"Actor: Roberto Alagna"

• Gounod: Faust | DVD | (13/09/2010) from £15.67   |  Saving you £2.32 (14.81%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Disc 1 Faust - Programme Start Scene 1 - Rien! En vain j'interroge Scene 2 - Mais ce Dieu que peut-il pour moi? Scene 2 - '' merveille! Scene 1 - Vin ou bi''re Scene 2 - '' sainte m''daille....Avant de quitter ces lieux Scene 3 - Allons amis!....Le veau d'or Scene 3 - Merci de ta chanson! Scene 4 - Nous nous retrouverons mes amis! Scene 5 - Ainsi que la brise l''g''re [Cabaret d'enfer] Scene 1 - Introduction Scene 1 - Faites-lui mes aveux [Flower Song] Scene 2 - C'est ici?....Attendez-moi l'' Scene 2 - Quel trouble inconnu me p''n''tre!....Salut! demeure chaste et pure Scene 2 - Alerte! la voil''! Scene 3 - Je voudrais bien savoir....'Il ''tait un roi de Thul''' Scene 3 - Que vois-je l''?....'' Dieu! que de bijoux! [Jewel Song] Scene 4 - Seigneur Dieu que vois-je! Scene 4 - Prenez mon bras un moment! Scene 5 - Il ''tait temps! Scene 5 - Il se fait tard! Adieu! Scene 5 - '' nuit d'amour ciel radieux! Scene 5 - T''te folle!....Tenez! Elle ouvre sa fen''tre! Disc 2 Scene 1 - Seigneur daignez permettre Scene 2 - D''posons les armes! Scene 2 - Gloire immortelle de nos a''eux [Soldiers' Chorus] Scene 2 - Allons Siebel Scene 3 - Qu'attendez-vous encore?....Vous qui faites l'endormie [Serenade] Scene 3 - Que voulez-vous messieurs? Scene 3 - Par ici par ici mes amis!....''‰coute-moi bien Marguerite! Scene 1 - Entr'acte....Dans les bruy''res Scene 1 - Jusqu'aux premiers feux du matin Scene 2 - Ballet: Qu'as-tu donc?....Ne la vois-tu pas? Scene 3 - Intermezzo Scene 3 - Va-t-en!.... Le jour va luire Scene 3 - Marguerite!....Ah! C'est la voix du bien-aim''! Scene 3 - Alerte alerte ou vous ''tes perdus!....Anges purs Scene 4 - Apotheosis - Christ est ressuscit''!

• Verdi - Aida | DVD | (10/09/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Alagna: Aida

• Donizetti: L'Elisir D'Amore (The Elixir of Love) | DVD | (11/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  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

• Gold and Silver Gala-P.Domingo | DVD | (01/01/1900) from £3.86   |  Saving you £17.39 (668.85%)   |  RRP £19.99

• Alfano - Cyrano De Bergerac (Guidarini) | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Alfano's opera in 5 acts starring Roberto Alagna.

• Puccini: Tosca -- 2002 Film Version | DVD | (23/06/2003) from £15.98   |  Saving you £9.01 (36.10%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Benoit Jacquot's filmed Tosca treads a fine line between operatic staginess and cinematic contrivance. As per the libretto, each act takes place in a single setting, but with the singers here miming to a pre-recorded soundtrack. Jacquot freely reminds us of the conceit with cutaways to the recording session itself--revealing conductor, orchestra and soloists at work--thus a bridge is made between the on-screen action and the music-making itself, and the inherent duality of any opera production is laid refreshingly bare. The same cannot be said for the director's decision to interpolate spoken dialogue over the music in key places--a distraction not an enhancement. Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna are glamorous and attractive enough to make the most of their Hollywood-style close-ups; their singing easily bears similar close scrutiny--as anyone who owns the CD soundtrack album will surely already know. If Alagna lacks a little power as Cavaradossi on record, his charismatic screen presence happily compensates; Gheorghiu is both vocally and physically almost ideal as Tosca. Ruggero Raimondi's Scarpia completes an outstanding trio, and in the pit (or, rather, in the studio) conductor Antonio Pappano handles the drama of Puccini's score without missing a single nuance. Both musically and visually, then, this is a Tosca to treasure. On the DVD: Tosca on disc looks vibrant in this warm, widescreen picture accompanied by a DTS 5.1 soundtrack. Three filmed interviews--with Gheorghiu, Pappano and Jacquot--provide some insight into the making of this production. --Mark Walker

• Prom At The Palace | DVD | (01/07/2002) from £9.59   |  Saving you £10.40 (108.45%)   |  RRP £19.99

  One of the most remarkable things about this recording of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Prom at the Palace--quite apart from the musical goodies on offer--is the opportunity to glimpse inside the royal garden, and see what Her Majesty's principal home looks like from the back. Who would have guessed she had her own lake? Voyeurism aside, director Bob Coles also catches the palpable sense of occasion and excitement that surrounds the concert, with some swooping camera angles and shots of a very chuffed-looking crowd. The music, introduced by Michael Parkinson, is a mix of popular favourites (Zadok the Priest, "Jupiter" from The Planets, Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks) and a few lesser-known items such as Malcolm Arnold's The Nation's Dances. The outdoor acoustic is generally handled pretty well with some sensitive microphone placement, and the soloists all sound wonderful; Angela Gheorghiu stops the show with a passionate account of "Vissi d'Arte" (from Tosca) and 13-year-old clarinettist Julian Bliss gives a remarkably assured performance of Messager's fluffy salon-piece Solo de Concours. Occasionally the BBC Symphony Orchestra loses concentration and plays somewhat scrappily--the accompaniment to Figaro's aria "Largo al Factotum" is not all it should be--but overall this is a fine souvenir of a historic concert. On the DVD: Prom at the Palace has no special features on DVD. The arias in French and Italian are all subtitled in English. All profit from the sale of the DVD will be donated to the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Trust. --Warwick Thomson

• 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

• Various Composers - Metropolitan Opera Gala (Levine) | DVD | (07/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Metropolitan Opera Gala Live Recording (selections): Metropolitan Opera House New York 27 April 1996.Highlights from: Les Pecheurs de perles - Louise - The Ghosts of Versailles - Don Pasquale - Rusalka - Andrea Chenier - Faust - Romeo et Juliette - Giuditta - L'amico Fritz - Cosi fan tutte - Le nozze di Figaro - Don Giovanni - Les Contes d'Hoffmann - La Perichole - Die Fledermaus - Der Rosenkavalier - Samson et Dalila - Eugene Onegin - Un ballo in maschera - Don Carlo - Ernani - I lombardi - Luisa Miller - Rienzi Tannhauser - Tristan und Isolde - Die Walkure - Gotterdammerung - Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg.

• Gounod: Romeo et Juliette | DVD | (19/11/2001) from £24.19   |  Saving you £10.80 (44.65%)   |  RRP £34.99

  A performance of Gounod's opera 'Romeo Et Juliette' in five acts recorded live at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

• Donizetti: Lucie de Lammermoor - Lyon National Opera | DVD | (15/12/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Based on one of Walter Scott's most melodramatic novels, what is arguably Donizetti's best tragic opera is here presented in its French version, Lucie de Lammermoor. The hapless Lucia (Patrizia Ciofi) tries to refuse the marriage to a minister that will rescue her family's fortunes in favour of her beloved, the family's worst enemy Edgard (Roberto Alagna). Predictably this all ends in many deaths and the audience's tears. Evelina Pido and the Orchestre Nationale de Lyon tear through the fairly unsubtle score with considerable brio and they and the cast are admirable in the opera's quieter more thoughtful moments--the famous Act Two sextet and Lucia's mad scene, in which Ciofi is solidly excellent rather than deeply memorable. Alagna turns in his usual high-gloss performance as Edgard and manages to make his final aria more moving than the quality of the piece deserves. This is an idiomatic and effective performance in a solid made-for-TV production, albeit one that never comes across as notably original. On the DVD: Lucie de Lammermoor is presented on disc in 16:9 ration with Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS or LPCM stereo sound options. It has subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian. --Roz Kaveney

• Gounod: Romeo et Juliette -- film version | DVD | (04/02/2003) from £19.18   |  Saving you £5.81 (30.29%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Shakespeare's lovers never looked and sounded so good as in this romantic new film adaptation of Charles Gounod's beloved opera starring one of classical music's most popular and successful duos Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. A spectacular medieval castle and its surrounding countryside provide the setting for this timeless tale of warring families and star-crossed lovers. Conductor Anton Guadagno leads the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra through the opera's best-loved arias and duets in this fresh interpretation of Gounod's masterwork.

• 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

• Classics On A Summer's Evening - A Gala Concert From Dresden | DVD | (16/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Classics on a Summer's Evening is an outdoor concert for an enormous audience which was staged in an architecturally striking public square in Dresden in July 1999. It features the most glamorous young husband and wife currently active on the international operatic scene, soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna. Along with these fine performances comes Giuseppe Sinopoli--before his untimely death at age 54--who was considered one of Europe's finest opera conductors, and, in the Dresden orchestra and chorus, performers who match his creative energy. The programme seems to have been selected, quite successfully, with two criteria in mind: mass popularity and opportunities to display technical brilliance. Gheorghiu and Alagna join their voices in love duets from Verdi's Otello and Puccini's Madama Butterfly that will appeal especially to the many fans who have been attracted to them as a couple. But each also sings impressive solos in some of opera's Top 40 numbers, notably the "Flower Song" from Carmen and "Elucevan le stelle" from Tosca for Alagna, and "Un bel di" from Madama Butterfly and "Pace, pace, mio Dio" from La forza del Destino for Gheorghiu. The chorus and orchestra take the spotlight powerfully in showpieces from La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Carmen and Aida, among other selections. The only problem with the show is the self-consciously chic dance numbers to themes from Carmen and Aida. --Joe McLellan, Amazon.com

• Puccini: Tosca (AXIOM FILMS - DVD AXM637) | DVD | (28/11/2011) from £7.99   |  Saving you £17.00 (212.77%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Official Selection Venice Film Festival, Beno�t Jacquot's acclaimed 2002 film of Puccini's opera stars Angela Gheorghiu in the title role with Roberto Alagna, Ruggero Raimondi and the Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, under Antonio Pappano. Region: 0 (Region free)

• TDK DVD Opera And Ballet Sampler - 2004 And 2005 Catalogue Highlights | DVD | (31/05/2004) from £7.98   |  Saving you £-2.99 (-59.90%)   |  RRP £4.99

  1. Beatrice di Tenda: Ah! Se un'urna e a me concessa (Vincenzo Bellini)2. Kiss Me Kate: So in love with you (Cole Porter)3. Manon: En fermant les yeux (Jules Massenet)4. Rusalka: Mesicku na nebi hlubokem (Song to the Moon) (Antonin Dvorak)5. Excelsior: Obscurantism (Romualdo Marenco)6. Cosi fan tutte: Non siate ritrosi...E voi ridete? (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)7. War and Peace: Kakoye pravo oni imyeyet (Sergei Prokofiev)8. Don Pasquale: Tornami a di che m'ami (Gaetano Donzetti)9. Lulu: Wenn sich die Menschen (Lulu's Song) (Alban Berg)10. Coppelia; Mazurka (Leo Delibes)11. Platee: Formons les plus brillants concerts (Jean-Philippe Rameau)12. Carmen: Les voice! Voici la quadrille! (Georges Bizet)13. Otello: Oh! Mostruosa colpa! (Giuseppe Verdi)14. Siegfried: Was strahlt mir dort entgegen? (Richard Wagner)15. Lucie de Lammermoor: Qu'une letter en ma misere (Gaetano Donizetti)16. Giselle: Pas de deux - Scene (Adolphe Adam)17. Turandot: Non piangere Liu (Giacomo Puccini)18. Paquita: Pas de deux (E. Deldevez and L. Minkus)19. Adriana Lecouvreur: Io son l'umile ancella (Francesco Cilea)20. Don Quichotte: Duel Don Quichottte & Gamache (Ludwig Minkus)21. Gotterdammerung: Ungeheure Macht wird dir (Richard Wagner)22. Le Coq d'Or: Otwets mne sorko swetilo (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)23. Le nozze di Figaro: Gente gente all'armi all'armi! (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

• Great Voices Of Today | DVD | (12/12/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  This DVD features a fantastic array of classical and operatic performances from some of the most revered performers including Roberto Alagna singing Quanto E Bella Quanto E Cara' and 'Una Furtiva Lagrima' from 'Donizetti' David Daniels sings 'Cara Sposa' from Handel's opera 'Rinaldo' and much much more... Tracklist: 1.Roberto Alagna - 'Quanto E Bella' & 'Una Furtiva Lagrima' 2.Angela Gheorghiu - 'Prendi Per Me Sei Libero' 3.Thomas Hampson - Mi Si Affaccia Un Pugnal & Piet

• Berlin Philharmonic - New Year's Gala 1997 - A Tribute To Carmen | DVD | (15/05/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Not to be confused with the more famous Vienna New Year's Day concerts, this is a recording of the Berlin Philharmonic's New Year's Gala from 31st December 1997. The concert was billed as "Dances of Life, Love and Death", a homage to Carmen. Beginning with six of the most famous selections from Bizet's opera, the all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Anne Sophie Von Otter, baritone Bryn Terfel and tenor Robert Alagna. Other than being passionately romantic there is no direct link between Carmen and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, but a warm-hearted performance by pianist Mikhail Pletnev requires no excuse. Delivered with fiery virtuosity by violinist Gil Shaham, Pablo de Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy then transforms Bizet's melodies into a concentrated instrumental extravaganza. The mood continues with Ravel's Rhapsodie Espagnole and De Falla's Ritual Fire Dance, with the closing Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Brahms maintaining the theme by gypsy association. This is a wonderfully sultry concert for a cold winter's day, conductor Claudio Abbado delivering pure romance, winning uplifting performances from his fabulous gallery of musicians and stellar soloists. On the DVD: The packaging mistakenly states a picture format of 4:3. The DVD is actually presented at 16:9, anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs. There is no option for standard 4:3 viewing. When viewed on a "standard" television the programme is squeezed and distorted, making everyone too tall and thin. On a widescreen TV the picture, while vastly superior to VHS, shows grain and is not always well focused. The sound, in both PCM and Dolby Digital stereo, is excellent. Unless one counts the well-appointed booklet there are no bonus features. However, the disc is Region 0, and should work in any DVD player. --Gary S. Dalkin

• Alagna-Live in Paris | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Roberto Alagna and the Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux recorded live in Paris at the Salle Gaveau on the 8th and 11th of January 2001. Track Listing: Bizet: 1.Carmen: Overture 2.Carmen: ""La fleur que tu m'avais jete"" (Don Jos) Buzzi-Peccia: 3.""Lolita"" Arrangements: David and Frdrico Alagna Curtis E: 4.""Senza nisciuno"" Arrangements: David and Frdrico Alagna 5.""Tu ca nun chiagne"" Arrangements: David and Frdrico Alagna Donizetti:

• Verdi: Aida | Blu Ray | (06/10/2008) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-4.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £21.99

  Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, various performers conducted by Riccardo Chailly.