"Actor: Laurent Naouri"

• Les Paladins - Rameau | DVD | (31/10/2005) from £25.65   |  Saving you £4.34 (16.92%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Inspired by a fable by La Fontaine Rameau produced perhaps his most brilliant music for his penultimate great work blending reality and surreal on several levels.This passionate new production by Jose Montalvo stunningly choreographed by Montalvo and Dominique Hervieu sets new standards in entertainment charm and ingenuity. The sharp and spectacular multimedia staging does full justice to Rameau's dazzling burlesque confirming Olivier Rouviere statement that 'Les Paladins is the last laugh of a witty 77-year old composer'. Recorded live in 2004 at the Paris Theatre du Chatelet in true surround sound both the virtuoso cast and Les Arts Florissants are in top form clearly enjoying themselves in the masterful hands of William Christie.

• Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande | DVD | (23/11/2009) from £11.53   |  Saving you £1.72 (16.75%)   |  RRP £11.99

  Natalie Dessay: Debussy - Pell'as Et M'lisande

• Offenbach - La Vie Parisienne (Rouland) | DVD | (03/11/2008) from £14.25   |  Saving you £-5.26 (N/A%)   |  RRP £8.99

  OFFENBACH: La vie parisienne - Sebastien Rouland/ Laurent Pelly.

• Offenbach: La Belle Helene -- Paris/Minkowski | DVD | (03/12/2001) from £11.02   |  Saving you £15.23 (156.05%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Jacques Offenbach's 19th century parody of life under the yoke of Napoleon III, La Belle Hélène, has always seemed as tongue-in-cheek as the material could go. This new staging from the Théâtre Musical de Paris' 2000 season proves you can always go further. As if the social comment and knowing musical allusions (eg: Wagner's Tannhäuser) weren't enough, now via director Lauren Pelly's imagination Helen (Dame Felicity Lott) becomes a modern sexually frustrated woman dreaming the entire scenario. In her dream she is singled out as the most beautiful woman on Earth (prompting vain delusions to rival Snow White's wicked stepmother) as reward for Pâris (Yann Beuron) choosing Venus as most beautiful Goddess off Earth. Act 1 takes place in the bedroom and bed of Helen and ineffectual husband/king Ménélas (Michel Sénéchal). Here the fusion of costumes worn by High Priest Calchas (François Le Roux) seems incongruous until the archaeological dig setting of Act 2 turns everything into a dream. From then on, the analogy of bed as throne, the sheep costumes and male and female swimsuit parade followed by synchronised stage "swimming" of Act 3 all take on greater significance. Les Musicians du Louvre give a tremendous performance under Marc Minkowski's baton (which you often see popping into frame), particularly in the centrepiece duet between Lott and Beuron for their "Dream of Love". Contemporary makeovers of opera often lose sight of the original's intentions, but this update certainly preserves the spirit of Offenbach's vision. On the DVD: A choice of Stereo, Dolby 5.1 or DTS is a testament to the careful staging of this production, as is the video's multi-camera edit. In fact, the 25-minute behind-the-scenes documentary reveals the DVD was conceived as part of the staging. Four interviews make this a most welcome supplement, with Dame Lott having the most to say. --Paul Tonks

• Essential Opera Collection | DVD | (11/10/2013) from £84.29   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Carmen | DVD | (12/02/2003) from £28.55   |  Saving you £1.44 (5.04%)   |  RRP £29.99

  All too often Bizet's great comic opera Carmen has been pared down to its basic bodice-ripping components, leaving its adored melodies with only torrid clichés to cling on to. Nothing of the sort happens here. David McVicar's 2002 production for Glyndebourne restores it to its rightful place as a stupendous musical entertainment. Bold, lusty, tightly directed and designed in sanguine shades of red and black, this Carmen spills and bustles across the stage and out of the screen like a living painting. At first glance, Anne Sofie von Otter is not an obvious choice for the title role, but just look at how she seizes and inhabits the character, wrenching her from the jaws of dark, sultry stereotype and rendering a complex modern woman. Her Carmen both revels in and is tormented by the ripe sexuality that fascinates her lovers and sets her apart from the other women. Von Otter's interpretation suggests it has its roots in a hinterland of wretched, bitter experience; the "Habanera", the "Gypsy Song" and the "Seguidilla" become multi-layered expressions of hope and desire: we never forget that for all its gusto, Carmen ends up a tragedy. And the men aren't ciphers. Laurent Naouri's proud Escamillo and Marcus Haddock's immature, damaged Don José are rounded, richly sung characters. So too, is Lisa Milne's touching Micaëla. All told, this Carmen is full-length, fibrous and, with conductor Philippe Jordan at the helm, a triumph. On the DVD: Carmen is spread over two discs, presented in anamorphic widescreen format that opens up the stage and capitalises on some refreshingly brisk camerawork. The sound quality (Digital Surround sound) is finely balanced. A rich set of extras includes fascinating short documentaries on various aspects of the production, from stage fights to characterisation and costume design. There's also a useful spoken synopsis and a stroll through the famous Glyndebourne Gardens. --Piers Ford

• Les Troyens - Hector Berlioz | DVD | (20/08/2004) from £30.55   |  Saving you £4.44 (14.53%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Les Troyens - Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869)Sir John Eliot Gardiner directs this authoritative performance of Berlioz's towering opera recorded in true surround sound. Susan and Gregory Kunde lead a strong cast in the powerful masterpiece wrought from Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid. A special attraction of this recording is that Sir John Eliot Gardiner managed to assemble a full set of the instruments envisaged by Berlioz for this opera.

• Le Rossignol - Stravinsky | DVD | (03/01/2005) from £11.88   |  Saving you £4.11 (34.60%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This DVD is a stunning film adaptation of Stravinsky's Rossignol with Natalie Dessay in the title role. Inspired by Stravinsky's words: ""I said somewhere that it wasn't enough to hear the music you had to see it too..."" the firlm-maker Christian Chaudet made an innovative and ambitious animated film illustrating the opera score with 3 dimensial images into which the singers have been inserted. The film offers superb narrative and visual ingredients following Stravinsky's own st

• Rameau - Les Boréades / Robert Carsen, La La La Human Steps, Les Arts Florissants, William Christie, Opéra National de Paris | DVD | (20/06/2004) from £5.62   |  Saving you £25.63 (587.84%)   |  RRP £29.99

  A performance of the Rameau opera which follows the tale of Queen Alphise who is contemplating abdication rather that an arranged marriage.

• Bizet - Carmen (Jordan, Mcvicar) | Blu Ray | (29/09/2008) from £25.89   |  Saving you £4.10 (15.84%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Carmen

• Offenbach: Orphee aux Enfers -- Lyon National Opera/Minkowski | DVD | (25/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  In the role of Eurydice Natalie Dessay begins at once with a display of vocal and verbal pyrotechnics which are then taken up by Yann Beuron as Orpheus. Together they give us an ideal of the developments to follow. Dancers and singers melt into a unit. The stage setting and an unconventional choreography sparkle with inventiveness. When Pluto for example arrives on skis from the underworld onto Mt. Olympus and Offenbach quotes the famous can-can right in the middle of Pluto's aria it seems to be a parody of his own work. The production offers a wealth of material for modern interpretations and immorality. Thus we see a bored Eurydice lying on the sofa in her apartment as she zaps her way through the TV channels constantly looking for diversion showing us how timeless an opera buff can really be. Sometimes she sings upside down hopping around - a vocal masterpiece. Laurent Naouri also captivates in the role of Jupiter and costumed as a fly demonstrates his vocal and acting talent with Jacques Offenbach's Buzz aria. To sum up; the present production is a fountain-of-youth cure for Offenbach's operetta classic. A cascade of ideas and ironic allusions turns this ingenious work into a feast for eyes and ears.

• Hector Berlioz - Les Troyens (Theatre du Chatelet, Paris 2003) | Blu Ray | (01/01/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Rameau - Platée / Marc Minkowski, Laurent Pelly, Opéra de Paris | DVD | (19/03/2004) from £27.55   |  Saving you £2.44 (8.86%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Platee - Rameau

• A Concert of Music by Offenbach / Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski, Théâtre du Châtelet | DVD | (02/12/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Offenbach composed over 100 operettas, and yet is primarily remembered now only for The Tales of Hoffman and for having written the "Can-Can". This live Concert of Music by Offenbach aims to put the record straight and show that at least some of his other works deserve the chance to be staged. Fortunately the composer has found almost ideal advocates in conductor Marc Minkowski and mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter. The latter takes a respectful but unstuffy approach to the scores (the orchestral numbers Souvenirs d'Aix-les-Bains and the Barbe Bleue Ouverture are played with exquisite attention to detail, especially in some sighing woodwind solos) and von Otter shows that she is as great a comedienne as she is a singer. From the blowsy Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein declaring her love for soldiers in tight uniforms to the outrageous yodelling of the Colonel's Widow from La Vie Parisienne, she hits just the right note of inspired lunacy and frothiness. And there are some delicious costume changes too, including a grotesque bumpkin hat that's almost as big as the mezzo herself ("Duo des Alsaciens"). There's even more unintentional comedy in the English subtitles, which must be among the worst ever produced: "myself every night what I do coming here to seat" is one solipsistic oddity. Oliver Becker directs well for the small screen, capturing the fizz of a lively event. On the DVD: A Concert of Music by Offenbach is presented in 4:3 ratio, with LPCM Stereo, AC3 Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound options. The picture quality is fine, although the foreground and background of the stage seem to be presented in one rather flat surface. There are subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. --Warwick Thompson

• Offenbach Gala 2001 | DVD | (26/02/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Recorded at the Theatre Musical de Paris - Chatelet, December 2001.Contains excerpts from:- La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein.- Fantasio.- Le Carnaval des revues.- Madame l'Archiduc.- Les Contes d'Hoffman.- La Belle Helene.- Barbe-Bleue.- Lischen et Fritzchen.- La Vie parisienne.- La Fille du tambour-major.- La Perichole.- Orphee aux enfers.- Souvenir d'Aix-les-Bains.- Ouverture a grand orchestre.

• Offenbach - Homage To Offenbach | DVD | (27/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99