I sold it for half of what I spent the second day after I watched this DVD because I was expecting a better performance when I saw all actors/actresses wearing old-fashioned costumes on the cover of the disc. However, all the soloists, except Rodney Gilfry (Count Almaviva), are just too annoying in the whole play. I wish DG would release James Levine's Metropolitan version sometime.

The singing is very good and the Dolby 5.0 sound track is excellent. However, the performance, stage design and lighting are not as good as in another movie from Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Verdi's "Rigoletto". I'd rather turn the TV off or watch the weather network while playing the sound tracks on this DVD, just because of the artificial acting, fake smiling and the make-up of Freni. I am expecting another Madama Butterfly on DVD from Columbia TriStar with Ying Huang singing Cio-cio-san, although her voice was not as amazing as Freni's.

I have the Metropolitan Opera's performance on CDs but I couldn't find it on DVD, so I bought this one instead. I like this DVD after watching it because the singing is not bad at all, and the sound and video qualities are very good, except the makeup - pretty much like the movie 'William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet'. Plus, there is not so much noise from the audience. One more thing that makes me feel disappointed is the short pause before the end of Act II, due to the change of DVD layer.

Excellent performance from the Russian stars. The only downfall of this DVD is that the sound quality and lighting in Red Square Gala Performance are not good enough. A worth buying.

I got this DVD and another from Baltsa/Carreras/Metropolitan Opera at the same time and I enjoy both of them. I enjoy Domingo's Don Jose quite a lot however, I just don't like Migenes-Johnson's singing that much - her singing of Carmen may be the worst that I have ever heard. Anyway, she is definitely better at acting/shaking her body (or dancing) than singing, which is good for a movie. Plus, this movie delivers much better image and sound although I cannot get Dolby surround sound as what I got from the VHS tape. I am more pleased with this movie version since I don't want to listen to the noise from the audience while I was watching it, although the singing is not as good as the others on my CDs. I just bought one more copy of this DVD and I believe my friend will definitely like it.

I like this movie a lot because of the good performance and excellent photography. Domingo's Alfredo is still good enough however, Stratas's Violetta is not good at all in Act I - her voice is quite annoying and it seems that she cannot adjust her breathing while she is singing - things become better when Germont shows up in Act II. Sound quality is much better than that recorded in an opera house, so is the image quality. It's a good choice for those who do not really enjoy opera (just like me) or who want to try something different.

Finally I bought this Karajan's last Beethoven's symphony cycle on DVDs and it was really exciting to take a close look at the conductor and orchestra while they were playing. The orchestra and chorus are just excellent - exactly what I expected since I have their 1970s performance on CDs. However, I am still quite disappointed by the 4th movement of the 9th Symphony because of the girly voices of the tenor and baritone, although the soprano and alto are brilliant. Each time when I was watching this one, I had to be away from TV and speakers to avoid listening to tenor and baritone singing. Anyway, it's still worth buying since I cannot expect another DVD from Karajan. My rating for this symphony cycle is 5 stars for Symphonies nos. 1 - 6 & 8, 4 stars for the 7th and 3 stars for the 9th. The sound quality of this DVD is not as good as on CD but it's not a problem when turning the speakers louder.

Pollini's interpretation of Beethoven's piano concertos is quite peaceful, clear and poetic particularly in the 1st and the 3rd concertos. However, I don't think Beethoven is as romantic and poetic as Chopin. I'd prefer a more dramatic interpretation of Beethoven's piano concertos with Ashkenazy/Chicago Symphony/Solti and Brendel/London Philharmonic/Haitink being my favorites. I do enjoy Pollini's performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto in D major (the piano version after his violin concerto) a lot and I think which is much better than Barenboim's 1973's recording with the English Chamber Orchestra, but I just cannot make myself enjoy this set that much.

About fifteen years ago I bought a set of cassettes of Haydn's Die Schopfung played by Solti/Chicago Symphony in 1980s (DECCA) and I tried to get it on CDs, but I could not find it anywhere. Right now I have this Dorati's recording and those from Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker (1960s), Solti/Chicago Symphony (1993's Live) and Bernstein/Bavarian Radio Symphony as well, but I am only satisfied with Dorati and Karajan's versions. I think Dorati's version gives a crystal clear sound quality and a more delightful performance, as what Solti's 1980s' version delivers, after using both home theater system and Sony Discman CD player with headphones.

This is the only recording from Bernstein that delivers ultimate satisfaction. I think this time Bernstein put aside his remarkable personal thoughts about conducting and just simply focused on the music. The voices from solos and chorus are magnificent and the sound from the orchestra is brilliant, giving a really peaceful and enjoyable performance. The ending is superb which makes me feel that the music will never end.