Turandot / Tosca / Love Duets – Sonya Yoncheva & Vittorio Grigolo
Turandot: “Netrebko does not merely sing it: she interprets it. What emerges is a character much more human and ultimately truer than usual” (La Stampa)
Tosca: “spectacle of monumental opulence” (Online Merker). “A Tosca to relish!” (Artesnews.it) “standing ovation Tosca at the Arena di Verona” (Operalife).
Love Duets – Sonya Yoncheva & Vittorio Grigolo: “A concert evening about love, lust and passion. Sonya Yoncheva has the full and vibrant timbre of a true lyrical soprano” (L’Arena) “Vittorio Grigolo is undoubtedly a charismatic artist and always attentive to the interpretation of the characters” (operclick)
Barrie Kosky, one of the most exciting opera directors of our time, opened his newly staged Da Ponte cycle at the Wiener Staatsoper with a character-driven new production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Kyle Ketelsen in the title role and Philippe Sly as Leporello “took centre stage (…) and dared to satirise the burden of tradition” (ORF). Hanna- Elisabeth Müller is a compelling Donna Anna, Patricia Nolz gives a remarkable role debut as Zerlina, and Peter Kellner shines as Masetto. Kate Lindsey presents a fascinating character study as Donna Elvira, and Stanislas de Barbeyrac excels as Don Ottavio. Philippe Jordan conducts the Orchestra of the Wiener Staatsoper, bringing “transparency, tangibility and poetry on the basis of historical accuracy” (Der Standard) – even in the subtly played recitatives on the fortepiano. “Kosky and Jordan met congenially in the direction of the singers.” (ORF)
Prey’s legendary Schubert song cycle for the first time on BD. Prey, best known as a master of German art song, was a worldwide celebrated baritone with an international career over 45 years at the MET, Bayreuth, Salzburg, Japan, La Scala, etc. “In his finest interpretations Hermann Prey sang Winterreise and Die schöne Müllerin with a captivatingly natural phrasing that flowed organically like a river and as such was the very opposite of the more intellectual approach of his rival, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.” – DIE ZEIT Online, 1998
In the mid 1980s, Unitel began recording a complete cycle of Sibelius symphonies with Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic. Bernstein’s death in 1990 unfortunately cut short this project after the release of Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 7. Recorded live at Vienna’s Musikverein, these ecstatic performances were the object of stellar reviews. On this disc, Bernstein’s unique and by now legendary interpretations of Sibelius are released for the first time on Blu-ray.
The beautiful, historic Teatro Olimpico in Vincenza is the ideal backdrop for this nostalgic production of Don Giovanni, conducted and directed by Iván Fischer. The settings for the opera emerge seamlessly from the beautiful architecture of the theatre as well as the young dancers of the Iván Fischer Opera Company who transform their bodies into buildings and furnishings. Andrè Schuen plays a sensual and charming Don Giovanni with a bold voice. Luca Pisaroni is an “outstanding” (FAZ) Leporello at his side: “The master-servant dynamic between the two has rarely been interpreted so beautifully” (Oper!). The sound from the pit is “clear, mellow and rich in dramatic accents (…) Thunderous applause!” (GDV). “Now that’s opera” (FAZ)
Amy Macdonald is a British singer-songwriter. After her breakthrough in 2007 with This Is the Life, she reached the top of several European charts with her first four albums. In April 2025, Macdonald announced the release of her sixth studio album Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For? and a European tour for July. The title track of the same name was already released in April.
In this intimate staging of Bellini’s masterpiece opera, Asmik Grigorian’s highly anticipated debut as Norma is “one of the best things to happen to Vienna’s opera stages in a long time” (FAZ). Set in a dictatorship of the 20th century, Grigorian’s Norma is the forewoman of a clay foundry. Vasily Barkhatov’s “convincingly concentrated, intimate staging” (Kronenzeitung) underscores the drama of the love triangle between the three central characters. Grigorian masters the notoriously difficult role with bravura: “Grigorian is a true Callas successor because every gesture and facial expression merges with her musical expression” (Kleine Zeitung). In Aigul Akhmetshina as Adalgisa, “she found a counterpart who has one of the richest mezzo voices of our time” (Die Presse). Freddie De Tommaso as Pollione completes the three-way conflict with his “clean and beautifully sounding” tenor (Oper News). Rounding out the evening musically are the “magnificent in every respect” Arnold Schoenberg Chor (Salzburger Nachrichten). “All in all, a breathtakingly thrilling evening with a perfect interlocking of stage and pit” (Van Magazin).
Ages from its premiere at La Fenice in 1851, Italian opera director Daniele Abbado brings his new vision for Verdi’s tragic opera (and Piave’s gorgeously effective libretto) Rigoletto to Venice’s historic opera house. Opening night’s cast is Eric Cutler as The Duke, Roberto Frontali as Rigoletto, and Désirée Rancatore as Gilda. Myung-Whun Chung conducts.
In the first installment of his Da Ponte cycle at the Vienna State Opera, director Barrie Kosky does what he does best. He focuses the action completely on the characters. “I think characters like Don Giovanni are like mirrors in which we see ourselves. Sometimes like distorting mirrors, sometimes like broken mirrors. Sometimes the image we see is unappetizing”. Indeed, Kosky’s character direction is “impressive” (Klassikpunk), as he uncovers new facets and puts great faith in the singers to deliver his vision. Kyle Ketelsen as Don Giovanni (“vibrant” – Der Standard) and Philippe Sly as Leporello “took centre stage (…) and dared to satirise the burden of tradition” (ORF). Hanna-Elisabeth Müller is “convincing” as Donna Anna and the young Patricia Nolz gives an excellent role debut as Zerlina alongside the “virtuosic” Peter Keller as Masetto. Conductor Philippe Jordan “plays the recitatives delicately and subtly on the fortepiano” and “achieves transparency, tangibility and poetry on the basis of historical accuracy” (Der Standard).
At the Teatro Regio di Parma, director Valentina Carrasco centres her interpretation of this early, seldomly performed Verdi opera around the horse: “The horror of armed conflict passes through the presence of horses, used by soldiers, petted and cared for, but also killed and disfigured, a symbol of those who pay the price of war without ever having started it or wanting to” (Connessi all’Opera). The cast is excellent, above all Marina Rebeka as Lida with “precise virtuosity” (Connessi all’Opera) and Antonio Poli as Arrigo, who “portrays a sensitive, human hero” with a “robust, full voice” (GB Opera). The young conductor Diego Ceretta at the helm of the Orchestra of the Teatro Communale di Bologna delivers a clear interpretation of the score as he sets a “pressing narrative structure” and highlights “the many timbral and harmonic details” of the music (Teatro). The true star of the production is the Chorus of the Teatro Communale di Bologna, which convinces with “volume, roundness, and beauty of sound” (GBOpera).
