"Actor: Domingo"

• The Tribute to Pavarotti | DVD | (24/02/2009) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-4.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

• La Fanciulla Del West - Puccini | DVD | (15/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Giacomo Puccini's 'La Fanciulla del West' a stage production by The Metropolitan Opera 1992.

• Ponchielli: La Gioconda | DVD | (05/11/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The Vienna State Opera's 1986 production of La Gioconda, Amilcare Ponchielli's only lasting success, was an increasingly rare event. The story--based on a long forgotten Victor Hugo drama--is an emotional roller coaster of high passion and self-sacrifice, but has fallen out of favour with the major international opera companies; instead, Ponchielli's contemporary Verdi and one-time pupil Puccini are today's guaranteed crowd-pullers. This is a shame. Ponchielli's score might be sumptuous to the point of occasional over-ripeness but it contains some marvellous arias, not least Enzo's "Cielo e mar". And whenever La Gioconda herself is on stage, it's hard not become enthralled by the richness of her suffering as painted by Ponchielli's lush, explosive music. Here is a woman who is given every opportunity to ensure the removal of her rival (Laura) for Enzo's affections, but who always does the decent thing, ultimately leaving herself with a stark choice between suicide and the repulsive paws of the evil Barnaba who has pursued her since Act I. As La Gioconda, Hungarian soprano Eva Marton is utterly compelling. It's a role that places extraordinary emotional demands on the singer (Callas, not surprisingly, had a field day with it). Marton maintains total credibility. In voice, she is well matched by Placido Domingo's Enzo, who is at the virile peak of his vocal powers, rather suggesting a strength that the suggestible Enzo doesn't really possess. But perhaps the strongest aspect of Ponchielli's opera is the way in which the vocal jewels are distributed throughout the cast. Ludmilla Schemtschuk is an elegant Laura and Margarita Lilowa as La Gioconda's blind mother, La Cieca, sings an unforgettable "Voce di donna o d'angelo". And the ballet within the opera, the "Dance of the Hours", assumes its rightful place as a gleaming component of the whole work. On the DVD: Originally filmed for television, this La Gioconda is presented in PCM Stereo with 4:3 picture format, neither of which do the overall quality any favours. The sound is uneven; when the singers turn upstage it is sometimes impossible to hear what they are singing and the orchestra, conducted by Adam Fischer, sounds dull. The colours are muted. And while the booklet provides the customary comprehensive notes we have come to expect from Arthaus products, it is surprising that the cover photograph is not of the magnificent Eva Marton in the title role.--Piers Ford

• Il Trovatore - Verdi | DVD | (24/09/2004) from £7.76   |  Saving you £23.49 (361.38%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Recording of the Verdi opera from the Wiener Staatsoper in 1978 with Herbert von Karajan conducting.

• Lohengrin - Richard Wagner | DVD | (28/03/2003) from £29.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Richard Wagner was a one-man artistic movement a figure so massive that his influence was felt by all of his contemporaries and all of his major successors.Wolfgang Weber's simple staging muted colours dark clouds barren landscapes and simple shapes succeeds in evoking clear middle ages symbolism. His staging does not impress by means of the spectacular but underlines the dramatic sense embodied in the music allowing the outstanding singers full scope to express themselves.This remarkable production under Claudio Abbado has a stellar cast. Cheryl Studer as Elsa and Placido Domingo as Lohengrin (a role which he first performed on debut at the Hamburg State Opera in 1968 at the age of 27) are the cornerstone of a dream cast.

• Parsifal - The Search For The Grail | DVD | (11/01/2004) from £7.66   |  Saving you £13.59 (212.34%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Parsifal: The Search for the Grail is a documentary that sets Wagner's last opera in its cultural context, tracing the history of the Grail myth back to the Middle Ages, and arguing that any specifically Christian myth goes back no further than that. It acknowledges that Parsifal is Wagner's most problematic opera, as well as one of his greatest, and gives chapter and verse for its role in creating the culturally respectable anti-Semitism that led to the Holocaust, as well as discussing other issues like its profound, though eloquently expressed, misogyny. At the same time, it makes what case is possible for the non-aesthetic defence--all of the above is true, and yet it is also an opera about learning compassion, at once poisonous and healing. Placido Domingo is the narrator, taking us through chats with talking heads that range from theologian Karen Armstrong to members of the Wagner family and film clips that range from Monty Python and Indiana Jones to Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal. He also performs the role in a variety of extracts conducted by Valery Gergiev at the Kirov Opera, reminding us of just how viscerally impressive and lyrically beautiful late Wagner can be. On the DVD: The Search for the Grail is presented in old TV standard 4:3 ration with only PCM stereo sound. It comes equipped with a useful set of chapter headings and with subtitles in English, French, German and Spanish. --Roz Kaveney

• Puccini - Tosca | DVD | (09/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Puccini: Tosca (Sinopoli Metropolitan Opera Orchestra)

• Francesca Da Rimini - Zandonai/Levine | DVD | (16/07/2007) from £15.75   |  Saving you £1.24 (7.30%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Over the centuries the story of Francesca da Rimini has inspired many Italian artists including verismo composer Riccardo Zandonai. A cast of three acclaimed singing actors - Renata Scotto Pl''cido Domingo and Cornell MacNeil - bring the medieval characters to life in this beautiful production filmed at the Metropolitan Opera in 1984 First performed in 1914 Francesca da Rimini is a prime example of the lush musical style of the late Romantic era superbly conducted here by James Levine.

• Puccini: Manon Lescaut | DVD | (01/01/2024) from £6.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Green Ice | DVD | (28/02/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Electronics expert Wiley (Ryan O'Neal) flees responsibility and New York city for Mexican adventure in this spectacular action romance. On the way he meets the beautiful Holbrook (Anne Archer) and joins up with her south of the border. But a meeting with the sinister Argenti (Omar Sharif) and the discovery of a sparkling collection of Green Ice in his hotel room lead to Wiley and Holbrook becoming embroiled in the deadly world of emerald smuggling...

• Luciano Pavarotti - The Last Tenor | DVD | (08/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

• Verdi: Otello -- La Scala/Muti | DVD | (19/09/2003) from £9.98   |  Saving you £15.01 (150.40%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Riccardi Muti conducts a performance of Otello at the La Scala Theatre before the start of a three year renovation project.

• Fedora - Giordano | DVD | (13/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Italian composer Umberto Giordano's opera 'Fedora' has all of the qualities of a thrilling murder mystery. On this Bel Canto Society release of an impassioned 1998 performance soprano Mirella Freni lends her remarkable voice to the title role and tenor Sergei Larin provides powerful support.

• L'Africaine - Meyerbeer | DVD | (02/08/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Meyerbeer - L'Africaine (Arena Orch/Chorus/Ballet SFO)

• The Original Three Tenors Concert - Luciano Pavarotti/Placido Domingo/Jose Carreras | DVD | (18/06/2007) from £4.99   |  Saving you £12.00 (401.34%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Orchestra Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

• The Tribute to Pavarotti | Blu Ray | (24/02/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Tribute Concert - A Celebration Live from Petra 1. Introduction 2. Overture: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) 3. Chitarra romana (Di Lazzaro)- Jos Carreras 4. Amor, vida de mi vida (Maravilla)- Plcido Domingo 5. Non ti scordar di me (De Curtis)- Jos Carreras & Plcido Domingo 6. Shall we gather at the river (Copland)- Sherrill Milnes 7. Surely the presence of the Lord (Wolfe)- Sherrill Milnes 8. Vissi d’arte from Tosca (Puccini)- Cynthia Lawrence 9. Gabriel’s Oboe from The Mission (Morricone)- Andrea Griminelli 10. Czardas (Monti)- Andrea Griminelli [Sherrill Milnes speech] 11. Guarda che luna (Malgoni)- Jovanotti 12. Have you seen the bright lily grow (Johnson)- Sting & Edin Karamazov 13. Va’ pensiero from Nabucco (Verdi)- Zucchero [Speech by Nicoletta] 14. Granada (Lara )- Angela Gheorghiu [Pavarotti introduction of Bocelli] 15. Mattinata (Leoncavallo)- Andrea Bocelli [Zucchero’s speech] 16. Miserere (Zucchero/Bono)- Zucchero & Luciano Pavarotti [Laura Pausini’s speech] 17. Il mondo che vorrei (Buffat/Pausini/Salvatori)- Laura Pausini 18. L ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni (Mozart)- Sting & Angela Gheorghiu 19. E lucevan le stelle from Tosca (Puccini)- Andrea Bocelli 20. Nel cos blu (Fornaciari)- Zucchero 21. A te (Jovanotti)- Jovanotti 22. My man’s gone now from Porgy and Bess (Gershwin)- Cynthia Lawrence 23. Vivace from Concerto in D minor (Bach)- Andrea Griminelli & Aleem Kandour 24. Vivere (Bixio)- Laura Pausini & Andrea Bocelli 25. Caruso (Dalla)- Laura Pausini & Jovanotti 26. Dunque proprio finita! from La Bohme (Puccini)- Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea Bocelli, Cynthia Lawrence & Sherrill Milnes 27. Nessun dorma from Turandot (Puccini)- Luciano Pavarotti Jos Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Angela Gheorghiu, Aleem Kandour, Cynthia Lawrence, Andrea Griminelli, Sherrill Milnes, Sting, Zucchero, Laura Pausini, Jovanotti. The Prague Philharmonia, conducted by Eugene Kohn. The star-studded official Pavarotti Memorial Concert, filmed live at the stunning ancient city of Petra, Jordan. Decca releases this very special all-star pop and classical concert to mark the first anniversary of Pavarotti's death. Performed against the stunning backdrop of the ancient city of Petra in the Jordanian desert, this is THE official memorial concert, organised and supported by Pavarotti's widow. Fabulous guest line-up includes Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Placido Domingo, Angela Gheorghiu, Zucchero, Jos Carreras and Jovanotti, with the Prague Philharmonia conducted by Eugene Kohn. Televised across the world and filmed in HD widescreen this makes a wonderful addition to the Pavarotti legacy. Pavarotti had a special relationship with the Queen of Jordan and always wanted to perform there. Unfortunately he never got to do this during his lifetime, so holding the Memorial Concert at Petra seemed only fitting. Filmed in High Definition Widescreen Extras: Memories of Pavarotti (11 minutes of interviews with artists) and the Memorial Ceremony (approximately 1hr 15 minutes)

• Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti - The Three Tenors Christmas | DVD | (04/12/2000) from £12.98   |  Saving you £2.01 (15.49%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The Three Tenors capture the joy and spirit of the season with their first ever Christmas concert. Featuring live performances of international seasonal favorites by the best-selling and world-renowned trip - all music that has never appeared on any previous Three Tenors CD or video. Recorded live at the Konzerthaus in Vienna December 1999. Track Listing: 1. White Christmas 2. Let It Snow 3. Oh Tannenbaum 4. Ay! Para Navidad 5. Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle 6. Carol Of The Drum (The Little Drummer Boy) 7. Ave Maria Dolce Maria 8. Wiegenlied I 9. Jingle Bells 10. Children Of Christmas 11. La Virgen La Panales 12. I'll Be Home For Christmas 13. Adeste Fideles 14. Cantique De Noel (O Holy Night) 15. Amazing Grace 16. Feliz Navidad 17. Silent Night 18. Paregaria (El Can de L'Anima a La Verge) 19. Winter Wonderland 20. Wiegenlied II 21. Sleigh Ride 22. Susani 23. Un Nuevo Siglo 24. Dormi O Bambino 25. Happy Christmas/War Is Over

• Tchaikovsky: Gala Tribute To Tchaikovsky | DVD | (29/10/2001) from £3.00   |  Saving you £30.25 (1,738.51%)   |  RRP £31.99

  Recorded on December 1st 1993 this programme celebrates the centenary of Tchaikovsky's death.

• Saint-Saens: Samson et Dalila -- San Francisco Opera | DVD | (11/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Saint-Saens' Samson et Dalila is here realised in a lavish 1981 San Francisco Opera production with Placido Domingo in his prime. Significantly expanded from the famous Bible story of the Jews under the Philistine yoke, and recast in late-19th century romantic terms, the opera was close to the composer's heart: Saint-Saens began work in 1859 but did not complete his score until 17 years later. While elements of the originally planned more formal oratorio remain, Samson et Dalila nevertheless develops considerable dramatic and orchestral power, with Domingo giving a performance worthy of a great tragic hero. Likewise, mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett brings complex characterisation to the temptress Dalila, offering a performance of such seductive intelligence that her scenes with Domingo spark with electrifying force. Equally fine support comes from Wolfgang Brendel as Samson's nemesis, the High Priest of the pagan god Dagon. Director Nicolas Joel knows when to emphasise the spectacle of the stage production or focus on more intimate personal drama, though it is the latter which is best served in a small screen version somewhat diminished by early 1980s TV technical standards. That aside, this is music drama with the grip of a psychological thriller and is unlikely to disappoint those looking for a feast of fine singing. On the DVD: Samson et Dalila on disc has good if occasionally a little harsh PCM stereo. The 4:3 picture is somewhat soft and prone to blurring, evidencing all the problems of live concert material shot on video. There are optional multi-language subtitles, trailers for two further ArtHaus releases and a booklet with chapter details, cast list, notes on the composer, opera, production and performers, and a detailed synopsis.--Gary S Dalkin

• Meyerbeer: L'Africaine | DVD | (03/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Enormously popular and influential in its time, Meyerbeer's L'Africaine has become a rarity--the conventions of grand opera which it embodies so thoroughly are only familiar as adapted by Verdi and Wagner, so this work usefully reminds us of how radical they were. Meyerbeer and his librettist Scribe give us a five-act plot full of confrontations and threats of death, a shipwreck and the suicide of the Indian heroine Selika and her rejected suitor by inhaling the poisonous aromas of a deadly tree. The expedition of Vasco Da Gama round the Cape of Good Hope and up to the spice ports of India becomes less a story about the crusade for profit and more a matter of messy triangular love affairs. Heavy fathers, Brahmin priests and Grand Inquisitors are handled with much facility and no intensity. What L'Africaine really amounts to is a singers' display piece, and the two principals here--Shirley Verrett as Selika and Placido Domingo as Vasco--are entirely up to its demands. Domingo reminds us that Vasco's Act 4 aria "Oh Paradis" was for decades a standard tenor showstopper. The other principals, Ruth Ann Svenson and Justino Diaz, are entirely admirable and Marco Arena and the San Francisco Opera give the work as a whole both the grandeur it certainly possesses and rather more subtlety than one might have expected. On the DVD: The DVD, presented in 4:3 ratio, and in PCM stereo, has no features apart from instructions and subtitles in French, German, English and Spanish. This failure to provide extras, or even an especially informative leaflet, becomes especially regrettable with a work whose conventions are now far out of the operatic mainstream. --Roz Kaveney