Monica Bacelli

Handel's 1724 opera Tamerlano followed the success of his previous year's Giulio Cesare with another colourful historical costume drama. This time the setting is the court of "Timur the Tartar", who has just defeated the Turkish Sultan Bajazet at the battle of Angora. There are, naturally enough, romantic complications when both Tamerlano and his ally, the Greek Prince Andronico, fall in love with Bajazet's daughter Asteria. She, however, has plans to revenge her father's defeat. This production was directed by Jonathan Miller and staged in the intimate surroundings of the Goethe Theatre of Bad Lauchstadt as part of the 2001 Halle Handel Festival.

This majestic production of Handel's vivid tragedy, TAMERLANO, stars a Lear-like Placido Domingo as the Turkish Sultan Bajazet, caught between pride, love, and loyalty. Displaying the uniquely heroic quality of his voice, Domingo heads a superb cast, including Sara Mingardo, Monica Bacelli, and Ingela Bohlin, all magnificently responsive to Paul McCreesh's authentic and luminous musical interpretation of the score. The stunning theatrical staging by Graham Vick provides a splendid setting for the characters and for designer Richard Hudson's extravagant Baroque-Islamic costumes, emphasizing the brilliance of one of Handel's finest dramatic achievements.

Antonio Florio, conducting the Orchestra and Choir of the Teatro Regio, tackles Claudio Monteverdi's rich score. The cast includes Roberta Invernizzi, Mauro Borgioni, Francesca Boncompagni, Monica Bacelli, Luigi De Donato, and Luca Tittoto, internationally renowned soloists and recognized experts in the field of Baroque opera.

Opera composed by Mozart in 1772. Tomáś Netopil conducts the orchestra e Coro del Teatro La Fenice for the Mozart Salzburg Festival

Giuseppe Verdi's opera performed in 1998.

A count with simple, unpretentious tastes courts the commoner Chiariella at his villa in Marechiaro. After a couple of broken marriage promises, he manages to extricate himself from the situation with the help of a sprite that pops out of a bottle.

Riccardo Muti leads the Orchestra of the Wiener Staatsoper in this performance of Mozart's opera, recorded live in 1996. The performers include Barbara Frittoli, Angelika Kirchschlager, Angelika Kirchschlager and Michael Schade.

For the festivities marking the Pergolesi's tercentenary in his native Jesi, Ignacio García created a new staging of the imperial drama Adriano in Siria. His staging in Jesi's exquisite 18th-century Teatro Comunale Pergolesi includes the delightful comic intermezzo Livietta e Tracollo, thus following the precedent set at the premiere in 1734. A fine Italian cast and the distinguished Accademia Bizantina are led by the Accademia's director, Ottavio Dantone. Contains the intermezzo Livietta e Tracollo.