Eschenbach - Markus Eiche
Walther von der Vogelweide - Lothar Odinius
Biterolf - Thomas Jesatko
Heinrich der Schreiber - Stefan Heibach
Reinmar von Zweter - Rainer Zaun
Elisabeth / The Landgrave’s niece - Camilla Nylund
Venus - Michelle Breedt
A Young Shepherd - Katja Stuber

Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra
(chorus master: Eberhard Friedrich)
Axel Kober, conductor

Sebastian Baumgarten, stage director
Joep van Lieshout, set designer
Nina von Mechow, costume designer
Franck Evin, lighting designer

Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival, July 2014

Bonus:
- Interviews with Sebastian Baumgarten, Axel Kober, Eberhard Friedrich, Torsten Kerl and Camilla Nylund
- Short films
- Cast gallery

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Korean
Running time: 252 mins (opera) + 30 mins (bonus)
No. of Discs: 2 (BD 50)

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

Also available on standard DVD

Strauss's musically ravishing comic masterpiece is given a visual updating in director Richard Jones's stylish and 'gently subversive' Glyndebourne staging, one which offers 'a dreamlike distortion not just of Vienna's 18th-century past, but also of everything we know about reality' (Financial Times). Created to mark the 150th centenary of the composer's birth, the production is packed with energy and wit, its impeccable stagecraft by no means detracting from the first-class singing which underpins, among others, Tara Erraught's 'touching' (Guardian) performance as Octavian, Kate Royal's 'most graceful of Marschallins' and Lars Woldt's 'pitch-perfect' Baron Ochs (Sunday Telegraph). Conductor Robin Ticciati brings clarity and detail to the score, infusing the music with spirit and humanity.

R E V I E W:

"Lars Woldt’s Baron Ochs is rich in tone and dialect, a deliciously crude idiot, yet surprising in his muted final line and some sarcastic inflections opposite Octavian. Comic interest never flags, thanks to Jones’s deft blocking and inventive gags. Conductor Robin Ticciati, chief at Glyndebourne, keeps the London Philharmonic at a keen pitch, spreading glitter over all. It’s the standard menu in major companies today — visual provocation, musical reassurance."

-- David J. Baker, Opera News [11/2015]

Richard Strauss
DER ROSENKAVALIER
(Blu-ray Disc Version)

Octavian - Tara Erraught
The Marschallin - Kate Royal
Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau - Lars Woldt
Sophie - Teodora Gheorghiu
Herr von Faninal - Michael Kraus
Marianne Leitmetzerin - Miranda Keys
Valzacchi - Christopher Gillett
Annina - Helene Schneiderman
Italian Tenor - Andrej Dunaev
Notary - Gwynne Howell
Innkeeper - Robert Wörle
Police Inspector - Scott Conner

Glyndebourne Chorus
(chorus master: Jeremy Bines)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Robin Ticciati, conductor

Richard Jones, stage director
Paul Steinberg, set designer
Nicky Gillibrand, costume designer
Mimi Jordan Sherin, lighting designer

Recorded live at Glyndebourne Opera House, May 2014

Bonus:
- Robin Ticciati, Taking the Baton
- The Trio
- Sights and smells of a production
- Cast gallery

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean
Running time: 191 mins (opera) + 22 mins (bonus)
No. of Discs: 1 (BD 50)

Also available on Blu-ray

Strauss's musically ravishing comic masterpiece is given a visual updating in director Richard Jones's stylish and 'gently subversive' Glyndebourne staging, one which offers 'a dreamlike distortion not just of Vienna's 18th-century past, but also of everything we know about reality' (Financial Times). Created to mark the 150th centenary of the composer's birth, the production is packed with energy and wit, its impeccable stagecraft by no means detracting from the first-class singing which underpins, among others, Tara Erraught's 'touching' (Guardian) performance as Octavian, Kate Royal's 'most graceful of Marschallins' and Lars Woldt's 'pitch-perfect' Baron Ochs (Sunday Telegraph). Conductor Robin Ticciati brings clarity and detail to the score, infusing the music with spirit and humanity.

R E V I E W:

"Lars Woldt’s Baron Ochs is rich in tone and dialect, a deliciously crude idiot, yet surprising in his muted final line and some sarcastic inflections opposite Octavian. Comic interest never flags, thanks to Jones’s deft blocking and inventive gags. Conductor Robin Ticciati, chief at Glyndebourne, keeps the London Philharmonic at a keen pitch, spreading glitter over all. It’s the standard menu in major companies today — visual provocation, musical reassurance."

-- David J. Baker, Opera News [11/2015]

Richard Strauss
DER ROSENKAVALIER

Octavian - Tara Erraught
The Marschallin - Kate Royal
Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau - Lars Woldt
Sophie - Teodora Gheorghiu
Herr von Faninal - Michael Kraus
Marianne Leitmetzerin - Miranda Keys
Valzacchi - Christopher Gillett
Annina - Helene Schneiderman
Italian Tenor - Andrej Dunaev
Notary - Gwynne Howell
Innkeeper - Robert Wörle
Police Inspector - Scott Conner

Glyndebourne Chorus
(chorus master: Jeremy Bines)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Robin Ticciati, conductor

Richard Jones, stage director
Paul Steinberg, set designer
Nicky Gillibrand, costume designer
Mimi Jordan Sherin, lighting designer

Recorded live at Glyndebourne Opera House, May 2014

Bonus:
- Robin Ticciati, Taking the Baton
- The Trio
- Sights and smells of a production
- Cast gallery

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean
Running time: 191 mins (opera) + 22 mins (bonus)
No. of DVDs: 2 (DVD 9)

The Globe Theatre’s productions of William Shakespeare's As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost and Romeo & Juliet are now available in this exclusive limited edition blu-ray box set from Opus Arte.Thea Sharrock’s production of As You Like It Shakespeare’s popular romantic comedy, stirs wit, sentiment, intrigue and love into a charming confection challenging the traditional rules of romance.In Love’s Labour Lost, the bard’s most intellectual comedy, the King of Navarre and his three courtiers forswear all pleasure – particularly of the female variety – in favor of a life of study, but the arrival of the Princess of France and her ladies plays havoc with their intentions.Dominic Dromgoole’s production of Romeo & Juliet brings refreshing clarity to one of Shakespeare’s best-loved tragedies, drawing out the contemporary relevance of this passionate teenage love story.

From fake potions and feigned emotions to the follies of youth and the vulnerability of age, this set brings together two of Donizetti's greatest comedies, L'elisir d'amore and Don Pasquale, charming works packed with musical wit in which the composer looks beyond the archetypes of the Buffa tradition to create complex, highly individual characters. Both operas are brought to life in sparkling Glyndebourne productions, with first-class singing from such noted artists as Alessandro Corbelli, Danielle di Niese and Ekaterina Siurina, and expert bel canto conducting from the pit.