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Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Librettist: Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV Premiere: 9 February 1893, Milan (La Scala) Language: Italian Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/falstaff/synopsis/ Translation: English subtitles Cast & Characters: Ambrogio Maestri as Sir John Falstaff Roberto Frontali as Ford Juan Diego Flòrez as Fenton Inva Mula as Nannetta Ernesto Gavazzi as Dr. Cajus Paolo Barbacini as Bardolfo Luigi Roni as Pistola Barbara Frittoli as Mrs. Alice Ford Bernadette Manca Di Nissa as Mrs. Quickly Anna Caterina Antonacci as Mrs. Meg Page Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala Conductor Riccardo Muti Directed for Stage by Ruggero Cappuccio - After a historical staging (1913) by the Teatro Verdi, Busseto. Recorded live at the Teatro Verdi. Busseto, 10 April 2001. Directed for TV by Pierre Cavasillas Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. The plot revolves around the thwarted, sometimes farcical, efforts of the fat knight Sir John Falstaff to seduce two married women to gain access to their husbands' wealth. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy. It was also the third of Verdi's operas to be based on a Shakespearean play, following his earlier Macbeth and Otello. (Verdi had toyed, too, with writing an opera based on King Lear and Arrigo Boito later tried to interest him in Antony and Cleopatra, but neither project was ever brought to fruition.) While it has not proved to be as immensely popular as the Verdi works that immediately preceded it, namely Aida and Otello, Falstaff has long been an admired favorite with critics and musicians because of its brilliant orchestration, scintillating libretto and refined melodic invention. Verdi was concerned about working on a new opera at his advanced age, but he yearned to write a comic work and was pleased with Boito's draft libretto. It took the collaborators three years from mid-1889 to complete. Although the prospect of a new opera from Verdi aroused immense interest in Italy and around the world, Falstaff did not prove to be as popular as earlier works in the composer's canon. After the initial performances in Italy, other European countries and the US, the work was neglected until the conductor Arturo Toscanini insisted on its revival at La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera in New York from the late 1890s into the next century. Some felt that the piece suffered from a lack of the full-blooded melodies of the best of Verdi's previous operas, a view that Toscanini strongly opposed. Conductors of the generation after Toscanini to champion the work included Herbert von Karajan, Georg Solti and Leonard Bernstein. The work is now part of the standard operatic repertory of many opera companies.

Composer: Giacomo Antonio Puccini Librettist: Giuseppe Giacosa, and Luigi Illica Premiere: 1 February 1896, Turin (Teatro Regio) Language: Italian Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/puccini/la-boh%C3%A8me/synopsis/ Translation: English subtitles Cast & Characters: Mirella Freni (soprano) - Mimi Gianni Raimondi (tenore) - Rodolfo Rolando Panerai (baritono) - Marcello Gianni Maffeo (baritono) - Schaunard Ivo Vinko (basso) - Colline Carlo Badioli (basso) - Benoit Carlo Badioli (basso) - Alcindoro Adriana Martino (soprano) - Musetta Franco Ricciardi (tenore) - Parpignol Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Alla Scala Conductor: Herbert von Karajan Production and Set Design by Franco Zeffirelli Costume Design by Marcel Escoffier Artistic Supervision by Herbert von Karajan La bohème is an opera in four acts, composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème (1851) by Henri Murger, a collection of vignettes portraying young bohemians living in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1840s. Although usually called a novel, it has no unified plot. Like the 1849 play by Murger and Théodore Barrière, the opera's libretto focuses on the relationship between Rodolfo and Mimì, ending with her death. Also like the play, the libretto combines two characters from the novel, Mimì and Francine, into a single Mimì character. The world premiere of La bohème was in Turin on 1 February 1896 at the Teatro Regio, conducted by the 28-year-old Arturo Toscanini. Since then, La bohème has become part of the standard Italian opera repertory and is one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide. According to Operabase, it is the fourth most frequently performed opera worldwide. In 1946, fifty years after the opera's premiere, Toscanini conducted a commemorative performance of it on radio with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. A recording of the performance was later released by RCA Victor on vinyl record, tape and compact disc. It is the only recording ever made of a Puccini opera by its original conductor.

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Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Librettist: Antonio Ghislanzoni Premiere: 24 December 1871, Cairo (Opera House) Language: Italian Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/aida/synopsis/ Translation: English Subtitles Cast & Characters: Maria Chiara as Aida Nicola Martinucci as Radames Fiorenza Cossotto as Amneris Giuseppe Scandola as Amonasro) Alfredo Zanazzo as King of Egypt Carlo Zardo as Ramfis Chorus, orchestra and ballet of "Arena di Verona" theatre. Conductor Anton Guadagno Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December 1871, in a performance conducted by Giovanni Bottesini. Today the work holds a central place in the operatic canon, receiving performances every year around the world. Ghislanzoni's scheme follows a scenario often attributed to the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, but Verdi biographer Mary Jane Phillips-Matz argues that the source is actually Temistocle Solera. Metastasio's libretto Nitteti (1756) was a major source of the plot. Contrary to popular belief, the opera was not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, nor that of the Khedivial Opera House (which opened with Verdi's Rigoletto) in the same year. (Verdi had been asked to compose an ode for the opening of the Canal, but declined on the grounds that he did not write "occasional pieces".) Aida met with great acclaim when it finally opened in Cairo on 24 December 1871. Although Verdi did not attend the premiere in Cairo, he was most dissatisfied with the fact that the audience consisted of invited dignitaries, politicians and critics, but no members of the general public. He therefore considered the Italian première, held at La Scala, Milan on 8 February 1872, and a performance in which he was heavily involved at every stage, to be its real première. Verdi had also written the role of Aida for the voice of Teresa Stolz, who sang it for the first time at the Milan première. Aida was received with great enthusiasm at its Milan première. The opera was soon mounted at major opera houses throughout Italy.

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Librettist: Arrigo Boïto Premiere: 5 February 1887, Milan (La Scala) Language: Italian Translation: English Subtitles Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/otello/synopsis/ Cast & Characters: Pier Miranda Ferraro as Otello Laura Londi as Desdemona Tito Gobbi as Iago Giorgio Goretti as Cassio Anna Di Stasio as Emilia Augusto Pedroni as Roderigo Alessandro Maddelena as Lodovico Angelo Nosotti as Montano Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro La Fenice Conductor Nino Sanzogno Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887. The composer was reluctant to write anything new after the success of Aida in 1871, and he retreated into retirement. It took his Milan publisher Giulio Ricordi the next ten years, first to encourage the revision of Verdi's 1857 Simon Boccanegra by introducing Boito as librettist and then to begin the arduous process of persuading and cajoling Verdi to see Boito's completed libretto for Otello in July/August 1881. It wasn't until 1884, five years after the first drafts of the libretto, that composition began, with most of the work finishing in late 1885. When it finally premiered in Milan on 5 February 1887, it proved to be a resounding success, and further stagings of Otello soon followed at leading theatres throughout Europe and America.

Scheherazade, also commonly Sheherazade Op. 35, is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888 and based on One Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights). The music premiered in Saint Petersburg on October 28, 1888, conducted by Rimsky-Korsakov. This orchestral work combines two features typical of Russian music in general and of Rimsky-Korsakov in particular: dazzling, colorful orchestration and an interest in the East, which figured greatly in the history of Imperial Russia, as well as orientalism in general. The name "Scheherazade" refers to the main character Scheherazade of the One Thousand and One Nights. It is one of Rimsky-Korsakov's most popular works. The original ballet adaptation of Scheherazade premiered on June 4, 1910, at the Opéra Garnier in Paris by the Ballets Russes. The choreography for the ballet was by Michel Fokine and the libretto was from Fokine and Léon Bakst. The Ballets Russes' Scheherazade is known for its traditionally dazzling costumes, opulent scenery, and erotic choreography and narrative which was rarely seen in ballets of the time.

The Firebird is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Michel Fokine, who collaborated with Alexandre Benois on a scenario based on the Russian fairy tales of the Firebird and the blessing and curse it possesses for its owner. It was first performed at the Opéra de Paris on 25 June 1910 and was an immediate success, catapulting Stravinsky to international fame. Although designed as a work for the stage, with specific passages accompanying characters and action, the music achieved equal if not greater recognition as a concert piece. Stravinsky was a young and virtually unknown composer when Diaghilev commissioned him to compose The Firebird for the Ballets Russes. Its success was the start of Stravinsky's partnership with Diaghilev, which would subsequently produce further ballet productions until 1928, including Petrushka (1911), The Rite of Spring (1913), and Apollo (1928). Benois collaborated with the choreographer Michel Fokine, drawing from several books of Russian fairy tales including the collection of Alexander Afanasyev, to concoct a story involving the Firebird and the evil magician Koschei. The scenery was designed by Aleksandr Golovin and the costumes by Léon Bakst. Synopsis: The ballet centers on the journey of its hero, Prince Ivan. While hunting in the forest, he strays into the magical realm of the evil Koschei the Immortal, whose immortality is preserved by keeping his soul in a magic egg hidden in a casket. Ivan chases and captures the Firebird and is about to kill her; she begs for her life, and he spares her. As a token of thanks, she offers him an enchanted feather that he can use to summon her should he be in dire need. Prince Ivan then meets thirteen princesses who are under the spell of Koschei and falls in love with one of them, Tsarevna. The next day, Ivan confronts the magician and eventually they begin quarrelling. When Koschei sends his minions after Ivan, he summons the Firebird. She intervenes, bewitching the monsters and making them dance an elaborate, energetic dance (the "Infernal Dance"). Exhausted, the creatures and Koschei then fall into a deep sleep. While they sleep, the Firebird directs Ivan to a tree stump where the casket with the egg containing Koschei's soul is hidden. Ivan destroys the egg, and with the spell broken and Koschei dead, the magical creatures that Koschei held captive are freed and the palace disappears. All of the "real" beings, including the princesses, awaken and with one final hint of the Firebird's music (though in Fokine's choreography she makes no appearance in that final scene on-stage), celebrate their victory.

Petrushka is a ballet by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1911 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Michel Fokine and stage designs and costumes by Alexandre Benois, who assisted Stravinsky with the libretto. The ballet premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet on 13 June 1911 with Vaslav Nijinsky as Petrushka, Tamara Karsavina as the lead ballerina, Alexander Orlov as the Moor, and Enrico Cecchetti the charlatan. Petrushka tells the story of the loves and jealousies of three puppets. The three are brought to life by the Charlatan during the 1830 Shrovetide Fair (Maslenitsa) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Petrushka loves the Ballerina, but she rejects him. She prefers the Moor. Petrushka is angry and hurt, and challenges the Moor. The Moor kills him with his scimitar. Petrushka's ghost rises above the puppet theatre as night falls. He shakes his fist at the Charlatan, then collapses in a second death. Petrushka is a puppet. He is a character known across Europe under different names: Punch in England, Polichinelle in France, Pulcinella in Italy, Kasperle in Germany, and Petrushka in Russia. Petrushka brings music, dance, and design together in a unified whole. It is one of the most popular of the Ballets Russes productions. It is usually performed today using the original designs and choreography.

Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet FRSE FSAScot (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish historian, novelist, poet, and playwright. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels Ivanhoe (1819), Rob Roy (1817), Waverley (1814), Old Mortality (1816), The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818), and The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), along with the narrative poems Marmion (1808) and The Lady of the Lake (1810). He had a major impact on European and American literature. Ivanhoe, the classic tale of chivalry, love and political intrigue, turned Sir Walter Scott into the first international best-selling author. This film documents the heroic and tragic life of Scott who, some say, invented a nation.

George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron FRS (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the greatest of English poets. Lord Byron was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, later travelling extensively across Europe to places such as Italy, where he lived for seven years in Venice, Ravenna, and Pisa after he was forced to flee England due to lynching threats. During his stay in Italy, he frequently visited his friend and fellow poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Later in life Byron joined the Greek War of Independence fighting the Ottoman Empire and died leading a campaign during that war, for which Greeks revere him as a folk hero. He died in 1824 at the age of 36 from a fever contracted after the First and Second Sieges of Missolonghi. Dubbed "mad, bad and dangerous to know" by one of his many lovers, Lord Byron was a prototype celebrity whose legend has not diminished with the passage of time. Omnibus looks at the man behind the myth and his legacy. Omnibus was an arts-based BBC television documentary series, broadcast mainly on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The programme was the successor to the long-running arts-based series 'Monitor'. It ran from 1967 until 2003.

ACT III - A dark cavern: The witches prepare a brew. When Macbeth appears and demands to know his fate, they summon up spirits which tell him first to beware Macduff (whereupon he resolves to kill him), then that he cannot be killed by anyone born of woman (he decides to spare Macduff, but changes his mind again, wishing to be doubly sure) and that he cannot be killed until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. When he asks if Banquo's children will be kings, he is shown a vision of eight kings, the last holding a mirror showing still more, and Banquo indicating that they are his issue. Macbeth faints and the witches vanish. Lady Macbeth encourages him to kill Fleance and he tells her that he will also have Macduff and his family put to death. They swear vengeance on all who oppose them. ACT IV Scene 1: Near the Scottish border The refugees who have fled Macbeth's tyranny lament the unhappy state of their homeland and Macduff bewails the death of his family. Malcolm orders the soldiers to take branches from Birnam Wood as camouflage and exhorts them to follow him to free Scotland. Scene 2: A room in Macbeth's castle Lady Macbeth walks in her sleep, reliving the murders and trying to wash the blood from her hands. Scene 3: A hall in Macbeth's castle Faced with a stream of desertions, Macbeth takes comfort from the prophecies, though he is weary of life, and the news of his wife's death confirms his feelings about the futility of existence. When he learns that Birnam Wood is moving towards his castle, he realises that the witches have deceived him, but is determined to die fighting. The scene changes to a plain where the battle rages. Macbeth learns that Macduff was not born naturally and is killed by him. Macduff hails Malcolm as king and the people join in thanksgiving.

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave Premiere: Original version: 14 March 1847, Florence (Teatro della Pergola) Language: Italian Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/macbeth/synopsis/ Libretto: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/macbeth/libretto/ Translation in English: https://www.opera-arias.com/verdi/macbeth/libretto/english/ Cast & Characters: Željko Lučić as Macbeth Anna Netrebko as Lady Macbeth Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as Banco Yusif Eyvazov as Macduff Konu Kim as Malcom Francesca Chiejina as Dama di Lady Macbeth Simon Shibambu as Doctor Jonathan Fisher as Servant Royal Opera Chorus and The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Conductor Antonio Pappano Director Phyllida Lloyd Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. Written for the Teatro della Pergola in Florence, it was Verdi's tenth opera and premiered on 14 March 1847. Macbeth was the first Shakespeare play that Verdi adapted for the operatic stage. The Royal Opera’s production uses Verdi’s 1865 Paris revision of the opera, which includes Lady Macbeth’s riveting aria ‘La luce langue’. After the success of Attila in 1846, by which time the composer had become well established, Macbeth came before the great successes of 1851 to 1853 (Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata) which propelled him into universal fame. Verdi’s life-long love affair with Shakespeare’s works began with Macbeth, a play he considered to be ‘one of the greatest creations of man’. With his librettist Francesco Maria Piave Verdi set out to create ‘something out of the ordinary’. Their success is borne out in every bar of a score that sees Verdi at his most theatrical: it bristles with demonic energy. As sources, Shakespeare's plays provided Verdi with lifelong inspiration: some, such as an adaption of King Lear (as Re Lear) were never realized, but he wrote his two final operas using Othello as the basis for Otello (1887) and The Merry Wives of Windsor as the basis for Falstaff (1893). ACT I Scene 1: A wood Returning from a victory, Macbeth is greeted by witches who hail him not only by his rightful title, Thane of Glamis, but also as Thane of Cawdor and future king. They hail his companion Banquo as the ancestor of a line of kings. Messengers from the king greet Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor, explaining that the previous holder of the title has been executed. Macbeth broods over the other prophecy, but decides not to lift his hand against the king, while Banquo reflects that such prophecies could be a trap leading to destruction. Scene 2: A hall in Macbeth's castle Lady Macbeth reads the letter in which Macbeth relates these events, and eagerly awaits his return, so that she can strengthen his resolve to obtain the crown. She greets with delight the news that King Duncan intends to pass the night at the castle, and when Macbeth arrives, easily convinces him to murder the king. Duncan appears with his retinue, including his son, Malcolm. On his way to commit the murder, Macbeth has a hallucination, seeing a dagger in the air, and strange noises accompany the deed. Stricken with terror and guilt, he is unable to take back the dagger which he has inadvertently brought with him. Lady Macbeth derides his fear, puts back the dagger and tells him to wash his hands and assume an appearance of innocence. Knocking at the gate heralds the arrival of Macduff and Banquo. Macduff goes to call the king while Banquo muses on the dreadful night, full of portents. Macduff's announcement of the murder provokes horror and cries to heaven for vengeance from all, including Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. ACT II Scene 1: A room in Macbeth's castle Macbeth confesses to his wife that he is brooding over the witches' prophecy that Banquo's descendants will be kings, and resolves to have him killed. Lady Macbeth exults that their claim to the throne will soon be unchallenged, even if at the cost of more killing. Scene 2: A park outside Macbeth's castle Banquo's forebodings are fulfilled when he is set upon and killed, but his son Fleance escapes. Scene 3: A hall in the castle A banquet is in progress and Lady Macbeth invites the guests to drink. One of the murderers reports that Banquo has been killed, but Fleance has escaped. Macbeth, about to take his seat, is confronted by Banquo's ghost, which only he can see. The guests are puzzled by his horror, but he recovers when the ghost vanishes and Lady Macbeth resumes her song in an attempt to restore the interrupted conviviality. But the ghost reappears and Macbeth's terror arouses the suspicions of the guests. Macduff decides to flee and Macbeth resolves to visit the witches again.

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Librettist: Lorenzo da Ponte Premiere: 29 October 1787, Prague (Gräflich Nostitzsches Nationaltheater) Language: Italian Cast: Cesare Siepi, Dezső Ernster, Elisabeth Grümmer, Anton Dermota, Lisa Della Casa, Otto Edelmann, Erna Berger, Walter Berry. The Choir of Wiener Staatsoper Wiener Philharmoniker Wilhelm Furtwängler Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legend about a libertine as told by playwright Tirso de Molina in his 1630 play El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra. It is a dramma giocoso blending comedy, melodrama and supernatural elements (although the composer entered it into his catalogue simply as opera buffa). It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the National Theater (of Bohemia), now called the Estates Theatre, on 29 October 1787. Don Giovanni is regarded as one of the greatest operas of all time. Synopsis: Don Giovanni, a young, arrogant, and sexually promiscuous nobleman, abuses and outrages everyone else in the cast until he encounters something he cannot kill, beat up, dodge, or outwit. ACT I Leporello waits outside a house where his master, Don Giovanni, is forcing himself upon Donna Anna. She cries for help and her father, the Commendatore, runs to her assistance. In the ensuing fight Don Giovanni kills the Commendatore. Donna Anna and her betrothed, Don Ottavio, vow revenge. Donna Elvira, recently jilted by Don Giovanni, arrives in search of the Don; he makes good his escape by leaving Leporello to read out his "book of conquests", in which the names of the Don's 2065 lovers are recorded. Don Giovanni comes across a peasant wedding and promptly begins to charm the bride, Zerlina, but Elvira arrives and alerts her to the Don's intentions. Donna Anna and Don Ottavio then arrive, and as the Don takes his leave of them, Anna identifies him as the man who had tried to rape her. At a party hold by Don Giovanni, Zerlina reassures her lover Masetto of her affections, but she begins to weaken in the Don's presence. Wearing masks, Anna, Elvira and Ottavio arrive at the ball, which is interrupted by Zerlina's scream. She stumbles onto the stage, the Don attempts to blame Leporello for the attack, and Anna, Elvira and Ottavio unmask themselves to publicly denounce the Don. ACT II Don Giovanni exchanges his costume with Leporello and serenades Elvira's maid as soon as Elvira has left with Leporello, believing him to be the remorseful Don. Masetto arrives with a gang of men who are intent on punishing the Don. The Don, pretending to be Leporello, tells Masetto how to find the murderer, then beats Masetto half to death. The Don and his servant meet in a graveyard, where the statue of the Commendatore addresses them; Don flippantly invites him to supper. The statue duly arrives and demands the Don's repentance. Unbending, Don Giovanni is finally dragged screaming into hell. Elvira, Ottavio, Anna and Leporello address the audience with the moral: "Evildoers always come to an evil end."

Composer: Vincenzo Bellini Librettist: Felice Romani Premiere: 26 December 1831, Milan (La Scala) Language: Italian Subtitles: English Synopsis: https://www.opera-arias.com/bellini/norma/synopsis/ Cast & Characters: Joan Sutherland as Norma Clifford Grant as Oroveso Margreta Elkins as Aldagisa Ron Stevens as Pollione Etela Piha as Clotilde Trevor Brown as Flavio The Australian Opera Chorus The Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra Conductor: Richard Bonynge Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after the play Norma, ou L'infanticide (Norma, or The Infanticide) by Alexandre Soumet. It was first produced at La Scala in Milan on 26 December 1831. Summary: The action takes place in Gaul under the Roman occupation, and is centered on the love triangle between Pollione, the Roman proconsul of Gaul, Norma, his former companion, and the young Adalgisa. The background is the uprising of the Gallic people against the Roman occupiers, led by the Druid Oroveso. Norma, the high priestess of the Druid temple, who had two children by Pollione, the Roman proconsul of Gaul, breaking her Druid chastity vows, discovers that her lover is now in love with her friend, the young Druid priestess Adalgisa. Norma tries to convince Pollione to give up Adalgisa and return to her, but he refuses. Norma publicly confesses her fault and is sentenced to death by fire. Pollione is moved by Norma’s self-sacrifice and joins her at the stake. The opera is regarded as a leading example of the bel canto genre, and the soprano prayer "Casta diva" in Act 1 is a famous piece. Among the well known singers of Norma of the first half of the 20th century was Rosa Ponselle who played the role in New York and London. Notable exponents of the title role in the post-war period have been Maria Callas, Leyla Gencer, Joan Sutherland, and Montserrat Caballé. The title role—"one of the most taxing and wide-ranging parts in the entire repertory" - is one of the most difficult in the soprano repertoire. It calls for great vocal control of range, flexibility, and dynamics as well as containing a wide range of emotions: conflict of personal and public life, romantic life, maternal love, friendship, jealousy, murderous intent, and resignation. The German soprano Lilli Lehmann once remarked that the singing of all three Brünnhilde roles of Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen in one evening would be less stressful than the singing of one Norma. She also commented "When you sing Wagner, you are so carried away by the dramatic emotion, the action, and the scene that you do not have to think how to sing the words. That comes of itself. But in Bellini, you must always have a care for beauty of tone and correct emission." According to the Met Opera Archives, Lehmann said this to Herald Tribune critic Henry Krehbiel. Throughout the 20th century, many singers have tackled the role of Norma. In the early 1920s, it was Rosa Raisa, Claudia Muzio, and Rosa Ponselle who were each admired. Maria Callas emerged as a major force in the role in the post-World War II period. In the 1960s, two very different performers sang the role: the Australian Dame Joan Sutherland and the Turkish Leyla Gencer. Following Sutherland's 1963 debut as Norma, Luciano Pavarotti called her "the greatest female voice of all time."

A 1957 Film of recorded live performance of the best of the Bolshoi Ballet's first ever visit to London on its 1956 tour. Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Yuri Faier (Rachmaninov, Glinka, Gounod, Saint-Sa‘ns and Adam) and Gennady Rozhdestvensky (Asafiev and Tchaikovsky) Repertoire: - Boris ASAFIEV (1884-1949) Dance of the Tartars (from The Fountain of Bakhchisaray) (1934) - Piotr Il'ič TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Spanish Dance (from Swan Lake) (1877) - Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943) Spring Waters (from the song, op.14) (1896) - Mikhail GLINKA (1804-1857) Polonaise and Cracovienne (from A Life for the Tsar) (1836) - Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893) Walpurgisnacht (from Faust) (1859) - Camille SAINT-SAèNS (1835-1921) The Dying Swan (from The Carnival of the Animals) (1886) - Adolphe ADAM (1803-1856) Giselle - A ballet in two acts (1844) Interpreters: Galina Ulanova as Giselle Nikolai Fadeyechev as Albrecht Taisia Monakhova as Berthe Alexander Radunsky as The Duke of Courland Irina Makedonskaya as Bathilde Vladimir Levashev as Hilarion Rimma Karelskaya as Myrtha Choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky

Act II: Frollo and Gringoire discuss the events and scientific discoveries taking place and how some of them (such as Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press and Martin Luther’s doctrines) are changing the world forever ("Florence"). Gringoire notices how silent the cathedral is and Frollo tells him that Quasimodo has not rung the bells for three days. Up in the bell tower, Quasimodo recounts how the cathedral bells are his only friends and loves ("Les cloches"), especially the three "Maries": "Little Marie" which is rung for children's funerals, "Big Marie" which is rung when ships set sail and "Great Marie" which is rung for weddings. His greatest hope is that they will ring for Esméralda to hear that he loves her. Frollo asks Gringoire where his "wife" is ("Ou est Elle?"); Gringoire says he does not know and answers obliquely (but he tells Clopin, who has been searching for Esmeralda, that she has been imprisoned in the prison of La Sainte and that she will be hanged if Clopin doesn't save her). In her cell, Esmeralda compares herself to a caged bird and calls to Quasimodo to save her, while back at Notre Dame Quasimodo wonders about Esmeralda's disappearance three days earlier and fears for her safety ("Les oiseaux qu'on met en cage"). Clopin and a group of outcasts are arrested and thrown into the La Sainte prison ("Condamnes") as Esmeralda is put on trial for the attempted murder of Phoebus and sorcery with Frollo as presiding judge ("Le procès" / "La torture"); when she refuses to confess, she is subjected to a foot-crushing torture until she cries out "I confess!" Frollo sentences her to death by hanging, but Esmeralda still professes her love for Phoebus and Frollo is left to suffer from the emotional torment of his unrequited passion ("Être prêtre et aimer une femme"). Esmeralda calls Phoebus to save her (“Phoebus”) Elsewhere, a recovered Phoebus is confronted by Fleur-de-Lys, but he claims as an excuse that he was bewitched by Esmeralda's "sorcery" ("Je reviens vers toi"). Fleur-de-Lys tells him that he will still have her heart and love if he will swear to have Esmeralda executed ("La monture"). At five o'clock in the morning of the execution, Frollo visits Esméralda's cell and to her horror confesses to her that he knifed Phoebus out of love for her ("Visite de Frollo a Esmeralda" / "Un matin tu dansais") and offers her a choice: death on the gallows or life by giving him love. When Esmeralda rejects his advances, he tries to rape her, but Quasimodo (who has secretly followed him) frees Clopin and the other prisoners. Clopin attacks Frollo, knocking him unconscious, and releases Esméralda and they flee the prison to Notre Dame for sanctuary ("Liberes"). Gringoire sings to the moon ("Lune") in which he describes Quasimodo's pain and suffering because of his love for Esméralda. Quasimodo leaves Esmeralda asleep in a safe place in Notre Dame ("Je te laisse un sifflet"), but bitterly reflects that while he will love her forever, his ugliness will ensure that she will never love him ("Dieu que le monde est injuste"). Alone, Esmeralda hopes that she will survive for the man she loves and sings about how Love has the power to change the world even should she die ("Vivre"). With Clopin and his people occupying Notre Dame, Frollo orders Phoebus and his men to break sanctuary and attack the cathedral to drive them out ("L’Attaque de Notre Dame"). Clopin and his people resist bravely but are no match for the armed soldiers, and in the first attack Clopin is fatally wounded. Dying, he begs Esmeralda to take his place as leader. The final battle has Esmeralda and her people facing off against Phoebus and his soldiers, but the result is a foregone conclusion – Esmeralda is captured and the outcasts defeated. Phoebus coldbloodedly hands Esmeralda over to be executed, orders the outcasts driven out of Paris ("Déportés") and leaves with Fleur-de-Lys. Quasimodo, searching Notre Dame for Esmeralda, finds Frollo standing at the top of one of the towers and begs him to help Esmeralda ("Mon maitre, mon sauveur"). Frollo, finally driven insane, shows him the sight of Esmeralda being hanged and to Quasimodo's horror announces that he is responsible. As he laughs wildly, the enraged Quasimodo seizes him and hurls him down the stairs of the tower to his death. As the executioners are cutting down Esmeralda's body from the gibbet, Quasimodo appears and demands that they give him her body ("Donnez-la moi"). Driving them away, he kneels beside her body and mourns her, promising to stay with her and that even in death they will not be parted ("Danse, mon Esmeralda"). After the curtain call, Gringoire leads the cast in a reprise of "Le temps des cathédrales".

Notre-Dame de Paris is a sung-through French musical which debuted on 16 September 1998 in Paris. Audio in French with English subtitles. It is based upon the novel Notre-Dame de Paris (known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) by the French novelist Victor Hugo. The music was composed by Riccardo Cocciante (also known as Richard Cocciante) and the lyrics are by Luc Plamondon. Since its debut, it has been professionally played in Belgium, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States, and has been translated into eight languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Korean, Flemish, Polish, and Kazakh). A shorter version in English was performed in 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada (United States) and a full-length London production, also in English, ran for seventeen months. Several songs from the show, such as "Vivre", "Belle" and "Le temps des cathédrales", have been released as singles with a huge success in French speaking countries. As of 2022, two original stars, Daniel Lavoie and Bruno Pelletier played Gringoire and Frollo in Canada. Notre-Dame de Paris, according to the Guinness Book of Records, had the most successful first year of any musical ever. Act I: The story is set in Paris in the year 1482. The poet Gringoire, who throughout the story acts not only as a participant but also as a sort of commentator, enters to set the scene for the story; he relates how Man has written his history in the building of the cathedrals ("Le temps des cathédrales"). The homeless and refugees, led by Clopin, swarm before the entrance to the Cathedral of Notre Dame begging for help and sanctuary ("Les sans-papiers"). Frollo, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame, orders Phoebus, the Captain of the Royal Archers, to have his men disperse the crowd ("Intervention de Frollo"). As his men are driving off the refugees, Phoebus catches sight of the beautiful Romani girl Esmeralda (in later productions, the scene changes to have him see her while she is dancing before Notre Dame) and is entranced by her. Esmeralda tells him about herself, her life as a Traveller, and her dreams ("Bohémienne"). Instead of arresting her, Phoebus leaves her alone. Clopin, who has watched over Esmeralda since she was eight years old after the death of her parents, tells her that she is no longer a child and that she has reached the age where she will discover love ("Esmeralda tu sais"). He warns her to be extremely careful, since not all men are to be trusted. In the next number, the audience is introduced to the nobly-born and beautiful Fleur-de-Lys, to whom Phoebus is engaged to be married. Fleur-de-Lys's love for Phoebus is childish and irrational, like that of Juliet for Romeo ("Ces diamants-là"). Now begins the wild and coloured Feast of Fools, presided over by Gringoire ("La fête des fous"), the climax of which is the choosing of the King of Fools from among the group of people who can make the ugliest face; the King will be crowned by Esmeralda. Hiding in the shadows is a monstrous figure who is dragged out into the light; it is the bell-ringer of Notre Dame, the hunchbacked and facially deformed Quasimodo. By unanimous decision, Quasimodo is chosen and crowned as the King of Fools, but he knows that for all the power he has this one day nothing can make a woman such as Esmeralda care for him ("Le pape des fous"). Frollo breaks up the festivities and orders Quasimodo to kidnap Esmeralda and bring her to him that night so that she can be imprisoned as a sorceress and a violator of public decency ("La sorcière"). Quasimodo, who is devoted to Frollo for raising and educating him after he had been abandoned as a baby ("L'enfant trouvé"), says he will obey. Night falls on Paris with its dark and hidden secrets commented on by Gringoire ("Les portes de paris"). Quasimodo stalks Esmeralda through the dark streets and is about to seize her when Phoebus and his guards arrive and arrest Quasimodo. Phoebus introduces himself to Esmeralda. He makes a date for a rendezvous with her the next night at the Cabaret du Val d'Amour. Phoebus and his men take Quasimodo away and Esmeralda darts off into the darkness ("Tentative d'enlèvement"). At the Court of the Miracles, the haven for all of the outcasts of Paris, Clopin presides over a wild revel, remarking that all are truly equal here no matter their race, religion, skin color or criminal background ("La cour des miracles"). Gringoire, who has wandered in accidentally, is seized and Clopin tells him that he will be hanged for his trespassing – unless one of the women will agree to marry him. Esmeralda who has arrived during this, agrees to marry Gringoire (in name only) and Clopin, as King of the Outcasts, unites them and they join in the wild revelry. Later, when Gringoire and Esmeralda are left alone ("Le mot Phoebus") he introduces himself to her as "the Prince of the Streets of Paris" and assures her that while he is not a "ladies' man" ("un homme a femmes"), he would be glad if she would be his Muse and inspiration. Since Gringoire is educated, Esmeralda asks him what the word "Phoebus" means; he tells her that in Latin it means "the sun" or "sun god". Esmeralda muses on the word as it romantically relates to the man Phoebus ("Beau comme le soleil"); she is joined on stage by Fleur-de-Lys, who also muses on Phoebus (although she seems to be more apprehensive about him), but both believe that Phoebus will love them forever. Phoebus himself is under no apprehensions about what kind of man he is – he wants both women, one as a wife and one as a temporary mistress ("Déchiré"). The next day, Frollo summons Gringoire to Notre Dame and questions him about Esmeralda, forbidding him to touch her. Gringoire changes the conversation by asking about a strange inscription in Greek on the wall of the Gallerie des Rois in Notre Dame, the word "Ananké". Frollo tells him that "Ananké" means "Fate" in Greek. They watch as Quasimodo is dragged on stage bound on The Great Wheel as sentence for his attempted kidnapping of Esmeralda ("Anarkia"). Quasimodo endures his punishment, but cries out for water ("A boire"), a plea that is ignored by everyone. Suddenly Esmeralda appears and gives him a drink of water from her cup, an act of kindness that deeply touches the poor hunchback. He is then released from the Wheel, and he, Frollo and Phoebus sing about their different feelings for Esmeralda ("Belle"): Quasimodo about his growing feelings of tenderness for her, Frollo about his growing fascination for her, and Phoebus (watched jealously by Fleur-de-Lys) about his wish for an affair with her before he marries Fleur-de-Lys. Quasimodo leads Esmeralda into Notre Dame and tells her how the cathedral has been his home and sanctuary, and now it can be hers whenever she needs one ("Ma maison c'est ta maison"). In spite of her initial fear of this strange, deformed man, Esmeralda is touched by his gentleness and finds herself warming towards Quasimodo. Left alone, Esmeralda, who has never prayed before, prays to the Virgin Mary ("Ave Maria païen"), while Quasimodo thinks of her ("Si tu pouvais voir en moi"). Frollo, secretly spying on Esmeralda, realizes that his lust for her will destroy him, but knows that he cannot resist nor does he want to ("Tu vas me détruire"). That night, Phoebus is on his way to the Cabaret du Val d’Amour for his rendezvous with Esmeralda when he realizes he is being stalked by a shadowy figure. The figure (Frollo in disguise) warns him to go no further ("L'ombre"), but Phoebus refuses to heed the threat and continues on his way. At Val d’Amour, Gringoire (who seems to be a regular customer) remarks how everyone, no matter the race, creed or color, comes here for a good time of one kind or another ... for a very low price ("Le Val d’Amour"). Phoebus arrives (he seems to be a regular customer here too) and meets Esmeralda in a private room ("La volupté"). They embrace and are about to make love when Frollo rushes in and stabs Phoebus with Esmeralda's knife (which she had placed on the floor earlier). Esmeralda collapses over Phoebus’ body, Frollo makes his escape and Gringoire, Clopin, Frollo, Quasimodo and the Chorus comment on the terrible power of Fate ("Fatalité").

A 2019 Sky Arts Documentary narrated by Helena Bonham Carter. Tintoretto: A Rebel in Venice is a documentary film on the life and works of Tintoretto, directed by Giuseppe Domingo Romano and produced in 2019 by Sky Arts. The film about the furious and revolutionary genius who changed the history of art, created by Melania G. Mazzucco and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, with the extraordinary participation of Peter Greenaway. The documentary was made on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Venetian painter. “The most fiercest brain that painting has ever had” - Giorgio Vasari "A proto-rock star" - David Bowie 1576: the plague tears apart the Serenissima. Venice is invaded by the dead. Who can, flee. Nobles, traders, artists, anyone trying to save themselves. Everyone escapes, except Tintoretto. Born and raised in the lagoon city, the painter is the only one to have painted almost exclusively for his city, as well as being able to boast of having adorned an entire palace with his works, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, today considered his Sistine chapel. Parallel to the story of the painter's life, the documentary follows the restoration process of two masterpieces by Tintoretto: “Maria in meditation” (1582 - 1583) and “Maria in reading” (1582 - 1583). Thanks to the support of Sky, an Italian team carried out a detailed analysis on the works and the restoration of the two paintings before being exhibited in the first monographic exhibition ever dedicated to Tintoretto in the United States, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, in correspondence of the 500th anniversary of his birth. The film is set in historical places where the experts were interviewed and where the works of Tintoretto featured in the film are kept.

Firenze e gli Uffizi è un film d'arte diretto da Luca Viotto, prodotto nel 2015 da Sky in collaborazione con Magnitudo Film e con il patrocinio del Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo e del Comune di Firenze e con il sostegno di Ente Cassa di Risparmio Firenze. Il film è un viaggio multidimensionale e multisensoriale nel Rinascimento italiano attraverso le sue bellezze più rappresentative. La struttura del film è basata sull'alternanza tra narrazione documentaristica ed emotiva. Quest'ultima è affidata, all'interno di un limbo atemporale, alla figura di Lorenzo de' Medici, personaggio chiave del Rinascimento fiorentino entrato in contatto con le personalità artistiche più importanti del periodo. Il racconto-ricordo di Lorenzo il Magnifico è inframmezzato da sequenze dedicate alla scoperta dei luoghi simbolo di Firenze con oltre 10 location museali e 150 opere d'arte mostrate su grande schermo. Dalla Cappella Brancacci (con gli affreschi di Masolino da Panicale e Masaccio, emblema del passaggio da Medioevo a Rinascimento) al Museo del Bargello che ospita il David di Donatello; dalla Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore e la Cupola del Brunelleschi a Palazzo Medici; da Piazza della Signoria a Palazzo Vecchio sino alla Galleria dell'Accademia, che custodisce il David di Michelangelo Buonarroti. Arricchiscono il film d'arte immagini aeree della città, realizzate grazie all'utilizzo di un elicottero e un drone e riprese esclusive in luoghi o punti di vista inediti, come la Cupola del Brunelleschi e Piazza della Signoria ripresa all'alba.

A 2015 Sky Arte, Nexo Digital and Magnitudo Film Documentary, directed by Luca Viotto. Audio in English. A multidimensional and multisensory journey in the Florentine Renaissance through its most representative beauties. More than 10 museum locations and 150 works of which the central fulcrum is naturally represented by the Uffizi Gallery. The emotional narration, set within a timeless limbo, is entrusted to Simon Merrells who, in the role of Lorenzo the Magnificent, will lead us through the memories of 'his' Florence, in an incessant dialogue between past and present. The film crosses the symbolic places of Florence from the Brancacci Chapel (with the frescoes by Masolino and Masaccio, emblem of the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance) to the Bargello Museum which houses the David di Donatello; from S. Maria del Fiore with its sparkling windows and Brunelleschi's Dome to Palazzo Medici; from Piazza della Signoria to Palazzo Vecchio to the Accademia Gallery, which houses Michelangelo's David. The heart of the film is of course the Uffizi Gallery: viewers will be able to access the Tribuna (a place visible to the public only from three external points) and Antonio Natali (director of the Gallery from 2006 to 2015) will accompany us among the works. The narrative excursus inside the Gallery goes from Giotto to Gentile da Fabriano and Piero della Francesca, to Raffaello and Tiziano, from Leonardo's Annunciation to Michelangelo's Toni Doni, without neglecting the symbolic works such as Spring and the Birth of Venus by Botticelli and the Shield of Medusa by Caravaggio, the latter inserted within a chapter dedicated to the 'monstrous' works of the Gallery, including the Madonna della Arpie by Andrea del Sarto, the Calunnia by Botticelli and Giuditta who beheads Holofernes of Artemisia Gentileschi. A pearl of Florence and the Uffizi will be the unveiling of the ongoing restoration of Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi, absent from the Uffizi since 2011. The Film was made possible also thanks to the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism the Municipality of Florence and with the support of Ente Cassa di Risparmio Firenze.

A 2009 Documentary film directed by Louise Lockwood and written and presented by the philosopher Roger Scruton. Contemporary philosopher Roger Scruton presents a strong argument for the importance of beauty in our art and in our lives, and explores what truly is and is not beautiful, regardless of its beholder. In the 20th century, Scruton argues, art, architecture and music turned their backs on beauty, making a cult of ugliness and leading us into a spiritual desert. Using the thoughts of philosophers from Plato to Kant, and by talking to artists Michael Craig-Martin and Alexander Stoddart, Scruton analyses where art went wrong and presents his own impassioned case for restoring beauty to its traditional position at the center of our civilization.

Un film documentario del 2018 con la regia di Francesco Invernizzi. Interventi di Vittorio Sgarbi e Mario Guderzo. Ci sono uomini che hanno creato opere capaci di illuminare lo sguardo di chi le osserva. Da oltre due secoli, Antonio Canova è uno di questi e con un documentario cinematografico rispondiamo al perché lo scultore sia riconosciuto come il maestro del neoclassicismo e l'ultimo grande artista italiano di livello mondiale. Ripercorriamo la storia che, dalla Venezia che ha visto nascere il suo talento, tocca Francia, Inghilterra, Russia attraverso i fastosi palazzi dell’epoca, ma soprattutto rimane imperniata su Roma. Lo faremo però senza mai lasciare Possagno, perché se le sue opere sono giunte a Parigi, Londra, Vienna, New York, Washington, Berlino, San Pietroburgo, i bozzetti e i modelli originali sono gelosamente custoditi nel paese natale dell’artista, dove giunsero con un epico trasferimento voluto dal fratellastro in nave e su carri da Roma dopo la sua scomparsa.

Matera – L’Ascolto dei Sassi is a 2019 Docu-Film directed by Francesco Invernizzi and Vito Salinaro. Audio in Italian with English subtitles. An unforgettable journey between culture, art and history. This charming city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Recognized as one of the most sought-after tourist destinations on the Italian peninsula, Matera is at the center of an extremely fascinating region, where tradition, science and technology coexist and thrive together, creating an unexpected bridge between its folkloric past and its future.

Tiziano è il pittore simbolo del Rinascimento veneziano, di cui seppe interpretare al meglio le peculiarità: il colore, la sensibilità per la luce e il paesaggio, nonché una lieta partecipazione spirituale e carnale alla bellezza e alla natura. Per le sue grandi abilità, Tiziano fu conteso da imperatori, papi, principi e cardinali, e morì all’apice della fama. A lui è intitolato l’episodio della serie Grandi Maestri di Sky Arte. A ripercorrerne le gesta sono le storiche dell’arte Marcella Culatti e Sara Menato, commentando, tra le varie opere, il San Marco in trono nella Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute a Venezia, il Miracolo del marito geloso e Miracolo del neonato, nella Scuola del Santo a Padova, Amor Sacro e Amor Profano alla Galleria Borghese di Roma, il Ritratto di Francesco Maria della Rovere e Venere d'Urbino presso la Galleria degli Uffizi a Firenze.