Complete Espanol Course

Ercole su’l Termodonte was Vivaldi’s 16th opera, appearing in 1723 in Rome. There was a Papal ban on women appearing on stage at the time and so the opera was sung by seven castrati and a male tenor, the latter singing the title role, Hercules. Portraying either the Amazons of myth or Greek warriors, the castrati must have been quite a scene and made quite a sound. Conducted by a Catholic priest–Vivaldi himself–with red hair, the entire proposition boggles the mind.

Bellini - Norma (2007) [2DVD Set] {Deutsche Grammophon} [by Edita Gruberova, Friedrich Haider]
2xDVD -> 10.7 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 16:9 | Italiano (LinearPCM, 2 ch / DTS, 5 ch) | ~ 166m | ISO Images
Subs: Italiano, Deutsch, English, Francais, Espanol, Chinese
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 116 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2007 Deutsche Grammophon / Universal | 00440 073 4219
Classical / Opera

This new production of Bellini’s Norma by Jürgen Rose (sets, costumes, stage direction, and lighting) to honor Edita Gruberova’s first staged assumption of the title role was taped in January and February of 2006 in Munich. It does neither the opera nor the soprano any favors. In most ways, it’s a pretty gloomy affair.The sets are minimal angular wood constructions comprised of a step or two here and there and a not-very-high platform or two that the players can climb up and down. Everything is dark. The costumes are modern but only can be defined as such because they evoke no particular era; Norma’s rich blue outfit for the first scene, complete with scarf/hood that effectively covers everything but her apple-shaped face and hands, allows for little expressivity.