Manon

From “dream team” of the opera stage to “dream team” of classic and pop – Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón have long since conquered the entire world of music. Yet while their CD “Duets” ranked third on the pop charts, the opera stage remains their preferred venue. And in Jules Massenet’s “Manon,” they have found a drama worthy of their combined talents. Manon, the tragic heroine of Massenet’s work, is torn between flirtatiousness and profound love, between frivolity and deep commitment. Netrebko seems predestined for this role, with her body language alternating between girlish, introspective and carefree, and her voice radiating brilliance, warmth, mystery and longing. As the impoverished young nobleman Des Grieux, Rolando Villazón compellingly depicts the burning passion of an ultimately doomed lover with his glowing, supple, slender tenor voice.

Parsifal

It was in Zurich that Richard Wagner, as he himself noted, obtained the inspiration for ‘Parsifal’ in 1857. And it was the Zurich Opera which, in 1913, was the first opera house outside of Bayreuth that was allowed to perform the work. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Wagner’s ‘stroke of genius’, we can once again experience ‘the purest Wagner bliss’, as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung put it, thanks to Hans Hollmann’s production and Bernard Haitink’s inspired conducting of the Zurich Opernorchester.

Le Nozze di Figaro Documentary

“Mozart22” is an enterprise of utterly unique dimensions, the musical project of the century: all of Mozart’s stage works presented over the course of six weeks during the 2006 Salzburg Festival. The project brought together the greatest Mozart singers, conductors, stage directors and ensembles of the day. To make this extraordinary artistic achievement accessible to a broad public, the entire “Mozart22” cycle was recorded with the highest-quality HD technology and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. The cycle also includes 20 one-hour documentaries containing excerpts from rehearsals, interviews with artists, and background reports that shed light on the meticulously elaborated, multi-layered concepts of the musical interpretations and stage productions. The programs introduce the work in question and situate it in Mozart’s oeuvre. Each documentary is devoted to one opera, whereby the shorter works and fragments are bundled. All the operas, of course, are available from UNITEL CLASSICA. In addition to providing valuable insights from the artists, the documentaries also bear witness to the incredible logistic achievement of the Mozart22 project. At the peak of the project, about 160 people were working on it nearly around the clock. Fifty thousand meters of cable were laid out in seven venues in Salzburg. Parallel to the recording crew of the opera cycle, who required up to twelve cameras for each recording, the documentary filmmakers scurried from rehearsal stage to hotel lounge, from artists’ canteen to make-up studios in their mission to capture the unique dynamics and electrifying atmosphere of this undertaking – a project of superlatives and a landmark in media and music history.

Nabucco

‘Nabucco’ has long been at home in the Arena di Verona, and for many, the ‘Va pensiero’ chorus is, along with the triumphal march from ‘Aida,’ the very embodiment of the Verona experience. This video production vividly captures this unique experience and provides the viewer with fascinating details that escape many of the Arena’s spectators. Stage director Denis Krief casts the work in a sparse modern setting, providing a highly effective showcase for the true heroes of the evening, the singers under conductor Daniel Oren.

La Bohème

‘My principal motivation in filming the opera “La Bohème” is to set a memorial to the singers Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón,’ says director Robert Dornhelm, adding: ‘I think that this film, this music, this story will beguile not just opera lovers.’ The pairing of one of the most beloved operas of all time with the world’s current ‘dream team’ of singers is a recipe for success. Produced by Unitel and Vienna’s MR Film with a budget of five million euros, the theatrical film is helmed by Hollywood director Robert Dornhelm, Oscar nominee for ‘The Children of Theater Street’ and most recently director of the sensational four-part TV adaptation of Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace.’

Fidelio

Thunderous applause and loud cries of ‘bravo’ greeted the premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’ at the inaugural performance of the first opera season in Valencia’s new Palau de les Arts on 25 October 2006. Attending the stellar performance in architect Santiago Calatrava’s breathtaking theater complex was Queen Sofía of Spain, who added to the glamour of the event. With this spectacular production directed by Pierluigi Pier’Alli, Valencia has put itself back on the map of the international opera world. Dominating the activity on stage are two of today’s most distinguished German singers: Waltraud Meier as Leonore and Peter Seiffert as Florestan.

Making of “Fidelio”

Thunderous applause and loud cries of “bravo” greeted the premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Fidelio” at the inaugural performance of the first opera season in Valencia’s new Palau de les Arts on 25 October 2006. Attending the stellar performance in architect Santiago Calatrava’s breathtaking theater complex was Queen Sofía of Spain, who added to the glamour of the event. With this spectacular production directed by Pierluigi Pier’Alli, Valencia has put itself back on the map of the international opera world. Calatrava’s sweeping structure recalls the organic forms of Catalonia’s “Modernisme” style. Hints of Gaudì and traces of Gothic arches and nave-like spaces project a feeling of openness and freedom. Not surprisingly, “Fidelio” was chosen to inaugurate the theater’s main concert hall – an about freedom set in Spain, and in which the contrast between the darkness of Florestan’s dungeon and the light of justice and love embodied by Leonore is both heard in the music and seen on the stage.

Making of “Cyrano de Bergerac”

Domingo creates the magical illusion that Alfano wrote the role especially for him: Domingo de Bergerac” (review of the premiere in the Madrid daily ABC). Plácido Domingo’s triumph in Valencia’s stunningly futuristic theater El Palau de les Arts in February 2007 echoes the overwhelmingly positive reception he obtained at the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in this role. A coproduction of the New York, London and Valencia houses, Franco Alfano’s little-known 1936 opera “Cyrano de Bergerac” has been reawakened to life by the great Spanish tenor. Although Alfano (1875-1954) enjoyed a long and prolific career as an opera composer, he is known today above all for having completed Puccini’s “Turandot”. His earlier works not surprisingly reflect Puccini’s verismo style, but his later works – including “Cyrano de Bergerac” – are clearly inspired by Debussy, Ravel and Strauss. Opulent scoring and colorful orchestral effects elegantly underscore the tragic story based on Rostand’s famous drama of 1897, which achieved international celebrity in the Oscar-nominated 1990 film adaptation with Gérard Depardieu. Alfano’s work faithfully relates the story of the large-nosed soldier poet who pines for the beautiful Roxane and writes her glowing love letters in the name of his fellow soldier Christian, who also loves her. At an age when most singers start contemplating retirement, Domingo unearthed this opera, which was premiered in Rome in 1936, and added the role of Cyrano to his repertoire – as the 121st of his career! Domingo had long been looking for a new role that was both a vocal and dramatic challenge. He was particularly delighted by the role’s “anti-hero” quality. “It’s a beautiful role”, he asserts, “and I’m so happy I could discover it this late in my career.” With his charismatic stage presence, Domingo clearly dominates the production, directed by Michal Znaniecki and conducted by Patrick Fournillier, one of France’s leading conductors. Nevertheless, his pairing with American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky could hardly be more felicitous, as she brings a full, dramatic voice that rises effortlessly above the work’s luxuriant orchestration. The many supporting roles are equally well cast and accompanied by the expressively playing Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana.