# Opera productions you wish were on DVD



## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

I'm not usually a fan of watching opera on DVD as the atmosphere just isn't there for me. I'd make an exception however for Opera North's 1991 "Attila" with John Tomlinson, Christopher Ventris, Karen Huffstodt and Jason Howard. It was the most complete piece of theatre I think I've ever seen. From the moment he first appeared, John Tomlinson as Attila was simply mind boggling. (I doubt there was a red blooded female in the audience who could understand why Odabella could possibly prefer Foresto!)

It was broadcast on radio at the time, and I do have that, but it loses a lot when you can't see the staging. I've read it was staged in The Netherlands with the same cast and I've scoured the internet several times over the years to see if there were any recordings from either Leeds or The Netherlands, but with no luck.

Just wondering which was "the one that got away" for other members.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

I guess I'll say it first. YouTube will do. For me it's any production I've seen live and would like to enjoy again at my leisure. Sometimes there's so much to take in visually that we need a second look...
Two from last year:
Martinu's Juliette in Berlin is one that comes to mind straight away. It was highly regarded (Barenboim, Villazon, Kozena)
Moniusko's Strasny Dwor that I caught in Warsaw thankfully surfaced online and I was delighted to have another look, particularly at the show-stopping song-and-dance finale. A Pountney/Travers production that could do wonders at ENO.

Here's the stinger: Of the 37 operas in 13 countries I saw last year and there aren't many that I need to _see_ again, even though I like the music in most.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Opera productions I wish were on DVD??

Easy. Everything with Callas. How sad that the most we have is a Tosca and some of a La Traviata.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

The Herheim Parsifal from Bayreuth. It was transmitted, there was supposed to be a DVD, it got scrapped.


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

Don Fatale said:


> I guess I'll say it first. YouTube will do.


In that case, perhaps I should have said operas for which no video recordings exist. (I suspect that any full operas on Youtube probably are available on DVD if you search hard enough.)


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Saint-Saëns, La Princesse Jaune. As far as I know, there's no DVD of it. If anybody knows of one, please let me know!


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

First ones that come to mind:
Nozze di Figaro at ROH, 2013, a rerun with Maltman/Bengtsson/Pisarone/Crowe, Gardiner conducting. Sadly the day after a mediocre Turandot was recorded for DVD
Boheme at ROH, 2015, with Netrebko and Calleja, the final run of the Copley production
Traviata at La Scala, 2017, with Netrebko/Meli/Nucci
Rosenkavalier at La Scala, 2016, with Koch/Stoyanova/Karg/Groissböck


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Bettina said:


> Saint-Saëns, La Princesse Jaune. As far as I know, there's no DVD of it. If anybody knows of one, please let me know!


No DVD, but here's an amateur recording: 




Why _La princesse jaune_ in particular? Seeing the stage transform from a Dutch house to a Japanese landscape would be impressive!


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

SimonTemplar said:


> No DVD, but here's an amateur recording:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for posting this link!

It definitely would be impressive to see the stage undergo a transformation. I love the plot of _La princesse jaune_, the way that it explores the relationship between reality and dreams. And I'm a huge fan of exotic music, so that's another plus for me! I love all the pentatonicism and drones!


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

2008 saw one of the rare revivals of Albert Roussel's fascinating "Padmavati " in Paris at the Chatelet theater in Paris . 
This little known exotic masterpiece, set in India during the Moghul conquest many centuries ago was conducted by Larence Foster and the director was one of the leading Bollywood film directors from India who had never directed an opera before !
Unfortunately, this has yet to be released on DVD , although you can see a few isolated scenes from it on youtube . If you haven't heard the EMI recording with Marilyn Horne, Nicolai Gedda and Jose van Dam , seek it out by all means . Or the live performance from London conducted by Roussel's pupil Jean Martinon with the late Rita Gorr in the title role even though the sound is nowhere near as good as EMI's spectacular digital sound which captures the exotic kaleidascopic colors of the score to perfection .
The London performance dates from 1969 , the Roussel centennial .


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Bettina said:


> Thanks so much for posting this link!
> 
> It definitely would be impressive to see the stage undergo a transformation. I love the plot of _La princesse jaune_, the way that it explores the relationship between reality and dreams. And I'm a huge fan of exotic music, so that's another plus for me! I love all the pentatonicism and drones!


The theme intrigued Saint-Saëns. I'm seeing _Le timbre d'argent_ next month; it's a phantasmagoria in which the whole story turns out to have been a nightmare.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The original and best performance of Britten's Peter Grimes conducted by the composer with Peter Pears in the title role.

It's on CD of course, but oh to have that one on DVD!!


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I would give anything to have the Portland Opera/Virginia Opera production of SALOME on DVD. I saw this in 2015 in Fairfax, VA, and it was the best opera production I've ever seen. Here's a picture:


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## kineno (Jan 24, 2015)

mountmccabe said:


> The Herheim Parsifal from Bayreuth. It was transmitted, there was supposed to be a DVD, it got scrapped.


I've never gotten over my disappointment over that. Having been there in 2011, I've never experienced a more powerful production. I have a dub, but the quality isn't great.


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## The Wolf (Apr 28, 2017)

A lot...but in this moment:

Hamlet with Dessay and Hampson from Paris (chatelet) - Nicolas Joel
Les Contes d' Hoffmann from Salzburg 2003 (W. Meier as Giulietta!!) - oniric and beautiful production of McVicar!!!
Roberto Devereux from the Met 2016 - McVicar...the best production and a great cast!!!
Andrea Chenier from Munich 2017 - P. Stolzl...one of the best productions of year...Great cast too.
Rusalka from the Met 2017 - Zimmermann...her best production on the Met at now. Great cast too.
Rosenkavalier from the Met 2017 - Decca has homework...i write on his facebook page about. With subtitles on various languages incluided spanish XD

Would be nice if the records companies, include subtitles on various languages like DGG, DECCA or CMajor for example.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Renée Fleming / Dessay/ Graham singing Alcina in Paris 2000.


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

Premières of Meyerbeer, Halévy, Berlioz's _Cellini_, Massenet, Paladilhe etc. in nineteenth century Paris. Spectacular staging and great singing. Have to first invent a time machine and then find reliable electricity sources.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Netrebko/Villazon LA Opera production of _Romeo et Juliette_


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Any Bayreuth production between 1951 and 1970. I really find it had to believe that none of these productions were filmed. Really short-sighted thinking there. I think two of the traveling productions were filmed in Japan in the sixties in grainy black and white, but that's it. Shame really.


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## WaterRat (May 19, 2015)

Netrebko/Alagna performing Manon, Vienna, 2007. The only Netrebko Manon in wide release is her version with Villazon.

I have seen it advertised on smaller sites, but they only feature subtitles in French or German. I'm picky about such things.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Joseph Calleja and Natalie Dessay in “Lucia di Lammermoor.” 
2011 Met Opera New York.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I do hope they recorded Der Rosenekavalier with Fleming/ Garanca et al from the Met.:angel:


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

Pugg said:


> I do hope they recorded Der Rosenekavalier with Fleming/ Garanca et al from the Met.:angel:


There'll certainly be recordings of it around as it was beamed out over satellite. It comes through as a "Free to Air" channel if you have a dish at home that can pick up the signal. Whether there'll be a commercially produced DVD is another matter though.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

mountmccabe said:


> The Herheim Parsifal from Bayreuth. It was transmitted, there was supposed to be a DVD, it got scrapped.


Absolutely! I'm still hoping they'll work out arrangements for a DVD someday.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Annied said:


> There'll certainly be recordings of it around as it was beamed out over satellite. It comes through as a "Free to Air" channel if you have a dish at home that can pick up the signal. Whether there'll be a commercially produced DVD is another matter though.


I don't have a dish, but perhaps it shows up on the bootleg circuit.


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

Pugg said:


> I don't have a dish, but perhaps it shows up on the bootleg circuit.


I wasn't sure if I could mention it!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Annied said:


> I wasn't sure if I could mention it!


AS long as we do not use names it's alright.

I found another one Verdi: La Traviata

Tiziana Fabbricini (Violetta), Roberto Alagna (Alfredo), Paolo Coni (Giorgio Germont)

Orchestra of La Scala Milan, Riccardo Muti.
Once on VCR never on DVD.


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## Scott in PA (Aug 13, 2016)

A few years ago the Met beamed Boris Godunov with Rene Pape in theaters. It was excellent. I said that I must get this on DVD when it comes out, but it never did.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Scott in PA said:


> A few years ago the Met beamed Boris Godunov with Rene Pape in theaters. It was excellent. I said that I must get this on DVD when it comes out, but it never did.


The way of releasing opera on DVD by companies are as mysterious as life itself .


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

This one deserves a re-release .:angel:


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