La Cenerentola è un melodramma giocoso od un'opera lirica di Gioachino Rossini su libretto di Jacopo Ferretti. Il titolo originale completo è La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo. Il soggetto fu tratto dalla celebre fiaba di Charles Perrault, ma Ferretti si servì anche di due libretti d'opera: Cendrillon di Charles Guillaume Etienne per Nicolò Isouard (1810) e Agatina, o la virtù premiata di Francesco Fiorini per Stefano Pavesi (1814). L'opera fu composta in circa tre settimane e Rossini, come fece in altre occasioni, affidò ad un assistente (in questo caso Luca Agolini) la composizione dei recitativi secchi e delle arie meno importanti, quelle di Alidoro e Clorinda. La prima rappresentazione ebbe luogo il 25 gennaio 1817 al Teatro Valle di Roma. Il debutto, pur non provocando uno scandalo paragonabile a quello del Barbiere, fu un insuccesso, ma dopo poche recite, l'opera divenne popolarissima e fu ripresa in Italia e all'estero.

Renée Fleming stars in the title role of one of Handel’s greatest dramas, seen in Stephen Wadsworth’s 2004 Met premiere production. Rodelinda is faced with an impossible dilemma: With her husband Bertarido believed dead, she either has to marry the despised Grimoaldo (the elegant Joseph Kaiser), who has usurped her husband’s throne, or see him murder her son. But Bertarido (leading countertenor Andreas Scholl) is alive and eventually reclaims both throne and wife—and makes peace with his enemies. Stephanie Blythe is marvelous as Eduige, Bertarido’s sister, who is betrothed to Grimoaldo but turns against him. Baroque authority Harry Bicket conducts.

Concerto registrato in occasione del Salzburg Festival, nell'agosto 2008.

Sir David McVicar’s bold new staging of Tosca, Puccini’s operatic thriller of Napoleonic Rome, thrilled Met audiences when it rang in the New Year in 2018. Only weeks later, the production was seen by opera lovers worldwide as part of the Met’s Live in HD series of cinema presentations. In this performance, Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva is the passionate title diva, opposite charismatic tenor Vittorio Grigolo as her lover, the idealistic painter Mario Cavaradossi. Baritone Željko Lučić is the menacing Baron Scarpia, the evil chief of police who employs brutal tactics to ensnare both criminals and sexual conquests. On the podium, Emmanuel Villaume conducts the electrifying score, which features some of Puccini’s most memorable melodies.

La versione italiana, frutto dell'impegno e della caparbietà di David Zard, con i testi italiani di Pasquale Panella e le musiche di Riccardo Cocciante.

When the most voluptuous, sought-after courtesan in the world meets an ascetic monk whose life is devoted to God, you know erotic sparks are going to fly. And when the clash takes place in a glorious, but rarely performed, opera by Massenet, it’s a delight to the ear just as much as to the eye. Renée Fleming is every inch the glamorous Thaïs, swathed in elegant gowns designed by Christian Lacroix. Thomas Hampson is Athanaël, the tortured man of God. This production by John Cox, which premiered in December 2008, brilliantly sets the stage for a confrontation as old as civilization itself.

Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili gives a dynamic performance as Bizet’s iconic gypsy, the woman who lives by her own rules. Aleksandrs Antonenko is Don José, the soldier who falls under her spell, and Ildar Abdrazakov plays Escamillo, the swaggering bullfighter who takes Carmen away from Don José—an action that seals Carmen’s tragic fate. Anita Hartig is Micaëla, and Pablo Heras-Casado conducts Richard Eyre’s hit production, set in 1930s Spain.

Registrazione sul palco dell'allestimento a cura di Jean-Pierre Ponnelle dell'opera di Claudio Monteverdi, nell'ambito di un ciclo dedicato a questo autore dall'Opera di Zurigo, nell'esecuzione della Zürich Opera House Monteverdi Ensemble diretta da Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Ripresa tra il 28 marzo e il 20 aprile 1978 a Vienna, su registrazione audio effettuata tra l'1 e il 25 dicembre 1977 a Zurigo.

"Manon", wrote Puccini to his publisher Giulio Ricordi in 1889, "is a heroine I believe in and therefore she cannot fail to win the heart of the public." This turned out to be a truly prophetic statement since none of Puccini’s other world successes were received on their first nights as rapturously as Manon Lescaut. The popularity of Puccini’s great masterpiece has never waned and the highly acclaimed Götz Friedrich production at Covent Garden was hailed as an operatic milestone. Two of the world’s leading stars--Kiri Te Kanawa and Placido Domingo--head a strong cast conducted by the brilliant Italian conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli.

Live from La Scala December 7th 1997

The Otto Schenk production of Richard Strauss's "Elektra", filmed live at the Metropolitan Opera in January, 1994. Hildegard Behrens stars as Elektra, with Deborah Voigt as Chrysothemis, Brigitte Fassbaender as Klytämnestra, Donald McIntyre as Orest, and James King as Aegisth. James Levine conducts.

High Definition recording June 2014, Arena di Verona. This opulent production was directed by Franco Zeffirelli and sung by an international cast of excellent singers: Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk, soprano Irina Lungu, tenor Carlo Ventre and Carlos Alvarez. The famous opera is staged as a colourful feast for the eyes, true to its source and convincingly acted by soloists, chorus and ballet alike. Conducted by Henrik Nánási it is a gloriously sung musical experience.

Aida (2009) Metropolitan Opera. Verdi / Italian. Live from the Met 2009.

It is no wonder that Met audiences have gone wild over Karita Mattila’s sizzling Salome. Indisputably one of the greatest Salomes of our time, Mattila utterly incarnates Oscar Wilde’s petulant, willful, and lust-driven heroine. With Strauss’s groundbreaking music magnifying the degenerate atmosphere and building the erotic tension, this is one opera that is as shocking today as it was at its premiere in 1905.

Wiener Staatsoper Live at Home - 14 May 2015

The Queen of the Night enlists a handsome prince named Tamino to rescue her beautiful kidnapped daughter, Princess Pamina. Aided by the lovelorn bird hunter Papageno and a magical flute that holds the power to change the hearts of men, young Tamino embarks on a quest for true love, leading to the evil Sarastro's temple where Pamina is held captive. The internationally renowned Mozart interpreter Sir Colin Davis conducts the chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera House and a glittering cast in David McVicar's 2003 production of the opera Mozart wrote in the final year of his life, recorded live at Covent Garden.

Early recordings of Franco Zeffirelli's 2006 production of Verdi's opera which saw Roberto Alagna's high-profile exit during the second performance. Egypt and Ethiopia are at war. Radames is appointed commander of the Egyptian forces by the King, whose daughter, Amneris, loves Radames. It is in fact Amneris' Ethiopian slave Aida whom Radames loves. Ramades wins the war against the Ethiopians, capturing Aida's father Amonasro in the process. On his return to Egypt he faces a choice between marrying Amneris or betraying his country through his love for Aida.

Lo storico, sfarzoso allestimentodi Franco Zeffirelli, le grandi voci di Eva Marton e Placido Domingo fanno di questa "Turandot", andata in scena al Metropolitan nel 1987, uno degli spettacoli di riferimento del grande teatro newyorkese. Sul podio James Levine conduce una lettura serratissima, di incalzante intensità drammatica; Eva Marton si confronta da par suo con la vocalità vertiginosa della protagonista; Leona Mitchell dà vita a una Liù delicata e trepidante. Domingo coglie un memorabile trionfo, mandando il pubblico in delirio con un'interpretazione indimenticabile di "Nessun dorma".

A timeless tale told in a florid bel canto style, Rossini’s take on the Cinderella story offers an ideal propellant for a virtuosic mezzo-soprano to rocket from rags to riches. But in this retelling, the supporting characters soar just as high: Cinderella’s Prince, her stepfather, and the Prince’s valet are given memorable arias, and the composer rounds out his score with ingenious ensemble flourishes. A vivacious masterpiece, La Cenerentola brings stock fairy tale characters to dazzling life.

An outsider—a hunchbacked jester—struggles to balance the dueling elements of beauty and evil that exist in his life.