Opus Arte Sale
Over 300 titles from Opus Arte are on sale now at ArkivMusic!
Discover audiovisual titles from the Royal Opera & the Royal Ballet such as The Nutcracker, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Macbeth and so many more!
Shop the sale now before it ends at 9:00am ET, Wednesday, August 5th, 2026!
321 products
Shakespeare: Richard II
Donizetti: Don Pasquale / Mazzola, Corbelli, De Niese, Borchev, Shrader, Platt
Gaetano Donizetti
DON PASQUALE
Don Pasquale – Alessandro Corbelli
Norina – Danielle de Niese
Malatesta – Nikolay Borchev
Ernesto – Alek Shrader
A Notary – James Platt
Servant – Anna-Marie Sullivan
Glyndebourne Chorus
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Enrique Mazzola, conductor
Mariame Clément, stage director
Recorded live at the Glyndebourne Festival, 2013
Bonus:
- Behind the Curtain
- Danielle de Niese introduction
- Staging the Opera
- Cast gallery
Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Korean
Running time: 128 mins
No. of DVDs: 1
Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos / Isokoski, Claycomb, Allen, Jurowski, London Philharmonic [blu-ray]
Also available on standard DVD
Director Katharina Thoma sets Richard Strauss’ comedy in a country house in the South Downs (a surrogate for Glyndebourne), immediately before and during the Second World War. Hofmannsthals’ conceit—that a hapless young composer has to accept the simultaneous performance of his new tragic opera with a burlesque from a commedia dell’arte troupe—is turned into a touching wartime drama of nurses, invalids and airmen, and of painful delusions and soul searching, before final happiness.
ACCLAIM
“Everything fits superbly and the production captures the fragility of happiness and the undertow of melancholy better than any I can remember. The mellow glow of the LPO under Vladimir Jurowski’s sensitive baton complements the vision perfectly, while a fine cast enhances the pleasure. Soile Isokoski is superb as Ariadne…” – The Evening Standard
“Conductor Vladimir Jurowski ends his 13-year reign as music director by drawing sumptuous Straussian playing from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 40 years of watching Ariadne, the opera has never moved me more.” – The Daily Mail
Richard Strauss
ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
Ariadne / Prima Donna - Soile Isokoski
Zerbinetta - Laura Claycomb
Bacchus / Tenor - Sergey Skorokhodov
Music Master - Thomas Allen
Composer - Kate Lindsey
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski, conductor
Katharina Thoma, stage director
Julia Müer, set designer
Irina Bartels, costume designer
Olaf Winter, lighting designer
Recorded live at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Lewes, March 2013
Bonus:
- When Two Worlds Collide
- Thomas Allen at Glyndebourne
- Vladimir Jurowski on his final production as Music Director
- Cast gallery
Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: LPCM 2. 0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Korean
Running time: 121 mins (opera) + 21 mins (bonus)
No. of Discs: 1 (blu-ray)
Rossini: L'italiana Algeri / Goryachova, Shi, Esposito, Cossi, Encinar
Gioachino Rossini
L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI
Isabella - Anna Goryachova
Mustafà - Alex Esposito
Lindoro - Yijie Shi
Taddeo - Mario Cass
Teatro Comunale di Bologna Chorus and Orchestra
José Ramón Encinar, conductor
Davide Livermore, stage director
Recorded live at the Pesaro Festival, August 2013
Bonus:
- The making of L’Italiana in Algeri
- Cast gallery
Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Korean
Running time: 153 mins
No. of DVDs: 1
Pesaro’s new offering in 2013 was an off-the-wall production of Rossini’s popular comedy, ‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’, presented as a Swinging Sixties, James Bond adventure, set in the desert oil fields of the North African coast. Davide Livermore’s gag-a-minute, helter-skelter romp followed an alarmingly life-like air-crash, which delivered the ‘Italian girl’ from Rome into the clutches of the local oil baron, Mustafa. All three lead singers (Alex Esposito as Mustafa, the high tenor Yijie Shi as the young lover Lindoro, and Anna Goryachova as the agile-voiced mezzo-soprano of the title role) thoroughly distinguished themselves – and the audience roared its approval of the evening’s entertainment.
Recorded live at the Pesaro Festival, August 2013
"Italian bass Alex Esposito commanded our full attention as Mustafà with strong, firm fioratura that raged magnificently when necessary. Mr Esposito in the prime of vocal estate, a spirited, charismatic actor of inextinguishable theatrical energy." Opera Today
"Anyone lucky enough to have seen last year’s ROF Ciro in Babilonia or the 2012 Demetrio e Polibio, will already know the wisdom and wit of Davide Livermore’s Rossini stagings. Here again, he is sure handed. Rossini would have adored it." Seen and Heard International
Adam: Giselle / Boris Gruzin, Royal Ballet
Also available on Blu-ray
Giselle remains one of the most popular Romantic ballets of all time. The story brings together an engaging mix of human passions, supernatural forces, and the transcendent power of self-sacrificing love. The production by Sir Peter Wright catches the atmosphere of this great Romantic ballet, especially in the perfection of its White Act, with ghostly maidens drifting through the forest in spectacular patterns -- one of the most famous of any scenes for the corps de ballet. Giselle dances with lightness and fragility, giving the impression of floating through the mist.
This is one of The Royal Ballet's most loved and admired productions, faithful to the spirit of the 1841 original yet always fresh at each revival. This performance features former Bolshoi star and now Royal Ballet principal Natalia Osipova in a breath-taking interpretation of the title role.
Adolphe Adam
GISELLE
Giselle - Natalia Osipova
Albrecht - Carlos Acosta
Hilarion - Thomas Whitehead
Wilfred - Johannes Stepanek
Berthe - Deirdre Chapman
The Duke of Courland - Christopher Saunders
Bathilde - Christina Arestis
Myrtha - Hikaru Kobayashi
Moyna - Elizabeth Harrod
Zulme - Akane Takada
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Boris Gruzin, conductor
Marius Petipa, choreographer
John Macfarlane, set and costume designer
Jennifer Tipton, lighting designer
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, January 2014
Bonus:
- The Romance of Giselle
- The Corps de ballet in Giselle
- Cast Gallery
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM 2. 0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles (bonus): English
Running time: 113 mins (ballet) + 10 mins (bonus)
No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)
Press Reviews
"There has never been a choreographer that I can think of who could produce three such contrasting works, and you sit watching in wonderment at the fertile imaginings of his mind." (The Daily Telegraph )
"It's grisly, and yet horribly exciting in its momentum, as the men show off to each other like skateboarders, flinging themselves into barrel turns while knotting and unknotting their legs." (The Independent )
"As far as I am aware there are no other versions of Elite Syncopations or Concerto currently available on DVD and as mentioned these are significant works in the MacMillan canon so pretty much an obligatory purchase for admirers of his work. As a programme this strikes me as an excellent triple bill as diverse in its emotional range as it is accomplished in its technical excellence from every department." (Musicweb International )
Mompou Songs
Maillot: LAC
Wagner: Parsifal
Kings & Courtiers - Great Verdi Arias / Leo Nucci
Wagner: Parsifal / Pape, Denoke, Finley, Pappano, Royal Opera [Blu-ray]
Also available on standard DVD
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Reviews:
Amfortas is sung and acted with the greatest distinction by Gerald Finley. Denoke is always striking as Kundry but doesn't have quite a large enough voice for the demanding role. The minor roles are well taken. And the orchestra covers itself with glory, tirelessly magnificent for all 270 minutes.
– BBC Music Magazine
This is a well-thought-through production whose ideas don’t fight against the music. In musical terms, too, this is a simply excellent performance. Gurnemanz is a role that René Pape might have been born to sing. Finley is similarly balm to the ears as Amfortas. Denoke seizes every dramatic opportunity which the role gives her.
– MusicWeb International
Richard Wagner
PARSIFAL
Parsifal - Simon O’Neill
Gurnemanz - René Pape
Kundry / Voice from Above - Angela Denoke
Amfortas - Gerald Finley
Klingsor - Willard White
Titurel - Robert Lloyd
Royal Opera Chorus and Orchestra
(chorus master: Renato Balsadonna)
Antonio Pappano, conductor
Stephen Langridge, stage director
Alison Chitty, set and costume designer
Paul Pyant, lighting designer
Dan O’Neill, choreographer
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, February 2014
Bonus:
- Interviews with Antonio Pappano and Simon O’Neill
- Cast gallery
Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean
Running time: 270 mins (opera) + 25 mins (bonus)
No. of Discs: 2 (Blu-ray)
Echoes from an Empire
Ballet Spectacular - Giselle, La Fille Mal Gardee, Coppelia
BALLET SPECTACULAR
(3-DVD Box set)
Adolphe Adam
GISELLE
Giselle - Alina Cojocaru
Count Albrecht - Johan Kobborg
Myrtha - Marianela Nuñez
Hilarion - Martin Harvey
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Boris Gruzin, conductor
Marius Petipa, choreographer (after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot)
John MacFarlane, stage and costume designer
Jennifer Tipton, lighting designer
Léo Delibes
COPPÉLIA
Swanilda - Leanne Benjamin
Franz - Carlos Acosta
Doctor Coppélius - Luke Heydon
Coppélia - Leana Palmer
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Nicolae Moldaveanu, conductor
Ninette de Valois, choreographer (after Lev Ivanov and Enrico Cecchetti)
Osbert Lancaster, stage and costume designer
John B. Read, lighting designer
Ferdinand Hérold
LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE
Colas - Carlos Acosta
Lise - Marianela Nuñez
Simone - William Tuckett
Alain - Jonathan Howells
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Anthony Twiner, conductor
Frederick Ashton, choreographer
Osbert Lancaster, set and costume designer
John B. Read, lighting designer
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, January 2006 (Giselle), 2000 (Coppélia) and 2 February 2005 (La Fille Mal Gardée)
Bonus:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Cast gallery
- Historic 10-minute film, “The Ballet Moves” (Coppélia)
- llustrated biography of Osbert Lancaster (Coppélia)
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Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM Stereo / 5.1 Surround sound
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language (bonus): English
Running time: 5 hrs 44 mins
No. of DVDs: 3
Talbot: The Winter's Tale
La Bete Et La Belle / Ballet Du Capitole
La Bête et la Belle is renowned French choreographer Kader Belarbi's compelling reimagining of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast - a psychological drama that explores the rejection or acceptance of difference, centring around Beauty's discovery of the depth of true love. First performed by the Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal in 2005. Théâtre du Capitole's reprise of Belarbi's acclaimed production has confirmed its status as among the best of modern ballets, combining stunning set and costume designs with striking choreography that reflects the unique soundscapes of the Ligeti-dominant musical score. Takafumi Watanabe and Julie Loria assume the lead roles in a production that instantly transports us into the beautiful dream world of this timeless masterpiece reinterpreted.
Talbot: The Winter's Tale / Briskin, Royal Opera House Ballet [blu-ray]
Also available on standard DVD
Following his delightful full-length ballet Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Christopher Wheeldon continues his highly successful collaboration with designer Bob Crowley and composer Joby Talbot to create his first ballet based on a Shakespeare play, the late romance The Winter’s Tale. The story follows the destruction of marriage through consuming jealousy, the abandonment of a child, and a seemingly hopeless love. Yet through remorse and regret–and after a statue comes miraculously to life–the ending is one of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is powerful material for ballet, with a story that allows for the portrayal of intense emotions between and within the characters, and the opportunity for the Company to create not just new central characters, but the whole world around them.
ACCLAIM
“Steven McRae and Sarah Lamb lead the company in flurries of joyful movement in a buoyant Act II, as the plot turns into a hugely enjoyable caper. By the time they’re in a chase across the high seas, you’ll be hooked.” - Evening Standard
“‘A game-changer for Wheeldon’ – Christopher Wheeldon rises to the challenge of translating Shakespeare into dance, creating one of most fully achieved story ballets to be staged at Covent Garden in years. Yet Christopher Wheeldon has turned these challenges into inspiration. Together with composer Joby Talbot and designer Bob Crowley (whose mix of video, light and set design vividly illuminates the story), Wheeldon has used this play to develop the most expressive and inventive dance language we’ve yet seen from him.” - The Guardian
Mozart: Die Zauberflote / Schmitt, Landshamer, Albrecht, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra [blu-ray]
Also available on standard DVD
Mozart’s Singspiel Die Zauberflöte seamlessly alternates seriousness and jollity, and combines philosophical ideas with a fairytale world of wondrous animals and magical musical instruments. Fusing music, technology and stagecraft, this exciting production gives Die Zauberflöte a refreshing treatment both thrilling and simple. Following overwhelming stage success, McBurney’s unique production received five-star reviews in the Dutch press: ‘a feast for the eyes and ears’ (Het Parool) and ‘Delicious!’ (Trouw) ‘‘...inventively staged...’’ (Daily Telegraph)
Running time: 156 minutes
Subtitles: English/German/French/Dutch/Japanese/Korean
Picture Format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS
Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part I
Shakespeare: Henry IV, Parts I and II
Shakespeare: Henry IV, Part II
Mozart: Die Zauberflote / Schmitt, Landshamer, Albrecht, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra

Also available on Blu-ray
Mozart’s Singspiel Die Zauberflöte seamlessly alternates seriousness and jollity, and combines philosophical ideas with a fairytale world of wondrous animals and magical musical instruments. Fusing music, technology and stagecraft, this exciting production gives Die Zauberflöte a refreshing treatment both thrilling and simple. Following overwhelming stage success, McBurney’s unique production received five-star reviews in the Dutch press: ‘a feast for the eyes and ears’ (Het Parool) and ‘Delicious!’ (Trouw) ‘‘...inventively staged...’’ (Daily Telegraph)
Running time: 156 minutes
Subtitles: English/German/French/Dutch/Japanese/Korean
Picture Format: 16:9, NTSC
Sound format: PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 Region: All Region
Donizetti: La Favorite
J.S. Bach: The Trio Sonatas, BWV 525-530
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier / Ticciati, Erraught, Royal, Woldt [blu-ray]
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)
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake / Gruzin, Royal Covent Garden Ballet & Orchestra
This magnificent Royal Ballet production of Swan Lake is an unforgettable experience. Anthony Dowell’s interpretation of Petipa and Ivanov’s 1895 St Petersburg version set a standard and style that made it a ‘yardstick for others’ (New York Times). Wonderful choreography for the entire company includes the coveted double role of the gentle and vulnerable swan queen Odette and her predatory alter-ego, the black swan Odile. It is a challenge relished by principal ballerinas, and is danced here in a spell-binding performance by Natalia Osipova, partnered by Matthew Golding as a powerful and empathetic Prince Siegfried. Tchaikovsky’s glorious score shines, given the full force of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Boris Gruzin, and Yolanda Sonnabend’s detailed, Fabergé-inspired designs evoke the atmosphere of Imperial Russia in the era of the ballet's creation.
Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
SWAN LAKE
Odette / Odile - Natalia Osipova
Prince Siegfried - Matthew Golding
Von Rothbart - Gary Avis
The Princess - Elizabeth McGorian
The Tutor - Alastair Marriott
Benno - Valeri Hristov
Royal Ballet, Covent Garden
Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden
Boris Gruzin, conductor
Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, choreographers
Yolanda Sonnabend, set and costume designer
Mark Henderson, lighting designer
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, March 2015
Bonus:
- Introduction with Natalia Osipova and Matthew Golding
- Anthony Dowell in conversation with Darcey Bussell
- Coaching Swan Lake
- Cast gallery
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 133 mins (ballet) + 18 mins (bonus)
No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)
Wagner: Tannhauser / Youn, Kerl, , Eiche, Kober, Bayreuth Festival [blu-ray]
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)
