In the depths of the Rhine, the three Rhinemaidens guard the Rhinegold, a treasure of immeasurable value. The Nibelung dwarf Alberich is dazzled by the sight of it. The girls explain that whoever wins the gold and forges it into a ring will gain power over the world, but must first renounce love. Frustrated by his unsuccessful attempts to catch one of the girls, Alberich curses love and steals the gold. Wotan, lord of the gods, is reproached by his wife Fricka: he has promised to give Freia, goddess of youth, to the giants Fasolt and Fafner in return for their building a fortress for the gods. When the giants demand their reward, Loge, the god of fire, suggests an alternative payment: the ring Alberich has forged from the Rhinegold, and his other treasures. The giants agree, and Wotan and Loge leave for the Nibelungs’ underground home.

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the...

A group of merchants and vikings navigate dramatic events both within and without in this epic music...

The life and career of Italian opera singer Farinelli, considered one of the greatest castrato singe...

The production was the Vienna State Opera debut for the young Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan – the ...

This May 2010 production of Massenet's 1910 opera "Don Quichotte" marked the opera's centenary and a...

A 2002 live performance of Mikel Rouse's Dennis Cleveland, a multimedia opera set entirely on a tele...

Fierrabras of 1823 is the last of Franz Schubert’s stage works. Rarely performed to this day, this h...

The historic, original, live airing of what would become an annual Christmas tradition throughout th...
Francesco Cileo wrote this opera about the real life Adriana Lecouvreur, a French actress from the 1...

Disenchanted opera star Carlotta Manson falls for ruffian cat burglar Barney McGann and gives up her...

Ten short pieces directed by ten different directors, including Ken Russell, Jean-Luc Godard, Robert...

Famous opera singer Dmitry Hvorostovsky performs live songs from his album 'Deja vu' by composer Igo...

The stupendous climax to Wagner’s four-part Ring cycle is brilliantly realized by the Otto Schenk/Gü...

Cio-Cio-San, the young Japanese bride of dashing American officer Lieutenant Pinkerton, finds her ro...

A Victor Hugo play, haunting and scandalous, provided the inspiration for Verdi’s mid-career masterp...
Politics and love leads to a love triangle between father, son and stepmother.

In the 50's, in Paris, the neighbors Rodolfo and Mimi meet each other when Mimi's candle blows out i...

Nabucco - live from Metropolitan Opera, June 2002. On its surface, Nabucco is about the epic strugg...

Starring the exquisite coloratura soprano Emma Matthews as the innocent girl priestess Lakmé, and su...