Rigoletto; Giuseppe Verdi Opera live in HD from The Royal Opera House

Tuesday, 17^thApril 2012 @ 7.15 pm

In Rigoletto, Verdi charts the fate of his larger-than-life characters – the tormented jester trying to avenge himself on his heartless playboy employer the Duke of Mantua, who has carelessly seduced Rigoletto’s innocent daughter Gilda – in music of immense theatrical punch and instant memorability. Based on Victor Hugo’s controversial play, Le Rois’amuse,

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Filarmonica della Scala Live: George Gershwin: Saturday 21st april @ 7pm

George Gershwin: An American in Paris, Catfish Row , Concerto in fa. Riccardo Chailly, Music Director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, and the Italian jazz pianist Stefano Bollani has already topped the charts around the world with their recordings of Gershwin. However, without any doubt, the fusion of classical sounds with jazz improvisations is at their best when heard live. Riccardo Chailly has had an on-going and invaluable rapport with the orchestra, having conducted numerous opera productions, such as Madama Butterfly, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Rigoletto and Aida, and a wide ranging symphonic repertoire which includes a triumphant tour of the United States in 2007

Filarmonica della Scala Live: Serge Rachmaninoff: Monday 7th May @ 7pm                          

 Serge Rachmaninoff; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Symphony No. 2 Matteo Franceschini world première commissioned by the Filarmonica della Scala. The 23-year-old Andrea Battistoni, the most successful young Italian conductor who will conduct a production of The Marriage of Figaro at La Scala in 2012, will lead the Filarmonica and together with the equally young pianist Alexander Romanovsky through the most spellbinding melodies by Rachmaninov. Andrea Battistoni makes his debut with the Filarmonica with an impressive programme of romanticism, with remarkable virtuosity that starts with a world première of a musical composition by the 32-year-old Matteo Franceschini commissioned by the Filarmonica. 

 Cyrano De Bergerac, Live from Teatro Real Madrid: Thursday 10th May @ 7pm  

Franco Alfano’s 1936 opera Cyrano de Bergerac, the story of a swordsman-poet with an enormous heart and even larger nose, has been revived in recent years as a vehicle for veteran tenor Plácido Domingo. In this 2010 San Francisco Opera production, brought over from the Théâtre du Châtelet, the tenor is paired with Spanish soprano Ainhoa Arteta as Roxane, the beautiful object of Cyrano’s affection. French conductor Patrick Fournillier leads the production.

 Filarmonica della Scala Live: Gabrieli Monday 21st May @ 7pm

 Gabrieli; Three Canzonas, Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4, Casella, Paganiniana, Respighi, Feste Romane. Fabio Luisi, after his commitments in Geneva, Dresden and Vienna, is in the limelight owing to his recent appointment as Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, New York. For his debut with the Filarmonica scheduled for 21 May, he will perform, apart from three canzonas to mark the 400th anniversary of Giovanni Gabrieli, Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto with the young Polish prodigy Rafal Blechacz and two Italian symphonic pieces of extraordinary orchestral virtuosity: the enthralling Paganiniana by Alfredo Casella and the Feste Romane by Ottorino Respighi, a piece of such vivid imagery as to embody an authentic example of musical cinema.

La Fille Mal Gardee; Live ballet in HD from The Royal Opera House

Wednesday, 16^thMay 2012 @ 7.15 pm

The simple story of Lise, her suitor Colas and Lise’s larger-than-life mother, the Widow Simone, who tries to marry her off to the simpleton son of a rich neighbour, is full of delicious comedy but also wonderful, characterful choreography. One of the greatest pleasures of Fille is the way in which the steps, though at times devilishly difficult, never get in the way of the natural, easy storytelling.

 Un Ballo in Maschera (Verdi) Thursday 21 Jun @ 7pm                       

 Un Ballo in Maschera LIVE is a very much anticipated production starring tenor Gregory Kunde, impressive with his impeccable style and dramatic command of his roles; and the soprano Oksana Dyka, mesmerizing last year in the role of Nedda, in Pagliacci, LIVE from Teatro alla Scala, Milan. Directed by the internationally acclaimed Renato Palumbo, this production will be staged by Lorenzo Mariani, who has worked with some of the world’s most prestigious opera houses and festivals.

Norma (Bellini) Tuesday 10 Jul at 7pm                                       

Bellini wrote “Norma” at age 30. It became his greatest achievement, and it is now regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition. The title role is generally considered one of the most difficult in the soprano repertoire. It includes the famous aria “Casta Diva,” which is often associated with opera legend Maria Callas. Each summer, the Teatro Antico in Taormina is home to the Taormina Arte festival. Audiences have feasted their eyes on the views of the Ionian Sea and Mt. Etna that provide a dramatic backdrop for this stunning arena stage. “Norma” is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini. Bellini wrote “Norma” at age 30. It became his greatest achievement, and it is now regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition. The title role is generally considered one of the most difficult in the soprano repertoire. It includes the famous aria “Casta Diva,” which is often associated with opera legend Maria Callas and was one of the most familiar arias of the nineteenth century.