CD-Charts Position 1
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Three Tenors: Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti In Concert [1990]

starring: Josep Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Zubin Mehta
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date April 27, 1998
This 1990 World Cup concert, which launched the Three Tenors phenomenon, has a beautiful open air setting at the Caracalla Baths in Rome. This means however, a loss of acoustics. Orchestral sounds that would be enriched by a little reverberation literally drift away on the evening breeze. But the singing is excellent. They sing 4 solos each, then - after a sinfonia, or orchestral interlude - 3 more as a trio; 16 tracks in all. All three singers are perfectly at ease in the Romance languages, but struggle with German and English, sometimes quite badly. In the worst example, 'Maria' from West Side Story, Pavarotti bellows, "Say it soft and it's almost like praying". Well, we'll have to take his word for it.

Despite these imperfections, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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Verdi: Aida -- Metropolitan Opera (NTSC)

starring: Aprile Millo, Plácido Domingo, Dolora Zajick, Sherrill Milnes, Paata Burchuladze
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date November 20, 2000
Verdi's Aida comes thrillingly to life in this splendid production from the Metropolitan Opera. Aprile Millo is in excellent voice in the title role and sings with great musicality throughout. Indeed this sense of musical values being the most important is reflected in the fine performances of the rest of this all star cast most notably Placido Domingo and Dolora Zajick as Radames and Amneris respectively. The production is old fashioned but attractive and the physical acting is rudimentary but the vocal acting gets prizes all round.

This was a favourite performance for me on video and is now excellently transferred onto DVD (sub titles optional). First rate.

CD-Charts Position 3
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Britten - Peter Grimes - Britten [1969]

starring: Owen Brannigan, Heather Harper, Peter Pears, Bryan Drake, Elizabeth Bainbridge
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date June 09, 2008
This is a 1969 studio recording directed by Joan Cross, who created Ellen Orford in the original stage production in 1945. It is in remarkably good sound and colour picture quality and has transferred well to DVD. The opera is staged well in limited studio facilities, in simple but effective sets (which only occasionally appear a little cardboardy!). Peter Pears here recreates his central performance of the lead role - it's a great shame he didn't commit this earlier in his career. Whilst it is great to have a visual record of him, he lacks the power and brute force for the role which we are more accustomed to seeing in modern productions. He looks a highly improbably fisherman - described in the opening scene as "callous, brutal and coarse" - rather he gives ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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Puccini - Manon Lescaut [2008]

starring: Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Paul Plishka, Renée Fleming, Karita Mattila, James Courtney
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date September 15, 2008
This is a 1969 studio recording directed by Joan Cross, who created Ellen Orford in the original stage production in 1945. It is in remarkably good sound and colour picture quality and has transferred well to DVD. The opera is staged well in limited studio facilities, in simple but effective sets (which only occasionally appear a little cardboardy!). Peter Pears here recreates his central performance of the lead role - it's a great shame he didn't commit this earlier in his career. Whilst it is great to have a visual record of him, he lacks the power and brute force for the role which we are more accustomed to seeing in modern productions. He looks a highly improbably fisherman - described in the opening scene as "callous, brutal and coarse" - rather he gives ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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New Year's Day Concert 2008 - Georges Pretre/Wiener Philharmoniker

starring: Georges Pretre, Wiener Philharmoniker
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date January 21, 2008
With a world-wide TV and radio audience guaranteed and a tradition going back nearly 80 years, the Vienna Philharmonic New Year concerts can now afford to present several first time inclusions selected from the works of the over-worked and over-stressed Strauss Family. Six items in the 2008 program make their first appearance. Two are by Strauss The Father including a waltz with a short introduction that becomes very loud. These two items acknowledge French inspiration, as does Johann The Son's "Orpheus Quadrille", entirely based (not merely providing "echoes" as the booklet writer asserts) on melodies from Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld".

Another first time inclusion is the veteran French conductor Georges Prêtre whose selection of tempi ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen -- Metropolitan/Levine (NTSC)

starring: Hildegard Behrens, James Morris, Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date October 14, 2002
This is the Ring how Wagner imagined it would/should be. Every stage shot and directorial decision follows what 'The Master' had in mind and wrote down. The director is Otto Schenk and 2009 marks the last time this landmark Ring Cycle will be shown at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Hopefully, it will be filmed in glorious HD!

Nonetheless, having this on 'ordinary' DVD still preserves what is a most enjoyable and watchable version. There are recordings of this out there that are simply unwatchable (Naxos/Lothar Zagrosek) and others that will challenge your mind (DG/Boulez) and are highly recommendable, but for wanting to know what Wagner had in his mind, this is the one.

Having said that, some of it looks very silly. The transformation of ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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Bizet - Carmen (Levine, Metropolitan Opera) [1988] (NTSC)

starring: Agnes Baltsa, Josep Carreras, Samuel Ramey, Leona Mitchell, Myra Merritt
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date November 20, 2000
A fantastic record of a live performance Broadcast from the Met in the late 1980's. As you would anticipate the production is both spectacular and overblown - complete with horses and a cast of 1000s. So much for a small tavern in Seville - this one would make the largest hotels look spartan.

But the performance contains fantastic performances from all 4 principals. Mitchell is a sweet innocent, if slightly nervous Michaela on what was her Met debut; Ramey a flamboyantly virile, wonderfully sung Escamillo; Carreras is maybe not your ideal Don Jose, and can be wooden but sings beautifully throughout. However the real star is the great Agnes Baltsa - a hugely dramatic, fantastically sung performance at the peak of her career.

The orchestra under Levine ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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The Original Three Tenors Concert - Luciano Pavarotti/Placido Domingo/Jose Carreras

starring: José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date June 18, 2007
"the world's three most famous tenors" the description says and famous they are, but one shines above the rest and watching this performance I think he knew he was the best. It will be a long time before we see another performance such as this, if ever, and I think Pavarotti has the most natural tenor voice of them all.This DVD is a wonderful record of the definitive three tenors concert and the sound quality is superb.Who cares if there is a bonus disc with a karaoke version of 'O sole mio, who would want to listen to that when the maestro is there to sing it for you?
This DVD is a must, for the rest I prefer to just hear his beautiful voice on CD.

CD-Charts Position 9
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Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann -- Royal Opera House/Pretre [1981] (NTSC)

starring: Plácido Domingo, Luciana Serra, Agnes Baltsa, Ileana Cotrubas, Claire Powell
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date September 22, 2003
Placido Domingo leads an all round excellent cast. The singing is of a very high standard, and it is very well staged and produced.
I would recommend this to any opera lover, even if they are unfamiliar with this work.

CD-Charts Position 10
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Mozart: Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) -- Metropolitan Opera/Levine [1991] (NTSC)

starring: Kathleen Battle, Francisco Araiza, Manfred Hemm, Kurt Moll, Luciana Serra
directed by: Brian Large

Release Date November 20, 2000
AMAZING. The SETS: excellent - schematic, evocative and inventive - you actually SEE Tamino and Pamina going through fire and water, for example. The CAST: extraordinary - a really funny Papageno, a wonderful Pamina (Kathleen Battle is utterly credible - which is saying a lot for a fantasy - I'd die for her at the drop of a hat!!!) and as for Kurt Moll, WOW! His is the first performance I've ever seen that squares with Bernard Shaw's opinion that if God listened to music, Sarastro's music is the music he'd listen to!!!! James Levine's conducting is superb, and his friendly, understated style just brings everything home. BUY THIS, and bless me for my advice!!!