Opera Movies

One of the late 19th and early 20th century composer Giacomo Puccini's operatic masterworks, Tosca receives a new interpretation in this stage production mounted by Nuria Espert and filmed at the Teatro Real in January 2004 on high-definition video. The now age-old story, by Victorien Sardu, unfolds around 1800 in Rome. The premise involves a series of political intrigues that spring up when Floria Tosca falls in love with Mario Cavaradossi, a painter who has illegally assisted her brother Cesare Angelotti in escaping from the malevolent police chief Scarpia. Hot on the trail of Angelotti,Scarpia arrests Cavaradossi and refuses to release him unless Tosca accedes to his amorous demands; a number of betrayals and homicides follow. In this production, acclaimed soprano Daniela Dessi interprets the role of Tosca, with Fabio Armiliato as Cavaradossi, Ruggero Raimondi as Scarpia, and Marco Spotti as Angelotti. The Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real, Madrid provide musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

This performance of Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier features the vocal talents of Gwyneth Jones in the lead role. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

This production of Jean Philippe Rameau's Les Boreades stars Barbara Bonney as Alphise, a princess willing to forego her birthright in order to avoid an arranged marriage. This opera has had a troubled history, and was actually performed in full for the first time years after Rameau's death. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Pierre Audi stages and Brian Large directs this theatrical performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 1791 opera Die Zauberflote (AKA The Magic Flute), with its familiar story of the priest Sarastro and The Queen of the Night's attempts to free Pamina from one another's control. Christian Gerhaher, Genia Kühmeier, Paul Groves and Diana Damrau co-star; the Wiener Staatsopernchor and the Wiener Philharmoniker, under the baton of Riccardo Muti, provide musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Celebrated stage director Peter Sellars supervised this unusual production of Mozart's beloved comic opera, with the action transferred to a diner near the seashore sometime in the '50s. In Cosi Fan Tutte, Ferrando (Frank Kelley) and Guilielmo (James Maddalena) are two bachelors who decide to find out how devoted their sweethearts Fiordiligi (Susan Larson) and Dorabella (Janice Felty) really are by disguising themselves as dashing visitors from overseas to see if the ladies will remain faithful. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Peter Sellars directs Mozart's "Nozze Di Figaro" accompanied by the Vienna Philharmonic under the direction of Craig Smith with the Arnold Schonberg Choir in Italian with English subtitles. ~ Rovi

Two productions starring renowned opera soprano Angela Gheorghiu are brought together in this release from Decca Classics. Art Of Angela Gheorghiu includes a performance of Verdi's La Traviata as well as Donizetti's L'Elisir D'Amore (The Elixir of Love). ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

One of Richard Wagner's most enduring works, this bold operatic tale of a medieval knight's struggle for freedom against the gods was given a striking production by the Metropolitan Opera, and this video captures the performance for the ages. Eva Marton, Richard Cassilly, Tatiana Troyanos and Bernd Weikl lead the cast; James Levine conducts the orchestra. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Opus Arte presents this 2003 performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Aida by the Gran Teatre del Liceu. With a cast featuring such notables as Daniela Dessi, Fabio Armiliato, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Roberto Scandiuzzi, and Juan Pons, this production was also performed using the historic "trompe-l'oeil" paper sets of Josep Mestres Cabanes (made from 1936-1945). ~ Dana Rowader, Rovi

This production of Borodin' Prince Igor was recorded at the Marinsky Theater in St. Peterburg and contains the original choreography devised by Mikhail Fokine. The story of political intrigue and forbidden love features Nikolai Putilin in the title role. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

This performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Don Carlo was recorded live at La Scala, Milano in 1992 and features the vocal talents of Luciano Pavarotti in the title role. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

TDK presents this performance of Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons at the Venetian Villas. Conductor Claudio Scimone leads I Solisti Veneti, while Gabriele Cazzola directs this recording for television and video. ~ Dana Rowader, Rovi

The Opera national de Paris mounted this elaborate production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera La Clemenza di Tito in 2006; it starsSusan Graham, Hannah Esther Minutillo, Catherine Naglestad and Ekaterina Siurina; the Orchestra and Chorus of the Opera national de Paris provide musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi