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The Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini, which has been devoting itself to the research and performance of Pergolesi‘s music for years now, had his operas recorded live at the annual Music Festival in Jesi. Released on this BD are two productions from Jesi of one almost forgotten opera, Il prigionier superbo, and one of Pergolesi’s most popular works, La serva padrona, combined like they were at the original premiere.

Rarely has a production of Verdi's "Otello" taken place in such a prestigious location, the courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. Directed by Francesco Micheli, this special outdoor "event production" of the Gran Teatro La Fenice supports the claim that "Venice is asserting itself more than ever on a global scale as one of the great capitals of music" (GB Opera).

Directed by the Tony Award winning and six time MET director, Bartlett Sher, this lavish production of Verdi's operatic masterpiece Otello features one of the most exciting young opera singers of her generation, Sonya Yoncheva, and the Metropolitan Opera & Chorus, conducted by their new director Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

This extraordinarily powerful 1983 production may be the best-sung performance by Luciano Pavarotti on DVD, but when acting values are counted in, Ingvar Wixell manages to outshine the tenor star. Verdi gave the Duke two of Italian opera's most brilliant arias ("Questa o quella" and "La donna e mobile"), but he gave the deformed jester Rigoletto a depth and complexity of character that is reflected in music of great variety and enormous emotional impact: the cruel mockery of the opening scene, the self-doubts inspired by his dialogue with Sparafucile, the paternal anxieties and final despair at his daughter's sad fate, and the burning, self-destructive thirst for revenge. All these motives work their way into music of great dramatic richness, variety, and intensity. Wixell rises to its challenges, not only in the title role but in a cameo appearance as Rigoletto's nemesis Monterone. Location filming provides an atmosphere unavailable in staged productions. (Joe McLellan)

"Live in Brazil" Everyone knows the Samba is the National Dance of Brazil - but that changed in 2012 when André Rieu played his first ever concert series in Brazil's hustling and bustling commercial capital of Sao Paulo. "it's a record. A sold-out concert thirty times in one city. We are really proud of that. So many memories of people waltzing, the laughter, the tears of the Brazilians. We will never forget all that." And it's one of Andre many talents that he always finds the right mix between classics and hidden gems of his genre like "Nessun Dorma", his signature tune "The Beautiful Blue Danube" or "Ballad For Adeline" while tapping into the rich tradition of local repertoire. For "Live In Brazil" that ranges from "Manha de Carnaval" to the 2012 global smash "Ai Seu Te Pego" keeping the audience off their seats and dancing in the aisles for long stretches of the 90 minutes of the show..