"Actor: Evelino Pido"

• Donizetti: Anna Bolena | Blu Ray | (20/12/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £21.99

  With her sensational role debut at the Vienna State Opera superstar diva Anna Netrebko displays a performance of rare vocal and dramatic power. The Russian soprano sings the role of the unjustly accused second wife of British King Henry VIII 'veering between indignant fury and tender righteousness' and demonstrating a new level of confidence in her technique with excellent 'passagework particularly in trills and seamless runs even to the lowest notes' (Opera News).

• Bellini: La Sonnambula | DVD | (01/03/2010) from £14.78   |  Saving you £5.21 (35.25%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Tracklist 1. Opening Credits And Introduction Act I 2. Viva! Viva Amina! 3. Tutto Gioia, Tutto Festa 4. Care Compagne . . . Come Per Me Sereno 5. Sempre, O Felice Amina . . . Sovra Il Sen La Man Mi Posa 6. Io Pi Di Tutti, O Amina 7. Prendi: L'anel Ti Dono 8. Scritti Nel Ciel Gi Sono . . . Ah! Vorrei Trovar Parole 9. Domani, Appena Aggiorni10. Vi Ravviso . . . Tu Non Sai Con Quei Begli Occhi11. Contezza Del Paese . . . A Fosco Cielo12. Basta Cos. Elvino! E Me Tu Lasci13. Son Geloso Del Zefiro Errante14. Davver, Non Mi Dispiace15. Che Veggio?16. Oh Ciel! Che Tento?17. Osservate: L'uscio Aperto18. Menzogna19. D'un Pensiero E D'un Accento20. Non Pi Nozze21. Interview With Natalie Dessay And Juan Diego FlrezAct II22. Qui La Selva Pi Folta Ed Ombrosa23. Reggimi, O Buona Madre24. Vedi, O Madre25. Viva Il Conte! . . . Ah! Perch Non Posso Odiarti26. Lasciami... De' Lieti Auguri A Voi Son Grata27. E Fia Pur Vero, Elvino... Signor Conte, Agli Occhi Miei28. Lisa! Mendace Anch'essa!29. Signor? Che Creder Deggio?30. Oh! Se Una Volta Sola31. Ah! Non Credea Mirarti32. No, Pi Non Reggo33. Ah! Non Giunge Uman Pensiero34. Bows And Closing Credits

• L'Elisir D'Amore - Donizetti | DVD | (13/06/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  It's hard to think of a couple better suited to play the romantic leads in Donizetti's comedy L'Elisir d'amore than husband-and-wife team Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. Both are charming on stage, and both have voices to die for: Gheorghiu's dark liquid tones are particularly spine-tingling, and her coloratura abilities awe-inspiring, and though Alagna has mainly concentrated on the more spinto (powerful) roles of the tenor repertoire, in 1996 when this live production was recorded his voice was just a little fresher and lighter and thus perfect for the bel canto gracefulness of Donizetti's writing. His performance of "Una furtiva lagrima", for example, is meltingly sung and free from all temptation to overplay the high notes. Frank Dunlop's 1920s-set production doesn't quite produce the belly laughs some stagings manage (in Dulcamara's patter song, for example), but has a certain small-town wistful charm nonetheless. The orchestral accompaniment under Donizetti expert Evelino Pidò is spot on, and never falls into the banal "oom-pah" trap that such simple writing can often lead to. Overall, it's a production of great charm. On the DVD: L'Elisir d'amore comes to disc with a 52-minute film on the history of the opera and its recording, with contributions from Alagna and Gheorghiu, and subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. The Lyon opera house is particularly well set up for video recording, and Brian Large does a sophisticated job of capturing a live performance: it's hard to believe at some points that the cameras aren't actually on stage in the middle of the action. Just occasionally this leads to the singers not knowing where to look and seeming a trifle lost, but generally the performances work superbly well on the small screen. --Warwick Thomson