"Actor: Philip Langridge"

• The Minotaur | DVD | (29/09/2008) from £25.59   |  Saving you £4.40 (17.19%)   |  RRP £29.99

  This world premiere of a gripping new work by composer Harrison Birtwistle and librettist David Harsent, commissioned by The Royal Opera, brings the monstrous, Greek mythological character to the stage. The Minotaur, part man, part beast, trapped in his labyrinth, longs to discover his true identity and his own voice. Theseus, sent as part of a debt sacrifice to the monster, is determined to kill him; he attracts the attention of Ariache, half-sister and keeper of The Minotaur, and it is her help than ensures his success.

• Janacek: Jenufa -- Glyndebourne | DVD | (22/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Janacek's masterpiece Jenufa, captured in this 1989 Glyndebourne Festival Opera production, is among the most revived modernist works. Compared with much grand opera, the story of one woman's struggle to rise free from social constraints at a terrible cost is remarkably poignant, credible and accessible. Scenes are short and intense. The music shimmers with Janacek's characteristic blend of sweetness and sharp dissonance. His men are damaged and angry; his women kick against the expectations of convention. Tragedy is inevitable, but here, unusually, hope triumphs. In the title role, Roberta Alexander is utterly convincing as the stepdaughter of the Kostelnicka Buryja, placing her love and trust in the wrong man with dire consequences. As the Kostelnicka, Anja Silja turns in an equally towering performance, unravelling with the awful consequences of her pragmatism. Alexander's fluid soprano reveals the extraordinary beauty of some of Janacek's finest arias: the moment when she becomes supernaturally aware of her baby's fate--it's "as if death was peering into the house!"--and is actually singing prayers for its soul is quite overwhelming. This Jenufa is sung splendidly; a revelation of the essential humanity which lurks at the heart of the greatest operas. On the DVD: This production was filmed for Channel 4 and has all the hallmarks of a 1980s television broadcast: standard 4:3 picture format which limits the impact of Tobias Hoheisel's magnificent expressionistic set; PCM stereo which somewhat dulls Andrew Davis' sterling, powerful work at the helm of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (although the principal singers shine through); poor subtitles; and static freeze-frame links between scenes. As a record of an important production, though, it suffices. --Piers Ford

• Peter Grimes - Benjamin Britten | DVD | (25/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Benjamin Britten's dour masterpiece Peter Grimes has been well-served in video recordings, yet this stark, intense production may become the top choice for most viewers. One of its major attractions is outstanding camerawork, under the direction of Barrie Gavin, powerfully reinforcing the shifting moods created by the music. The photography is notable in frequent close-ups, particularly those that focus on the ravaged, vulnerable and intensely expressive face of Philip Langridge in the title role. His interpretation is strikingly different from that of his chief video rival, Jon Vickers, who presents a more burly characterisation. The ambiguities in the role of Grimes make it possible to emphasise either strength or vulnerability in this story of an alienated fisherman, who stands virtually alone against a small (and small-minded society), vast forces of nature and a run of bad luck. His young apprentice has died (possibly because of his neglect or brutality); he is legally acquitted but found guilty by his neighbours and forbidden to take another boy as apprentice. He ignores that warning, the second boy dies accidentally, and he commits suicide under intense public pressure. Langridge gives a striking account of the role's psychological depth and complexity, aided by a well-chosen and directed cast. James Atherton conducts expertly. The chorus and orchestra are first-class, and the famous sea interludes, which have found a secure place in the concert repertoire, are visually enhanced by views of the ocean and shoreline. --Joe McLellan

• Oedipus Rex - Stravinsky | DVD | (13/06/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Opera-oratorio in two acts. Poem after Sophocles by Jean Cocteau.

• Humperkinck: Hansel and Gretel | DVD | (15/09/2008) from £13.48   |  Saving you £-1.49 (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  Christine Sch''fer Alice Coote and Vladimir Jurowski triumph in Humperdinck's first and most successful opera - filmed live at the Metropolitan Opera in Hi-Definition. This irresistibly delicious new English-language production of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel is the first 'Metropolitan Opera : Live in High-Definition series' release following EMI Classic's recent collaboration with the Met. The Brothers Grimm fairy tale a timeless children's favourite features a sophisticated score and this intriguing new staging will appeal to audiences of all ages. Alice Coote and Christine Sch''fer are charming as Hansel and Gretel. The role of the Witch written for a mezzo-soprano is sometimes sung by a tenor - as is the case in this production - with Philip Langridge in the role. Vladimir Jurowski one of the world's most sought-after conductors leads Germany's dearest opera with a sensitive account of Humperdinck's enchanting score. Hansel and Gretel is considered by many as the salvation of German opera bringing relief from the murky Wagnerian depths of Teutonic myth and initiating a return to the shimmering world of the fairy tale. In 1923 Hansel and Gretel became the first complete opera to be broadcast on radio from Covent Garden ; Eight years later it was the first to be broadcast from the New York Met. It is significant therefore that this is one of the eight operas chosen to be in this season's Met HD transmissions. Beautifully staged by Richard Jones and moodily designed by John Macfarlane this dark and eccentric production is tough and dark sparse and savage an exploration of deprivation cruelty and gluttony in a contemporary always-always-land. (Financial Times)

• Harrison Birtwistle: The Minotaur | Blu Ray | (18/01/2010) from £25.79   |  Saving you £4.20 (16.29%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Minotaur

• Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito -- Glyndebourne | DVD | (29/04/2002) from £11.74   |  Saving you £14.51 (138.45%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Mozart's Clemenza di Tito ("The Clemency of Titus") makes for riveting viewing in this Glyndebourne performance directed by Nicholas Hytner and conducted by Andrew Davis staged in the composer's bicentenary in 1991. Mozart's last opera, Clemenza was for some time considered below par by his own exalted standards. He composed it in a rush, the recitatives are by a pupil and it had to be on an appropriate theme to please the new Hapsburg monarch, for whose enthronement it was designed. There's little character development and the musical style harks back to operatic conventions Mozart had done so much to overthrow. Watching this production one would scarcely credit that such reservations once held sway. Hytner and his team have put a contemporary angle on a story set in Rome AD 78 in which sets, props and the stage itself are constructed to different dimensions offering alternate perspectives on a static tale. A slanting pillar and a sloping corridor allude to the unhinged mind of the scheming Vitellia, the central character, who puts her confidant Sesto on an emotional roller coaster ride as she ensnares him to plot the downfall of Titus. The principals use their eyes to communicate to one another as well as the audience and in the imaginatively staged entrances and exits of the ensembles one senses Hytner's choreographic instincts coming to the fore. The superb cast sing magnificently and look stunning. Philip Langridge is an eloquent Titus, Diana Monatgue a sincere Sesto and Ashley Putnam brings a touch of Alexis Colby to her portrayal of Vitellia. The London Philharmonic are all fired up under conductor Andrew Davis' fervent direction. The performance (the "Overture" accompanied by a visual montage of artefacts of Ancient Rome) is played on modern instruments yet articulated and reproduced with the clarity and definition associated with period ones. On the DVD: La Clemenza di Tito has no special features save for the obligatory subtitles. The picture quality is outstanding with the imaginative and colourful production design caught, like the music, with exceptional fidelity. The high drama at the conclusion of Act 1 justifies running on without a break into Act 2. This is a must for all lovers of opera. --Adrian Edwards

• Billy Budd | DVD | (01/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Benjamin Britten's opera 'Billy Budd' in two acts tells of the sadism and injustice abroad a British man-of-war.

• Berg: Wozzeck | DVD | (15/11/2001) from £34.31   |  Saving you £-9.32 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The bleakness of Berg's operatic masterpiece Wozzeck is relatively easy to bring off: the plot, after all, tells of a man who is bullied, cuckolded and mocked by the society around him. What are harder to realise are the gallows humour and pitch-black comedy--and it's those qualities, along with the brilliant acting and edge-of-seat orchestral playing, that make this 1987 Vienna Staatsoper staging a stunning televisual operatic production. Everything works: the simple yet evocative sets translate effortlessly to the small screen, the pacing of the 15 short scenes is worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster and the singing is beautifully focussed. Baritone Franz Grundheber is vocally and dramatically outstanding as Wozzeck, cringing and shuffling around the stage in a bewildered hang-dog manner and yet never losing sight of the character's humanity. Hildegard Behrens (Marie) has rarely sounded better, and switches between Straussian lushness and spiky sluttishness with ease. The direction is also full of wonderful touches, such as Wozzeck squeezing the Captain's nose while he's shaving him (and making his voice sound like a kazoo), and the musicians of the on-stage band being fully integrated into the tavern scene. Ironic, emotionally rich, musically faultless--this one's got it all. On the DVD: the production works beautifully on DVD, and bar one or two moments in the second tavern scene (Act 3, Scene 3) the voices rarely move out of microphone range. There are subtitles in English, German, French and Spanish and four trailers for other Arthaus DVD operas, but no other special features. --Warwick Thomson

• Romeo And Juliette - Berlioz | DVD | (27/02/2006) from £24.28   |  Saving you £-4.29 (-21.50%)   |  RRP £19.99

  From the Kulturzentrum Gasteig MunichHector Berlioz - Romeo Et Juliette - Symphonie Dramatique op.17

• Peter Grimes - Benjamin Britten (Wide Screen) | DVD | (17/10/2006) from £22.97   |  Saving you £2.02 (8.79%)   |  RRP £24.99

  From The English National Opera At The London Coliseum.Benjamin Britten.Peter Grimes.Words by Montagu Slater after the poem by George Crabble.

• Highlights From Glyndebourne - Various Artists | DVD | (30/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Featuring extracts from Carmen Idomeneo La Cenerentola Orfeo ed Euridice Il Barbiere di Siviglia and L'Incoronazione di Poppea.