Calaf's "Nessun Dorma" from this opera is one of the most popular fragments, both among performers and listeners. Libretto Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
Arrangement more
Calaf's "Nessun Dorma" from this opera is one of the most popular fragments, both among performers and listeners.
Libretto Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
Arrangement by J. Ricordi, Milan
Performers:
Eva Marton
Michael Sylvester
Lucia Mazzaria
Kevin Langan
Theodor Berg
Dennis Peterson
Craig Estep
Joseph Frank.
Chester Patton.
San Francisco Opera Choir directed by Ian Robertson
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Donald Runnickles
Production designer: David Hockney
Directed by: Peter McClintock
Costumes: Ian Falconer Lightmaker: Thomas J. Moon
Directed by: Brian Ludge
San Francisco Opera
Director: Lotfi Mansouri
Music Director: Donald Runnickles
Produced by Judy Flannery
With the assistance of the Chicago Lyrical Opera under the direction of Ardis Krainick
Executive Producers: Jane Seymour (RM Arts), Jac Venza (Great Perfomances) close
Luciano Pavarotti brings his spectacular voice and artistry to one of the most famous of all tenor roles—Manrico, the ardent troubadour, trapped in an more
Luciano Pavarotti brings his spectacular voice and artistry to one of the most famous of all tenor roles—Manrico, the ardent troubadour, trapped in an impossible situation by forces beyond his control. The sensational Dolora Zajick, only days after her Met debut, gives an incandescent performance as the demented gypsy Azucena, thirsting for revenge against Count Di Luna (Sherrill Milnes). Eva Marton is the passionate Leonora, desired by both Manrico and the Count, and James Levine brilliantly leads the Met’s orchestra and chorus in some of Verdi’s best-known music. close
A troubled man sets about wandering the countryside, meeting a fox and snail along the way. One of the 16 film experiments made for the Sigur Ros Valtari album.
A troubled man sets about wandering the countryside, meeting a fox and snail along the way. One of the 16 film experiments made for the Sigur Ros Valtari album. close
After noted violinist Arthur Williams suffers a hand injury which ends his playing career, his hopes are transferred to his son, who prefers swing music to classical.
After noted violinist Arthur Williams suffers a hand injury which ends his playing career, his hopes are transferred to his son, who prefers swing music to classical. close
Rex Allen ('Rex Allen'), a U. S. government veterinarian, rides into the picturesque town of Pine Rock, near the Canadian border, to take the place of more
Rex Allen ('Rex Allen'), a U. S. government veterinarian, rides into the picturesque town of Pine Rock, near the Canadian border, to take the place of the regular vet who is on vacation. Used to doctoring animals in Texas, Allen finds out that herein the heart of the fox-farming industry, he is to doctor the most finicky and high-priced of fur on four feet. On the farm of Mel Richards (Tom London), Allen learns the habits of the valuable creatures from Richard's niece, Jane (Mary Ellen Kay, and her ten-year-old brother Danny (Jimmy Moss'), and on his own learns that the trusted owner of the trading post, Steve Baxter (Roy Barcroft) heads a gang that is smuggling counterfeit money across the American/Canadian border in the fox cages. close
This was a 1988 revival of a 1971 production that teamed Domingo (Vasco da Gama) and Verrett (Selika - both then very much in their prime) in Meyerbeer's more
This was a 1988 revival of a 1971 production that teamed Domingo (Vasco da Gama) and Verrett (Selika - both then very much in their prime) in Meyerbeer's discursive swan-song. Seventeen years on, they are more statuesque than sexy, but both give larger-than-life performances that contain moments of completely thrilling vocalism. The casting is very strong, with the exception of Justino Diaz's Nelusko, which has strong presence but not much vocal allure. As Inez, Vasco da Gama's fiancee and rival for Shirley Verrett, Ruth Ann Swneson sings with great beauty and has impressive stage presence, very much holding her own in the confrontation with Verrett in the last act. Domingo is refulgent of tone and dramatically convincing, and he and Verrett strike sparks. She really comes into her own in one of the most preposterous mad-scenes in all opera, where she is slowly poisoned by the scent of a giant tree, contriving to make this dramatically truthful and even moving. close
The film tells the story of two very popular Finnish singer/songwriters: Tapio Rautavaara and Repe Helismaa, who worked together until their relationship more
The film tells the story of two very popular Finnish singer/songwriters: Tapio Rautavaara and Repe Helismaa, who worked together until their relationship got frictious for a long time. The film covers the years from 1949 to 1965. Since the film is based on real-life persons it also tells much about the change in Finland during those years and of course much about Finnish popular music. close
AMIN portrays Qashqai musician Amin Aghaie, a young modern nomad and his family who despite facing steep financial, cultural and political obstacles are more
AMIN portrays Qashqai musician Amin Aghaie, a young modern nomad and his family who despite facing steep financial, cultural and political obstacles are dedicated to their art and culture. Amin travels to remote towns and villages to record the music of the surviving masters whose numbers decline each year. His nomadic family are selling their meager belongings to help support their son's education in performance and ethnomusicology at Tchaikovsky's Conservatory in Kyiv, Ukraine, but it is not enough. Amin, desperate to finish his academic education, sells his violins one at a time just to pay for his tuition. close
From the gorgeous scene deep in the river Rhine that opens the opera, up to the magic Rainbow Bridge that appears at the end, leading to a glistening more
From the gorgeous scene deep in the river Rhine that opens the opera, up to the magic Rainbow Bridge that appears at the end, leading to a glistening Valhalla, Otto Schenk’s production captures the scenic world of Wagner’s Ring as brilliantly as James Levine and the Met orchestra capture the musical world. The cast is incomporable: an astounding James Morris as the young god Wotan, the great Christa Ludwig as his wife Fricka, incandescent Siegfried Jerusalem as Loge, the wily god of fire, and Ekkehard Wlaschiha as a complex Alberich. close
Mussorgsky's quintessential Russian opera is captured live on stage in this performance by the Bolshoi Opera featuring Rimsky-Korsakov's revised vision more
Mussorgsky's quintessential Russian opera is captured live on stage in this performance by the Bolshoi Opera featuring Rimsky-Korsakov's revised vision and starring Evgeny Nesternko and Vladislav Piavko. close
La Scala went all out for its 1986 production of this grandest of grand operas, with a strong cast and, most important for a video recording, a larger-than-life more
La Scala went all out for its 1986 production of this grandest of grand operas, with a strong cast and, most important for a video recording, a larger-than-life staging. The Triumph Scene in Act II is by no means Aida's only attraction, but it is the part that makes the strongest and most lasting impression and it is the visual and musical climax of this production. Stage director Luca Ronconi brings on a procession to dwarf all processions: looted treasures, heroic statuary, miserable captives struggling under the lash of whip-bearing slave drivers. On par with these visuals is Lorin Maazel's first-class performance of the popular Grand March with the outstanding La Scala chorus and orchestra. In Act III, the contrasting tranquility of the Nile Scene also gets a visual treatment to match the music's qualities. close
The story of Jaco Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who single-handedly changed the course of modern music by redefining the sound and more
The story of Jaco Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who single-handedly changed the course of modern music by redefining the sound and the role of the electric bass guitar. Never-before-seen 8mm film, photographs, and audio recordings unveil the true story behind the legend of Jaco’s life, his music, and his heartbreaking end. close
During a riding vacation on the island Ameland, a young girl discovers a dangerous horse who distrust people. To prove that the horse isn't dangerous more
During a riding vacation on the island Ameland, a young girl discovers a dangerous horse who distrust people. To prove that the horse isn't dangerous at all, the girl secretly trains the horse to trust humans again. close
Giacomo Puccini's bittersweet opera of high-spirited bohemians and the doomed love between Rodolfo, the idealistic poet and Mimi, the consumptive flower-maker, more
Giacomo Puccini's bittersweet opera of high-spirited bohemians and the doomed love between Rodolfo, the idealistic poet and Mimi, the consumptive flower-maker, is a beautifully balanced series of tableaux depicting the infectious joie de vivre of youth and the tragic waste of disease and separation. The legendary and incomparable partnership of Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti as the two lovers has been captured in this special live recording from stage of the San Francisco Opera. Brian Large has adapted Francesca Zambello's production for video, further illuminating the fascinating interaction of Puccini's characters. Gino Quilico sings Marcello, the colorful and moody painter, whose tempestuous relationship with the flirtatious Musetta (sung by Sandra Pacetti), comically mirrors the more profound love of Rodolfo and Mimi. Nicolai Ghiaurov sings Colline. close
In the life of a teenager, Theo is nothing unusual: quarrels with his mother, attempts to find his own identity in a bustling city full of temptations more
In the life of a teenager, Theo is nothing unusual: quarrels with his mother, attempts to find his own identity in a bustling city full of temptations and unshared passions. Theo wants to grow up so much, so wants to become someone, but can’t find a way not to hurt someone or hurt himself.
In ancient Babylon, SEMIRAMIDE (Anderson) encourages her lover Assur (Ramey) to murder her husband, King Ninus. Her son, Ninius, disappears, believed more
In ancient Babylon, SEMIRAMIDE (Anderson) encourages her lover Assur (Ramey) to murder her husband, King Ninus. Her son, Ninius, disappears, believed dead, and Semiramide rules in her own right. 15 years later, as the opera opens, she is about to announce the name of her successor. Idreno (Olsen) and Assur are the leading candidates for the throne and the hand of Princess Azema (Shin), but Semiramide has taken a fancy to young Arsace (Horne), her victorious military leader who has been summoned back to Babylon. Only the high priest Oroe (Cheek) knows that Arsace is actually Ninius, spirited away to safety after the coup. As the queen announces Arsace as her successor, the ghost of her husband appears from his tomb, demanding that Arsace punish the late king’s murderers... Filmed at New York's Metropolitan Opera, John Copley's production of Rossini's last, longest and most elaborate dramatic opera brings together what many consider the definitive contemporary cast. close
