Coming Soon,
Manon Lescaut from Covent Garden
The Royal Opera House's ongoing run of Puccini's Manon Lescaut, starring glamorous Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais in the title-role and Jonas Kaufmann as Des Grieux, has proved one of the hottest tickets of the summer: the Evening Standard described it the opening night as 'a thrilling performance that satisfies both musically and theatrically', whilst the Financial Times stated that 'Kaufmann has done nothing better' and The Telegraph observed that Opolais 'sings with all the lovely lyrical ache and poise that Puccini must have dreamt of'.
Jonathan Kent's updated production (think lad-mag photoshoots and reality TV shows) has proved rather more controversial, but my Presto colleagues who saw the production last week thought it all worked rather well - the kitsch and sleaze of the staging and the parallels with Mark-Antony Turnage's Anna Nicole are all very much in keeping with this tale of another 'fallen woman' lured by riches and fame.
Our spies thought they spotted cameramen in attendance at the time, and it's now been confirmed that this was indeed for a planned DVD release (though which label will be doing the honours is still very much to be decided!). And if you missed last week's live cinema broadcast and fancy whetting your appetite for the DVD, you can always catch Saturday night's performance live on Radio 3.
Recent recordings featuring Kristine Opolais
As Tatyana in Mariusz Trelinski’s 2011 production from the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Opolais was described as 'the stuff of dreams musically and acting-wise' (Gramophone) and praised by BBC Music Magazine for her 'physical grace and fine lyric-dramatic soprano'. Polish baritone Artur Ruciński sings the title-role, with Dmitri Korchak as Lensky and Lena Belkina as Olga.
Available Format: 2 DVD Videos
Opolais gives what The Guardian described as 'a brave, perhaps career-best performance' as the tragic water-nymph in Martin Kušej's controversial 2010 staging, based on the Josef Fritzl case; BBC Music judged her 'vocally superb' and The Times deemed her 'a revelation'. Tomáš Hanus conducts the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, with Klaus Florian Vogt as the treacherous Prince and Gunther Groissbock as Rusalka's perverse father.
Available Format: 2 DVD Videos
Opolais joins a superb cast including Thomas Hampson in the title-role and Joseph Calleja as her lover Gabriele Adorno on this 2013 recording conducted by Massimo Zanetti and taken from a live concert-performance in Vienna.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Under the musical direction of her husband, Andris Nelsons, Opolais delivers 'a psychological portrait of formidable insight' (Financial Times) as the eponymous tormented nun, showcasing 'a fine lyric spinto, silvery tone, perfect for Puccini' (International Record Review). A strong cast includes Lioba Braun as Angelica's formidable aunt and Mojca Erdmann as Suor Genovieffa.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Recent DVDs featuring Jonas Kaufmann
Kaufmann's performance in the title-role of Francois Girard's acclaimed 2013 production from the Metropolitan Opera was hailed as 'the Parsifal we've all been waiting for' (BBC Music Magazine), whilst the New York Times praised 'his clarion top notes, the blend of virility and tenderness in his singing, his refined musicianship'. The cast also includes René Pape as Gurnemanz, Katarina Dalayman as Kundry and Peter Mattei in his role-debut as Amfortas.
Available Format: 2 DVD Videos
Kaufmann returned to Salzburg last year to head up an unbetterable cast for Verdi's darkest opera under Antonio Pappano: The Telegraph observed that he 'combines absolute technical stability with the highest musical intelligence...to paint a vividly powerful portrait of Don Carlo’s troubled psyche.' Anja Harteros is his beloved Elisabetta, with Thomas Hampson as his confidante Rodrigo, Ekaterina Semenchuk as their adversary Eboli and veteran bass Matti Salminen as King Philip; Peter Stein directs.
Available Format: 2 DVD Videos
Chris O'Reilly - Chief Executive
