Marie McLaughlin Movies

This performance of Giacomo Puccini's opera about a scheming father features the vocal talents of Alessandro Corbelli and Felicity Palmer. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

In lieu of offering a straightforward presentation of the seminal Verdi opera La Traviata, this documentary cross-sections that epic to analyze the content, background, history, and cultural significance of the work. The program begins with the dramatic basis for the opera - Alexandre Dumas's 1848 novel La dame aux camélias -and discusses how Verdi's creation, like the Dumas work that inspired and defined it, made history with its scandalous tale of a courtesan who broke the rules of bourgeois society in order to achieve lasting happiness and personal fulfillment. The program then touches on the opera's (related) status as the first operatic work in history to be based on a drama of morals, before moving into a discussion of the composer's intentions and the musical content of the opus. The documentary features clips from productions of La Traviata by such notables as Peter Hall and Francesca Zambello, with arias performed by luminaries including Angela Gheorghiu, Carla Basto and Marie McLaughlin. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

The 1992 Broadway cast performs Leonard Bernstein's musical comedy On the Town, based on an idea by Jerome Robbins. Three sailors -- Gabey (Thomas Hampson), Chip (Kurt Ollmann), and Ozzie (David Garrison) -- run around New York City when they are granted shore leave. In 24 hours time, they manage to meet three city girls (Frederica von Stade, Tyne Daly, and Marie McLaughlin). The music is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, with chorus master Terry Edwards conducting the London Voices. Lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green provide video narration. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the most important symphonic composers of the classical era, but Fidelio, the story of one man's struggle for freedom, independence, and love, was his only attempt at an opera. This video documents a production of Fidelio staged at Great Britain's Royal Opera House, with Gabriela Benackova, Josef Protschka, and Neill Archer leading the cast; Christoph von Dohnamyi conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Bayerischen Rundfunks Choir and Symphony Orchestra perform Mozart's final, unfinished work. ~ Rovi

This performance of Bizet's opera, Carmen features the vocal talents of Maria Ewing in the title role. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi