Maria Guleghina

Nabucco the complex story of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, who proclaims himself God and is hereon afflicted with madness remains a success with audiences. The director Günter Krämer paid particular attention to the interpersonal component of the opera accentuating the conflict-ridden king's loss of power as the core. His Nabucco is the tragedy of a mighty ruler. Leo Nucci, the baritone well known at all the great opera houses of the world, is Nabucco. After experiencing him at the Vienna State Opera, a critic wrote of his "fascinating timbre" and "intense and plausible acting". Maria Guleghina, who performs Abigaille, is one of the most celebrated and acclaimed sopranos of the world. She has been described as "Russian soprano with Verdi flowing through her veins". Supported by a distinguished cast (Marina Domashenko, Miroslav Dvorský, Giacomo Prestia) this Nabucco is a must for opera lovers.

Carlos Álvarez takes the title role in the first of Verdi's Shakespearean operas, with Maria Guleghina as the manipulative wife whose desire to gain the Scottish throne drives her husband to murder and leaves both with blood on their hands. Bruno Campanella conducts the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2004 recording of Phyllida Lloyd's powerful production, first staged at London's Royal Opera House.

Verdi’s admiration for Shakespeare led to such masterpieces as Othello and Falstaff, and if the earlier Macbeth isn’t on their exalted level it’s still a powerfully dramatic opera that hews closely to the original’s story line. The MET’s production retains the dark aura of the opera while updating it to a vaguely post-modern context. So the witches are bag ladies in various stages of decrepitude, with children in tow. The Banquet Scene features lowered chandeliers, a plethora of chairs, and a slew of extras dressed in tuxedos and party gowns. Macbeth sports a leather coat, the soldiers are in drab brown uniforms and seem to have fingers on their triggers even when they’re supposed to be in non-threatening situations. Director Adrian Noble also has Lady Macbeth do an inordinate amount of writhing around and singing from a lying-down position, adding to the feeling that a less interventionist directorial hand might have generated more impact.

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The Arena di Verona Festival honors Italian stage director Franco Zeffirelli, and his legendary production of Turandot. Interpreted within the sumptuous surroundings of Verona Arena, this Puccini's masterpiece tells the story of a princess whose beauty was only comparable to her cruelty. She will only marry a prince capable of solving her riddles, but if he fails, he will be beheaded... For this edition, the lyrical festival invites the russian soprano Maria Guleghina who proved a brilliant Turandot. She took to the stage with Salvatore Licitra's trump card is his imposingly radiant tenor voice of wich he remains in sovereign control, and the soprano Tamar Iveri is a beautiful and sensitive Liù.

The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 (Russian: Пиковая дама, Pikovaya dama, French: Pique Dame) is an opera in 3 acts (7 scenes) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin, but the plot was very changed. The premiere took place in 1890 in St. Petersburg (at the Mariinsky Theatre), Russia.

Internationally acclaimed Chinese film-maker Chen Kaige delivers an opulent staging of the fairy-tale story of Chinese Princess Turandot, who will only marry a prince capable of solving her riddles. With sumptuous costumes and palace sets designed in China, Kaige's production adds a compellingly authentic accent to Puccini's exotic orchestral palette. Zubin Metha and his brilliant Orquestra de la Comunitet Valenciana offer "genuine foreworks of sound" (Wiener Zeitung), Maria Guleghina triumphs as Turandot. Recorded in 2008 at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia. Zubin Mehta (conductor).

Andrea Chenier is a poet during the French Revolution. He and Maddalena are in love. Gerard, former servant in Maddalena's house, denounces them to the Tribunal, but recants it too late. The lovers go to the guillotine together.

Franco Zeffirelli's magnificient staging of Puccini's final opera - a fairy tale set in a mythical China - is one of the most popular in the Met repertory. In this Live in HD production, Maria Guleghina takes on the title role and Marcello Giordani is Calaf, the unknown prince. Marina Poplavskaya and Samuel Ramey co-star, and Andris Nelsons conducts in his Met debut.

TDK presents a recording of Puccini’s heart-breaking opera from one of the best opera houses of the world featuring star tenor José Cura and remarkable soprano Maria Guleghina as the two inseparable lovers. Riccardo Muti, music director of La Scala at the time of this performance, gives full weight to the alternation of social realism and private amatory psychology, of crowds and intimacy, body and spirit. And the director of this Milan production, the famous Italian film director Liliana Cavani, provides it with a realistic setting. Every scene looks like a genre painting, from which Puccini’s psychograms emerge musically. This forms the background for the two outstanding singer actors, who take the lead roles.

The spectacular production from the 2007 festival at the historic Arena di Verona. Renowned Verdi singers Leo Nucci and Maria Guleghina take on the roles of Nabucco and his daughter Abigail. Daniel Oren conducts Verona's resident orchestra. Filmed in High-Definition.

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Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. This version is conducted by Riccardo Muti at La Scala, Milan.

Nabucco - live from Metropolitan Opera, June 2002. On its surface, Nabucco is about the epic struggle of Zaccaria and the Jews suppressed by Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and his vengeful daughter, Abigaille. But to Italians fighting for their freedom from Austria, Verdi’s first great opera was an inspiring call to arms.