Thereís A Diva In My Living Room!

Star Power, The Thrill Of Live Performances And An Incredible Selection Of Hot New Releases Entice Opera Enthusiasts And Novices Alike To Own The Experience On DVDCecilia Bartoli, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Gheorghiu And Alagna, And Salvatore Licitra Am

19-May-03

With DVD-collecting a growing phenomenon among film enthusiasts, seasoned and novice opera lovers alike are getting into the DVD act in a big way. New releases slated for the first six months of 2003 feature performances by the leading operatic stars of our time - including Cecilia Bartoli, Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Anne Sofie von Otter and Salvatore Licitra - bringing the thrill of the opera house into listenersí living rooms like never before. Providing easy access to favorite scenes, a wealth of special features - such as artist interviews and behind the scenes rehearsal footage - and, in most cases, state-of-the-art 5.1 Surround Sound, DVD is becoming the format of choice for a new generation of opera lovers. This should be no surprise, since the growth of opera audiences is largely in the younger demographic - just those folks likeliest to be up on the latest technology.Superstar artists can be heard AND seen on some fabulous new releases slated for the first half of the year. The glamorous Swedish mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter - who wowed critics last year with her collaboration with pop song master Elvis Costello - can be heard in a sensational new performance of Bizetís ìCarmenî described by Londonís Sunday Times as ìViolent, passionate, superbly playedÖ simply gripping.î Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, named ìthe peopleís divaî by New York Newsday and ìa celebrity of incomparable statureî by the Washington Post, can be heard on a sublime program of Mozart concert and opera arias. Operaís dynamic husband-and-wife duo, Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu, teams up - appropriately - for the title roles in Gounodís Grand Opera masterpiece ìRomeo and Juliet,î and fast-rising Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra - who made international headlines when he substituted for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti at New Yorkís Metropolitan Opera last season - plays leading man Mario beside soprano Maria Guleghina in a hot-blooded performance of Pucciniís ever-popular ìTosca,î recorded at Milanís famous La Scala theater under the direction of Riccardo Muti.The variety of new opera DVD releases is dazzling. A production from Barcelonaís magnificent Gran Teatre del Liceu of Monteverdiís ìOrfeo,î the earliest extant opera, transports viewers to the sumptuous beauty of the Italian Renaissance. Early music maverick Jordi Savall, who stepped into the international limelight with performances on the unforgettable soundtrack to ìTous les Matins du Monde,î conducts this hauntingly beautiful score. A recently released version of ìThe Trojans,î an epic work composed by the revolutionary French Romantic Hector Berlioz, is an unforgettable spectacle with battle scenes and love scenes to rival the greatest ever to hit the stage - not to mention some extraordinary lessons about the hubris of the powerful. Along with ìCarmenî and ìTosca,î there are other popular favorites such as Verdiís ìLa Traviata,î conducted by Pl?cido Domingo and featuring a production by celebrity director Franco Zeffirelli, and Johann Straussís joyous comedy ìDie Fledermaus.î