Idamante, son of Idomeneo, falls victim to a promise of human sacrifice made in a moment of despair by Idomeneo to Neptune. The attempts of Idomeneo to evade the fulfillment of his vow result in the ravaging of the island of Crete.

Rossini's popular work - which was first performed in 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome - contains some of opera's most tuneful and recognizable music - from its lively overture to Figaro's Largo al factotum to Rosina's Una voce poco fa. Based on…

This epic opera, inspired by Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece, was the first recording from Glyndebourne. The designer, Emanuele Luzzati, created a series of stunning visual impressions, including the chilling witches' chorus, the banquet at which…

Based on Beaumarchais' comedy "Le Mariage de Figaro" , Le Nozze di Figaro is a sequel to his earlier play "Le Barbier de Seville ", adapted by Rossini. The production is sung in the original Italian.

Based on Hogarth's series of prints, "The Rake's Progress" combines the eighteenth century with the twentieth. The highly individualized set of this production, designed by David Hockney, reflects perfectly the "spikiness" of the music, combined with…

Recorded during the "Schwetzinger Festspiele" 1989 in the cathedral of Speyer.

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.

Consisting of former members of Frank Zappa's band, this concert pays tribute to the music of the maestro, featuring all the 'hits' of his musical history, from "Chunga's Revenge" to "Easy Meat", performed with breathtaking virtuosity.

The dissolute knight, Sir John Falstaff, unable to pay his bills at the Garter Inn, decides to exert his charms on Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, wives of wealthy merchants. The two women, aided by Mistress Quickly, devise a plot to outwit him. But…

A magnificent Christmas concert, with music ranging from motets to popular Christmas standards, performed by Leipzig's world famous boys' choir. A fascinating half-hour documentary examines the history of the choir from its foundation in the early…