‘The cast is headed by the excellent Sonia Prina as Tamerlano…and baritone Renato Dolcini as Bajazet who has rather less to do but is solid. …The two contralto roles of Asteria and Irene go to Loriana Castellano and Lucia Cirillo. The former has a lot to do with a demanding acting part and several very difficult arias. She is excellent. Cirillo has less to do but she does it well. All in all the singing is very decent and the whole cast, especially Prina and Castellano, seem to have loads of fun with the very bizarre scenes thrown at them.’ – operaramblings

‘Ms Naghdi’s performance combines the highest quality dancing – I was particularly struck by the expressive fluidity of her arms – with the ability to act her role (or, in this particular case, roles) in a fully committed manner.

…Matthew Ball, as the troubled prince, makes as strong an impression with his facial expressions as he does with his very impressive jumps and the sensitive and considerate way in which he partners Ms Naghdi.’ – MusicWeb International

‘Claire Calvert and Annette Buvoli (Dawn and Prayer) are clearly talents to watch, while the Czardas and Mazurka are given the enthusiasm necessary to bring them to life. Barry Wordsworth has lost no mastery of the orchestra, and Délibes’s sparkling score is given full value so that we understand why Tchaikovsky so admired it.’ – Fanfare

This is an invitation to stand with kings in battle, to fall in love, to witness the brutal machinations of politics, and to laugh with rogues in this 27-disc collection.

Shakespeare’s Globe, the reconstruction of his most famous London theatre, is at the centre of the astonishing global fascination with Britain’s greatest playwright. Completed in 1997, it is a living theatrical experiment that has allowed audiences to experience the impact of Shakespeare’s stories in the architecture for which he wrote; the result has been a rediscovery of the plays in all their human richness. This collection brings together 26 Globe Theatre productions from 2009 to 2018, featuring the finest actors and leading directors in a project committed to creating ever wider access to this rich cultural heritage. Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies contain dazzling poetry, romance, epic power struggles, human suffering and ingenious, raucous humour. These films capture the unique atmosphere and theatrical space of the Globe Theatre, with the exhilarating sense of interaction in live performances between the audience and the actors on stage exquisitely maintained on screen.

Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty is one of the best loved of classical ballets, combining in a single work all the enchantment and virtuosity that ballet has to offer. The royal court, the panoramic journey of the Prince to the overgrown castle, and the great celebratory dances of the happy ending (in which other famous fairytale figures appear) are all brought to life by the luscious designs of this celebrated production, created in 1946 for The Royal Ballet.

Over a decade of dance is represented here with no fewer than 22 ballets in this magnificent 15-disc collection of stunning performances by The Royal Ballet, including spectacular stagings of well-known narrative ballets, era-defining abstract works and show-stopping shorter ballets.

19th-century masterpieces, heritage works by Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan, and contemporary classics by The Royal Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor and Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon are here performed by Royal Ballet dancers past and present.

Gounod’s masterpiece is given the grandest of Royal Opera stagings in David McVicar’s richly layered and theatrically exuberant production, with the drama moved to Second Empire Paris, spectacular sets and costumes, and extensive dance. Michael Fabiano as a seductively witty Faust, Erwin Schrott as a devilish Méphistophélès and Irina Lungu as a passionate Marguerite are joined by the Royal Opera Chorus and a cast of Royal Opera favourites. Dan Ettinger conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Gounod’s gloriously tuneful score.

‘Jaho gives everything she has, especially an exceptional diversity of soft singing, intimate, vulnerable, dreamy, apprehensive, intense and the result is a deeply moving portrayal.’ – The Financial Times ★★★★

‘Making his role debut, Stéphane Degout is wonderfully aloof as the buttoned-up Onegin, his rich baritone rolling out phrase after phrase smoothly, his Russian diction superb. Lilly Jørstad is a bubbly Olga, Christophe Mortagne a characterful Monsieur Triquet, a quirky relic of the ancient régime.’ – Gramophone

‘The burgeoning lyricism of the Walküre score and the complex interrelations between all-too-human Gods and Men seems to tug at a very particular musical nerve for the conductor.’ – BBC Music Magazine