Index of video reviews

The basic structure of this page is an alphabetic index, by composer and work, of all the DVD and Blu-ray reviews that have appeared on Opera Ramblings.  Recital and documentary type disks are grouped at the end.  It’s a long list so I wrote some posts designed to guide readers to the the disks I find most worthwhile (originally written in April 2015 and sporadically updated).  Also, if it matters to you, there’s a note on, mainly, audio technology and how I relate to it at the bottom of the CD review page.

“Best of” lists
Best overall recordings
Most interesting pre-1980 recordings
Best recordings of works prior to Mozart
Most interesting recordings of Mozart works
Personal favourite recordings of 21st century operas
Interesting recordings that didn’t make it onto the other lists

…and for fun, the weirdest opera video recordings.

Abrahamsen
The Snow Queen; Munich, 2019

Adam
Le postillon de Lonjumeau; Paris, 2019

Adams
The Death of Klinghoffer; Film, 2003

Doctor Atomic; Amsterdam, 2007 

El Niño; Paris, 2000

Nixon in China; Metropolitan Opera, 2011 

Adès
The Exterminating Angel; Metropolitan Opera, 2017

The Tempest; Metropolitan Opera, 2012

Albéniz
Merlin; Madrid, 2003

d’Albert
Tiefland; Zürich, 2006

Alfano
Cyrano de Bergerac; Valencia, 2007

Sakùntala; Catania, 2016

Barber
Vanessa; Glyndebourne, 2018

Barrière and Saariaho
Ekstasis; Paris, 2018

Beethoven
Fidelio; Glyndebourne, 1979
Fidelio; Metropolitan Opera, 2000
Fidelio; Zürich, 2004 
Fidelio; Zürich, 2008
Fidelio; Salzburg, 2015
Fidelio (1806 version); Theater an der Wien, 2020

Leonora (1805 version); Opera Lafayette, 2020

Bellini
I Capuletti e I Montecchi; San Francisco, 2012

Norma; Canadian Opera Company, 1981
Norma; Munich, 2006
Norma; Barcelona, 2015
Norma; Royal Opera House, 2016
Norma; Macerata, 2016

I Puritani; Barcelona, 2001
I Puritani; Metropolitan Opera, 2007
I Puritani; Madrid, 2016

La Sonnambula; Stuttgart, 2013

Benjamin
Lessons in Love and Violence; Royal Opera House, 2018

Written on Skin; Royal Opera House, 2013 

Berg
Lulu; Glyndebourne, 1996
Lulu; Salzburg; 2010
Lulu; Brussels, 2012

Wozzeck; Film, 1970
Wozzeck; Wiener Staatsoper, 1987
Wozzeck; Frankfurt, 1996
Wozzeck; Barcelona, 2007
Wozzeck; Moscow, 2010 
Wozzeck; Zürich, 2015
Wozzeck; Amsterdam, 2017

Berlioz
Béatrice et Bénédict; Glyndebourne, 2016

Benvenuto Cellini; Amsterdam, 2015

Les Troyens; Paris, 2003 
Les Troyens; Royal Opera House, 2012

Birtwistle
The Minotaur; Royal Opera House, 2008

Bizet
Carmen; Earl’s Court, 1999
Carmen; Glyndebourne, 2002 
Carmen; Royal Opera House, 2006
Carmen; Zurich, 2008
Carmen; Paris, 2009
Carmen; Metropolitan Opera, 2010
Carmen; Barcelona, 2011
Carmen; Bregenz, 2017

Blow
Venus and Adonis; Stockholm, 2021 (coupled with Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas)

Boesmans
Julie; Aix-en-Provence, 2005

Boismortier
Don Quichotte chez la duchesse; Versailles, 2015

Boito
Mefistofele; San Francisco, 2013 

Borodin
Prince Igor; Metropolitan Opera, 2014

Britten
Albert Herring; Glyndebourne, 1985

Billy Budd; BBC film, 1966
Billy Budd; Glyndebourne, 2010 

Death in Venice; Glyndebourne Touring Opera, 1987
Death in Venice; Venice, 2008 

Gloriana; BBC film/Opera North, 2000
Gloriana; Royal Opera House, 2013

A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Glyndebourne, 1981
A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Barcelona, 2005

Owen Wingrave; BBC2 film, 1970
Owen Wingrave; Channel 4 film, 2001

Peter Grimes; BBC film, 1969
Peter Grimes; Royal Opera House, 1981
Peter Grimes; ENO, 1994
Peter Grimes; Zurich, 2005
Peter Grimes; Metropolitan Opera, 2008
Peter Grimes; La Scala, 2012
Peter Grimes; Aldeburgh, 2013
Comparative round up of all seven available versions of Peter Grimes

The Rape of Lucretia; Snape, 2001
The Rape of Lucretia; Glyndebourne, 2015

The Turn of the Screw; Opera Australia, 1991
The Turn of the Screw; BBC Wales film, 1996
The Turn of the Screw; Glyndebourne, 2011

Busoni
Doktor Faust; Zurich, 2008
Doktor Faust; Florence, 2023

Casablancas
L’enigma di Lea; Barcelona, 2019

Catalani
La Wally; Theater an der Wien, 2021

Cavalieri
Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo; Theater an der Wien, 2021 (Review on Opera Canada website)

Cavalli
La Didone; Caen, 2011 

Elena Aix-en-Provence; 2013

Ercole amante; Amsterdam, 2009
Ercole amante; Paris, 2019

Il Giasone; Vlaamse Opera, 2010 
Il Giasone, Geneva, 2017

Cesti
La Dori; Innsbruck, 2019

Chabrier
Une Éducation Manquée; Compiègne, 1994

Cherubini
Koukourgi; Klagenfurt, 2010

Médée; Brussels, 2011 

Chin
Alice in Wonderland; Munich, 2007

Cilea
Adriana Lecouvreur; Royal Opera House, 2010 

Cimarosa
Le astuzie femminili; Riete, 2022

L’Italiana in Londra; Frankfurt, 2021

Dean
Hamlet; Glyndebourne, 2017

Debussy
Pelléas et Mélisande; WNO, 1992
Pelléas et Mélisande; Zurich, 2004
Pelléas et Mélisande; Theater an der Wien, 2009
Pelléas et Mélisande; Malmö, 2016
Pelléas et Mélisande; Zurich, 2016

Delibes
Lakmé; Opéra Comique, 2022

Deshenov
Ice and Steel; Saarbrücken, 2007

Donizetti
L’aio nell’imbarazzo; Bergamo, 2022

Anna Bolena; Canadian Opera Company, 1984
Anna Bolena; Wiener Staatsoper, 2011 

Chiara e Serafina; Bergamo, 2022

Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali; La Scala, 2009

Don Pasquale; Cagliari, 2002
Don Pasquale; Royal Opera House, 2019

L’elisir d’amore; Lyon, 1996
L’elisir d’amore; Glyndebourne, 2009 

La favorite; Bergamo, 2022

La fille du régiment; Royal Opera House, 2007

Lucrezia Borgia; Munich, 2009
Lucrezia Borgia; San Francisco, 2011 

Maria Stuarda; Metropolitan Opera, 2013

Poliuto; Glyndebourne, 2015

Roberto Devereux; Munich, 2005

Rosmonda d’Inghilterra; Bergamo, 2016

Dove
The Adventures of Pinocchio; Opera North, 2008

Dukas
Ariane et Barbe-bleue; Barcelona, 2011 

Dvorák
Rusalka; ENO, 1986
Rusalka; Paris, 2002
Rusalka; Munich, 2010
Rusalka; Brussels, 2012
Rusalka; Metropolitan Opera, 2014
Rusalka; Glyndebourne, 2019

Faccio
Amleto; Bregenz, 2016

de Falla
La Vida Breve; Valencia, 2012 

Floyd
Susannah; St. Petersburg (FL), 2014

Franck
Stradella; Liège, 2012

Gay
The Beggar’s Opera; Paris, 2018

Gay/Britten
The Beggar’s Opera; BBC Film, 1963

Gershwin
Porgy and Bess; San Francisco, 2013 

Giordano
Andrea Chénier; Royal Opera House, 2015
Andrea Chénier; La Scala, 2017

Fedora; Metropolitan Opera, 1996
Fedora; Genoa, 2015

Siberia; Florence, 2021
Siberia; Bregenz, 2021

Glass
The Perfect American; Madrid, 2013 

Spuren der Verirrten; Linz, 2013

Gluck
Alceste; Paris, 2000
Alceste; Stuttgart, 2006
Alceste; Munich 2019

Iphigénie en Aulide; Amsterdam, 2011

Iphigénie en Tauride; Zurich, 2001
Iphigénie en Tauride; Amsterdam, 2011

Orfeo ed Euridice; Royal Opera House, 1991
Orphée et Eurydice; Paris, 2000
Orphée et Eurydice; Munich, 2003
Orfeo ed Euridice; Peralada, 2012
Orphée et Eurydice; La Scala, 2018
Orphée et Eurydice; Chicago, 2018

Goldschmidt
Beatrice Cenci; Bregenz, 2018

Gounod
Faust; Wiener Staatsoper, 1985
Faust; Turin, 2015
Faust; Salzburg, 2016
Faust; Royal Opera House, 2019

Mireille; Paris, 2010

La nonne sanglante; Paris, 2018

Roméo et Juliette; Verona, 2011 
Roméo et Juliette; Barcelona, 2018

Graun
Montezuma; Bayreuth, 1982

Hahn
Ciboulette; Paris, 2014

Handel
Acis and Galatea; Royal Opera House, 2009 

Agrippina; Theater an der Wien, 2016

Alcina; Wiener Staatsoper, 2011 
Alcina; Aix-en-Provence, 2015

Ariodante; ENO, 1996
Ariodante; Spoleto, 2007
Ariodante; Salzburg, 2017

Arminio; Karlsrühe, 2018

Belshazzar; Aix-en-Provence, 2008

Giulio Cesare; Sydney, 1994
Giulio Cesare; Glyndebourne, 2005 
Giulio Cesare; Copenhagen, 2005
Giulio Cesare; Salzburg, 2012
Giulio Cesare; Theater an der Wien, 2021

Hercules; Paris, 2004

Messiah; Theater an der Wien, 2009
Der Messias; Salzburg, 2020

Orlando; Zurich, 2008

Partenope; Copenhagen, 2008

Rinaldo; Munich, 2001
Rinaldo; Glyndebourne, 2011 

Rodelinda; Glyndebourne, 1998
Rodelinda; Theater an der Wien, 2011

Saul; Glyndebourne, 2015
Saul; Theater an der Wien, 2021

Semele; Zurich, 2007
Semele; Auckland, 2021

Serse; Dresden, 2000

Tamerlano; Halle, 2001

Theodora; Glyndebourne, 1996
Theodora; Salzburg 2009 
Theodora; Royal Opera House, 2022

Hartmann
Simplicius Simplicissimus; Stuttgart, 2005

Haydn
Il Mondo della Luna; Theater an der Wien, 2009 

Orlando Paladino; Staatsoper unter den Linden, 2009

Heggie
Moby Dick; San Francisco, 2012

Henze
Boulevard Solitude; Barcelona, 2007

L’Upupa und der Triumph der Sohnesliebe; Salzburg, 2003

Der Prinz von Homburg; Stuttgart, 2019

Hindemith
Mathis der Maler; Theater an der Wien, 2012

Hofmannsthal
Jedermann; Salzburg 2020

Humperdinck
Hansel and Gretel; Metropolitan Opera, 2008
Hänsel und Gretel; Royal Opera House, 2008 

Königskinder; Amsterdam, 2022

Janáček
The Cunning Little Vixen; Paris, 1995
The Cunning Little Vixen; Florence, 2009
The Cunning Little Vixen; Glyndebourne, 2012

From the House of the Dead; Aix-en-Provence, 2007
From the House of the Dead; Munich, 2018

Jenůfa; Glyndebourne, 1998
Jenůfa; Madrid, 2009
Jenůfa; Deutsche Oper, 2014 
Jenůfa; Staatsoper unter den Linden, 2021
Jenůfa; Royal Opera House, 2021

Kat’a Kábanová; Glyndebourne, 1988
Kat’a Kábanová; Madrid, 2010
Kát’a Kabanová; Salzburg, 2022

Věk Makropulos; Glyndebourne, 1995
Věk Makropulos; Salzburg, 2011

Knussen
Where The Wild Things Are & Higglety, Pigglety, Pop; Glyndebourne, 1985

Korngold
Die Tote Stadt; Deutsche Oper, 1983
Die Tote Stadt; Helsinki, 2010

Violanta; Turin, 2020

Das Wunder der Heliane; Deutsche Oper, 2018

Lalo
Le Roi d’Ys; Liège, 2008

Landi
La morte d’Orfeo; Amsterdam, 2018

Larcher
Das Jagdgewehr; Bregenz, 2018

Lehár
Das Land des Lächelns; Zürich, 2017

Leoncavallo
Pagliacci; Metropolitan Opera, 1994
Pagliacci; Royal Opera House, 2015
Pagliacci; Salzburg, 2015
Pagliacci; Amsterdam, 2019

Ligeti
Le Grand Macabre; Barcelona, 2011

Louie
Burnt Toast; Film, 2005

Lully
Acis et Galatée; Florence, 2022

Armide; Paris, 2008 

Atys; Paris, 2011 

Cadmus et Hermione; Paris, 2008

Persée; Opera Atelier, 2004

Mascagni
L’amico Fritz; Florence, 2022

Cavalleria Rusticana; Royal Opera House, 2015
Cavalleria Rusticana; Salzburg, 2015
Cavalleria Rusticana; Amsterdam, 2019

Massenet
Cendrillon; Royal Opera House, 2011
Cendrillon; Freiburg, 2017
Cendrillon; Glyndebourne, 2019

Don Quichotte; Sofia, 2009

Manon; Staatsoper unter den Linden, 2007
Manon; Liège, 2014

Thaïs; Metropolitan Opera, 2008

Werther; Paris, 2010

Messiaen
Saint François d’Assise; Amsterdam, 2008

Meyerbeer
L’Africaine; San Francisco, 1988

Dinorah; Compiègne, 2002

Les Huguenots; Opera Australia, 1990
Die Hugenotten; Deutsche Oper, 1991

Mondonville
Titon et l’Aurore; Paris, 2021

Moniuszko
Halka; Theater an der Wien, 2019

Monteverdi
Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda; Amsterdam, 1993

L’incoronazione di Poppea; Film, 1979
L’incoronazione di Poppea; Amsterdam, 1994
L’incoronazione di Poppea; Aix-en-Provence, 2000
L’incoronazione di Poppea; Barcelona, 2009
L’incoronazione di Poppea; Madrid, 2010
L’incoronazione di Poppea; Oslo, 2010
L’incoronazione di Poppea; Venice, 2017

L’Orfeo; Film, 1978
L’Orfeo; Barcelona, 2002
L’Orfeo; Opéra Comique, 2021

Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria; Film, 1979
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria; Aix-en-Provence, 2002
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria; Madrid, 2007

Mosca
Signor Goldoni; Venice, 2007

Mozart
Ascanio in Alba; Salzburg, 2006

Bastien und Bastienne/Der Schauspieldirektor; Salzburg, 2006

La clemenza di Tito; Film, 1980
La clemenza di Tito; Salzburg, 2003
La clemenza di Tito; Paris, 2005
La clemenza di Tito; Zurich, 2005
La clemenza di Tito; Glyndebourne, 2017

Così fan tutte; Film, 1988
Così fan tutte; Paris, 1992
Così fan tutte; Staatsoper unter den Linden, 2002
Così fan tutte; Salzburg, 2006
Così fan tutte; Glyndebourne, 2006
Così fan tutte; Salzburg, 2009
Così fan tutte; Madrid, 2013 
Così fan tutte; Salzburg, 2013
Così fan tutte; Theater an der Wien, 2014
Così fan tutte; Royal Opera House, 2016
Così fan tutte; Paris, 2017

Davide penitente; Salzburg, 2015

Don Giovanni; Deutsche Oper, 1961
Don Giovanni; La Scala, 1987
Don Giovanni; Wiener Staatsoper, 1999
Don Giovanni; Metropolitan Opera, 2000
Don Giovanni; Barcelona, 2002
Don Giovanni; Salzburg, 2006
Don Giovanni; Royal Opera House, 2008 
Don Giovanni; Salzburg, 2008
Don Giovanni; Glyndebourne, 2010
Don Giovanni; Aix-en-Provence, 2010
Don Giovanni; Royal Opera House, 2014 
Don Giovanni; Salzburg, 2014
Don Giovanni; Theater an der Wien, 2014
Don Giovanni; Royal Opera House, 2019

Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Stuttgart, 1998
Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Aix-en-Provence, 2004
Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Amsterdam, 2008
Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Glyndebourne, 2015

La finta giardiniera; Lille, 2014

Idomeneo; Metropolitan Opera, 1982
Idomeneo; Salzburg, 2006
Idomeneo; Munich, 2008
Idomeneo; Madrid, 2019
Idomeneo; Vienna State Opera, 2019

Lucio Silla; La Scala, 2015
Lucio Silla; Madrid, 2017

Mitridate, rè di Ponto; Royal Opera House, 1993

Le nozze di Figaro; Film, 1976
Le nozze di Figaro; Paris 1993
Le nozze di Figaro; Glyndebourne, 1994
Le nozze di Figaro; Paris, 2004
Le nozze di Figaro; Salzburg, 2006
Le nozze di Figaro; Royal Opera House, 2006 
Le nozze di Figaro; Madrid, 2009 
Le nozze di Figaro; Glyndebourne, 2012
Le nozze di Figaro; Theater an der Wien, 2014
Le nozze di Figaro; Salzburg, 2015
Le nozze di Figaro; La Scala, 2016
Le nozze di Figaro; Royal Opera House, 2022

Trollflöjten; Film 1975
Die Zauberflöte; Metropolitan Opera, 1991
Die Zauberflöte; Ludwigsburg, 1992
Die Zauberflöte; Royal Opera House, 2003
Die Zauberflöte; Salzburg, 2006
The Magic Flute; Film, 2006
The Magic Flute; Metropolitan Opera, 2006
Die Zauberflöte; La Scala, 2012
Die Zauberflöte; Baden-Baden, 2013
Des Königs Zauberflöte; Munich, 2013
Die Zauberflöte; Salzburg, 2018
Die Zauberflöte; Glyndebourne, 2019

Mussorgsky
Boris Godunov; St. Petersburg, 1990
Boris Godunov; Munich, 2013 
Boris Godunov; Royal Opera House, 2016

Khovanshchina; Vienna, 1989
Khovanshchina; Barcelona, 2007
Khovanshchina; Munich, 2007

Nielsen
Maskarade; Frankfurt, 2021

Saul og David; Copenhagen, 2015

Offenbach
Barbe-bleue; Lyon, 2019

La Belle Helène; Zurich, 1997
La Belle Helène; Paris, 2000

Les contes d’Hoffmann; Paris, 2002
Les contes d’Hoffmann; Bilbao, 2006
Les contes d’Hoffmann; Barcelona, 2013
Les contes d’Hoffmann; Amsterdam, 2018
Les contes d’Hoffmann; Hamburg, 2021

La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein; Paris, 2004

Orphée aux enfers; Lyon, 1997
Orphée aux enfers; Salzburg 2019

La Périchole; Paris, 2022

La vie Parisienne; Lyon, 1991
La vie Parisienne; Paris, 2021

Pergolesi
Il prigionier superbo and La serva padrona; Jesi, 2009/11 

Pfitzner
Palestrina; Munich, 2009

Pizzetti
Assassinio nella Cattedrale; Bari, 2007

Poulenc
Dialogues des Carmélites; Strasbourg, 1999
Dialogues des Carmélites; La Scala, 2004
Dialogues des Carmélites; Paris, 2013

La voix humaine; Film, 2011

Prokofiev
The Fiery Angel; Rome, 2019
The Fiery Angel; Theater an der Wien, 2021

The Gambler; Staatsoper unter den Linden, 2008 
The Gambler; St. Petersburg, 2010

L’Amour des trois oranges; Amsterdam, 2005 
L’Amour des trois oranges; Paris, 2005

Puccini
Gianni Schicchi; Glyndebourne, 2004 

La Bohème; San Francisco, 1988
La Bohème; Film, 2008
La Bohème; Oslo, 2012
La Bohème; Turin, 2016
La Bohème; Royal Opera House, 2017
La Bohème; Royal Opera House, 2020

La Rondine; Metropolitan Opera, 2009

Madama Butterfly; Film, 1974
Madama Butterfly; La Scala, 1986
Madama Butterfly; Glyndebourne, 2018
Madama Butterfly; Bregenz, 2022

Manon Lescaut; Royal Opera House, 1983
Manon Lescaut; Barcelona, 2018

Il Tabarro; Metropolitan Opera, 1994

Tosca; La Scala, 2000
Tosca; Royal Opera House, 2012
Tosca; Baden-Baden, 2017
Tosca; Salzburg, 2018
Tosca; Wiener Staatsoper, 2019
Tosca; Theater an der Wien, 2022

Il Trittico; Royal Opera House, 2011 
Il Trittico; Salzburg, 2022

Turandot; Beijing, 1999
Turandot; Valencia, 2008
Turandot; La Scala, 2015
Turandot; Turin, 2018
Turandot; Madrid, 2018
Turandot; Barcelona, 2019

Purcell
Dido and Aeneas; Film (Canada), 1995
Dido and Aeneas; Film (UK), 1995
Dido and Aeneas; Paris, 2008
Dido and Aeneas; Royal Opera House, 2009
Dido and Aeneas; Rouen, 2014
Dido and Aeneas; Stockholm, 2021 (coupled with Blow’s Venus and Adonis)

King Arthur; Salzburg, 2004
King Arthur; Montpellier, 2009
King Arthur; Staatsoper Berlin, 2017

The Fairy Queen; Glyndebourne, 2009

Rachmaninov
The Miserly Knight; Glyndebourne, 2004 

Rameau
Les Boréades; Paris, 2003

Castor et Pollux; Amsterdam, 2008

Hippolyte et Aricie; Glyndebourne, 2013

Les Indes galantes; Paris, 2003
Les Indes galantes; Munich, 2016

Les Paladins; Paris, 2004

Plateé; Paris, 2002
Platée; Theater an der Wien, 2020
Platée; Paris, 2022

Zoroastre; Drottningholm, 2006

Ravel
L’heure espagnole and L’enfant et les sortilèges; Glyndebourne, 2012 

Reimann
Lear; Hamburg, 2014

Medea; Vienna, 2010

Respighi
La bella dormente nel bosco; Cagliari, 2017

La campana sommersa; Cagliari, 2016

Rihm
Dionysos; Salzburg, 2010

Rimsky-Korsakov
Christmas Eve; Frankfurt, 2021

The Golden Cockerel; Lyon, 2021

The Snow Maiden; Paris, 2017

The Tale of Tsar Saltan; St. Petersburg, 2015

Rossini
Adelaide di Borgogna; Pesaro, 2011 

Aureliano in Palmira; Pesaro, 2014

Il barbiere di Siviglia; Film, 1972
Il barbiere di Siviglia; Glyndebourne, 1982
Il barbiere di Siviglia; Schwetzingen, 1988
Il barbiere di Siviglia; Madrid, 2005 
Il barbiere di Siviglia; Glyndebourne, 2016
Il barbiere di Siviglis; Paris, 2017
Il barbiere di Siviglia; Wiener Staatsoper, 2021

La cambiale di matrimonio; Schwetzingen, 1989

La Cenerentola; Film, 1981
La Cenerentola; Salzburg, 1988
La Cenerentola; Rome, 2016

Ciro in Babilonia; Pesaro, 2012 

Le Comte Ory; Metropolitan Opera, 2011
Le Comte Ory; Zurich, 2012
Le Comte Ory; Paris, 2017

La donna del lago; Metropolitan Opera, 2015
La donna del lago; Pesaro, 2016

Ermione; Glyndebourne, 1995

Guillaume Tell; Pesaro, 2013 
Guillaume Tell; Royal Opera House, 2015

Maometto II; Venice, 2005

L’occasione fa il ladro; Schwetzingen, 1992
L’occasione fa il ladro; Wildbad, 2017

Otello; Zurich, 2012

Ricciardo e Zoraide; Pesaro, 2018

La scala di seta; Schwetzingen, 1990

Le siège de Corinthe; Pesaro, 2017

Il signor Bruschino; Schwetzingen, 1989

Tancredi; Schwetzingen, 1992

Il Turco in Italia; Zurich, 2002
Il Turco in Italia; Pesaro, 2016

Il Viaggio a Reims; Barcelona, 2003

Rota
La notte di un nevrastenico/ I due timidi; Reate, 2017

Saariaho
L’Amour de Loin; Helsinki, 2004

Only the Sound Remains; Amsterdam, 2016

Saint-Saëns
Samson et Dalila; Royal Opera House, 2022

Salieri
Europa Riconosciuta; La Scala, 2004

Scarlatti
Dove è Amore è Gelosia; Krumlov, 2011 
Griselda; Martina Franca, 2021

Schoenberg
Moses und Aron; Film, 1975
Moses und Aron; Paris, 2015

Von Heute auf Morgen; Venice, 2008

Schreker
Der Schatzgräber; Deutsche Oper Berlin; 2022

Schubert
Fierrabras; Salzburg, 2014
Eine Winterreise; Basel, 2022

Schumann
Genoveva; Zürich, 2008

Shostakovich
Katerina Izmailova; Film, 1966
The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District; Barcelona, 2002
The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District; Amsterdam, 2006
The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District; Florence, 2008 

Somers
Louis Riel; Canadian Opera Company, 1969

Spontini
Fernand Cortez; Florence, 2019
La fuga in maschera; Jesi, 2012

Straus
The Chocolate Soldier; Film, 1955

Strauss, Johann
Die Fledermaus; Munich, 1987
Die Fledermaus; Seefestspiele Mörbisch, 1996
Die Fledermaus; Salzburg, 2001
Die Fledermaus; Glyndebourne, 2009

Eine Nacht in Venedig; Film, 1973

Der Zigeunerbaron; Seefestspiele Mörbisch, 2000

Strauss, Richard
Arabella; Wiener Staatsoper, 2012
Arabella; Salzburg, 2014

Ariadne auf Naxos; Salzburg, 1965
Ariadne auf Naxos; Film, 1978
Ariadne auf Naxos; Metropolitan Opera, 1988
Ariadne auf Naxos; Dresden, 2000
Ariadne auf Naxos; Metropolitan Opera, 2003
Ariadne auf Naxos; Zurich, 2006
Ariadne auf Naxos; Glyndebourne, 2013 

Capriccio; San Francisco, 1993
Capriccio; Paris, 2004
Capriccio; Metropolitan Opera, 2011

Elektra; Metropolitan Opera, 1980
Elektra; Film, 1981
Elektra; Zürich, 2005
Elektra; Salzburg, 2010
Elektra; Baden-Baden, 2010
Elektra; Aix-en-Provence, 2013
Elektra; Salzburg, 2020

Feuersnot; Palermo, 2014 

Die Frau ohne Schatten; Salzburg, 1992
Die Frau ohne Schatten; Salzburg, 2011 
Die Frau ohne Schatten; St. Petersburg, 2011

Intermezzo; Glyndebourne, 1983

Die Liebe der Danae; Deutsche Oper, 2011
Die Liebe der Danae; Salzburg, 2016

Der Rosenkavalier; Salzburg, 1961
Der Rosenkavalier; Royal Opera House, 1985
Der Rosenkavalier; Vienna, 1994
Der Rosenkavalier; Salzburg, 2004

Salome; Film, 1974
Salome; Royal Opera House, 1992
Salome; Royal Opera House, 2008 
Salome; Salzburg, 2018

Stravinsky
Mavra mashed up with Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta; Munich, 2019

Oedipus Rex, Florence, 2022

The Rake’s Progress; Glyndebourne, 1975
The Rake’s Progress; Brussels, 2007
The Rake’s Progress; Glyndebourne, 2010
The Rake’s Progress; Gothenburg, 2018

Le Rossignol; Film, 2005

Sturminger
The Giacomo Variations; Vienna, 2011

The Infernal Comedy; Vienna, 2009

Szymanowski
Król Roger; Royal Opera House, 2015

Tan Dun
The First Emperor; Metropolitan Opera, 2007

Marco Polo; Amsterdam, 2008

Tchaikovsky, Piotr
The Enchantress; Frankfurt, 2022

Eugene Onegin; Film, 1988
Eugene Onegin; Metropolitan Opera, 2007
Eugene Onegin; Valencia, 2011 

Iolanta mashed up with Stravinsky’s Mavra; Munich, 2019

None But The Lonely Heart; Frankurt, 2021

Queen of Spades; St. Petersburg, 1992
Queen of Spades; Amsterdam, 2016
Queen of Spades; Salzburg, 2018

Tchaikowsky, André
The Merchant of Venice; Bregenz, 2013

Thomas
Hamlet; Barcelona, 2003

Turnage
Anna Nicole; Royal Opera House, 2011

Ullmann
Der zerbrochene Krug; Los Angeles, 2008

Vaccaj
Giulietta e Romeo; Martina Franca, 2018

Verdi
Don Carlo; Amsterdam, 2004
Don Carlos; Paris, 1996

I due Foscari; La Scala, 2015

Ernani; Florence, 2022

Falstaff; Glyndebourne, 2009
Falstaff; Rome, 2019
Falstaff; Florence, 2021

La forza del destino; Wiener Staatsoper, 2008
La forza del destino; Munich, 2014
La forza del destino; Florence, 2020

Giovanna d’Arco; Bologna, 1990

Macbeth; Royal Opera House, 2011 

Nabucco; Royal Opera House, 2013
Nabucco; Verona, 2017

Otello; Film, 1974
Otello; Salzburg, 2008 
Otello; Metropolitan Opera, 2015
Otello; Salzburg, 2016
Otello; Macerata, 2016

Rigoletto; Zürich, 2006
Rigoletto; Bregenz, 2019
Rigoletto; Royal Opera House, 2021

Simon Boccanegra; Royal Opera House, 2010 
Simon Boccanegra; Salzburg, 2019

La traviata; Aix-en-Provence, 2003
La traviata; Salzburg, 2005
La traviata; La Scala, 2007
La traviata; Royal Opera House, 2009 
La traviata; Aix-en-Provence, 2011
Traviata – Vous méritez un avenir meilleur; Paris, 2018
La traviata; Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, 2021

Il Trovatore; Metropolitan Opera, 2011
Il Trovatore; Brussels, 2012
Il Trovatore; Royal Opera House, 2017
Il Trovatore; Verona, 2019

I vespri Siciliani; La Scala, 1989

Vinci
Artaserse; Nancy, 2012

Vivaldi
Orlando Furioso; Paris, 2011

Wagner
Der fliegende Holländer; Bayreuth, 1985
Der fliegende Holländer; Amsterdam, 2010 
Der fliegende Holländer; Theater an der Wien, 2015
Der fliegender Holländer; Bayreuth, 2021

Götterdämmerung; Bayreuth, 1980
Götterdämmerung; Bayreuth, 1991
Götterdämmerung; Copenhagen, 2006
Götterdämmerung; Deutsche Oper Berlin, 2021
Götterdämmerung; Bayreuth, 2022

Lohengrin; Metropolitan Opera, 1986
Lohengrin; Vienna, 1992
Lohengrin; Munich, 2009
Lohengrin; Bayreuth, 2011
Lohengrin; Stuttgart, 2018
Lohengrin; Bayreuth, 2018

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; Bayreuth, 2008
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; Glyndebourne, 2011 
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg; Deutsche Oper Berlin, 2022

Parsifal; Brussels, 2011
Parsifal; Metropolitan Opera, 2013
Parsifal; Staatsoper Berlin, 2015
Parsifal; Bayreuth, 2016
Parsifal; Palermo, 2020

Das Rheingold; Bayreuth, 1980
Das Rheingold; Bayreuth, 1991
Das Rheingold; Copenhagen, 2006
Das Rheingold; Deutsche Oper Berlin, 2021
Das Rheingold; Staatsoper unter den Linden, 2022

Rienzi; Toulouse, 2012

Siegfried; Bayreuth, 1980
Siegfried; Bayreuth, 1991
Siegfried; Copenhagen, 2006
Siegfried; Deutsche oper Berlin, 2021

Tannhäuser; Barcelona, 2008
Tannhäuser; Copenhagen, 2009
Tannhäuser; Bayreuth, 2019

Tristan und Isolde; Bayreuth, 1995
Tristan und Isolde; Metropolitan Opera; 1999
Tristan und Isolde; La Scala, 2007
Tristan und Isolde; Bayreuth, 2009 
Tristan und Isolde; Bayreuth, 2015
Tristan und Isolde; Rome, 2016

Die Walküre; Bayreuth, 1980
Die Walküre; Bayreuth, 1991
Die Walküre; Copenhagen, 2006
Die Walküre; Salzburg, 2017
Die Walküre; Royal Opera House, 2018
Die Walküre; Deutsche Oper Berlin, 2021

Weber
Euryanthe; Theater an der Wien, 2018

Der Freischütz; Film, 1968
Der Freischütz; Zürich, 1999
Der Freischütz; Dresden, 2015
Der Freischütz; Vienna, 2018

Weill
Die Dreigroschenoper; Film, 1931

The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny; Salzburg, 1998
The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny; Los Angeles, 2007
The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny; Madrid, 2010 

Street Scene; Madrid, 2018

Weinberg
The Passenger; Bregenz, 2010
The Passenger; Graz, 2021

Weinberger
Frühlingstürme; Komische Oper Berlin, 2020

Wuorinen
Brokeback Mountain; Madrid, 2014 

Zandonai
Francesca da Rimini; Deutsche Oper, 2021

Zemlinsky
Der Zwerg; Los Angeles, 2008
Der Zwerg; Deutsche Oper, 2019

Zimmermann
Die Soldaten; Salzburg, 2012

Recitals, Documentaries etc
Barbara Hannigan – Concert Documentary; 2014
Barbara Hannigan – Taking Risks; 2018
Cecilia and Bryn at Glyndebourne; 1999
Fuoco Sacro; 2022
Le miracle d’une voix; 1993-2003
LSO Stravinsky; 2015
Maria Callas at Covent Garden; 1962 and 1964
The Real Don Giovanni; 1998
The Salzburg Festival; A Brief History; 2006
traviata et nous; 2011

Want more reviews?

Not finding what you want here? Want a second opinion? Over at Mostly Opera Monika Rittershaus has reviewed over 200 DVDs. There’s not much overlap with my list and Monika tends to come at the task from a somewhat different perspective so her page is definitely worth a look.

 A note on my reviewing philosophy/approach

My reviews are both a personal opinion and an attempt to offer a kind of review of opera DVDs and Blu-rays which is hard to find elsewhere.  Of course I evaluate the production concept and how well it is executed as well as the quality of the music making though, not being a musicologist or a trained singer, you will not find highly detailed analysis of the “such and such a character did/did not execute a trill in the repeat of such and such da capo aria” variety.  What I do do is attempt to evaluate the disk as such rather than just review what was on stage with perhaps a few cursory remarks about the disk specific aspects of the production.  I believe that recordings are as much the work of the video director and engineering team as they are of the cast and creative team and I try to give full weight to their work in the review.  In my reviews you will read a fairly detailed critique of the video direction as well as an evaluation of the audio-visual quality of the package.  (I find it odd that many reviewers make comments about sound quality without even identifying which sound track they were listening to!)

I strongly believe that Blu-ray has significant advantages over DVD and review that format when I can which means (a) it exists in that format and (b)either I get a review copy or I buy it. The other major source of disks is the Toronto public library system which doesn’t carry Blu-ray so quite often even when Blu-ray is available I will end up reviewing the DVD version. Where I have reviewed the Blu-ray I have marked the entry on this page with a . Where I have reviewed the release on DVD but I know that Blu-ray is available I have indicated with . Absence of this icon should not be taken as a definitive indication that Blu-ray is not available.  Things change and the Met, in particular, is quite prone to releasing its HD broadcasts on DVD well ahead of an eventual Blu-ray release.  On a final note, one can usually assume that a recording issued on Blu-ray was prepared from HD audio and video material but if it has a recording date before about 2000 it’s more likely to be a digitally enhanced non-HD recording. These can be very good and I welcome the trend to cheap Blu-ray reissues of older material but they aren’t of the technical quality of the newer ones. That said, the Sellars’ Theodora is pretty good (and a magnificent production/performance).

ETA March 2019: A very few 4K and Dolby Atmos formatted opera recordings are starting to appear.  It will be interesting to see where that goes.  I now have a player capable of reading 4K disks so, for now, at least, I’ll flag those as .