"Director: Derek Bailey"

• Othello | DVD | (27/09/2007) from £15.98   |  Saving you £4.01 (25.09%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Globe Theatre production of Shakespeare's classic play.

• The Guardians - The Complete Series | DVD | (01/02/2010) from £18.99   |  Saving you £21.00 (110.58%)   |  RRP £39.99

  The Guardians: The Complete Series Box Set (4 Discs)

• Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) -- Glyndebourne | DVD | (25/10/1999) from £18.99   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Mozart's immortal adaptation of Beaumarchais' satirical tale has always been a Glyndebourne staple, so it was appropriate that this delightfully traditional production of Le Nozze di Figaro was chosen to reopen a refurbished Gyndebourne in May, 1994. Here, John Gunter's set design is airy and uncluttered, leaving the actors plenty of breathing space, while director Stephen Medcalf likewise allows the characters to speak (and sing) for themselves. Gerald Finley's Figaro and Alison Hagley's Susanna make a charming central pairing; Renee Fleming and Andreas Schmidt are a formidable aristocratic duo, while Marie-Ange Todorovitch fills Cherubino's trousers with pleasing playfulness. Haitink and the London Philharmonic sparkle, as of course they should. Unfussily filmed, this is as close to the real thing as you are likely to get without a Glyndebourne season ticket.On the DVD: This is a double-sided disc requiring a changeover between Acts 2 and 3. With a running-time of 189 minutes, the disc is no longer than some epic Hollywood movies, so such flipping is hard to justify. But at least opera lends itself to natural breaks like this. The sound options are Dolby stereo or 5.1 and the picture is in 4:3 ratio. Subtitles are provided in English, French or German and the booklet contains a plot synopsis. --Mark Walker

• Liszt - Mayerling | DVD | (03/03/2008) from £13.79   |  Saving you £1.20 (8.70%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Recorded live at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden London on 1st and 5th February 1994.

• Mayerling | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

• Frankie Howerd at ITV | DVD | (29/08/2011) from £9.19   |  Saving you £10.80 (117.52%)   |  RRP £19.99

  At the time of his death in 1992 Frankie Howerd was firmly established as a national comedy treasure his risque jokes double entendres and meandering anecdotes having enlivened television schedules over nearly four decades. Some of his most successful shows were produced for ITV and this set presents six shows transmitted on the network between 1973 and 1991 which reflect an ever-broadening appreciation of his comic genius - from the hugely popular variety shows of the seventies to the enthusiastically received routines on Britain's university campuses during the early nineties confirming Frankie Howerd's status not only as a comedy icon but a cult hero embraced by a generation of young student aficionados. Featuring guests John Le Mesurier Sheila Steafel Kenny Lynch and Norwegian Bond girl Julie Ege with writing from Johnny Speight Barry Cryer and Vince Powell this marvellous collection presents Frankie at his finest.

• The Nutcracker | DVD | (21/01/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £27.99

  The Birmingham Royal Ballet Peter Wright's production of THE NUTCRACKER Ballet in two acts. Music by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

• Strauss: Salome | DVD | (29/06/2009) from £12.59   |  Saving you £2.40 (19.06%)   |  RRP £14.99

  OA 3108; OPUS ARTE - BBC - Inghilterra; Classica Lirica

• La Bayadere | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The ballet is set in legendary India. Solar the noblest and braviest warrior of the land returns with his comrades from hunting the tiger. On the pretext that he wants to pray at the holy fire he asks his friends to leave him on his own. In reality however he hopes to meet his secret lover the Bayadere or temple dancer Nikiya. After they have left Solor calls the fakir Magdayeva whom he wants to help him arrange a secret meeting with Nikiyal they are however interrupted by the arrival of the high Brahman and the priests. The Brahman orders Magdaveya to call the other fakirs and to light the holy fire for the celebrations. The Bayaderes appear and begin their ritual dance. When they have finished their dance Nikiya appears; she has been chosen to be ordained as their leader and is taken to the Brahman who lifts her veil and is overwhelmed by her beauty.

• Verdi: La Traviata -- Venice | DVD | (10/04/2000) from £14.19   |  Saving you £3.80 (26.78%)   |  RRP £17.99

  This performance of Verdi's La Traviata comes from the Gran Teatro La Fenice, Venice in 1992. The intimacy and social realism of the story make it one of the most dramatically successful of all operas, while the score contains some of the finest music of the 19th century. Despite the strong production values and well-staged party scenes, any production of La Traviata stands or falls on the performers in the vital roles of the lovers Violetta and Alfredo, and that of Alfredo's father, Giorgio. Here Giorgio Zancanaro is suitably decent and morally serious as Giorgio, and Neil Shicoff makes a strong impression as an ordinary man suddenly overwhelmed by love. The drawback is that--and there is no polite way to say this--Edita Gruberova is not only too old to play the sparkling young society girl, Violetta, but she is a much better singer than she is an actress. She comes into her own in the tragic last act, but is otherwise awkward and uncomfortable when the part requires her to demonstrate confidence and sensuality. This remains a production with considerable merits, but overall a more dramatically, not to say visually, compelling version is that originally broadcast world-wide live from Paris in 2000 starring Eteri Gvazava and José Cura.On the DVD: The production is presented at 4:3 with above average picture quality for a live opera DVD, and with excellent PCM stereo sound. The disc and booklet both offer a synopsis, but other than the option to watch with or without subtitles there are no special features. --Gary S. Dalkin

• Janacek: Kat'a Kabanova -- Glyndebourne | DVD | (26/01/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Kát'a Kabanová, Janácek's 1921 tragedy, is proof if any were needed that tales of personal oppression and turmoil will always make fine raw material for opera composers. Janácek took Ostrovsky's tumultuous drama of infidelity , The Storm, and created a compelling piece in which his music heightens the relationship between the troubled landscape of Kát'a's inner mind and the elements doing battle outside. In 1988, this Glyndebourne Festival production successfully distilled the heroine's wretched journey from put-upon wife and daughter-in-law to suicide via the ecstasy of a forbidden love affair into 100 minutes of intensely emotional operatic drama. At its heart, Janácek's unique tonal score underlines a powerful, almost naturalistic dialogue and exposes the impact of Kát'a's experiences on her escalating self-destruction. Felicity Palmer's Kabanicha--the mother-in-law from hell and the real instrument of Kát'a's downfall--is curiously remote and muted rather than the domineering figure of fear that we might expect. But the singing, particularly by Nancy Gustafson (tremendously affecting and emotionally convincing in the title role) and Ryland Davies as Kát'a's weak husband Tichon, is outstanding. Gustafson's performance alone makes this essential viewing for anybody with a passion for the great modern soprano roles. On the DVD: Sadly the only additional features are trailers for Seven Gates of Jersualem and The Damnation of Faust. The sound quality (PCM stereo) is more than fair, but inevitably the film of the production is constrained by the design: the stylised set is either very light or very dark and we don't get as close as we'd like to the characters in what is, after all, a disturbingly intimate piece. Arthaus Musik's booklet meets the expected high standards of information and background. --Piers Ford

• Beethoven: Fidelio | DVD | (31/07/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Beethoven's lone opera Fidelio had a troubled gestation, as its no fewer than four overtures suggest. The finished product, while obviously a work of genius, exposes its patchwork qualities even in the best of productions. Luckily, the 1991 staging by the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, is so lucid and intelligent that the opera--a forceful plea for freedom, even in the most severely dictatorial regimes--comes across as both a forceful drama and a thought-provoking "message".Stage director Adolf Dresen, together with set designer Margit Bardy and lighting designer Erich Falk, presents the characters (which on paper have a tendency to remain "types") as fully human, their interactions made understandable and plausible not only by Beethoven's humanising music but also the realistic period settings. Video director Derek Bailey has succeeded admirably at getting this across for the home viewer as well. Musically, this Fidelio is a whirlwind, with conductor Christoph von Dohnányi leading the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus in an energetic but never too-fast performance (by the way, they perform the fourth overture); and the singers are top-notch vocally and dramatically. Soprano Gabriela Benacková makes an arresting, emotionally complex Leonore, and Josef Protschka as her imprisoned husband, Florestan, brings down the house with his impassioned aria at the beginning of Act II. --Kevin Filipski, Amazon.com

• Verdi: Aida -- La Scala | DVD | (28/08/2000) from £3.51   |  Saving you £17.74 (788.44%)   |  RRP £19.99

  La Scala went all-out for its 1986 production of this grandest of grand operas, with a strong cast and--most important for a video recording--a larger-than-life staging. The Triumph Scene in Act II is by no means Aida's only attraction, but it is the part that makes the strongest and most lasting impression and it is the visual and musical climax of this production. Stage director Ronconi brings on a procession to dwarf all processions: looted treasures, heroic statuary, miserable captives struggling under the lash of whip-bearing slave-drivers. On par with these visuals is Lorin Maazel's first-class performance of the popular "Grand March" with the outstanding La Scala chorus and orchestra. In Act III, the contrasting tranquillity of the Nile Scene also gets a visual treatment to match the music's qualities.When it is not an epic spectacle, Aida is a tragic story of love, jealousy and horrible revenge. The shifting focus between vast spectacle and intimate moments-sometimes awkward in a live performance onstage--presents special opportunities and challenges for a video recording. In this Aida, the camera work shows an acute awareness of those opportunities and challenges. The soloists have a variety of strengths that outweigh a few small weaknesses. Luciano Pavarotti sings one of his signature roles in superb voice, but his weight problems are visually evident and detract from his impact as the dashing hero Radames. Maria Chiara has moments of vocal imperfection but gives a dramatically compelling performance. Ghena Dimitrova sings powerfully and the supporting cast is excellent throughout. --Joe McLellan, Amazon.com

• Salome | DVD | (09/09/2002) from £20.00   |  Saving you £17.99 (89.95%)   |  RRP £37.99

  A one-act production performed at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden with Maria Ewing in the lead role ably supported by Michael Devlin and Kenneth Riegel. The Orchestra of The Royal Opera House is conducted by Edward Downes. Directed by Derek Bailey. English subtitles.

• Benjamin Britten - Gloriana | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A classic ENO production of Britten's 1953 opera, which has only now received the critical acclaim it deserves.Gloriana came into being when Benjamin Britten was asked to compose an opera to celebrate the Coronation of HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. He took as his starting point Lytton Strachey's Elizabeth and Essex, which had much interested him when he first read it.The opera traces the downfall of the Earl of Essex who, presuming upon his privilege as the Queen's favourite, forces a tragedy upon them both.

• Mozart: Don Giovanni -- Glyndebourne | DVD | (21/08/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Deborah Warner's 1995 production of Don Giovanni for Glyndebourne is characterised by a central portrayal of the Don as at once evil and sexually magnetic. Gilles Cachemille has at one at the same time a raffish charm and a deep mean-spiritedness--many Don Giovannis don't bully his servant nearly as much as this one, and Warner pushes his sinfulness all the way into sacrilege--apart from mocking the Commendatore's grave effigy, this Giovanni also has his way with a statue of the Madonna. Pieczonka's Elvira is at once stately and sensual--there is no sense of hysteria here, rather more of a deep sadness and sense of a ruined life. Page's Leporello is a wonderful long-faced clown; his catalogue aria is at once genuinely funny and a rather sadistic tease of Elvira. Though Kreizberg is working with authentic forces, the feel of his performance has a passionate gloominess that teeters on the brink of Romanticism without ever exceeding the work's adventurousness. The DVD comes with subtitles in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, as well as a full printable text of the libretto. --Roz Kaveney

• Mitridate Re Di Ponto - Mozart | DVD | (09/09/2002) from £18.98   |  Saving you £22.00 (137.59%)   |  RRP £37.99

  A performance of Mozart's opera in three acts 'Mitridate Re Di Ponto' performed by The Royal Opera conducted by Paul Daniel and choreographed by Ron Howell. Singers include: Annn Murray Justin Lavender and Luba Orgonasova.

• Beethoven: Fidelio | DVD | (06/02/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Beethoven's lone opera Fidelio had a troubled gestation, as its no fewer than four overtures suggest. The finished product, while obviously a work of genius, exposes its patchwork qualities even in the best of productions. Luckily, the 1991 staging by the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, is so lucid and intelligent that the opera--a forceful plea for freedom, even in the most severely dictatorial regimes--comes across as both a forceful drama and a thought-provoking "message".Stage director Adolf Dresen, together with set designer Margit Bardy and lighting designer Erich Falk, presents the characters (which on paper have a tendency to remain "types") as fully human, their interactions made understandable and plausible not only by Beethoven's humanising music but also the realistic period settings. Video director Derek Bailey has succeeded admirably at getting this across for the home viewer as well. Musically, this Fidelio is a whirlwind, with conductor Christoph von Dohnányi leading the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus in an energetic but never too-fast performance (by the way, they perform the fourth overture); and the singers are top-notch vocally and dramatically. Soprano Gabriela Benacková makes an arresting, emotionally complex Leonore, and Josef Protschka as her imprisoned husband, Florestan, brings down the house with his impassioned aria at the beginning of Act II. --Kevin Filipski, Amazon.com