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…

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.

This particular performance shows world-class piano player Joanne Brackeen with a quite unusual line up, consisting of Pat Metheny's drummer Danny Gottlieb, Lonnie Plaxico of Steve Coleman's Five Elements Band and Donald Harrison, a unique sax player…

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.

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…

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

The Japanese pianist Aki Takase is a veritable typhoon of power and clarity. Her playing shows what can happen when the European rules of melody, harmony and rhythm come face to face with a distinctly Asian way of thinking!

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.

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…

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…