Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.5

The Blu-ray Experience: Opera & Ballet Highlights Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 14, 2008

The Blu-ray Experience: Opera & Ballet Highlights is a modestly priced sampler, with excerpts from a number of classic releases distributed by Opus Arte. Each excerpt highlights a key scene from important works already available on Blu-ray.

Die Zauberflöte

1. Verdi: Il Trovatore – Gypsy Chorus (2.47)
A segment from Elijah Moshinsky’s rendition of Verdi’s famous opera in a co-production between Teatro Real Madrid and Royal Opera House conducted by Carlo Rizzi. The scene is known for the interesting interaction between the orchestra and the chorus.

2. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake – Entrance of the Swans ACT II (3.10)
This specific scene highlights the mass swan-dance from the classic ballet. The stage is lit in lovely blue colors captured by a multitude of HD cameras. A Paris Opera Ballet production and musical director Vello Pahn choreographed by Rudolph Nureyev.

3. Mozart: The Magic Flute – Aria – Queen of the Night ACT II (3.07)
The key aria in this memorable work performed by Diana Damrau. A Royal Opera House production recorded live at the Covent Garden in 2003. Conducted by Sir Colin Davis and produced by David McVicar.

4. Puccini: La Boheme – Che gelida manina! (4.51)
Courtesy of the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at Teatro Real. Staged by Giancarlo de Monaco and conducted by Jesus Lopez Cobos this specific rendition of Puccini’s masterpiece unites a cohort of terrific singers – Inva Mula (Mimi), Aquiles Machado (Rodolfo), Fabio Maria Capitanucci (Marcello), Laura Giordano (Musetta), David Menendez (Schaunard), and Felipe Bou (Coline). The scene highlights the lovely duet between Rodolfo and Mimi.

5. Bizet: Carmen – Habanera (2.20)
The London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Chorus are led by Pieter Schoeman and conductor Philippe Jordan in this rather contemporary take on the notorious Carmen. With Anne Sofie von Otter.

6. Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Divertissement ACT II (4.03)
Another excerpt from a famous ballet, and another mass dancing scene. A co-production between the BBC Concert Orchestra and Pacific Northwest Ballet choreographed by Georges Balanchine and conducted by Stewart Kershaw.

7. Puccini: Gianni Schicchi – O mio babbino caro (2.07)
A scene from a disc containing not only Puccini’s Gaianni Schicci but Rachmaninov’s The Miserly Knight. Gianni Schicchi, an opera in one act, was composed to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano and based on an episode (Canto xxx, 1.32) from Dante’s Inferno. It was first performed at the Metropolitan, New York, in 1918. The scene is from the Glyndebourne performance staged under the supervision of Annabel Arden and London Philharmonic conductor Vladimir Jurowski.

8. Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka (2.44)
Part of the ball at Prince Orlovsky’s estate. The opera in itself is a sarcastic farce with serious social overtones written on a libretto by Carl Haffner and Richard Genee. It is based on Le Réveillon by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. It was first staged in Vienna, on April 5, 1874. This a production of the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.

9. Rameau: Zoroastre – Entr’acte Ouverture/A mes tristes regards ACTII/Scene I (5.02)
This scene is part of a production that was recorded by Camera Lucida Productions – SVT in 2006 (co-production with ARTE France). It was staged under the supervision of Pierre Audi at the Drottningholm Theatre with the assistance of The Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra and Chorus and Les Talens Lyriques.

10. Rossini: La Cenerentola – Signora Altezza ACT I (3.00)
Inspired by the famous story Cendrillon, ou La petite pentoufle de verre from Charles Perrault's Les histoires ou Contes du temps passé (1697) and with a libretto by Jacopo Ferretti La Cenerentola premiered in 1817. Under the supervision of Sir Peter Hall and with spectacular set designs by Hildegard Bechtler La Cenerentola was recorded at the Glyndebourne Opera House, East Sussex, in June of 2005.

11. Bellini: Norma – Casta Diva (6.32)
Norma, a lyrical tragedy in two acts, premiered at La Scala on December 26, 1831. A prime example of the expressive bel canto (beautiful singing) style the opera effectively reunites the poetic beauty of classic Italian literature with the genuine expressiveness of Italian music. The scene is part of a notably contemporary rendition of Norma courtesy of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and Chorus De Nederlandse Opera under the supervision of Julian Reynolds.

12. Balanchine: Jewels – Emeralds – Final (Faure) (3.52)
Three different ballets are effectively merged into one in legendary choreographer George Balanchine’s (1904-1988) Jewels. The first one, a scene of which is offered on this disc, is titled simply Emeralds. It boasts music by French composer Gabriel Faurre’s “Pelleas and Melisande”. This is an effective piece where imagination and elegance are mixed to perfection. Green is the prevalent color here and it appears as part of the stage decors as well as the dancer’s costumes courtesy of top-designer Christian Lacroix. Added to the repertoire of Opera national de Paris in 2000.

13. Cecilia & Bryn at Glyndebourne –Mozart: Die Zuberflote, Pa-pa-pa-pa (duet) (2.37)
Recorded in 1999 at the Glyndebourne Opera House, Lewes, UK Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel sing arias from such renowned classics as Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Rossini’s Il barbierre di Seviglia, and Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus, among others. In collaboration with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Maestro Myung-Whun Chung.

The Blu-ray Experience: Opera & Ballet Highlights Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, and granted a 1080i transfer The Blu-ray Experience: Opera & Ballet Highlights arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Opus Arte.

As mentioned earlier in the synopsis, this is a compilation of scenes from classical ballet and opera works already released on Blu-ray by Opus Arte. Therefore, the overall quality here varies a bit. This being said however, the distributor's output thus far has been of exceptionally high quality and even though there are some minor discrepancies in terms of color and contrast, the compilation looks exceptionally strong. From Verdi to Bellini to Rameau, you will see examples of very pleasing contrast levels, excellent color-schemes, and practically flawless transfers. In the individual reviews I have noted that some of the releases reveal a bit of motion judder here and there, due to the manner in which each performance is recorded, while some don't. Still, I personally have been extremely pleased with Opus Arte's output thus far and I hope that after you take a look at this sampler you will see why. (Note: This is a Region-Free release which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

The Blu-ray Experience: Opera & Ballet Highlights Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The following tracks are available on this Blu-ray disc: Music: PCM 5.1, Music: PCM 2.0, Music: Dolby True HD 5.1, and Music: DTS-HD Master 5.1. Since the overwhelming majority of Opus Arte's releases use PCM I am pleasantly surprised to see that all three major codecs are represented here. Obviously, the intent is to show curious audiophiles that Blu-ray is the right format for opera and ballet productions. All that I could add here is that every scene in this collection is indeed a great example of how much better classical music sounds via PCM, Dolby True-HD, and DTS-HD Master. I strongly encourage you to listen to Carmen and Il Trovatore as both of those scenes are absolutely fantastic. They blend the soloists with the chorus and orchestra terrifically well and the uncompressed audio mixes allow for the flawless reproduction of the live performances. For the record, none of the thirteen scenes reveals any pops, cracks, or hissings. Finally, there are no subtitles of any sort for these excerpts.

The Blu-ray Experience: Opera & Ballet Highlights Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

On the Blu-ray disc there aren't any supplemental materials. However, the release arrives with a lovely booklet containing photos of the coverworks for Opus Arte's entire output on Blu-ray.

The Blu-ray Experience: Opera & Ballet Highlights Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you wondered how ballet and opera look on Blu-ray, The Blu-ray Experience: Opera & Ballet Highlights is an excellent opportunity to see what you might have been missing. I personally cannot recommend enough Opus Arte's releases – they are of exceptionally high quality and truly a mandatory addition to every classical music connoisseur's collection. Given how unbelievably cheap this disc is, I must HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to you.