Teatro La Fenice has a tradition of opera production that goes back to 1792. This collection brings all of the live atmosphere and drama of six operatic masterpieces from a theatre that has seen more than its fair share of historic premieres. This set includes the 19th-century romance of Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles, the intense drama of Verdi’s Luisa Miller, Britten’s hauntingly understated Death in Venice, Massenet’s tragic tale of love and redemption in Thaïs, Wagner’s final opera Parsifal and Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, one of the great operatic successes of the 1920s. An entire century’s worth of opera can be seen and heard in these acclaimed productions from Venice’s legendary venue.

Region Code: 0 – All regions
Notes: Italian, English

Contents:

Bizet - Les Pêcheurs de perles

‘The production is quite handsome… It’s a fine performance.’ – ClassicsToday.com

Main cast:
- Léïla: Annick Massis (soprano)
- Nadir: Yasu Nakajima (tenor)
- Zurga: Luca Grassi (baritone)
Conductor: Marcello Viotti
Director, set & costume designer: Pier Luigi Pizzi,
Video director: Tiziano Mancini

Production year: 2004
Recording date: April 2004
Recording place: Teatro Malibran, Venice, Italy
Duration: 122 min.
Subtitles: Italian, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese

Verdi - Luisa Miller

‘It all comes together, under director Arnaud Bernard and conductor Maurizo Benini’s leadership… it’s an exciting, engaging Luisa Miller.’ – Opera Today

Main cast:
- Il conte di Walter: Alexander Vinogradov (bass)
- Rodolfo: Giuseppe Sabbatini (tenor)
- Federica: Ursula Ferri (mezzo-soprano)
Conductor: Maurizio Benini
Director: Arnaud Bernard
Video director: Tiziano Mancini

Production year: 2008
Recording date: May 2006
Recording place: Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy
Duration: 157 min.
Subtitles: Italian, English, German, Spanish

Wagner - Parsifal

‘The recorded sound is good, the orchestra well placed in relation to the singers.’ – Gramophone

Main cast:
- Parsifal: Richard Decker (tenor)
- Gurnemanz: Matthias Hölle (bass)
- Amfortas: Wolfgang Schöne (baritone)
Conductor: Gabor Ötvös
Director, set, costume & light designer: Denis Krief
Video director: Tiziano Mancini

Production year: 2006
Recording date: March 2005
Recording place: Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy
Duration: 244 min.
Subtitles: Italian, English, French, German, Spanish

Massenet - Thaïs

‘[Eva Mei] has a complete mastery of the part and does not have to force it anywhere, it always sounds beautiful… Pertusi sings and acts phenomenally, he delivers a magnificent performance.’ – Basia con fuoco

Main cast:
- Thaïs: Eva Mei (soprano)
- Athanaël: Michele Pertusi (bass-baritone)
- Nicias: William Joyner (tenor)
Conductor: Marcello Viotti
Director, set & costume designer: Pier Luigi Pizzi
Video director: Tiziano Mancini

Production year: 2004
Recording date: November 2002
Recording place: Teatro Malibran, Venice, Italy
Duration: 137 min.
Subtitles: Italian, English, French, German, Spanish

Korngold - Die tote Stadt

‘The production has moments of imagination.’ – MusicWeb International

‘Eliahu Inbal is in firm control...it does splendidly here.’ – International Record Review

Main cast:
- Paul: Stefan Vinke, tenor
- Marietta / Marie: Solveig Kringelborn, soprano
- Frank / Fritz: Stephan Genz , baritone
Conductor: Eliahu Inbal
Director, set & costume designer: Pier Luigi Pizzi
Video director: Davide Mancini

Production year: 2011
Recording dates: 29 & 31 January 2009
Recording place: Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy
Duration: 148 min.
Subtitles: Italian, English, French, German

Britten - Death in Venice

‘No other production of this opera has so successfully transported the audience through a series of fully conceived sets...Marlin Miller sings with a refined lyrical sensibility...the beauty and grandeur of the production on DVD make it an exceptional treat. It is unlikely we will see a Death in Venice to rival this one visually for a long time.’ – Gramophone

Main cast:
- Gustav von Aschenbach: Marlin Miller (tenor)
- The Traveller / The Elderly Fop / The Old Gondolier / The Hotel Manager / The Hotel Barber / The Leader of the Players / The Voice of Dionysus: Scott Hendricks (baritone)
- The Voice of Apollo: Razek-François Bitar (countertenor)
Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti
Director, set & costume designer: Pier Luigi Pizzi,
Video director: Davide Mancini

Production year: 2010
Recording date: June 2008
Recording place: Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy
Duration: 155 min.
Subtitles: Italian, English, French, German, Spanish