CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Natalie Dessay - Greatest Moments on Stage

starring: Natalie Dessay, Laurent Naouri, Marc Minkowski, William Christie, Michel Plasson

Release Date January 16, 2007
It is so easy to fall in love with Natalie Dessay's voice, looks, and animation. She is easily in command of the
performed piece. This DVD contains quite a number of different segments taken from operas in which she has
sung. The most memorable is the "Voice of Spring" by Strauss within the opera "Der Fleidermaus" where Natalie
literally electrifies the audience and this viewer with her rendition. She also hits high F's in the "Magic Flute" number. Her comments are very interesting and greatly add to her performances. Wish there were more DVD's like this one. She truly is a "Miracle Voice".

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Rameau - Platee / Agnew, Delunsch, Beuron, Naouri, Le Texier, Lamprecht, Minkowski, Paris Opera

starring: Paul Agnew, Marc Minkowski, Mireille Delunsch, Yann Beuron, Laurent Naouri

Release Date July 27, 2004
This is a stunning performance, however the quality of this Kultur release DVD is absolutely abysmal. The colours are very dark and murky, nothing at all like the photos on the cover. Others write that the TDK version has better colours, as well as more subtitle languages (this Kultur version only has English), and also interviews with the production crew. I've had to buy two copies then, because the opera is so wonderful it deserves to be seen in its full glory. I highly recommend if you would like this video, buy the TDK version (available from amazon.co.uk) instead!!

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Igor Stravinsky - Le Rossignol (The Nightingale)/ Dessay, McLaughlin, Urmana, Grivnov, Schagidullin, Naouri, Mikhailov, Conlon

starring: Natalie Dessay, Hugo Simcic, Marie McLaughlin, Violeta Urmana, Vsevolod Grivnov
directed by: Christian Chaudet

Release Date November 08, 2005
Get this DVD and also the Julie Taymore "Oedipus Rex" and you have two opposite poles of the mind and music of Stravinsky as well as the power of filmed stage opera and opera just for film. The brutal, gritty live production on stage of "Oedipus" is how that should be done. The dreamy, FX, studio production of "Le Rossignol" is just how that should be done. The music in both cases is perfection. They are perfect foils.

Stravinsky - Oedipus Rex

The music of "Le Rossignol" is excruciatingly beautiful. The stylistic clash resulting from Stravinsky having put the opera down to go through the epiphany of "Firebird" to "Petruchka" and finally opening...no, blowing the door off and ushering in 20th century music with "Le Sacre du Printemps" is no hindrance, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Rameau - Les Paladins / Piau, Naouri, Lehtipuu, d'Oustrac, Piolino, Schirrer, Gonzalez-Toroi, Christie, Paris Opera

starring: William Christie, Les Arts Florissants, Sandrine Piau, Laurent Naouri, Francois Piolino

Release Date January 17, 2006
"Baroque opera that Rocks!" No! I say: A Travesty! By the looks of the other reviews of Las Paladins it appears that I am in a decided minority. Only one other reviewer of the eleven faulted this production saying that if Rameau were not dead he would certainly "sue the producers" here for this desecration of his score. I quite agree. To me the thing I love most in opera is the magic of entering into another world. To leave the tangled, tortured world I live in and be transported to a fictional world of adventure or beauty or tragedy far removed from where I am now. I do not want to be besieged by the mediocraty that emanates from MTV, American Idol or the dozens and dozens of other programs thet clutter radio, T.V. and movies. If that's your thing then watch it and leave Baroque ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Bizet - Carmen / Jordan, McVicar, von Otter, Haddock, Glyndebourne Festival Opera

starring: Anne Sofie von Otter, Marcus Haddock, Laurent Naouri, Lisa Milne, Mary Hegarty
directed by: Sue Judd

Release Date March 18, 2003
The production with Placido Domingo and Ruggero Raimondi is a tough act to follow, with its sumptuous outdoor filming. However, this production is far more true to the original libretto. The story unfolds with a much more believeable and understandable story line. Our hapless Jose comes across much more clearly as to how he wound up a soldier - namely to escape a life of gambling, and even assault and battery, in addition to stealing his mother's money to support his habit. He intended to go into the ministry-but all the above blew that. So he is serving penitence, so to speak, and means to be more moral, and above all, repay his poor mother. Until the sexy, overtly flirtatious cigar factory girls make their daily showing by the guard house; where Carmen makes her sexual depravity ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Donizetti: L'Elisir d'amore

starring: Heidi Grant Murphy, Paul Groves, Laurent Naouri, Ambrogio Maestri, Aleksandra Zamojska
directed by: Laurent Pelly

Release Date November 11, 2008
The production with Placido Domingo and Ruggero Raimondi is a tough act to follow, with its sumptuous outdoor filming. However, this production is far more true to the original libretto. The story unfolds with a much more believeable and understandable story line. Our hapless Jose comes across much more clearly as to how he wound up a soldier - namely to escape a life of gambling, and even assault and battery, in addition to stealing his mother's money to support his habit. He intended to go into the ministry-but all the above blew that. So he is serving penitence, so to speak, and means to be more moral, and above all, repay his poor mother. Until the sexy, overtly flirtatious cigar factory girls make their daily showing by the guard house; where Carmen makes her sexual depravity ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Rameau - Les Boreades / Bonney, Agnew, Spence, Naouri, Panzarella, Degout, Rivenq, Christie, Les Arts Florissants, Paris Opera

starring: Barbara Bonney, Anna Maria Panzarella, Jaël Azzaretti, Paul Agnew, Toby Spence
directed by: Thomas Grimm

Release Date August 17, 2004
A must-have for Rameau freaks, Les Boreades is a fully staged production, with many incidental ballets and fabulous music by France's greatest Rococo composer. The choreography is amazing...modern ballet, and yet perfectly appropriate to the wildly ornate music. The seasonal theme here is handled nicely. Bonney is the strongest vocalist here. Agnew has that reedy French baroque tenor sound but little force and no ping. But who else would sing these roles? Alagna? Rivenq is great.
My only criticism concerns the dramatic direction. Typical camp mugging creeps in to modern baroque opera productions all the time, because no one knows what to do with all the music or the plot except to render it modern by making it funny. It gets boring. Maybe everyone should just do less. The music isn't ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Berlioz - Les Troyens / Graham, Antonacci, Kunde, Tezier, Naouri, Pokupic, Gardiner, Chatelet Opera

starring: Susan Graham, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Gregory Kunde, Ludovic Tézier, Laurent Naouri
directed by: Peter Maniura

Release Date October 19, 2004
Well Amazon asked me to do this so I make no claims at being a professional reviewer, just a fan:)
I thought this was an exceptional opera. Fantastic and innovative sets, incredible singers, and emotions set on overdrive. A must see for any fan of opera.
In my opinion the show was stolen by Anna Caterina Antonacci. Her portrayal of Cassandra is the very definition of tragedy. You would be hard pressed to find anyone more memsmorizing on stage.
Susan Graham also does well as Dido. All in all a wonderful cast.
Highly recomended.

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Offenbach in Paris / von Otter, Les Musicians du Louvre, Minkowski [Theatre du Chatelet 2002]

starring: Anne Sofie von Otter, Marc Minkowski, Les Musicians du Louvre, Gilles Ragon, Stephanie d'Oustrac
directed by: Oliver Becker

Release Date March 16, 2004
This is the first encounter of Anne Sofie Von Otter with Offenbach's music. It is highly successful.
Minkowski and his orchestra provide excellent accompaniment. Technical quality, picture and sound, is first class. Enjoy!

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

Offenbach - La Belle Helene / Minkowski, Lott, Beuron, Senechal, Naouri, Le Roux, Torodovitch, Chatelet Opera

starring: Felicity Lott, Yann Beuron, Michel Sénéchal, François Le Roux, Laurent Naouri

Release Date June 29, 2004
I don't know why it took me so long to acquire "Helene" on DVD since I have had a CD of it for many years. Recollecting initial reviews were all positive, I can only chalk it up to inertia. Well, I was delighted with the whole performance and since France is unable to to come up with a qualified Helene, they could do no better than Flott. She is not a conventionally beautiful woman, she is, however, attractive, and skilled enough to convince you that she is beautiful. Besides a performance in the theatre is certainly not as invasive as a video camera.

I only wish that in the near future there will be a production of Hoffman that is as good that this; and while Helene is not a substitute I can recommend it to those who enjoy French operetta, are not put off by spoken dialogue, and an updated production. ... Read More: