CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Verdi - Otello / Domingo, Fleming, Morris, Croft, Levine, Moshinsky, Metropolitan Opera

starring: Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, James Morris (IX), Jane Bunnell, Richard Croft (II)
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date April 13, 2004
This is probably the best "Otello" on DVD. Placido Domingo has some moments in which his voice sounds forced, particularly in "Si, pel ciel", but on the whole, the production is excellent, with great, exciting conducting by James Levine, a very good and believable Iago in James Morris, and a really good Cassio and Emilia.
The true star of the production, however, is Renee Fleming, who is simply spectacular as Desdemona. She sings like an angel, with wonderful expression and some ravishing pianissimi. Definitely the best Desdemona I've ever heard.
The staging is very lush and the costumes gorgeous, but I really can't understand why the old Met production, which was beautiful, wasn't kept on for a few more years. I'm sure there are ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Wagner - Parsifal / Levine, Weikl, Mazura, Metropolitan Opera

starring: Bernd Weikl, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, Kurt Moll, Franz Mazura, Siegfried Jerusalem
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date October 29, 2002
As I watched Parsifal I felt grateful to belong to a society which can produce such a performance.

There will always be differences of opinion regarding musical interpretation, stage production, selection of cast, etc., but the number of dedicated (yes, it's still a good word) people involved and the enormous amount of time and resources is stunning to contemplate.

I enjoyed my first viewing/listening and expect to treasure this DVD for a long time. I am quite familiar with the opera, having played it many times (violinist), but seeing it from out front is a completely new experience. Generally it is understood that Wagner was a bit long-winded, and some more judicious cuts could improve the performance. I always thought ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

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) and ... Read More: