Opus Arte Donizetti:La Favorite [Blu-ray] [Region Free] [2015]

Press Reviews "Donizetti's French masterpiece was in the hands of Italian conductor Antonello Allemandi. This maestro, a bel canto specialist, captured the fire and intensity of the passions from the get-go, making the overture a superbly eloquent transition to a musical world based on beautiful lines and colors that elaborate distress and make it compellingly elegant. Allemandi demonstrated a full authority over the stage for the musically complex scenes, and in the arias and duets he demonstrated his confidence in the artistry of distraught singers by establishing ample tempos to support their soaring vocal lines while he concentrated on pulling every possible nuance from the pit players. It was a splendid afternoon of beautifully staged bel canto transformed into great music." (Opera Today) Cast Kate Aldrich (Léonor de Guzman) Yijie Shi (Fernand) Ludovic Tézier (Alphonse XI, roi de Castille) Giovanni Furlanetto (Balthazar) Alain Gabriel (Don Gaspar) Marie-Bénédicte Souquet (Inès) Dongjin Ahn (A lord) Orchestra and Chorus of the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse; Antonello Allemandi Stage Director: Vincent Boussard Designer: Vincent Lemaire Catalogue Number: OABD7165D Date of Performance: 2014 Running Time: 184 minutes Sound: LPCM stereo/DTS Master Audio 5.1 Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Subtitles: EN/DE/FR/JP/KO Label: Opus Arte Review An important opera well worth getting to know. --Gramophone.June'15 So strong are the lead performances that I got wholly involved in the action. Performance **** Picture &Sound **** --BBC Music Magazine, August'15