Kundry

Jessye Norman Sings Carmen

June 1990 •English

Jessye Norman Sings Carmen is a gripping vérité study of the famous dramatic soprano’s approach to mastering Bizet’s heroine in recording sessions with Seiji Ozawa and the Orchestre National de France. Musical segments include performances of three arias and the great duets between Carmen and Don José

In Bocca Al Lupo

Invalid date •English

Becoming Traviata

October 2012 •French

How can emotion come to light on the opera set? Does it come from singing, acting or music? How can someone become the incarnation of Verdi's masterpiece? Following world famous French soprano Natalie Dessay from the first repetitions until the premiere under the direction of Jean-François Sivadier, we meet a very special woman, a piece of art, a myth: LA TRAVIATA.

Opera Fanatic: Stefan & the Divas

January 2000 •Italian

Stefan Zucker, the world's highest tenor, visits the opera divas of his childhood. The journey from apartment to apartment, from diva to diva, from Rome to Milan, turns into an opera road movie.

Opera Runs in the Blood

July 2024 •English

Documentary about the life and career of actress Carolina Cataldi-Tassoni with special focus on her work in Dario Argento's "Opera".

N. S. Dombrovskij

January 1952 •Slovak

Three Letters: La Mamma Morta

October 2024 •English

'La Mamma Morta’ is an aria from the opera Andrea Chenier that is also well-known for its use in a memorable sequence in the Oscar award-winning Philadelphia. Thirty years on, this new short film from WNO includes a brand-new recording of the aria featured alongside recreated scenes that better encapsulate the perspectives of people living with HIV today. To mark World AIDS Day 2023, the Welsh National Orchestra released a special new version of La mamma morta, featuring WNO Orchestra, soprano Camilla Roberts and Nathaniel Hall from Channel 4’s It’s a Sin. Released as part of the last rendition in the Three Letters project, this film aims to tackle societal stigma around HIV.

Dennis Cleveland

January 2004 •English

A 2002 live performance of Mikel Rouse's Dennis Cleveland, a multimedia opera set entirely on a television talk show in the late 20th century.

The Revenge of the Diva

March 2019 •Swedish

Sivandivan is a documentary about an uncompromising royal singer who refused to adapt to the norm of how a female artist should behave. And for that, she has had to pay dearly. She is now 72, has no family, not many know who she is and to those who do, she is an outcast.This movie is about Siv’s revenge and comeback.

La Scala Theatre: the Temple of Wonders

November 2015 •Italian

Go inside the building that has been the source of some of the greatest moments in music, ballet and opera.

Do Not Be Anxious — Be Fast And Be Quiet

January 2010 •German

Peter Dvorský

April 2022 •Slovak

Anna Netrebko – ein Leben für die Oper

September 2021 •German

She is one of the greatest divas of the present day and has left her mark on the world of opera: Anna Netrebko. On her 50th birthday, ARTE is dedicating a special portrait to her. As a disciplined professional in preparations and behind the scenes. And very personally in a private conversation. An encounter with a true superstar of classical music.

When Naples Sings

April 1926 •Italian

Most likely made for the large Neapolitan immigrant population in the States, Roberto Leone Roberti’s love poem to Naples more than captures the heartache of the countless émigrés who were forced by economic circumstances to leave their homeland.

Tosca's Kiss

August 1984 •Italian

Memoirs of the Italian Opera by the singers and musicians of the Casa Verdi, Milan, the world’s first nursing home for retired opera singers, founded by composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1896. This documentary, which has achieved cult-like status among opera and music lovers, features former singers who reminisce about their careers and their past operatic roles.

Silence! Cameras! The Magic Flute!

January 1975 •Swedish

A documentary behind the scenes of Ingmar Bergman's The Magic Flute.

The Paris Opera

April 2017 •French

A behind-the-scenes look at the of how the Paris Opera is run under the direction of Stephane Lissner.

Einstein on the Beach: The Changing Image of Opera

October 1985 •English

The creative processes of avant-garde composer Philip Glass and progressive director/designer Robert Wilson are examined in this film. It documents their collaboration on this tradition breaking opera.

Sounds of Dortmund

April 2021 •German

The Oratorio

October 2020 •English

In “The Oratorio,” filmmaker Martin Scorsese helps tell the story of an 1826 performance that forever changed America’s cultural landscape with the introduction of Italian opera to New York City.