The Metropolitan Opera: Don Giovanni

Simon Keenlyside smolders dangerously in the title role of Mozart’s version of the legend of Don Juan, creating a vivid portrait of a man who is a law unto himself, and all the more dangerous for his eternally seductive allure. Adam Plachetka is his occasionally unruly servant Leporello. It’s when Giovanni tangles with Donna Anna (Hibla Gerzmava) that things start to unravel, aided by the reappearance of Donna Elvira (Malin Byström), who is determined not to let her seducer go. With Paul Appleby as Don Ottavio, Donna Anna’s eternally steadfast fiancé. Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads the Met Orchestra and Chorus.

The Phantom of the Opera

The deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House causes murder and mayhem in an attempt to make the woman he loves a star.

Verdi La Traviata

This DVD of a live 2005 performance from the Zürich Opera under the musical direction of Franz Welser-Möst has many things to recommend it -- the young tenor Piotr Beczala as Alfredo, the marvelous Thomas Hampson as Giorgio Germont, the playing of the Zurich Opera orchestra, the simple but effective sets by by Erich Wonder, the uncluttered stage direction by Jürgen Flimm. It also has some flaws: strangely variable volume level of the recorded sound sometimes coming on so loud as to make one reach for the volume control, and the uneven performance of the Violetta, Eva Mei who, for all her merits, gives a dramatically effective performance marred by occasional difficulties with vocal production. Still, overall I felt this was a moving production, one that I would recommend, although perhaps not as an only DVD of one of Verdi's most popular operas.

Andrea Chenier

France, 1792. Chenier is an idealistic poet, in love with the aristocratic Maddalena. While Chenier supports such notions as "liberte, fraternite egalite," his sympathies do not extend to the current Reign of Terror. Likewise, the Revolutionary Tribunal has no need for poets or their girlfriends, especially those judged to be an Enemy of the State. Heads will roll.

Die Walküre

The gorgeous and evocative Otto Schenk/Günther Schneider-Siemssen production continues with this second opera in Wagner’s Ring cycle. Hildegard Behrens brings deep empathy to Brünnhilde, the favorite daughter of the god Wotan (James Morris) who nevertheless defies him. Morris’s portrayal of Wotan is deservedly legendary, as is Christa Ludwig, as Fricka. Jessye Norman and Gary Lakes are Sieglinde and Siegmund, and Kurt Moll is the threatening Hunding. James Levine and the Met orchestra provide astonishing color and drama. (Performed April 8, 1989)

Siegfried

Siegfried is the third of the four operas that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner.

Amadeus

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Viennese composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Rakovina vůle

An interesting look at love destroyed by the demon of drugs, which uses opera singing instead of spoken word. A story about the relationship of two young people and drug addiction.

Cavalleria rusticana

Franco Zeffirelli directs these two legendary La Scala productions telling tragic tales of jealousy. Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana features performances by Elena Obraztsova, Plácido Domingo, and Renato Bruson. Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci stars Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, and Juan Pons. Both are conducted by George Pretre. This production of Pagliacci earned director Franco Zeffirelli the coveted Emmy as Best Director in the category of Classical Music Programming.

Artaserse

Live broadcast of the opera performance held on November 10, 2012 at the Opéra national de Lorraine in Nancy, performed by five world-class countertenors.

Puccini: Turandot

Franco Zeffirelli's magnificient staging of Puccini's final opera - a fairy tale set in a mythical China - is one of the most popular in the Met repertory. In this Live in HD production, Maria Guleghina takes on the title role and Marcello Giordani is Calaf, the unknown prince. Marina Poplavskaya and Samuel Ramey co-star, and Andris Nelsons conducts in his Met debut.

The Metropolitan Opera: Idomeneo

Mozart’s early masterpiece returned to the Met for the first time in more than a decade with Music Director Emeritus James Levine, who led the work’s company premiere in 1982, again on the podium. Tenor Matthew Polenzani brings both steely resolve and compassionate warmth to the title king of Crete, who is faced with an impossible decision. With her rich mezzo-soprano, Alice Coote sings the trouser role of Idomeneo’s son Idamante, who loves the Trojan princess Ilia, sung with delicate lyricism by Nadine Sierra. Elza van den Heever gives a thrillingly unhinged portrayal of the jealous Elettra. Jean Pierre-Ponnelle’s timeless production blends the grandeur of ancient myth with the elegance of Enlightenment ideals.

The Metropolitan Opera: Eugene Onegin

Tchaikovsky’s setting of Pushkin’s timeless verse novel is presented on the Met stage in Deborah Warner’s moving production, starring Anna Netrebko as Tatiana and Mariusz Kwiecien and Peter Mattei sharing the title role. Alexey Dolgov sings the role of Lenski, and Robin Ticciati conducts.

Der Rosenkavalier

In his new production, Robert Carsen places the action at the end of the Habsburg Empire, underscoring the opera’s subtext of class and conflict against a rich backdrop of gilt and red damask

A Cossack Beyond the Danube

A Ukrainian comic opera with spoken dialogue in three acts with music and libretto by the composer Semen Hulak-Artemovsky (1813–1873). The orchestration has subsequently been rewritten by composers such as Reinhold Glière and Heorhiy Maiboroda. This is one of the best-known Ukrainian comic operas depicting national themes.

Cossacks Beyond the Danube

Adapted from the opera written by the composer Semen Hulak-Artemovsky.

Puccini: La bohème

Richard Jones’ “La bohème” is an important weapon in the Royal Opera’s commercial arsenal. This is its second revival since Jones’ production hit the stage in autumn 2017, replacing John Copley’s beloved 40-year old staging, resplendent with period detail and resolutely naturalist. Jones brings a considerable break with the past in his approach, pointing the way towards thought-provoking possibilities for the work, though it is a clearly a show that defers to the need for regular revival and breadth of appeal.

Fidelio

Beethoven’s only opera is a masterpiece, an uplifting story of risk and triumph. In this new production, conducted by Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann plays the political prisoner Florestan, and Lise Davidsen his wife Leonore (disguised as ‘Fidelio’) who daringly sets out to rescue him. Set in strong counterpoint are the ingredients of domestic intrigue, determined love and the cruelty of an oppressive regime. The music is transcendent throughout and includes the famous Act I Quartet, the Prisoners’ Chorus and Florestan’s impassioned Act II cry in the darkness and vision of hope. Tobias Kratzer’s new staging brings together the dark reality of the French Revolutionary ‘Terror’ and our own time to illuminate Fidelio’s inspiring message of shared humanity.

Strauss II: Die Fledermaus

Glyndebourne's pulsating new production of the Waltz King's much-loved comic operetta. Its story centers on a magnificent masked ball, given by a Russian prince, that brings together all the main characters in various disguises. The three-act journey from boudoir to ballroom to jail provides ample opportunities for farce and humor, but also for genuine human emotion and a surprisingly realistic view of urban life.

Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor

When Sir John Falstaff decides that he wants to have a little fun he writes two letters to a pair of Window wives: Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. When they put their heads together and compare missives, they plan a practical joke or two to teach the knight a lesson. But Mistress Ford's husband is a very jealous man and is pumping Falstaff for information of the affair. Meanwhile the Pages' daughter Anne is besieged by suitors.

Don Carlos

The production by Deutsche Oper Berlin achieves a beautiful balance between the stage drama and the music. It proves that there are still singers who can perform Verdi's melodies at the highest level and that it is also possible to bring them together into an ensemble. The production fulfills all one's expectations of the modern city of Berlin in terms of stylishness and performance.

GCW: Fight Club Houston

On July 9th GCW presents Fight Club Houston straight from Premier Arena in Houston, Texas. The lineup is almost completed, check it below: AJ Gray vs Bryan Keith Nick Gage vs Sadika Joey Janela vs Dante Ninja Mack vs Jack Cartwheel Effy vs Gino Jimmy Lloyd vs Carter Lucha Scramble .... more to be added soon!

Canada Vignettes: Bill Miner

Bill Miner was a train robber in British Columbia at the turn of the century. This animated film depicts a disastrous episode in his career.

To R

A boy and a girl coming from different worlds fall in love. When summer is over, they will face the shackles of their normal routine and discover what binds them and what breaks them apart.

Frantic Attempts

Matthias is going on a weekend course of self-discovery called “My Value on Earth,” which was an expensive gift from his girlfriend. The course is supposed to help him deal with his chronic inability to finish things that he’s started. But before Matthias leaves, his girlfriend springs a surprise on him: he’s going to be a father. And so he hopes to use the weekend, which he has no real desire to go on, to answer new and pressing questions. The “alternative” therapist, however, doesn’t inspire much trust. The tragicomedy Frantic Attempts takes aim at the field of personal development, in particular, dubious therapists who offer quick fixes. After all, what if we should answer our existential questions ourselves instead of trying to find answers from others?

Tujuh Hari Untuk Keshia

Sadewa was shocked by his ex-girlfriend who suddenly returned and brought a child named Keshia. Keshia's arrival made Sadewa realize that his life would be destroyed and in disarray, until an accident changed everything.

月晷

Painter Gao Yuan’s experimental animation is composed of a series of surreal scenes, based on her acrylic paintings made between 2010-14. Objects and people find themselves in unusual situations where rules of gravity and structure do not apply. The familiar yet unnervingly offbeat scenes are connected through unexpected sounds and rhythms. Under the dim moonlight, the characters are stuck in a dream state from which they cannot awaken.

The Who - Live at the London Coliseum 1969

Concert of the Who's first filming of the Rock Opera «Tommy» at London's opera house, the Coliseum, 14 December 1969. At this point, the Who were in full stride, playing behind Tommy and making waves where ever they went. This performance, as rough and raw as it seems, is the Who at their all-time nastiest. Opening with the powerful «Heaven And Hell», the group slays each number — «I Can’t Explain», «Fortune Teller», «Tattoo» — before ascending the mountain of conceptual copiousness.

An American March

Stars and stripes forever and ever and ever. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2000.

House For Sale

A stranger posing as a home buyer shows up at a suburban house that is up for sale. What is he doing there? He asks himself. He is after more than just the house.

Der Waldrapp: Zugvogel im Aufwind

Fattitude

The goal of this documentary is to inform people about the harsh and very real realities of fat shaming and fat hatred - to expose how fat hatred permeates our popular culture, spreading the message that fat is bad and in turn forwarding the idea that being cruel, unkind or downright unjust to a fat person is acceptable behavior. And then, to inspire change.

Twilight

When Madeleine is diagnosed with Alzheimers, she makes two important decisions. One is to keep it from her family. The other is to revisit her beloved Gaspésie and relive, for one last time, the memories this evokes. Encountering Zoë, an emotionally disturbed young musician, Madeleine asks her to be her driver for the trip.

Príncipe Lu e a Lenda do Dragão

Heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Lucebra, Prince Lu lives carefreely, playing pranks on his family and friends. However, according to legend, when he turns 18, he will confront the mysterious Evil Dragon and save the people of Middle Earth. Despite the prophecy, he doesn't believe in the imminent danger and prefers to "troll" his sister, the Enchanted Princess (Gi Alparone), and everyone working in the palace.

Inter Nos

Benjamín Eiríksson, a middle-aged man, has reached a cross-road in his life. A pioneer in engineering, who has achieved all the goals open to him in his profession. A respected father and loving husband, his heart is now silent. His children are leaving home, his wife is estranged from him. The vast power-stations, once the proud symbols of his ingenuity and creativity, now appear merely stark monuments to vanity and futility. Craving love, friendship, understanding, he tries to make a fresh start, in search of a life of adventure, a life with meaning.

Yuvatha

Yuvatha is a 2008 Telugu film directed by Parasuram starring Nikhil Siddharth and Aksha Pardasany in the Lead. It was released on 7 November 2008 to Rave Reviews and was declared a Super Hit at the Box Office. Babu (Nikhil Siddharth), an orphan brought up by his uncle and aunt believes that they swindled his property. Once when his uncle chides him, he leaves home for Hyderabad to stay with his friends, whom he trusts. Kind-hearted as he is, Babu believes that life is to be happy and make others happy. Babu meets Baby (Aksha Pardasany) accidentally and they become good friends. Whenever she is lonely, Babu along with his three friends, a software engineer, a security guard and an assistant film director cheer her up. Once during her birthday, some goons tease Baby and Babu thrashes them. Later they settle scores with Babu, but his friend, the assistant director, suffers grievous injuries.

Yellow

Everybody wants to be fashionable and praised. So do grandmothers.

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