CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Levine, Metropolitan Opera (Complete Ring Cycle)

starring: Siegfried Jerusalem, Hildegard Behrens, James Morris (IX), Heinz Zednik, Birgitta Svendén
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date November 12, 2002
I RECOMMENDING THIS EDITION OF WAGNER'S MUSIC -Wagner: Complete Operas


Label: Membran / Documents Catalog #: 223053
Composer: Richard Wagner
Performer: Franz Klarwein, Luise Willer, Viorica Ursuleac, Georg Hann, Hans Hotter,
Karl Ostertag, August Seider, Karl Paul, Margarete Bäumer, Marianne Schech,
Otto von Rohr, Benno Kusche, Eleanor Steber, Josef Greindl, Hans Braun,
Hermann Uhde, Astrid Varnay, Wolfgang Windgassen, Bodo Brinkmann, Tiny Peters,
Ortrun Wenkel, Wolfgang Neumann, Carla Pohl, Zlatomira Nikolova, Frode Olsen,
Gabriele Maria Ronge, Edward Cook, Malcolm Smith, John Wegner, Simon Yang,
Wilja Ernst-Mosuraitis, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Puccini - Tosca (remastered)

starring: Hildegard Behrens, Placido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil, Italo Tajo, James Courtney
directed by: Franco Zeffirelli

Release Date September 12, 2006
Excellent audio-video! Always a pleasure to see a Met/Zefarelli production. While the "movie" versions are very well done, I prefer to see the staged versions and the Met and Franco are tops! This a remarkably crisp image for a older production. The remastering is superb and the cast is world-class, of course.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Mozart - Idomeneo (remastered)

starring: Luciano Pavarotti, Hildegard Behrens, Frederica von Stade, Ileana Cotrubas, John Alexander
directed by: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle

Release Date April 11, 2006
Ever since the passing of the Pav, I have been obtaining as many of his outstanding performances on DVD that I can. This one is absolutely superb!

Am still looking for his La Fille du Regiment with Sutherland and not finding it.

But, this DVD I can highly recommend for opera lovers and Pavarotti lovers.

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Wagner - Die Walkure / Levine, Behrens, Norman, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 2)

starring: Hildegard Behrens, James Morris (IX), Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date November 12, 2002
Sieglinde is gloriously sung by Jessye Norman, but perhaps we must accept the heft of her physical presence as a legacy of the old tradition for operatic sopranos, so different from the nubile divas who reign today. James Morris acts well but suffers frequent reproach for being vocally past his prime; however, in this performance i find that he uses the voice he has to excellent effect, with flawless musicianship. The scenery and stage direction are stodgy, but again, this is the old tradition for the Metropolitan Opera, not the theater-savvy regime of its present general director. Deutsche Grammophon's audio and video here are somewhat below the standards of their present-day products, but acceptable.

What is unacceptable are the English subtitles for most ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Puccini - Tosca / Sinopoli, Zeffirelli, Domingo, Behrens, MET

starring: Kirk Browning, Hildegard Behrens, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil, Italo Tajo
directed by: Anthony Laciura

Release Date February 23, 1999
Excellent audio-video! Always a pleasure to see a Met/Zefarelli production. While the "movie" versions are very well done, I prefer to see the staged versions and the Met and Franco are tops! This a remarkably crisp image for a older production. The remastering is superb and the cast is world-class, of course.

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Wagner - Gotterdammerung / Levine, Behrens, Jerusalem, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 4)

starring: Hildegard Behrens, Siegfried Jerusalem, Matti Salminen, Christa Ludwig, Anthony Raffell (II)
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date November 12, 2002
Absolutelly agree with GUNTRAM'S review Behrens and Jerusalem should have been at their homes instead of singing this Ring cycle, the same as Levine. He makes no difference while directing Rossini, Wagner or other composer. After I bought the DVD I thought to throw it away, but I kept it just for the small part where sings Chrtista Ludwig who did it absolutelly great. Do not waste your money in this ring cycle.

Die Walkure worth for the Jessye Norman's Sieglinde and in the second act Christa Ludwig's Fricka....... Buy the Boulez Ring with the Dame Gwyneth Jones' Brunhilde and there you will see what is a real Bunhilde. It is a Pity that Nilsson never was taped in this role.

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Wagner - The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Hollander) / Backman, Behrens, Grundheber, Savonlinna Opera Festival

starring: Hildegard Behrens, Franz Grundheber, Matti Salminen
directed by: Ilkka Bäckman

Release Date June 29, 2004
What is the point of buying a DVD if you can't enjoy what you SEE as well as hear? I liked what I heard well enough, but visually, the production is stupid. The costuming is simply awful! Senta, for example, wears a silk and velvet dress (for spinning?!?) As has been mentioned in other reviews, the constant scenes of a pen and ink drawing of the Dutchman's ship superimposed over waves every time nobody is singing are more than annoying. The scenes of the (Finland's Olavinlinna)castle grounds at other points during the opera obviously have nothing to do with the story. The camera work is especially awful. Extreme close-ups of chorus members are pointless and the close-ups of main cast members are a mistake because of the heavy make-up they wear. Why the director decided to give ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Wagner - Siegfried / Levine, Jerusalem, Behrens, Morris, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 3)

starring: Siegfried Jerusalem, Hildegard Behrens, James Morris (IX), Heinz Zednik, Birgitta Svendén
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date November 12, 2002
If you are interested in seeing this by all means buy it and forget those yahoos with their negative reviews. I have the first three operas of the Ring Cycle and hesitated on buying the third because of some of the opinions stated here but it is wonderful. And I will buy the fourth. I watch it on my 37" HDTV and feel like I'm sitting in the first row of the Met and enjoy them all immensely. So a big raspberry to those cynical reviewers and a big hand for Levine and company. You give so much joy.

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Alban Berg - Wozzeck / Adolf Dresen · Claudio Abbado - F. Grundheber · H. Behrens · Vienna State Opera

starring: Franz Grundheber, Walter Raffeiner, Philip Langridge, Heinz Zednik, Aage Haugland
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date August 21, 2001
Wozzeck is one of my favourites operas, a work which I know in some of the most important performances: Bohm (DG), Boulez (CBS/Sony), Dohnanyi (Decca), Barenboim (Teldec), Abbado (DG)... I'm sorry about this is not, from the musical point of view, one of the best available.

The stage direction is good, a very objective work, in a high correspondence with Berg's words, very appropriate for a first watching of this opera, because you can know exactly what's happening, it's not the typical modern stage in which the action take place in a different context than the work and words talk about. So, from the visual point of view is a very clear, interesting and well designed version. It's well shot in video, putting together different takes of faces, full bodies, the full stage and even some takes ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

Wagner - Die Walkure / Levine, Behrens, Norman, Metropolitan Opera

starring: Hildegard Behrens, James Morris (IX), Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date June 19, 2001
Sieglinde is gloriously sung by Jessye Norman, but perhaps we must accept the heft of her physical presence as a legacy of the old tradition for operatic sopranos, so different from the nubile divas who reign today. James Morris acts well but suffers frequent reproach for being vocally past his prime; however, in this performance i find that he uses the voice he has to excellent effect, with flawless musicianship. The scenery and stage direction are stodgy, but again, this is the old tradition for the Metropolitan Opera, not the theater-savvy regime of its present general director. Deutsche Grammophon's audio and video here are somewhat below the standards of their present-day products, but acceptable.

What is unacceptable are the English subtitles for most of Act 3 (on Disk 2). They are hopelessly ... Read More: