23-year-old Gioachino Rossini completed his masterpiece IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA incredibly quickly – legend has it in just 13 days – which Rossini attributed to ‘facility and lots of instinct’. The opera, characterized by youthful energy and bold wit, has all the ingredients for comic chaos: an imprisoned young woman, her lecherous guardian and a young noble suitor. Skilfully plotting behind the scenes is Figaro, an irrepressible and inventive character in whom many have seen a resemblance to the young Rossini himself. The score fizzes with musical brilliance, from Figaro’s famous entrance aria to the frenzy of the Act I finale. This recording sees Joyce DiDonato (Rosina) bring literal meaning to the old theatrical motto Break a leg! She did just that in an earlier show but was determined to finish her commitment and was re-staged into the production to allow for the additional challenges that come when a leading lady in a lively physical role must wheel around the other performers...
A look at the entire process of creating and developing Patrice Chéreau’s third staging of "In the S...

The tale of a quick-witted fox and her escape from confinement for a life in the forest.

At first glance, the title of Shostakovich’s opera seems to speak for itself: Katherina, neglected a...

La Vie parisienne (Parisian life) is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, composed by Jacques Offenbach in ...

David McVicar's exhilarating new production, with Anne Sofie von Otter in the title role, restores t...

Sasha Regan’s award-winning All-male Company are set to lift everyone’s spirits with a treat in thei...

"La Bohème" is one of Giacomo Puccini's most popular and timeless works and the second-most performe...

A musician is offered a job in Vienna as stage director, but his disagreements with the aristocratic...

This is a good video of "Figaro", but there are a couple of better ones available. The Bohm and the ...

All the throbbing eroticism—and ultimate heartbreak—of Puccini’s youthful score is unleashed by Jame...

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

A 12-year-old boy tries everything to join a music lovers club.

This telecast offers a rare opportunity to see the legendary Joan Sutherland in the role that first ...

Two years prior to the opening scene, the nobleman Florestan has exposed or attempted to expose cert...

Visually this is a gripping production which captures the drama of this opera perfectly. It's downri...

This Blu-ray is a splendid record of a creative production with terrific voices and direction, as go...

This thought-provoking, modern-day interpretation of Rossini's 'Mosè in Egitto' sets the scene for s...

Joan Sutherland's farewell performance to the operatic stage offsets this story of the St. Bartholom...

Takarazuka Revue's Phantom based on the play by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit.

Recorded at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1995, this acclaimed presentation of composer Gioachi...