James Whitbourn Movies

This performance of the Claudio Monteverdi opera L'Incoronazione Di Poppea, recorded live and in high definition at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu David Alden, and features vocalists like Miah Persson, Sarah Connolly, Jordi Domenech, and Franz-Josef Selig in the leading roles. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

This release contains performances of Tchaikovsky's one-act opera Iolanta and Stravinsky's Persephone, both staged at one of Spain's most admired opera houses. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Legendary operatic diva Renée Fleming toplines this classical concert at the 2011 Salzburg Festival, in honor of composer and festival founder Richard Strauss. Accordingly, all of the selections on hand here were chosen from the Strauss catalogue. The program begins with several lieder including Befreit Op. 39 No. 4 and Winterliebe Op. 48 No. 5, then moves into a rendition of the last scene from Strauss's opera Arabella, before concluding with a rendition of Eine Alpensinfonie Op. 64, a tone poem for large orchestra. Throughout, Fleming is supported by the Wiener Philharmoniker, under the baton of maestro Christian Thielemann. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

This performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Vepres Sililiennes was recorded at the De Nederlandse Opera, and features such imminent vocalists as Alejandro Marco-Buhrmester, Jeremy White, Christophe Fel, Burkhard Fritz and Elena Barbara Haveman in the leading roles. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

The Royal Ballet's signature style gestated and evolved over the course of many years, and was shaped by numerous choreographers. But few left as much of an enduring impact as Kenneth MacMillan (1929-92), who used the dance milieu to create bold, provocative personal visions onstage. This box set celebrates MacMillan's influence and legacy, with three very different productions done over a 26 year period. It begins with the 1974 Elite Syncopations, a colorful and jocular piece set to the languorous rhythms of American ragtime, that stars Mara Galeazzi, Sarah Lamb, Valeri Hristov and Steven McRae. The second production in the set, 1992's The Judas Tree, weaves a tragedy of classical proportions in its recounting of a woman who meets a grisly fate from 13 men; it stars Leanne Benjamin, Carlos Acosta and Edward Watson. Finally, the 1966 Concerto constitutes an abstract work set to the music of Dmitry Shostakovich. It co-stars Steven McRae, Yuhui Choe and Marianela Nuñez. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Concert pianist Joaquín Achúcarro and the London Symphony Orchestra (the latter under the direction of maestro Colin Davis) headline this 2009 concert of Johannes Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat, Op. 83. The event at hand was mounted at Jerwood Hall, St. Luke's, London, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Achúcarro's debut with the London Symphony Orchestra following his win of The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic International Competition in 1959. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

This ballet performance of Bayadere by the Royal Ballet, with accompaniment by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House was recorded in high definition at the Royal Opera House, and features choreography by Natalia Makarova, with renowned dancers like Tamara Rojo, Carlos Acosta, Marianela Nunes in the leading roles. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

London's Royal Opera House mounted this June 26, 2009 production of Giuseppe Verdi's 1853 La Traviata, about the heartbreaking life of courtesan Violetta Valéry. Renée Fleming stars as Violetta, while Thomas Hampson plays Germont and Joseph Calleja is Alfredo. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Kenneth MacMillan authored and choreographed the 1978 ballet Mayerling, which serves as the basis of this 2009 stage production by Britain's Royal Ballet ensemble. The work itself (which was universally acclaimed from its debut) depicts the final years of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia (1858-1889), a young man trapped in a deathly spiral of homicide, drugs and political conspiracy that ended in his own suicide pact with his teenage mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera. This version stars Edward Watson as Rudolf, Mara Galeazzi as Mary, and Sarah Lamb as Countess Marie Larisch. The score utilizes the compositions of Franz Liszt, here arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery, and performed by The Royal Opera House, with Barry Wordsworth conducting. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

The Glyndebourne Festival Opera mounted this production of Giuseppe Verdi's 1893 Falstaff under the direction of Richard Jones in 2009. Regarded as Verdi's comical magnum opus, the work was actually adapted from two Shakespeare plays, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, and brings back to the stage one of the Bard's most beloved characters: the corpulent and perpetually cowardly knight Sir John Falstaff. This version stars Christopher Purves as Falstaff, Yannis Christoyannis as Ford, Dina Kuznetsova as Alice Ford and Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Mistress Quickly. The London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Chorus lend musical accompaniment, with Vladimir Jurowski conducting and Thomas Blunt serving as chorus master; Ultz designed the costumes and sets. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

This production of the celebrated Glyndebourne Festival Opera marked a first: Italian maestro Maurizio Benini's premier turn as a Glyndebourne conductor. The opera at hand - Gaetano Donizetti's 1832 L'Elisir d'Amore (The Elixir of Love) - tells the familiar comic tale of the rivalry between an impoverished farmhand and an offensively self-assertive soldier, who end up vying for the devotion of the radiant young woman called Adina. This particular version stars Ekaterina Siurina as Adina, Peter Auty as Nemorino, Alfredo Daza as Sergeant Belcore and Luciano Di Pasquale as Dr. Dulcamara. The London Philharmonic Orchestra and The Glyndebourne Chorus lend musical accompaniment, with Maurizio Benini conducting and Thomas Blunt serving as chorus master. Annabel Arden directs for the stage. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi