"Actor: Sergei Leiferkus"

• Boris Godunov - Mussorgsky | DVD | (05/08/2002) from £17.29   |  Saving you £-2.30 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The legendary Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky helmed his one and only opera in 1983 with this famed production of Mussorgsky's 'Boris Godunov'. Staged at London's famed Royal Opera House the staging features Robert Lloyd giving a masterful performance in the title role. Conductor Valery Gergiev known primarily for his fine work leading St. Petersburg's Kirov Opera takes the baton.

• Verdi: Otello -- Royal Opera House/Solti | DVD | (29/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  A coproduction by BBC Covent Garden Pioneer and the Royal Opera House of Verdi's classic opera about the Moor who loved not wisely but too well. Conducted by George Solti.

• Verdi - Otello | DVD | (31/03/2008) from £15.25   |  Saving you £-0.26 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Giuseppe Verdi - The Royal Opera Otello - At the Royal Opera House.

• 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.

• Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (The Queen of Spades) | DVD | (24/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  In terms of vocal power, lyrical beauty and idiomatic authenticity, the casting for this 1992 live recording of the Kirov production of Pique Dame ("The Queen of Spades") could hardly be bettered. Gegam Grigorian (Herman) hits his fearsome, anguished high notes with the accuracy of a laser and Maria Gulegina (Liza) has a voice the size of the QEII but uses it with great subtlety--her opening duet with Pauline floats like gossamer, and her declarations of love for Herman at the end of Act 1 are spine-tingling. Kirov superstars Sergei Leiferkus (Tomsky) and rich-toned Olga Borodina (Pauline) also sound divine. In the pit Valery Gergiev renders every nuance of Tchaikovsky's score with clarity, and drives the strings to produce an almost unbearably tense atmosphere of foreboding; Herman's manslaughter of the Countess is preceded by shallow, haunted phrases which rise and fall like a beating heart. It isn't all rosy, however. The production comes from the traditional old Kirov "stand-and-sing" tradition and is somewhat static. The characters don't interact with much detail or generate much chemistry, and the chorus moves in unwieldy blocks. For a more gripping production (though not quite as well sung) try the Glyndebourne performance. But for sheer musical pleasure, you won't find anything to beat this. On the DVD: Pique Dame doesn't feature particularly inventive camerawork, though it does give a good solid account of the production. The sound recording captures all the most important moments with clarity, though just occasionally singers stray away from the microphones. There are subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese, and some trailers for other Universal Music DVDs. --Warwick Thomson

• Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (The Queen of Spades) | DVD | (21/01/2002) from £20.02   |  Saving you £6.23 (33.21%)   |  RRP £24.99

  This Glyndebourne production of Pique Dame ("The Queen of Spades") received rave reviews when it appeared in 1992 due to its claustrophobic intensity and powerful acting, and these qualities help it to transfer to DVD with great success. Graham Vick's direction ensures that the story is told clearly and simply but includes a wealth of telling details: the pastoral scene from Act 2, for example, uses the boys from the opening chorus as comical sheep and the effect is enchanting. But there are much darker undertones too: Richard Hudson's slanting, angular designs produce a disorientating atmosphere which mirrors Herman's increasing mental deterioration with uncanny precision. There is a brilliant stroke of visual assonance when the Countess returns to haunt Herman and all the furniture from her death scene appears on the roof. The singing is generally good, though Yuri Marusin's voice may not be to everyone's taste; sometimes he sounds like he's shouting, and his frequent lack of vibrato produces a piercing, uncomfortable effect. Nancy Gustafson is a fine Lisa, however, and Dimitri Kharitonov (Yeletsky) is heartbreaking in the famous "Ya vas lyublyu" ("I love you") aria. For overall better singing but a more plodding production, try the 1992 Kirov recording, but for spine-tingling drama this is the one to go for. On the DVD: Pique Dame on disc has subtitles in English, German, French and Spanish. The camerawork captures the odd angularity of the designs and gives an excellent account of a fast-paced, powerful production.--Warwick Thomson

• Samson Et Dalila - Saint-Saens | DVD | (09/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  A production of the Saint-Saens opera performed by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Conducted by the esteemed James Levine.

• The Miserly Knight - Rachmaninov | DVD | (30/05/2005) from £17.35   |  Saving you £2.64 (15.22%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Vladimir Jurowski conducts Rachmaninov's dark setting of Alexander Pushkin's 'little tragedy' with an outstanding performance from Sergei Leiferkus in the role written for the great Russian bass Fyodor Chaliapin.Rachmaninov's dramatically brooding score - beautifully recorded in an atmospheric surround sound - portrays the miser consumed by the power of his glinting gold as it pushes him to his ultimate collapse.

• 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.