"Actor: Orchestra"

• Rodelinda - Glyndebourne Festival Opera | DVD | (05/09/2005) from £28.00   |  Saving you £-10.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Handel wrote his Italian opera Rodelinda at the height of his musical powers and it is considered to be one of his greatest with music of astonishing power and beauty. This highly praised production filmed in 1998 was the first ever staging of a Handel opera by the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Jean-Marie Villegier's stylish production sets Handel's tale of royal exile and fidelity in the silent movie era. Starring Anna Caterina Antonacci in a glamorous portrayal of Rodelinda an

• Electric Light Orchestra - Zoom Live | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £19.00   |  Saving you £-9.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Since the early 1970's England's Electric Light Orchestra has combined intricate full orchestration with an underlying pop skeleton becoming one of the most popular and influential ""prog-rock"" bands in history. After a long hiatus from touring the United States ELO - led by Jeff Lynne - is filmed in a return to the American stage. Filmed at Los Angeles's CBS Television City Zoom Tour Live has the group performing tracks like ""State of Mind"" and ""10538 Overture"" with their typical

• A Midsummer Night's Dream - Glyndebourne Festival Opera | DVD | (31/07/2004) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-2.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Benjamin Britten's enchanting opera adapted from Shakespeare's most English play is just the thing for a summer evening at Glyndebourne. In Peter Hall's magical and highly-acclaimed production for Glyndebourne Festival Opera filmed in 1981 the wood literally comes alive a perfetc setting for the mystical world of lovers fairies and rustics. The gorgeous and imaginative sets costume and lighting designs are by John Bury. Ileana Cotrubas is a majestic Tytiana James Bowman is a

• Electric Light Orchestra: Live The Early Years | DVD | (09/08/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Tracklist Brunel University 1973 1. King Of The Universe 2. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle 3. In The Hall Of The Mountain King 4. Great Balls Of Fire Germany 1974 - Rockpalast 1. Daybreaker 2. Showdown 3. Day Tripper 4. Orange Blossom Special 5. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle 6. In The Hall Of The Mountain King 7. Great Balls Of Fire 8. Roll Over Beethoven London 1976 - Fusion 1. Poker 2. Nightrider 3. Showdown 4. Eldorado Overture 5. Can't Get It Out Of My Head 6. Poor Boy (The Greenwood) 7. Illusions In G Major 8. Strange Magic 9. 10538 Overture 10. Do Ya 11. Evil Woman 12. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle 13. Roll Over Beethoven

• Verdi: Simon Boccanegra -- Metropolitan Opera/Levine | DVD | (09/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  A performance of the Verdi opera 'Simon Boccanegra'. Conducted by James Levine.

• Sadko | DVD | (10/07/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Sadko's exotic world of myth magic and mystery encapsulates all the seductive charm of 19th century Russian opera. This widescreen DVD will be the only DVD version of Sadko on the market. Filmed at the Mariinsky Theatre St. Petersburg 1994. Kirov opera Orchestra and Ballet Mariinsky Theatre St Petersburg under Valery Gergiev.

• Verdi: Il Trovatore -- Opera Australia | DVD | (05/06/2002) from £22.89   |  Saving you £2.10 (9.17%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Il Trovatore, Verdi's 1853 maelstrom of passion, infanticide, double-crossing and revenge, would be a mightily gamy affair if it didn't contain some of his finest arias, a cracker of a tenor's role and one of opera's most powerfully-written characters in the old gypsy woman, Azucena. Although Joan Sutherland, who plays the self-sacrificing lady-in-waiting Leonora in this 1983 Australia Opera production at Sydney Opera House, is the headline star, in truth the supreme assets of this recording are mezzo-soprano Lauris Elms' Azucena, a beautifully sung performance of haunted, wild-eyed sadness; and Sydney Nolan's wonderfully infernal sets, all purple and burnt ochre with suggestions of distorted faces. Sutherland came late to a part which allowed her to sing up a storm without taxing her rather stolid acting style. Her husband and musical director Richard Bonynge gives her the space to unleash some of Verdi's most fluidly opulent melodies--"D'amor sull'ali rosee" is a case in point--whose beauty is often at odds with the underlying horrors of the tale, based on a rather dodgy Spanish melodrama by Gutierrez. Sutherland has strong support from tenor Kenneth Collins as the doomed Manrico and Jonathan Summers as the vengeful Count. On the DVD: Il Trovatore on disc offers the inevitable shortcomings of a filmed for television performance: to the detriment of Nolan's designs (and the hard-pressed make-up team), the lighting doesn't translate well to video. Presented in 4:3 picture format, the quality is frequently murky. The PCM Stereo soundtrack also has its flat and fuzzy moments, particularly during chorus scenes ("Vedi! Le fosche notturne spoglie") when the orchestra drowns out the singing. But on the whole Sutherland et al sound great.--Piers Ford

• Prokofiev: The Fiery Angel | DVD | (17/04/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A performance of Prokofiev's opera 'The Fiery Angel' which centres on a girl possessed by a spirit. Conducted by Valery Gergiev.

• Strauss: Die Fledermaus -- Royal Opera House | DVD | (16/01/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Originally broadcast live by the BBC from the Royal Opera House on New Year's Eve 1990, this production of Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss' masterpiece of comic operetta, was a truly historic occasion, marking the retirement from the stage of one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century, Dame Joan Sutherland. Sung in English, in a version by John Mortimer, conducted by Sutherland's husband Richard Bonynge and directed for television by Humphrey Burton, this is an exceptional translation from stage to screen. The story, an elaborate farce with elements of satirical comedy set around a lavish masked ball in 19th-century Vienna comes to life through outstanding performances by a large, vivacious cast, including Judith Howarth, Nancy Gustason and Jochen Kowalski as Prince Orlofsky. Gorgeously designed, wonderfully costumed and enthusiastically played as it is, attention inevitably centres on the "special recital" by the "surprise guests": Sutherland herself, Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti. No finer, more exhilarating and touching a farewell could have been imagined. After the curtain there is a short, on-stage tribute to Sutherland by Jeremy Isaacs, bringing to a close a glorious, unforgettable evening of music-making for which the word "glittering" might have been invented. --Gary S. Dalkin On the DVD: By presenting the production on two discs the picture quality is maximised, and, by the standards of live-filmed opera, is very good indeed. The discs are presented with PCM stereo sound and a 4:3 TV ratio image. There are options for French and German subtitles, but unless trailers for two further Arthaus DVDs count, there are no extras. The booklet is well documented, though lacking the libretto. --Gary S. Dalkin

• The Cinematic Orchestra - Ma Fleur - Live At The Barbican | DVD | (09/06/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  Indie darlings the Cinematic Orchestra perform their majestic album Ma Fleur live at the Barbican in London.

• The Rape Of Lucretia - Britten | DVD | (12/01/2005) from £19.12   |  Saving you £5.87 (30.70%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The English National Opera Orchestra provide sumptuous musical accompaniment to this moving interpretation of 'The Rape Of Lucretia'. The story evokes strong passionate themes as one would expect from a thrilling combination of opera and Greek tragedy. Anthony Rolfe Johnson Jean Rigby Russell Smythe and Kathryn Harries infuse the lead roles with just the right amount of tension and passion making this a fascinating spectacle for the enthralled audience present and now for viewers at home as well.

• Verdi - La Traviata | Blu Ray | (01/04/2011) from £20.69   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Electric Light Orchestra - Out Of The Blue / Discovery | DVD | (20/09/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

• Verdi: Rigoletto | DVD | (27/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  If there are doubts still lingering about the Royal Opera House's artistic renaissance after its mid-1990s doldrum years, David McVicar's gritty and sexy production of Rigoletto should blow them all away. One of the principal reasons is McVicar's decision to emphasise the tyrannical nature of the Duke (beautifully sung by Marcelo Alvarez), and the appalling social injustice that springs from a corrupt leader: his court is a place of physical and sexual abuse (graphically, but by no means gratuitously, depicted). This violence throws the dual nature of Rigoletto into relief, making his toadyism seem all the worse and his vengefulness all the more sympathetic. The singing and acting are first rate, with Paolo Gavanelli's energetic, insect-like Rigoletto worthy even to stand against Anthony Sher's Richard III. Christine Schafer has a gorgeous voice, an intelligent sense of phrasing, and plays Gilda as a frail, morbid creature whose ultimate self-sacrifice is as much an act of neurotic despair as of love. The production is also a visual and orchestral success. Michael Vale's set is a masterpiece of economy--both the Duke's palace and Rigoletto's home are surrounded by broken objects, wire fencing and gloomy shadows--and Edward Downes draws some stunning playing from the Royal Opera Orchestra. This is undoubtedly the best Rigoletto committed to DVD thus far. On the DVD Rigoletto comes with an entertaining 17-minute BBC biography of the composer, "Verdi Through the Looking Glass", presented by conductor Charles Hazlewood, as well as an illustrated synopsis of the opera, and a revealing 10-minute interview with the director. There are subtitles in English, French, German, Dutch and Spanish.--Warwick Thomson

• The Gondoliers - Gilbert And Sullivan | DVD | (03/04/2006) from £7.71   |  Saving you £7.28 (94.42%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Gilbert And Sullivan: Gondoliers

• Tristan Und Isolde - Wagner | DVD | (08/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £21.99

  A performance of Richard Wagner's opera 'Tristan Und Isolde'....

• Verdi - Rigoletto (Campori, Teatro Regio Di Parma) | DVD | (01/11/2004) from £11.95   |  Saving you £11.04 (92.38%)   |  RRP £22.99

  The exceptional nature and high artistic quality of this performance justify publication of this video even though the filming was done only to preserve the performance of Teatro Regio's archives and therefore offers few close-up shots and occasionally unclear lighting.Parma Teatro Regio Rebbraio 1987

• Tchaikovsky: Classic Ballets | DVD | (02/09/2013) from £27.25   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Mahler: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor - Resurrection | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor 'Resurrection' at the 2003 Lucerne Festival. Claudio Abbado conducts.

• Talbot: Wheeldon: Alice's Adventures In Wonderland | Blu Ray | (26/09/2011) from £31.12   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A