Die heimliche Ehe

Live from ROH 1985. Giordano's Andrea Chenier is one of the greatest of verismo operas, full of heart-stopping big tunes and powerful emotional situations. If it is not as well-known as it should be, it is because in summary it sounds a little too like Puccini's Tosca: there is a tussle between political opponents over a woman, an attempt to save a condemned man, a tenor aria about writing poetry on the eve of execution. The difference is that Gerard (Giorgio Zancanaro) is not a villain like Scarpia, he is an idealist whom the French Revolution has betrayed as much as it has his rival the poet Chenier (Placido Domingo). His temptation to abuse his power to seduce the virtuous Maddalena (Anna Tomowa-Sintow) is a momentary one, though its consequences are terrible. There is a streak of post-Wagnerian decadence in much of this--Maddalena is at least as much in love with death as she is with Chenier, and the final love duet has a deeply sinister aspect. -- From Amazon.co.uk

The production by Deutsche Oper Berlin achieves a beautiful balance between the stage drama and the music. It proves that there are still singers who can perform Verdi's melodies at the highest level and that it is also possible to bring them together into an ensemble. The production fulfills all one's expectations of the modern city of Berlin in terms of stylishness and performance.

Beethoven's opera Fidelio, conducted by Karl Böhm, featuring Gwyneth Jones as Leonore and James King as Florestan

Ellinor Patton is so wealthy that her six unsuccessful marriages are considered befitting of her status. She is currently unhappily single again and hoping for her lucky number seven. Vico, the hotel owner's son, dreams of a career as a singer and is in love with the flower girl Blanche. His father is eagerly trying to prevent both. Vico proves that he really has talent at a concert by the Mantovani orchestra.

The poor ghost of Sir Simon Canterville has been roaming his castle searching in vain for a brave descendant who will release him from the Canterville curse by performing a brave deed. An American family moves in and finds the ghost amusing, but a young girl in the family can release him - if she dares.

Of the five premieres produced during a four-month period, Mozart's "Don Giovanni" on the first night attracted an illustrious audience. In addition to the President of the Federal Republic of Germany and a selection of diplomats and politicians, high-ranking guests included theatrical directors from West Germany and other Western European countries, composers, conductors, actors, writers, painters and sculptors, not to mention rectors and lecturers from Berlin's universities and the world's leading music critics. [...] The success was commensurate with the significance of the occasion. All involved in the performance received countless ovations in front of the magnificent yellow curtain. The new building - and the new stage with its state-of-the-art technology - had shown itself to be more than capable of handling Mozart's most demanding work.

Explores the mental state of Mozart during production of his final opera "Die Zauberflöte".

The Queen of the Night has begged Prince Tamino to free her daughter Pamina from the clutches of the High Priest Sarastro, who has abducted her. Together with the bird-catcher Papageno, Tamino enters Sarastro's realm to seek her. When he finds her, the two fall in love, but they have to have to undergo ordeals before they can be together. At the end, Papageno is also rewarded with his Papagena.

Opera in one act with prologue. Based on the production of the Vienna State Opera by Filippo Sanjust. Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal

Opera by Strauss

Accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, composer Benjamin Britten's satirical look at life in an English market town delivers plenty of laughs. When Lady Billows (Patricia Johnson) realizes no girls in town are worthy of the May Queen title, she crowns virtuous Albert Herring (John Graham-Hall), the greengrocer's son, as the village's May King. The comic opera features a strong ensemble cast including Alan Opie and Felicity Palmer.

On stage, Christa Ludwig's Leonore puts all others in the shade. In this role, she achieves something rare: a perfect unity of stage character and singer. Her male disguise is believable; this Fidelio is a slender, lanky young man with whom it is easy to imagine the silly Marzelline falling in love.

Hell bent on avenging the death of his father, Johnny Black vows to gun down Brett Clayton and becomes a wanted man in the process while posing as a preacher in a small mining town that's been taken over by a notorious Land Baron.

A 1968 production of Hans-Werner Henze's comic opera filmed at Berlin's Deutsche Oper. With the plot centering around how a whole town is deceived into taking a dressed monkey as a young lord, the work features performances from, among others, Edith Mathis, Donald Grobe and Barry McDaniel. Christoph von Dohnányi conducts.

The wonderful Strauss-Zweig comic opera silent woman. This is the classic performance from Munich in 1971 with Kurt Moll, Reri Grist, Barry McDaniel and Kurt Grobe. The English subtitles allow those of us without German to enjoy the wonderful libretto by Zweig.