With Shakespearean operas all the rage in Paris during the 19th century, Ambroise Thomas and his librettists Michel Carré and Jules Barbier adapted Hamlet to create a romantic spectacle in which the character of Ophélie shines with a haunting radiance. With its virtuosic arias, stunning ensembles and vivid orchestration – with the colourful addition of the newly invented saxophone – Thomas composed one of the most successful operas in the French repertoire. This is further enhanced by director Cyril Teste’s multi-layered production, reinstating its powerful original ending, and including cinematic techniques to create ‘a very palpable hit’ (bachtrack.com).

Cast:
- Hamlet: Stéphane Degout (baritone)
- Ophélie: Sabine Devieilhe (soprano)
- Claudius: Laurent Alvaro (bass-baritone)
- Gertrude: Sylvie Brunet-Grupposo (mezzo-soprano)
- Laërte: Julien Behr (tenor)
- The Ghost: Jérôme Varnier (bass)
- Marcellus, Second Gravedigger: Kevin Amiel (tenor)
- Horatio, First Gravedigger: Yoann Dubruque (baritone)
- Polonius: Nicolas Legoux (bass)

Stage Director: Cyril Teste
Set Designer: Ramy Fischler
Costume Designer: Osabelle Deffin
Lighting Designer: Julien Boizard

Total playing time: 171 minutes
Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: AC3 2.0 and DTS 5.1
Language: French
Subtitles: French, English, German,
Japanese, Korean, Chinese
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
No. of discs: 1 (DVD 9)