"Actor: Waltraud Meier"

• Wagner - Tristan Und Isolde (Barenboim) | DVD | (10/11/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Wagner: Tristan And Isolde / Daniel Barenboim (3 Discs)

• Strauss: Elektra Special Edition | Blu Ray | (19/05/2014) from £9.43   |  Saving you £-0.44 (N/A%)   |  RRP £8.99

  ARTH 108110; ARTHAUS MUSIK - Germania; Classica Lirica

• Wagner: Parsifal | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £18.65   |  Saving you £3.34 (17.91%)   |  RRP £21.99

  A performance of Wagner's opera 'Parsifal' featuring the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Conducted by James Levine. The action takes place in the Middle Ages. At the castle of Monsalvat cut off from the rest of the world the brotherhood of Grail Knights guards the chalice in which the blood of the crucified Saviour had once been caught. In an effort to seize possession of the Grail Klingsor a powerful magician has established his realm at the foot of the mountain peop

• Wagner: Tannhauser | DVD | (28/09/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  In Richard Wagner's obsessive drama Tannhauser--with its themes of sin and repentance, cultural inhibition and artistic spontaneity, sexual excess and lost innocence--symbols sprout as profusely as dandelions on summer lawns. A lot of the symbols were put there by the composer (who also wrote the libretto), but for this production director David Alden has decided to add many more--notably in the first scene: an orgy in the love nest of the goddess Venus. The sadomasochistic visuals, reminiscent of the feverish inventions of Hieronymus Bosch, may help to explain Tannhauser's decision that he wants to go home. Like the scenery, the costumes are eclectic, ranging from modern formal evening gowns to medieval suits of armour and even, in a few choice instances, nothing at all. The director may be trying to say too many things at once. The profusion of visual symbols shows a rich imagination, but a more clearly defined focus would have been helpful. That kind of focus is found in the acting, partly because Alden is a good director but also because he is working with seasoned performers. René Kollo as Tannhauser and Bernd Weikl as Wolfram von Eschenbach have made specialties of these roles, and even when the story strains credibility or when the music strains their voices, they give convincing portrayals, as do Waltraud Meier and Nadine Secunde and the supporting cast. Zubin Mehta's conducting is opulent if not subtle. This is an intriguing though sometimes disturbing production. --Joe McLellan, Amazon.com

• Wagner: Tristan und Isolde | DVD | (15/05/2000) from £26.75   |  Saving you £3.24 (12.11%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Waltraud Meier is the stuff of which great Isoldes are made--a passionate actress who sings her heart out at every point and yet somehow keeps something in reserve from the narration and curse of the first act for the love duet of the second and the "Liebestod" of the third. Her Tristan, Jon Fredric West, is more or less her equal--he is particularly impressive in the mad death agony of the third act; his Tristan is an ordinary hero who becomes something larger. Among the other principals, Kurt Moll's Mark stands out in its eloquent heart-break, not so much a cuckold as a man who wants everything to work out right; Weikl's Kurwenal and Lipovsek's Brangane are, credibly, ordinary people caught up in great tragedy. Mehta's account of the score is solid and professional--he gets nothing wrong and everything right in a performance which survives occasionally perversely innovative staging to touch greatness. On the DVD: The DVD includes subtitles in French, German, English and Dutch. --Roz Kaveney

• Verdi: Don Carlos | DVD | (20/11/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This is a 1996 all-star-cast version from Paris of the original French version of Verdi's epic five-act opera, Don Carlos. First produced in 1867, only Wagner would write musical drama on a grander scale, and due to the three-and-a-half-hour running time most subsequent productions have made substantial cuts. This is therefore a rare opportunity to witness Verdi's tragedy in its entirety.Set in the 16th century in the aftermath of war between Spain and France, Don Carlo (Roberto Alagna), the heir to the Spanish throne comes to France to meet with his beloved Elizabeth de Valois (Karita Mattila). Inevitably politics divide the lovers, and while Rodrigue (Thomas Hampson) falls in with Flemish rebels, the Inquisition is determined to be the power behind the peace. This is certainly not Verdi's greatest work, but it contains great music and the stars are allowed to shine with strong characterisations in an elegantly designed production. There are no gimmicks or attempts at spurious contemporary relevance here, simply singers of the calibre of Alagna, Mattila, Hampson, plus the outstanding Eric Halfvarson as the Grand Inquisitor. This is a production that continues in the 19th-century tradition, and in the process delivers the frisson of world-class opera. --Gary S. DalkinOn the DVD: While the running time precludes much in the way of special features, via DVD-ROM the libretto can be printed in French, together with an article and biographies. The picture is presented at approximately 1.7:1 and while far superior to video could still benefit from anamorphic enhancement. The sound is stereo or excellent Dolby Digital 5.0. The booklet offers a detailed synopsis in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and there are subtitles in the same languages. The disc is encoded for regions two to six. --Gary S. Dalkin

• Wagner: Tannhauser (Live Recording From The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden 2008) | Blu Ray | (28/09/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Tannhauser

• Wagner-Tristan and Isolde Bayreuth Festival | DVD | (14/07/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Wagner: Tristan And Isolde

• Strauss: Elektra (Aix en Provence/Patrice Chereau) | DVD | (26/05/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Strauss: Elektra (Aix en Provence/Patrice Chereau) | Blu Ray | (26/05/2014) from £31.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Parsifal - Wagner | DVD | (29/03/2005) from £41.65   |  Saving you £-5.40 (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Nikolaus Lehnoff's visionary staging of Wagner's opera for ENO.

• Wagner: Parsifal Berlin 1992 (Euroarts: 2066738) | DVD | (14/03/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Daniel Barenboim - Berg - Wozzeck | DVD | (28/01/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Alban Berg's devastating 20th century masterpiece Wozzeck is a complex psychodrama based on the play by Georg Bchner following the harrowing story of a private soldier who having fathered a child by his mistress descends into madness and murder. This highly-acclaimed production of Wozzeck staged by Patrice Chreau and conducted by Daniel Barenboim was recorded live at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1994. There is fine singing from Franz Grundheber in the title role and the top-quality cast also includes Waltraud Meier as Marie Graham Clark as Hauptmann Gnter von Kannen as the Doktor and Mark Baker as the Tambourmajor. Unlike many other productions which take a stark view of the opera Chreau's staging presents a more human view depicting Wozzeck and Marie as the tragic poor battered and exploited by the world because of their position in society.

• Waltraud Meier - A Portrait Of The Singer | DVD | (03/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  One of the top Wagner performers of our time is seen here in a wide variety of roles plus a conversation backstage. Also included is a live recording of Mahler's 'Das Lied Von Der Erde'. Musical direction is by Semyon Bychkov.