LIVE video recording from the Royal Opera House
Kristine Opolais, Jonas Kaufmann, Christopher Maltman, Maurizio Muraro, Benjamin Hulett
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Royal Opera House Chorus
Antonio Pappano, conductor
Add the video to your collection today: Amazon.co.uk

“ . . . do not pass up the chance to see the power and achievement of Jonas Kaufmann and Kristine Opolais in the lead roles. Even in this day and age, to see (and hear) such uninhibited physical mastery of stage parts in opera is not so common – and everyone from the artists themselves to the director, designers, and video director should be praised . . .

Opolais and Kaufmann have the sort of continuous contact that many directors can only dream of getting from their principals. They can really sing it too, both pacing themselves well so as not to cheat on any of the full-throttle verismo demanded in the Act 2 duet – performed in intimately testing positions all over Geronte’s bed . . . Nor has the acting stopped with the singing here, whereas in some famous (perhaps more conventionally bel canto) old performances you might be hard pushed to know what each character is feeling. “

Mike Ashman – Gramophone

“Yet both individually and in their relationship to one another, the singing and acting of the two principals possesses enough technical accomplishment and intensity to carry the piece along . . . Kristine Opolais matches him in a performance that combines tenderness with willfulness and a kind of doomed personal integrity exemplified in her vocal line.”

George Hall – BBC Music Magazine