Acting
Donna Leonora, daughter of the Marquis of Calatrava, is about to flee secretly with her lover Don Alvaro (son of the Viceroy of Mexico and an Inca princess). The Marquis bursts in unexpectedly. Alvaro hesitates to raise his weapon against his lover’s father and throws his pistol. As it falls, the pistol goes off and the Marquis is mortally wounded. As he lies dying, he curses his daughter. Don Carlo di Vargas, Leonora’s brother, resolves to avenge his sister and her fiancé for their father’s death. In the turmoil of the chase, Leonora and Alvaro lose track of one another... ‘La forza del destino’ is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, adapted from the play ‘Don Álvaro o la fuerza del destino’ (Spain, 1835) by Ángel de Saavedra, the Duke of Rivas. Premiered on 10 November 1862 at the Imperial Theatre in Saint Petersburg. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas “Tutto Verdi”. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 2 and 5 February 2011.
‘Nabucco’, or ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ (Italian: Nabucco), is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi with a libretto by T. Solera, based on events described in the Bible. (Nabucco is a shortened Italian rendering of the name of King Nebuchadnezzar II). It was this opera, the third in Verdi’s oeuvre, that brought him true fame. It tells of the tribulations of the Jews, their captivity by the Babylonians, and their subsequent release to their homeland by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. Giuseppe Verdi’s opera ‘Nabucco’, is a monumental work that tells the story of the enslavement of the Hebrew people by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco) and their journey towards redemption. The premiere took place on 9 March 1842 at La Scala in Milan. The first performance of the final version was held at the Teatro San Giacomo in Corfu in September 1844. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas, ‘Tutto Verdi’. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma, 12–14 October 2009.
Part of Tutto Verdi series - La battaglia di Legnano (2012) Trieste. 'La battaglia di Legnano' ('The Battle of Legnano') is an opera in four acts, with music by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian-language libretto by Salvadore Cammarano. Most of the early Verdi operas are sort of rare for a reason. They do not rise to the heights of genius that his middle period and late period operas did. However, there are always some beautiful arias or choruses and most of them are great fun......sort of like bel canto on steroids! What I mean is that you can hear that he was coming from the bel canto tradition, but he liked to inject a lot more power into the characters and their music.
I Lombardi alla prima crociata (The Lombards on the First Crusade) was Verdi’s fourth opera and received its first performance at La Scala, Milan, in February 1843. The grandiloquent subject matter is fleshed-out with broad-brushed musical and dramatic effects and lavish choral scenes created a correspondingly impressive impact. A great success in Milan, it spread to the rest of Europe within a matter of only a few years.
A requiem inspired by the death, on May 22, 1873, of the Italian poet and writer Alessandro Manzoni, author of the novel “The Betrothal”. Giuseppe Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem” (more commonly known as the “Verdi Requiem”) is a requiem mass for soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass), double choir, and orchestra, premiered on May 22, 1874, at the Church of San Marco in Milan. The Requiem is Verdi’s only major composition not intended for the opera. From the 27-opera Verdi box set “Tutto Verdi.” Recorded live at the Teatro Farnese in Parma on October 8, 2011.
A tragedy through and through, then: intense, deep and profoundly romantic. Anna Bolena is a very significant work in the history of opera, as well as in Donizetti’s own personal history. In this Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo production Dimitra Theodossiou stands out as a fine interpreter both as a singer and as an actress.
The recording took place in Teatro Farnese di Parma, a kind of "mini-Verona" stage, but under roof. Probably good acoustics. But that doesn't rescue this perfomance of the Requiem mass, the fault is mainly being the conductor's, Yuri Temirkanov. He doesn't at all seems inspired of this work and not interested in whats happens on stage, if judged by the video. Particularly, he seems unintersted in the choir. The tenor, Francesco Meli, delivers a very inspired Ingemisco, but the other soloists are probably affected by the conductor.
Live performance of April 5, 2005 at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Leo Nucci, Dimitra Theodossiou, Mariana Pentcheva, Miroslav Dvorski lead the cast. The Orchestra & Chorus of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna is conducted by Carlo Rizzi. Optional English, French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese subtitles. A Hardy Classic Video release. Color, 130 minutes, 4:3, All regions IL TROVATORE Music by Giuseppe Verdi Cast: Il Conte di Luna - Leo Nucci Leonora - Dimitra Theodossiou Azucena - Mariana Pentcheva Manrico - Miroslav Dvorski Ferrando - Andrea Papi Ines - Bernadette Lucarini Ruiz - Enrico Cossutta Un Vecchio Zingaro - Raddaele Costantini Un messo - Martino Laterza Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna Carlo Rizzi, conducting
This 2002 Teatro di Livorno production of Mascagni's three-act comedic opera includes a stellar cast, headed by Jose Bros as Fritz.
Starring Ferruccio Furlanetto, Giuseppe Filianoti & Dimitra Theodossiou. From Teatro Massimo, Palermo, Sicily
Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Macbeth" staged by Dario Argento, directed by Marco Scalfi.
