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This month sees the release of three more superlative dvd's.
first up is Giacomo Puccini's
TURANDOT, possibly the greatest opera of all time, certainly containing some of the greatest music of all time, containing as it does the likes of Nessun Dorma and In Questa
Reggia. Puccini's tale, which was premiered in 1926 following Puccini's death in 1924, is the story of a Persian Queen whose love can only be won by answering her three riddles, this outstanding performance is from 1991 from the Victorian Arts Centre and features Ealyn Voss, Kenneth Collins, Amanda Thane, Graeme Ewer and Donald Shanks.
LAKME stars the unsurpassable Joan Sutherland and is from the classic 1970's era, 1976 in fact;
The story is set in the last days of the Raj at the close of the nineteenth century and tells the story of the forbidden love affair between English soldier Gerald and Lakmé, the daughter of an Indian
preist. Despite it's tragic air Lakme contains plenty of uplifting moments, not least the wonderful Flower Duet. Richard Bonynge conducts the orchestra and also appearing are Hugette
Tourangeau, Henri Wilden and Clifford Grant.
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