Verdi - Un Ballo in Maschera / Abbado, Domingo, Ricciarell, Ro

Puccini - Turandot / Franco Zeffirelli - Marton, Domingo, Mitchell, Plishka, Cuenod - James Levine, MET (1988)	Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Eschwe, Netrebko, Villazon, Wiener Staatsoper Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore is one of the staples of the comic opera repertory. The plot hinges on whether earnest but dim-witted Nemorino will snag Adina, the flirtatious heroine. She's a tease who takes up with Belcore, an army sergeant, to make Nemorino jealous. After numerou...	Verdi - Don Carlo (remastered)	Verdi - Luisa Miller	Verdi - Rigoletto / Luciano Pavarotti, Ingvar Wixell, Edita Gruberova, Victoria Vergara, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Riccardo Chailly This extraordinarily powerful 1983 production may be the best-sung performance by Luciano Pavarotti on DVD, but when acting values are counted in, Ingvar Wixell manages to outshine the tenor star. Verdi gave the Duke two of Italian opera's most brilliant arias ("Questa o quell...
Puccini - Manon Lescaut / Sinopoli, Domingo, Te Kanawa, Allen, Royal Opera Covent Garden Placido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa were in top form vocally when this performance was recorded in 1984; Sinopoli's conducting is energetic and stylistically distinctive, and the staging strikes the proper notes of elegance in the early scenes and pathos in the tragic conclusio...	Verdi - Ernani / Domingo, Freni, Bruson, Ghiaurov, Muti, La Scala Opera In this thrilling performance at La Scala, Plácido Domingo and Mirella Freni show why, when they were in the prime of their careers, they could carry even the most melodramatic of Verdi vehicles on their shoulders. As Donna Elvira, whom a trio of men has designs on for various h...	Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin / Fleming, Vargas, Hvorostovsky, Gergiev, Carsen [Metropolitan Opera 2007] This set, filmed at the Metropolitan Opera's February 2007 performances of Tchaikovsky's most popular opera, has just about everything going for it: an all-star cast in peak form, a great orchestra led by today's leading Russian conductor, and a striking stage production whose mi...	Verdi - La Traviata / Levine, Stratas, Domingo	Verdi - Otello / Domingo, Fleming, Morris, Croft, Levine, Moshinsky, Metropolitan Opera

Don't overlook such excellence!
There are several things that make this "Ballo" a very special item. Domingo is in so many productions that I feel that many people take him for granted. The voice can get a bit tight but he is, of course, a pushed up baritone. What distinguished him is that he is a superlative musician. Watch his performance. Does he ever watch the conductor? No. He knows the music so well that he can give himself over totally to acting the drama. In addition, we have Reri Grist as Oscar. She is also totally in the drama. I think the slenderness of her soprano kept her from getting some meatier rolls but she is without question one of the great stars to come from America. As Amelia we have Ricciarelli before her vocal decline. A lovely lyric sound which got pushed into roles bigger than advisable. I'm sure she is better than Barstow on the Solti set for having a sound suitable for the role. In a minor role (one of the conspiritors) we have the incredible sounding Gwynne Howell, one of the great English bass voices. Add all of this to the conducting of Abaddo and very attractive sets and you have a real winner in my estimation. Watching these productions again and again, the good ones get better and the bad ones get worse. This is one of the real treasures.

Awful subtitles but...
it's a tremendous performance of a very great opera. I can't find any fault in any of the performers-all were excellent. Seeing and hearing a true Verdian conduct also adds another dimension that the Met performance just cannot equal. Not to take anything from Levine, but Abbado is in a class by himself when it comes to Verdi. The orchestra becomes another voice with him conducting.

Verdi - Un Ballo in Maschera
Oscar, Reri Grist, was amazing. Her performance of Oscar was simply outstanding and a gem to watch. She is physically able to endure the jumping and singing simultaneously which is difficult and was exceptionally successful at it. Great actress with great voice as well. I wish I had a recording of her singing "Voices of Spring". Acting and singing extremely good for the entire cast and Placido Domingo? What can I say except just great. I've never seen or heard him in anything that was not exceptional. I enjoyed the other beautiful voices especially the "bad guys" plotting to kill the king. Great production and highly recommend purchasing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Placido Domingo never disappoints
I enjoy Placido Domingo's portrayal of the title character over Pavorotti's anyday. He's a better actor by far. A good performance of this opera.

5 for cast & conducting....0 for lighting
This is a dream cast (as the other reviewers have indicated). All the voices are up to their roles, no mean feat...and this is a delicious opera. Katia Ricciarelli is an ideal Amelia with her warm creamy tones and excellent acting ability. Domingo revels in the role of Gustavo in his juicy young voice (he's about 34 here. Ulrica is just perfect with a voice wholly up to the demands.. an exceptional Ulrica in my mind. Renato is fine...not show-stopping, but more than up to it nonetheless. Reri Grist is fine too...again, not beyond the beyond (every Oscar I have seen live or recorded has been good to very good..this must be a vocally felicitous role in general or I have been very lucky). BUT, the lighting for much of this is non-existent. The darkness is appropriate to the libretto, but is not compatible with viewing as well as listening. Maddening. The entire 2nd act is mainly flashes of white handkerchief or collar ruff with the occasional glimpse of a face.