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Jewels
Paris Opera Ballet
Aurélie Dupont; Marie-Agnès Gillot; Agnès Letestu; Clairemarie Osta; Laetitia Pujol; Jean-Guillaume Bart
Balanchine created several ballets for the Paris Opéra and came to the Palais Garnier regularly to oversee his works. In 2000, seventeen years after his death, a rare and precious ballet arrived at the Paris Opéra: Jewels, a work first performed by the New York City Ballet in 1967. "A gem of dazzling brilliance." (The Independent) "It is open to doubt whether even Balanchine has ever created a work in which the inspiration was so sustained, the invention so imaginative, or the concept so magnificent." (The New York Times) "It is crammed with invention and incredible difficulty." (Le Monde)

Pergolesi: Lo frate 'nnamorato
Teatro alla Scala
Alessandro Corbelli; Nuccia Focile; Amelia Felle; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala; Riccardo Muti
rare recording of Pergolesi’s second opera, a comic and colourful tale of tangled love in which three girls resist their arranged marriages in pursuit of the same young man. Rediscovered by conductor Riccardo Muti, this forgotten jewel sparkles in its 1989 period production. "...the comic brilliance of the baritones Alessandro Corbelli and Bruno De Simone, the lustrous voices of the sopranos Nuccia Focile, Amelie Felle and Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz and mezzos Manca di Nissa, Luciana D'Intino and Nicoletta Curiel, and the fluent pacing of the whole make a joyful contribution." (BBC Music Magazine)

Tavener: Choral Ikons
Various Artists
The Choir; James Whitbourn
John Tavener describes his music as resembling 'ikons in sound’ - a window on to the Divine world. The British conductor and composer James Whitbourn conducts the London-based ensemble The Choir in a programme of Tavener’s hauntingly beautiful unaccompanied choral music in performances described as 'impressive and spiritual'. "The power of the performances is overwhelming and the credit goes to James Whitbourn and his vocal ensemble The Choir." (The Organ) "The clue is not to over-dramatise the musical content - after all, Tavener is projecting a musical image, not telling a story - and The Choir thrive on the more expansive and extended images, such as Song for Athene and The Hymn of the Unwaning Light." (Gramophone)

Bellini: Norma
Dutch National Opera
Hasmik Papian; Hugh Smith; Irini Tsirakidis; Giorgio Giuseppini; Anna Steiger; Carlo Bosi
In Guy Joosten’s ingenious production of Bellini’s masterpiece, Norma is about more than just beautiful singing. It becomes a layered, timeless drama in which Norma is the archetypal successful woman struggling to retain her dominant but vulnerable position. "Norma. Diva. Callas. Three keywords that are at the core of Joosten’s staging...The story starts as an opera in an opera, but gradually the boundaries between theatre and reality become more and more ambivalent… great class!" (Trouw) "Conductor Julian Reynolds...extensively studied Bellini’s score in manuscript and introduces lots of surprising details." (De Telegraaf)

Rossini: Il Viaggio a Reims
Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris
Anastasia Belyaeva; Vladislav Ouspenski; Larissa Youdina; Daniil Shtoda; Anna Kiknadze; Alexeï Safiouline
Alain Maratrat's highly original and clever production, developed over several seasons by the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Mariinsky Theatre, took both theatres by storm. A radiant Valery Gergiev whips up a cast of brilliant young singers to unbelievable heights in a colourful, witty rendering that reinvigorates Rossini's last Italian opera. Recorded in High Definition and true surround sound. "A bubbly, spiritual spectacle…" (Le Figaro) "The depth of talent that the Mariinsky Academy and Gergiev have formed is impressive. Many major opera houses would hesitate before programming a Rossini opera that demands so many expert Rossinians." (Opera News)

The Royal Opera Collection
The Royal Opera House
Renée Fleming; Jonas Kaufmann; Diana Damrau; Joseph Calleja; Dorothea Röschmann; Eva-Maria Westbroek
"This production’s slow journey from darkness into the light…works well on the small screen, not least thanks to high-definition camera work and Sue Judd’s inspired direction for television." (Classic fM - Die Zauberflöte) "This is a 'Must See' opera! ... You'll regret it if you don't!" (Musical Opinion - Le Nozze di Figaro) "It is the best opera written over the last twenty years." ( Le Monde - Written on Skin)

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
Teatro alla Scala
Renato Bruson; Mariella Devia; Vincenzo La Scola; Marco Berti; Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala; Stefano Ranzani
Donizetti's tragedy is his undisputed masterpiece of melancholic romanticism, the doomed love between Lucia and Edgardo retold from Sir Walter Scott's novel. The 1992 production heightens the story with its dramatic design and first class performances. "Pier' Alli, the producer-designer explores a poetically Romanticised view of decaying, mist-ringed Scottish castles which in its consciously old-fashioned way chimes well with the gently singer-supportive conducting of Stefano Ranzani. The principals are all Italian and while on paper this may not be a dream cast, in practice the blend and stylistic know-how of the voices turn out extremely well." (BBC Music Magazine)

Lehár: The Merry Widow
San Francisco Opera
Yvonne Kenny; Bo Skovhus; Angelika Kirchschlager; Gregory Turay; San Francisco Ballet Orchestra; Erich Kunzel
Lotfi Mansouri’s spectacular last production as General Director of The San Francisco Opera with Yvonne Kenny making her debut in the title role, and an original ballet to set the scene ‘Chez Maxime’ bringing fresh insight into Lehár’s classic operetta. Filmed in High Definition. "Rarely does the opera stage fill the small screen so lavishly." (Philadelphia Enquirer) "Michael Yeargan’s glamorous and beautifully-wrought designs and Thierry Bosquet’s extravagant costumes. We see all too little of this kind of splendour in these cash-strapped days." (Opera) "...this is about as lavish a production of Franz Lehár’s adorable operetta as you are ever likely to see..." (Classic fM)

Handel: Handel's Water Music - Recreating a Royal Spectacular
Various Artists
English Concert; Andrew Manze
The renowned London biographer Peter Ackroyd narrates the ambitious attempt of a team of historical experts to discover the remarkable story behind the 1717 premiere of Handel’s Water Music. The result is the second-ever performance on the Thames, filmed in costume on a period barge against the backdrop of the present-day Thames. It includes performances of favourite movements from the F major and D major Suites. "“…we see the musicians moving along the river, playing Handel's music with great spirit and with remarkable success given what might seem an impossible acoustic. London's chronicler Peter Ackroyd narrates, and the result is a fine combination of documentary with top-class music-making." (BBC Music Magazine ★★★★)

Haydn: Cecilia Bartoli Sings Haydn
Various Artists
Cecilia Bartoli; Concentus Musicus Wien; Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Cecilia Bartoli in sensational form for a landmark performance of music by Haydn with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and his Concentus Musicus Wien, recorded at a concert performance in Graz, Austria. Styriarte: Portrait of a Festival: Short film on the renowned music festival founded by Harnoncourt in his home town of Graz. In Rehearsal: Cecilia Bartolia and Nikolaus Harnoncourt discuss the music of Haydn, and work on performances in rehearsal.

Hildegard von Bingen: Hildegard von Bingen in Portrait
Various Artists
Vox Animae; Evelyn Tubb & Michael Fields
Hildegard (1098-1179) was a remarkable woman. At a time when few women wrote, she produced major works of theology, music and visionary writings. She used the curative powers of music and natural objects for healing. She is the first composer whose biography is known. Her story is an account of an irresistible spirit and vibrant intellect overcoming social, physical, cultural and gender barriers. "Even with the music alone (which has been imaginatively recorded by Sequentia) this is a remarkable achievement, but to see it played out in glowing colours, imaginatively performed and beautifully sung, partly outside and partly inside, in splendidly chosen natural settings, adds an extra dimension to the drama." (The Penguin Guide)

Various Composers: Prom at the Palace - The Queen's Concerts, Buckingham Palace
Various Artists
Kiri Te Kanawa; Thomas Allen; Mstislav Rostropovich; Roberto Alagna; Angela Gheorghiu; Julian Bliss
This sensational event, held at Buckingham Palace in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, features some of the world’s most celebrated classical musicians, including Kiri Te Kanawa, Thomas Allen and Mstislav Rostrophovich. The concert was broadcast live on the BBC.