Monteverdi is generally regarded as the father of European opera. His "Poppea" is a blood and thunder melodrama, set in Nero's Rome and loaded with passion, jealousy, murder and savage ambition.

The Czech composer based his libretto on the play "Le Voyage de Thésée" by his friend and trusted source of inspiration, Georges Neveux. Martinu is said to have written the opera for Maria Callas. In this production, the role is sung by the…

Sir Peter Hall's outstanding Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of "Fidelio" remains remarkably faithful to the way Beethoven intended the opera to be. He managed to inject fresh excitement and suspense into "Fidelio", providing a perfect…

Music by Guiseppe Verdi and Johann Sebastian Bach sweeps the viewer along as the camera paints impressionistic images. A fondness for detail brings the subject matter vibrantly to life and conveys the message without a single word. 3 episodes from 9…

This documentary shows Harnoncourt in rehearsal and the finale of the fourth act of the Salzburger Festspiele 1995 performance of Mozarts "Le Nozze di Figaro".

This performance of the Staatsoper Suttgart was acclaimed by music critics as the "Performance of the Year 1998" in the German magazine "Opernwelt". This unusual production of Hans Neuenfels recreated a game with forms and appearances of the music…

This opera is based on the Greek legend of Ulysses and his return to Ithaca after years at the Trojan wars.

The Swedish composer, flutist and keyboardist Björn J. Lindh and the Swedish pianist Staffan Scheja create together their own interpretation of the changing face of Europe.

With "Alcina" Wieler shows how modern Händel can be. The production is fascinating, conclusive and full of eroticism. Helene Schneidermann is absolutly overwhelming as Ruggiero's fiancée and the brilliant soprano Catherine Naglestad is more blissful…

This magnificent production of Wagner's masterpiece at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, brilliantly directed by Götz Friedrich and staged by Peter Sykora, was not only a great success in Berlin, but in Tokyo as well.