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James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti - Verdi: Il Trovatore (2006/1988)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti - Verdi: Il Trovatore (2006/1988)

James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti - Verdi: Il Trovatore (2006/1988)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano | LinearPCM, 2 ch | Dolby AC3, 6 ch | DTS, 6 ch | 7.11 Gb (DVD9) | 133 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

Verdi can be a challenge both vocally and in terms of acting, but Pavarotti and Marton are sensational, and Milnes was still excellent although clearly near the end of his career. The lyric beauty is there side by side with the dramatic power. (Tony Adams)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Paul Plishka, Mirella Freni, Marilyn Horne - Verdi: Falstaff (2009/1992)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Paul Plishka, Mirella Freni, Marilyn Horne - Verdi: Falstaff (2009/1992)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Paul Plishka, Mirella Freni, Marilyn Horne - Verdi: Falstaff (2009/1992)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 5 ch) | 7.46 Gb (DVD9) | 126 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

This time-honoured production of Verdi's final opera, one that has seen all the greatest Falstaffs of the last four decades hold court at its convincingly shabby Garter Inn and upset the decent folk of its lovingly recreated Tudor Windsor, marked the first appearance at the Met of producer and designer Franco Zeffirelli in March 1964. The Anglophile Zeffirelli had by then made his Shakespearean reputation with a revelatory Romeo and Juliet in London - his films of this play and of The Taming of the Shrew were shortly to follow - as well as with a similar production of Falstaff at Covent Garden, and the attention to visual and psychological detail displayed in his Met Falstaff won it high praise: “a milestone in the history of operatic production in this city" was the judgement of the New York Herald Tribune.

James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti - Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (2006/1991)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti - Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (2006/1991)

James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti - Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (2006/1991)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano | LinearPCM, 2 ch | Dolby AC3, 6 ch | DTS, 6 ch | 7.86 Gb (DVD9) | 137 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

Verdi and his librettist had originally intended that The Masked Ball would be set in the late 18th Century setting of the court of Gustavus III of Sweden. However this was not acceptable to the censor and it was changed to an imagined colonial Boston. In this production the opera has been set in its intended Swedish setting and appropriate changes made to the text. The staging reflects the setting and the scenery has a deliberately heavy feel which accentuates the sombre atmosphere of the opera. Nonetheless, all sets and costumes are lavish – clearly the ‘Met’ does not penny pinch with its productions. In particular the final scene "A large and sumptuously decorated ballroom" accurately reflects the description and the fancy dress costumes are really splendid.

James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti - Verdi: Ernani (2006/1983)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti - Verdi: Ernani (2006/1983)

James Levine, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti - Verdi: Ernani (2006/1983)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano | LinearPCM, 2 ch | Dolby AC3, 6 ch | DTS, 6 ch | 7.15 Gb (DVD9) | 140 min
Classical | DECCA | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

While all four solo performances are superb, one has only to sample the finale to Act I to discover what an electrifying team they make…If Pavarotti dominates by the sheer ardour of his singing, overall this is a totally gripping performance, unlikely to be surpassed on DVD. (The Penguin Guide)

James Levine, New Philarmonia Orchestra - Giuseppe Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani (1999)

Posted By: ArlegZ
James Levine, New Philarmonia Orchestra - Giuseppe Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani (1999)

James Levine, New Philarmonia Orchestra - Giuseppe Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani (1999)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 932 Gb | Total time: 66:26+59:12+61:36 | Scans included
Classical | Label: RCA | # 09026634922 | Recorded: 1973

Giuseppe Verdi was commissioned by the Paris Opera to write a grand opera for the Great Exhibition of 1855. The opera's subject was to be the Sicilian Vespers, the infamous massacre of the French by Sicilians in 1282 Palermo. Verdi's librettist for the work was Eugène Scribe and difficulties arose at once. Verdi, who favored lean realistic drama, was handcuffed by the French grand opera formula with its five act form, lavish choruses and ballet. The work with its original French title, 'Les Vêpres siciliennes' premiered to great acclaim but Verdi was never pleased with it. Eventually it was translated into Italian and this is the version that has survived.

Cecilia Bartoli, James Levine - An Italian Songbook: Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti (1997)

Posted By: Designol
Cecilia Bartoli, James Levine - An Italian Songbook: Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti (1997)

Cecilia Bartoli, James Levine - An Italian Songbook: Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti (1997)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 269 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 179 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical, Vocal | Label: London/Decca | # 455 513-2 | Time: 01:07:23

The Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli is one of the most charming and talented singers to appear on the scene in recent years, and this collection of Italian songs by three great opera composers–Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini–is a most deserving bestseller. There are many small pleasures in the selections, which reflect the bel canto predilections of their authors, and Bartoli renders them artfully. Some will be familiar even to casual listeners (Rossini's La Danza, the famous tarantella); others will be new to most, but equally deserving of a hearing. The sensitive and skillful accompaniment is by conductor-pianist James Levine.

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Renata Scotto, Luciano Pavarotti - Puccini: La Boheme (2005/1977)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Renata Scotto, Luciano Pavarotti - Puccini: La Boheme (2005/1977)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Renata Scotto, Luciano Pavarotti - Puccini: La Bohème (2005/1977)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 5 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | 7.71 Gb (DVD9) | 123 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

This was the very first “Live from the Met” telecast, and its availability on DVD will no doubt give rise to intense nostalgia, as it did for me. (How young everyone looked!) There’s an authentic sense of occasion to this performance. It’s one thing to play to a packed house, another to play to a nationwide television audience, and with so many eyes upon them, everyone involved in this Bohème rose to the occasion. It’s by no means a perfect evening—what performance ever is?—but it’s a treasurable one for anyone who cares about this opera, the Met, or the principal singers.

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo - Puccini: Manon Lescaut (2006/1980)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo - Puccini: Manon Lescaut (2006/1980)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo - Puccini: Manon Lescaut (2006/1980)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 6 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | 7.39 Gb (DVD9) | 132 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

All the throbbing eroticism—and ultimate heartbreak—of Puccini’s youthful score is unleashed by James Levine and his top-flight cast. Plácido Domingo is Des Grieux, the handsome, headstrong young aristocrat who falls head over heels for the enticing, impetuous Manon Lescaut (Renata Scotto). Manon returns his love, but her obsession with luxury ruins them both. Gian Carlo Menotti’s opulent production, with sets and costumes by Desmond Heeley, superbly captures the colorful world of 18th century France.

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle - Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos (2003/1988)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle - Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos (2003/1988)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle - Richard Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos (2003/1988)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Deutsch (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 5 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | 7.77 Gb (DVD9) | 154 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Deutsch, English, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

An enthralling production from the Metropolitan Opera under James Levine, with an unbeatable performance from Jessye Norman as Ariadne, and spotless coloratura from Kathleen Battle as Zerbinetta. James King offers sterling support in the taxing role of Bacchus. (James Longstaffe)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra - Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana; Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (2009/1978)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra - Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana; Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (2009/1978)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Plácido Domingo, Tatiana Troyanos, Teresa Stratas - Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana; Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (2009/1978)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 6 ch) | 7.42 Gb (DVD9) | 152 min
Classical | The Metropolitan Opera | Sub: English

Plácido Domingo accomplishes the rare feat of singing both lead roles on the same night in opera's most popular double-bill. James Levine conducts the tenor in Franco Zeffirelli's classic production, opposite the superb singing actors Tatiana Troyanos, Teresa Stratas, and Sherrill Milnes.

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti, Kathleen Battle - Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore (2005/1991)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti, Kathleen Battle - Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore (2005/1991)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti, Kathleen Battle - Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore (2005/1991)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano | LinearPCM, 2 ch | DTS, 6 ch | Dolby AC3, 6 ch | 7.55 Gb (DVD9) | 128 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

It would be hard to imagine a better performance of Donizetti's comic masterpiece. If there was one role that ideally suited Luciano Pavarotti's voice and stage personality, it was Nemorino, the impoverished and not-very-bright peasant who worships the village's prettiest and richest young woman from a distance, is swindled by a traveling vendor of "miracle" medicines, but wins her hand by dumb luck. The story has comedy, pathos, and a put-down of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (or at least the Tristan story) written long before Wagner composed it.

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra - Verdi: Don Carlo (2005/1983)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra - Verdi: Don Carlo (2005/1983)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Grace Bumbry, Nicolai Ghiaurov - Verdi: Don Carlo (2005/1983)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano | LinearPCM, 2 ch | Dolby AC3, 6 ch | DTS, 6 ch | 5,34+6,71 Gb (2xDVD9) | 213 min
Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

Filmed in 1983, this DVD captures the Metropolitan Opera’s sweeping sets, its army of authentically costumed singers, and a cast of glowing soloists led by Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Grace Bumbry and Nicolai Ghiaurov. Verdi’s drama of private passions played out against a backdrop of intense political battles becomes extra vivid in this immense staging. This Met version, sung in Italian, includes the oft-omitted Fontainebleau scene, as well as the Prelude and Introduction.

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming - Mozart: Don Giovanni (2005/2000)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming - Mozart: Don Giovanni (2005/2000)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Bryn Terfel, Renée Fleming - Mozart: Don Giovanni (2005/2000)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano | LinearPCM, 2 ch | DTS, 5 ch | Dolby AC3, 6 ch | 5.90 Gb + 5.31 Gb (2xDVD9) | 180 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

Mozart’s darkest operatic masterpiece with a superb cast featuring Renée Fleming and Bryn Terfel, masterfully conducted by James Levine with Franco Zeffirelli’s beautiful staging.
Bryn Terfel, giving his first Don Giovanni at the MET, received rave reviews for both his singing and his dramatic performance – as the Los Angeles Times puts it: “Terfel is exquisite as the Don, raping and pillaging his way through Europe: His voice, diction and acting are perhaps the best in the role since Cesare Siepi.”

James Levine, Metropoliten Opera Orchestra, Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo - Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini (2007/1984)

Posted By: Vilboa
James Levine, Metropoliten Opera Orchestra, Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo - Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini (2007/1984)

James Levine, Metropoliten Opera Orchestra, Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo - Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini (2007/1984)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano | LinearPCM, 2 ch | Dolby AC3, 6 ch | DTS, 6 ch | 7.76 Gb (DVD9) | 150 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon | Sub: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese

The Met's first production in more than 60 years is "treated with a keen appreciation for the special requirements of verismo and a practically vanished performing tradition. Scotto has found her ideal role…a great performance… Domingo sang glamorously… Levine's affectionate concern for the music told in every measure… The massive sets by Ezio Frigerio serve the work exquisitely … Piero Faggioni’s graceful direction strikes a perfect balance” (New York Magazine)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus - Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (2010)

Posted By: ArlegZ
James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus - Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (2010)

James Levine, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Ruggero Raimondi, Kathleen Battle - Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (2010)
NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | Italiano (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 6 ch) | 192 min | 6,95 Gb + 5,75 Gb (2xDVD9)
Classical | Label: The Metropolitan Opera | Sub: English | Recorded: 1985

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s landmark production of Mozart’s most human comedy provides the perfect setting for this superb cast under James Levine’s ebullient leadership. The philandering and arrogant Count Almaviva (Thomas Allen) is no match for his wily servant Figaro (Ruggero Raimondi), whose soon-to-be-wife Susanna (Kathleen Battle) is as manipulative as she is charming. Add in one beautiful, disillusioned Countess (Carol Vaness) and one irrepressible, testosterone-laden teenage boy (Cherubino, played by Federica von Stade), and it’s no wonder some critics say this is the perfect opera.