Michele Pertusi

A young opera singer is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.

Marino Faliero opened the sixth edition of "Donizetti Opera" in the restored Donizetti Theater in Bergamo. The orchestra and choir are on stage, while the action takes place in the stalls in an intricate maze of walkways and scaffolding. Riccardo Frizza conducts, with creative direction by Ricci/Forte and staging by Stefano Ricci.

No synopsis available yet.

I Lombardi alla prima crociata (The Lombards on the First Crusade) was Verdi’s fourth opera and received its first performance at La Scala, Milan, in February 1843. The grandiloquent subject matter is fleshed-out with broad-brushed musical and dramatic effects and lavish choral scenes created a correspondingly impressive impact. A great success in Milan, it spread to the rest of Europe within a matter of only a few years.

Having triumphed at the Met in some of the repertory’s fiercest soprano roles, Sondra Radvanovsky stars as the mythic sorceress who will stop at nothing in her quest for vengeance. Joining Radvanovsky in the Met-premiere production of Cherubini’s rarely performed masterpiece is tenor Matthew Polenzani as Medea’s Argonaut husband, Giasone; soprano Janai Brugger as her rival for his love, Glauce; bass Michele Pertusi as Glauce’s father, Creonte, the King of Corinth; and mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova as Medea’s confidante, Neris. Carlo Rizzi conducts.

A timeless tale told in a florid bel canto style, Rossini’s take on the Cinderella story offers an ideal propellant for a virtuosic mezzo-soprano to rocket from rags to riches. But in this retelling, the supporting characters soar just as high: Cinderella’s Prince, her stepfather, and the Prince’s valet are given memorable arias, and the composer rounds out his score with ingenious ensemble flourishes. A vivacious masterpiece, La Cenerentola brings stock fairy tale characters to dazzling life.

An outsider—a hunchbacked jester—struggles to balance the dueling elements of beauty and evil that exist in his life.

Rossini's "Le Comte Ory" tells the story of a libidinous and cunning nobleman who disguises himself first as a hermit and then as a nun in order to gain access to the virtuous Countess Adele, whose brother is away at the Crusades. The 2011 Met production was directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, who presented the action as an opera within an opera, updating the action by a few centuries and giving the costume designer, Catherine Zuber, the opportunity to create some particularly extravagant headgear. Juan Diego Florez starred as the title role while Diana Damrau plays Countess Adele, and Joyce DiDonato was in breeches as his pageboy Isolier. Conducted with verve and finesse by Maurizio Benini, the production also features the stylish French baritone Stephane Degout as Ory's bibulous conspirator Raimbaud, charismatic Italian bass Michele Pertusi as the Count's long-suffering Tutor, and, formidable as Adele's housekeeper Ragonde, the Swedish dramatic mezzo Susanne Resmark.

No synopsis available yet.

The 2022 Don Carlo at the Teatro di San Carlo, staged by Claus Guth, offers a contemporary, psychologically driven interpretation of Verdi's opera. Set in minimalist, stark environments, the production explores themes of power, betrayal, and inner conflict. The cast features Matthew Polenzani as Don Carlo and Ailyn Pérez as Elisabetta di Valois, both delivering compelling performances. Conducted by Juraj Valčuha, the production combines modern staging with the emotional depth of Verdi's score, providing a fresh perspective on the classic work.

Wiener Staatsoper Live at Home - 14 May 2015

“Foolish indeed is he who marries in old age.” Thus ends Don Pasquale: with a wise dictum not lacking in irony that sums up the disappointments of its hero, a rich bachelor keen to marry who is deceived by his nephew Ernesto and his young bride-to-be Norina. First performed in Paris in 1843, at the turning point of several eras, Don Pasquale, a composite and varied work, is the apotheosis of opera buffa. Performed for the first time at the Paris Opera, the production has been entrusted to the Italian director, Damiano Michieletto, who transports us directly to the sincerity and dramatic splendour at the heart of an apparently light‑hearted work.

Rare production of the opera which immediately preceded Lucia di Lammermoor in Donizetti’s oeuvre. This performance was taped live at the Teatro Regio di Parma, January 5, 2002.

Dynamic are proud to present, for the first time on Blu-ray, Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra ‘The Thieving Magpie’ recorded at the prestigious Rossini Opera Festival in 2007 (standard DVD release 33567). The stage is set in modern times and the whole story is presented as the dream of a young girl who plays the role of the magpie. The brilliant, rousing overture was made famous thanks to the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick’s motion picture “A Clockwork Orange”.

Live recording from Oper Zurich, 2008, DVD release 2014. Jonas Kaufmann, 'the Prince of Tenors', appears with international star Vesselina Kasarova in Zürich Opera's starkly palpable staging of Bizet's ever-popular Carmen. The production sees Don José (Kaufmann) abandon his teenage attitudes in pursuit of Kasarova's free and independent Carmen - realising too late that his self-control has vanished, along with his youth.

Live recording from Oper Zurich, 2008, DVD release 2014. Jonas Kaufmann, 'the Prince of Tenors', appears with international star Vesselina Kasarova in Zürich Opera's starkly palpable staging of Bizet's ever-popular Carmen. The production sees Don José (Kaufmann) abandon his teenage attitudes in pursuit of Kasarova's free and independent Carmen - realising too late that his self-control has vanished, along with his youth.

The title role, in this excellent production, is sung by an Eva Mei in great vocal form, who gives an interpretation of extraordinary depth. Beside her, the famous bass-baritone Michele Pertusi, as Athanaël, shows once again his unquestionable style. On the podium is Marcello Viotti, music director of the Venetian theatre. The story of the conversion of the beautiful courtesan, and the clash between spirituality and sensuality have been portrayed brilliantly by Pier Luigi Pizzi, one of today’s most talented opera directors. The visual quality of this production is indeed one of its strong points, and the DVD recording will not fail to fascinate the viewer.

Performance in memory of Mirella Freni and Nicolai Ghiaurov, great interpreters of Don Carlo and beloved citizens of Modena.

For the first time at the Paris Opera, Natalie Dessay sings one of the most beautiful roles of Italian romanticism. She embodies the modest and charming Amina, this sleepwalker who, escaping from her bedroom, becomes another person as she wanders through the night. This opera by Bellini is a score seemingly written in a daydream, where melody is apparently suspended in time and the heroine's very soul rises to the surface, and where instruments take on transparent tones. At the same time, Bellini portrays the cruelest of worlds – our own – where it is more than difficult for fragility and gentleness to shine past the darker rashness and unfriendliness of the characters.

First performed in Paris in 1843, at the turning point of several eras, Don Pasquale, a composite and varied work, is the apotheosis of opera buffa. Performed for the first time at the Paris Opera, the production has been entrusted to the Italian director, Damiano Michieletto, who transports us directly to the sincerity and dramatic splendour at the heart of an apparently light‑hearted work.

Premiere of the 23/24 season at the Teatro La Scala of Milan, broadcast live. The story of Verdi's opera is based on conflicts in the life of Carlos, Prince of Asturias (1545–1568). Though he was betrothed to Elisabeth of Valois, part of the peace treaty ending the Italian War of 1551–59 between the Houses of Habsburg and Valois demanded that she be married instead to his father Philip II of Spain.

Don Giovanni is a dramatic opera which tells the story of the legendary libertine and seducer of the same name. The opera explores love, morality, and the consequences of people's actions, and revolves around Don Giovanni's amorous escapades.

The opera that established Verdi’s greatness as a composer, Nabucco follows the plight of the Jews as they are exiled from their homeland by the eponymous Babylonian King. This 2019 production from Verdi Festival Parma won critical acclaim for its directors, Stefano Ricci and Gianni Forte for whom opera is a means to question the world of today. The curtain rises in the bowels of a modern warship...

"This is Vienna State Opera live at home". April 2015.