"Actor: Joan Sutherland"

• Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor | DVD | (15/10/2001) from £33.73   |  Saving you £-8.74 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  In the annuals of music history Joan Sutherland's name will always be inextricably linked with the tragic heroine of Donizetti's dark romantic opera. It was the role which catapulted her to international stardom in 1959 and remained the perfect showcase for her remarkable vocal agility and acting ability throughout her career.

• Verdi: Il Trovatore -- Opera Australia | DVD | (05/06/2002) from £22.89   |  Saving you £2.10 (9.17%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Il Trovatore, Verdi's 1853 maelstrom of passion, infanticide, double-crossing and revenge, would be a mightily gamy affair if it didn't contain some of his finest arias, a cracker of a tenor's role and one of opera's most powerfully-written characters in the old gypsy woman, Azucena. Although Joan Sutherland, who plays the self-sacrificing lady-in-waiting Leonora in this 1983 Australia Opera production at Sydney Opera House, is the headline star, in truth the supreme assets of this recording are mezzo-soprano Lauris Elms' Azucena, a beautifully sung performance of haunted, wild-eyed sadness; and Sydney Nolan's wonderfully infernal sets, all purple and burnt ochre with suggestions of distorted faces. Sutherland came late to a part which allowed her to sing up a storm without taxing her rather stolid acting style. Her husband and musical director Richard Bonynge gives her the space to unleash some of Verdi's most fluidly opulent melodies--"D'amor sull'ali rosee" is a case in point--whose beauty is often at odds with the underlying horrors of the tale, based on a rather dodgy Spanish melodrama by Gutierrez. Sutherland has strong support from tenor Kenneth Collins as the doomed Manrico and Jonathan Summers as the vengeful Count. On the DVD: Il Trovatore on disc offers the inevitable shortcomings of a filmed for television performance: to the detriment of Nolan's designs (and the hard-pressed make-up team), the lighting doesn't translate well to video. Presented in 4:3 picture format, the quality is frequently murky. The PCM Stereo soundtrack also has its flat and fuzzy moments, particularly during chorus scenes ("Vedi! Le fosche notturne spoglie") when the orchestra drowns out the singing. But on the whole Sutherland et al sound great.--Piers Ford

• Strauss: Die Fledermaus -- Royal Opera House | DVD | (16/01/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Originally broadcast live by the BBC from the Royal Opera House on New Year's Eve 1990, this production of Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss' masterpiece of comic operetta, was a truly historic occasion, marking the retirement from the stage of one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century, Dame Joan Sutherland. Sung in English, in a version by John Mortimer, conducted by Sutherland's husband Richard Bonynge and directed for television by Humphrey Burton, this is an exceptional translation from stage to screen. The story, an elaborate farce with elements of satirical comedy set around a lavish masked ball in 19th-century Vienna comes to life through outstanding performances by a large, vivacious cast, including Judith Howarth, Nancy Gustason and Jochen Kowalski as Prince Orlofsky. Gorgeously designed, wonderfully costumed and enthusiastically played as it is, attention inevitably centres on the "special recital" by the "surprise guests": Sutherland herself, Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti. No finer, more exhilarating and touching a farewell could have been imagined. After the curtain there is a short, on-stage tribute to Sutherland by Jeremy Isaacs, bringing to a close a glorious, unforgettable evening of music-making for which the word "glittering" might have been invented. --Gary S. Dalkin On the DVD: By presenting the production on two discs the picture quality is maximised, and, by the standards of live-filmed opera, is very good indeed. The discs are presented with PCM stereo sound and a 4:3 TV ratio image. There are options for French and German subtitles, but unless trailers for two further Arthaus DVDs count, there are no extras. The booklet is well documented, though lacking the libretto. --Gary S. Dalkin

• Joan Sutherland - The Best Of | DVD | (03/04/2006) from £4.85   |  Saving you £10.14 (209.07%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Dame Joan Sutherland Australian Icon and declared National Treasure has been described as the foremost soprano of our age and one of the greatest operatic artists of all time. This DVD contains highlights of her stage performances with Opera Australia including many of her most internationally famous and highly acclaimed roles. Featuring: Lucrezia BorgiaAdriana LecouvreurLa fille duRegimentDialogues of the CarmelitesNormaDie FledermausIl trovator

• Donizetti - Lucia Di Lammermoor (Bonynge) | DVD | (21/11/2005) from £17.90   |  Saving you £2.09 (11.68%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Lucia di Lammermoor - Tragic Drama in Three Acts.With an exhilarating performance of her signature role Dame Joan Sutherland captivates the audience in this elaborate production of Donizetti's bel canto masterpiece taped during its celebrated 1982 run at the Metropolitan Opera.

• Sutherland / Pavarotti / Bonynge Gala Concert | DVD | (02/05/2006) from £28.60   |  Saving you £-13.61 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Live From Sydney Opera House (Joan Sutherland / Luciano Pavarotti)

• Joan Sutherland - Bel Canto Showcase - Voice Of Firestone | DVD | (07/07/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

• Bellini: Norma | DVD | (02/04/2001) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-1.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Bellini's Norma, first performed in 1831, is one of the most glittering jewels in the bel canto repertoire, placing huge vocal demands on the soprano in the title role. The druid priestess who falls prey to human frail ties before redeeming her grace in the flames of the sacrificial fire must also be played with a high degree of dramatic truth. In the 20th century, two singers scaled new heights in combining these requirements: Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland. Sutherland's great achievement, preserved in this 1978 recording of Opera Australia's production at Sidney Opera House, was to render Norma a very human being, unravelling her complex reactions to the events which bring her personal world tumbling down around her. Using Bellini's deceptively simple melodies to tender effect, she reveals the essential purity of many of his greatest arias, not least "Casta diva": an equally valid alternative to Callas' pyrotechnics. Ronald Stevens as Norma's errant Roman lover Pollione and Margreta Elkins as Adalgisa, the unwitting agent of the priestess's ultimate downfall, strike vocal sparks in their duets with Sutherland. But this is essentially a treasurable record of one of the all-time great divas in a role that brought her some of her finest notices, with her husband and long-time collaborator Richard Bonynge in the conductor's box. On the DVD: In all respects, this is a solid offering with few frills. The only extra is an Arthaus trailer. The 4:3 picture format and PCM stereo-sound quality are adequate media for a theatrical performance which is very much of its time: crudely-edited plot explanations separate the acts and there is the imposition of some rather naff stills of the ill-fated lovers on flickering flames to suggest the pyre. But Sutherland's performance triumphs over all. --Piers Ford

• Luciano Pavarotti: A Life in Seven Arias | DVD | (09/02/2009) from £24.82   |  Saving you £-8.83 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

• A Gala Concert With Joan Sutherland And Marilyn Horne | DVD | (06/08/2001) from £16.17   |  Saving you £6.81 (51.67%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In 1986 one of opera's legendary partnerships was celebrated in A Gala Concert with Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne at Sydney Opera House. Under the musical direction of Sutherland's husband and long term conductor Richard Bonynge, the great soprano and mezzo soprano treated their audience to an epic evening of solos and duets from works with which they had long since become indelibly linked. The concert was preserved and transmitted as an Esso-sponsored night at the opera by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Each diva is given ample room to shine individually. Here in all their glory are Sutherland's "Les Oiseaux dans la Charmille", the mechanical doll's aria from Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann and Horne's "Iris, Hence Away" from Handel's Semele. Magical duets include "Serbami Ognor si Fido" (Rossini's Semiramide), "Viens Mallika, les Lianes en Fleurs" (Delibes' Lakme, much-used in their advertisements by British Airways) and of course the "Barcarolle" from Hoffmann. The overwhelming effect is of their passion for the music and the great professional respect and friendship which Sutherland and Horne clearly feel for each other as two of the greatest champions of the bel canto repertoire in living memory. Essential viewing for anyone remotely interested in operatic history. On the DVD: Digitally restored and remastered from the original tape, this disc at least offers the benefit of crystalline PCM stereo sound quality. In all other respects, it is a television production which inevitably shows its age. The curtain calls and long waits between every item, while Horne and Sutherland are fetched singly or together by Bonynge, are interminable and should have been cut. The 4:3 picture format is sharp enough and reveals the cumbersome dullness of the staging in all its glory. But none of this detracts from the wonder of two appealing prima donnas near their vocal peak. --Piers Ford

• Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £37.78   |  Saving you £-2.79 (-8.00%)   |  RRP £34.99

  A 1980 Royal Opera House production of Donizetti's opera. Conducted by Richard Bonynge and directed by John Copley.

• Joan Sutherland : The Reluctant Prima Donna | DVD | (26/02/2007) from £14.98   |  Saving you £0.01 (0.10%)   |  RRP £14.99

  This film tells the story of Dame Joan Sutherland - one of the greatest operatic performers of the late twentieth century. Shy and lacking in confidence she sang unnoticed at Covent Garden for seven years after arriving from Australia but over the course of twelve months she was transformed into 'La Stupenda'. Focusing on the two roles that launched her on the international stage 'Lucia di Lammermoor' and 'Alcina' this documentary tells her story through major new interviews with Dame Joan her husband Richard Bonynge Franco Zeffirelli Plcido Domingo Luciano Pavarotti Marilyn Horne and Sherrill Milnes.

• Kiri Te Kanawa - Dame Kiri Te Kanawa - A Portrait | DVD | (24/08/2001) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-1.59 (-8.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A portrait of one of the most famous sopranos of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries filmed over a year. The camera follows her on her trips to New Zealand and the San Francicsco Opera. The DVD also includes recordings of Arias by Handel Charpentier Puccini Cilea and Richard Strauss.

• Amazing True Stories Box Set | DVD | (01/10/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Titles Comprise:First Do No HarmDead Before DawnTo Live ForShattering the SilenceBehind the MaskFatal LoveDeath in the ShadowsDeep In My HeartJudgement Day: The Ellie Nesler StoryFalse Arrest

• Meyerbeer - Les Huguenots (Bonynge, Sutherland) | DVD | (30/07/2007) from £18.05   |  Saving you £1.94 (10.75%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Dame Joan Sutherland takes her historic final bow in this gala farewell performance of Les Hugenots at the Sydney Opera House.

• Joan Sutherland - The Complete Bell Telephone Hour Performances 1961-1968 | DVD | (30/11/2001) from £21.39   |  Saving you £3.60 (16.83%)   |  RRP £24.99

• The Great Sopranos - Voice Of Firestone Performances | DVD | (07/07/2008) from £13.75   |  Saving you £3.24 (19.10%)   |  RRP £16.99

• George Szell - One Man's Triumph (Cleveland Orchestra) | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £12.98   |  Saving you £4.01 (23.60%)   |  RRP £16.99

  George Szell - One Man's Triumph (Cleveland Orchestra)

• Adriana Lecouvreur - Cilea | DVD | (27/02/2006) from £31.16   |  Saving you £-14.91 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Francesco Cilea's most popular work is based on the 1849 play by Eugene Scribe and Ernest Legouve. Adriana Lecouvreur is a star of the stage who could seemingly have any man she desires but when she falls hopelessly in love with the Count of Saxony she discovers he's already been promised to the Princess of Bouillon leading to a battle of wills between them.Filmed at Sydney Opera House Australia.

• Art of Joan Sutherland - Operatic Scenes & Recital | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £12.98   |  Saving you £15.01 (53.60%)   |  RRP £27.99

  This disc presents Dame Joan Sutherland one of the legends of the opera world in two historic telecasts from the archives of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.The first program originally telecast in 1963 Dame Joan takes us on a fascinating journey through the Golden Age of Opera as she pays tribute to some of her most illustrious predecessors. Following in their tradition Miss Sutherland performs arias from Verdi's La Traviata Rossini's Semiramide Bellini's I Puritani and more. In duets from Bellin's La Sonnambula and Donizetti's Don Pasquale she is joined by the elegant bel canto tenor Richard Conrad.The second program is a rare document of Dame Joan in recital taped live in Toronto in 1969. Those who know the singer solely from her great operatic characterizations will be captivated by the intimate Sutherland in direct communication with entranced listeners as she performs songs by Bononcini Handel Bellini Rossini Gretchaninoff Alabiev Abt Gounod Bizet Massenet Deliibes and Balfe.Sir Richard Bonynge Dame Joan's husband and musical mentor leads the CBC Symphony Orchestra in the operatic selections and then accompanies the soprano on piano for the recital program.