La Vida Breve

La vida breve, an Andalusian opera in two acts written by Manuel de Falla on a libretto by Carlos Fernández Shaw, staged by Giancarlo del Monaco at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, in Valencia.

Verdi Requiem

The production itself is quite beautiful: recorded in the Basilica di San Marco in Venice in November 2007, it highlights the cathedral's splendor, the reverent audience, the soloists, orchestra and chorus with near-perfect cinematography. The soundtrack is also acceptable, which may have been quite a task to achieve, given the Basilica's over-reverberant acoustics. Alas, the performance itself does not rise to the occasion. Despite the occasional minor insecurity in ensemble and a visible lack of joy, the Symphonica Toscanini musicians play...

Everything you wanted to know about conductors but were afraid to ask

Documentary about the state of the conducting world in the 1990s. Broadcast as part of the BBC OMNIBUS strand of documentaries.

The 'Ring' Without Words

A unique synthesis of orchestral music from Wagner's Ring cycle, arranged in a free-flowing and chronological cycle by world-famous conductor Lorin Maazel. Comprised of the four operas of the Ring cycle, "The Ring Without Words" manages to capture the musical mind of one of the most exceptional and gifted composers in history in only seventy minutes. The Berlinker Philharmoniker plays the work with breathtaking depth of expression. Recorded live at Philharmonie Berlin, 2000. Source: Amazon.com