CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Leoncavallo - I Pagliacci / Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana / Domingo, Stratas, Pons, Bruson, Obraztsova, Pretre

starring: Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Juan Pons, Alberto Rinaldi (III), Florindo Andreolli
directed by: Franco Zeffirelli

Release Date June 14, 2005
Leoncavallo's Pagliacci is one of the verismo cornerstones of the Italian repertory. This performance does justice to the hot-blooded score with magnificent singing by tenor, Placido Domingo and Teresa Stratas. Conductor Georges Pretre, not usually associated with this repertoire, yet, he squeezes every white-hot passion out of this smoldering score. Add the magnificent production by Franco Zeffirelli, and you have all you need for one of the most exciting opera productions committed onto DVD. I saw this production at the Met years ago; I was elated when Deutsche Grammophon issued it.

CD-Charts Position 2
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Rossini - La Gazza Ladra / Bartoletti, Cotrubas, Condo, Cologne Opera

starring: Ileana Cotrubas, David Kuebler, Alberto Rinaldi (III), Elena Zilio, Nucci Condò
directed by: José Montes-Baquer

Release Date June 11, 2002
This opera is known as 'The Thieving Magpie' in English, and they probably should have used that title for this edition, since 'La Gazza Ladra' sounds to English speakers like a stomach ailment. The brilliant, rousing overture is well-known; Kubrick used it to great effect in one of the fight scenes in 'A Clockwork Orange.' The opera itself, however, is little-known and rarely-performed, which is why this German television production from the eighties may be the only chance you'll get to see it in full staging. It's a picaresque tale of village life, not unlike Massenet's 'Werther' or Verdi's 'Luisa Miller.' The plot concerns a young woman accused of capital theft by a Scarpio-like villain, her situation complicated by the fact that she is ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Rossini - La Scala di Seta / Luciana Serra, David Kuebler, Alessandro Corbelli, Alberto Rinaldi, Jane Bunnell, David Griffith, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Schwetzingen Opera

starring: Luciana Serra, David Kuebler, Alessandro Corbelli, Alberto Rinaldi (III), Jane Bunnell
directed by: Claus Viller

Release Date March 21, 2006
The music and singing are for 5 stars, specially Luciana Serra. Her technique is really great. Her coloratura is perfect and reminds Sutherland's because both had a perfect technique, specially coloratura, but not a particularlly pretty voice. As a reviewer said in other review they don't make singers like those now. What bothers me in this DVD is the stage and costumes as in all other DVD recorded at Schwetzingen, always so classical. They need a Dario Fo or similar to create something different, a new atmosphere as it is happening arround the world. Examples are La Gazetta (Barcelona), all the Mozart series and the Netrebko-Villazon Traviata at Salzburg, many others at the Zurich Opera (Cosi fan tutte, Macbeth, etc), Trovatore, Faust (Alagna-Terfel) ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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Rossini - La Cenerentola / Renzetti, Kuhlmann, Taddei, Zannini, Dale, Rinaldi, Glyndebourne

starring: Kathleen Kuhlmann, Laurence Dale, Alberto Rinaldi (III), Claudio Desderi, Marta Taddei
directed by: John Vernon (II)

Release Date February 10, 2004

Kathleen Kuhlmann as Angelina sings so warm and tender. I was ok that her high notes weren't there . Alberto Rinaldi as Dandini was fun to watch and hear.
A great production, all together including, singing , acting, scenery, costumes, lighting, direction, orchestra and conduting

I do like it a lot