VERDI: Trovatore (Il) (Royal Opera House, 2002) (HD-DVD, NTS
Opus Arte
DVD
$42.99Mar 25, 2008
Jose Cura, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Yvonne Naef and Veronica Villarroel lead the star cast of Verdi's blazingly passionate opera, in Elijah Moshinsky's new Royal Opera House production co-produced with Teatro Real Madrid, with sets by the noted film designer Dante Ferretti and costumes by Anne Tilby.
Verdi: Il Trovatore, Falstaff, Rigoletto / Royal Opera Covent Garden
Opus Arte
DVD
$71.99Jun 26, 2007
Falstaff Sir John Falstaff - Bryn Terfel Ford - Roberto Frontali Fenton - Kenneth Tarver Dr Caius - Robin Leggate Bardolph - Peter Hoare Pistol - Gwynne Howell Alice Ford - Barbara Frittoli Nannetta - Desirée Rancatore The Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House Bernard Haitink, Conductor Graham Vick, Stage Director
Il trovatore Manrico - José Cura Count di Luna - Dmitri Hvorostovsky Leonora - Verónica Villarroel Azucena - Yvonne Naef Ferrando - Tómas Tómasson Ines - Gweneth-Ann Jeffers Old gypsy - Thomas Barnard The Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House Carlo Rizzi, Conductor Elijah Moshinsky, Stage Director
Rigoletto Duke of Mantua - Marcelo Alvarez Matteo Borsa - Peter Auty Count Ceprano - Graeme Broadbent Countess Ceprano - Dervla Ramsay Rigoletto - Paolo Gavanelli Marullo - Quentin Hayes Sparafucile - Eric Halfvarson Gilda - Christine Schäfer The Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House Edward Downes, Conductor David McVicar, Stage Director
Extras: Each opera has an illustrated synopsis, various documentaries and interviews with members of the creative team
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format: Dolby Surround / Dolby Stereo Region code: 0 (All Regions) Menu Language: English Subtitles: English Running time: 8 hours 15 minutes No. of DVDs: 3
This by now and long-legendary 1953 live recording of Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore features a cast, conductor and orchestra that makes it difficult to imagine better. Led by Maria Callas and Carlo Tagliabue as Leonora and Count di Luna, the cast also features Ebe Stignani, Gino Penno and Giuseppe Modesti, among others. The legendary conductor Antonino Votto, often partnered with Ms. Callas, in this period, leads the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan, in this gripping, ever-popular operatic drama.
Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore, based on the eponymous play by Spanish playwright Antonio García Gutiérrez, takes us to 15th c. northern Spain to witness the tragic destiny of those under the control of Azucena, who is seeking to avenge the death of his mother. + The first percussion notes are solemn, setting the tone for Verdi’s masterpiece, whose main themes include abandonment, passion, power, love for one’s parents and vengeance. + This production marked the debut of Russian stage director Dmitri Tcherniakov at La Monnaie and the first Verdi interpretation by Marc Minkowski.
It's an event that draws many thousands of music lovers to one of the most beautiful cities in the world every summer: the opera season at the ancient Arena di Verona. The 2,000-year-old roman amphitheater with its gigantic stage dimensions is one of the largest and best preserved Roman construction of its kind, and with over 22,000 seats it is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular open-air venues of the world! The revered master of opera Franco Zeffirelli, who died shortly before the premiere of Il Trovatore, created a legendary scenery with groups of giant sized armored knights, a fortress turning into a luminous cathedral, an enormous choir, horses, breathtaking fights: “his perhaps best arena production” (Opernglas). It brings Anna Netrebko to the Arena of Verona where she is giving her much-anticipated debut in one of Giuseppe Verdi’s most popular operas. Next to Anna Netrebko as Leonora perform Verdi accomplished baritone Luca Salsi as Count di Luna and Yusif Eyvazov returns to the Arena as his powerful-voiced opponent Manrico. MET star Dolora Zajick as Azucena and young rising Italian bass Riccardo Fassi as Ferrando join the prestigious ensemble. “Zeffirelli gives to the arena what it merits: a colourful, multifaceted staging in which impressive mass scenes alternate with intimate moments [...]“ (Der Neue Merker) “Unforgettable” (Verona Settegiorni)
In his 'new life' as a baritone, Plácido Domingo has triumphed in the role of Francesco Foscari in Los Angeles, London and Vienna. Now he takes to the role to La Scala, Milan, the theatre that is the symbol of Italian opera. I due Foscari, premiered in 1844, famously one of Verdi's darkest operas, is staged by Alvis Hermanis, who made such an impact at the Salzburg Festival with "Die Soldaten" and "Il trovatore". Domingo is joined by two of Italy's most exciting singers, the soprano Anna Pirozzi and the tenor Francesco Meli, and the acclaimed Italian conductor Michele Mariotti. The Financial Times was deeply moved by Domingo's performance, calling his interpretation of the role "sublime".
This opera was recorded at the 2019 Festival Verdi in a new coproduction from Teatro Regio di Parma and Teatro Comunale di Bologna. I due Foscari, a tragedia lirica in three acts based on a work by Lord Byron, was premiered in 1844. It proved quite popular for the next fifty years, thanks in part to its brevity and ease of staging; in fact it’s Verdi's shortest opera. The composer also revised the libretto by the rather inexperienced Francesco Maria Piave. From the musical point of view, this work is characterized by extreme simplicity of form and by the use of distinctive themes for each character, reminiscent of the Leitmotiv technique. The simple plot describes the mortal hatred between a Venetian gentleman, Jacopo Loredano, and two members of the Foscari family - the Doge Francesco and his son Jacopo - whom Loredano holds responsible for the deaths of his father and uncle. The effectiveness of this recording stems from both the cast of singers (notably Vladimir Stoyanov in the role of Francesco Foscari) and the orchestra under Paolo Arrivabeni's direction Paolo Arrivabeni is a highly experienced, international conductor who specializes in this repertoire.
Available for the first time on Blu-ray, the lesser known Verdi opera I due Foscari is ready for appreciation by a new generation. A great cast with the likes of Leo Nucci and Roberto de Biasio is assembled at the Teatro Regio di Parma as part of the 200th anniversary series "Tutto Verdi". FAZ notes "This is how Verdi should be played".
![Verdi: I due Foscari / Arrivabeni, Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic, Teatro Regio di Parma Chorus [Blu-ray]](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/3813478-2560069.jpg?v=1786831989&width=800)
![Verdi: I due Foscari / Arrivabeni, Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic, Teatro Regio di Parma Chorus [Blu-ray]](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/51aMZ_2ANjL_801a0206-56e9-4227-9bde-cef88dc92f00.jpg?v=1786831988&width=800)
![Verdi: I due Foscari / Arrivabeni, Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic, Teatro Regio di Parma Chorus [Blu-ray]](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/3813478-2560069.jpg?v=1786831989&width=400)
