Lakmé, Delibes greatest opera, is performed by Opera Australia in all its oriental glory. Starring the exquisite coloratura soprano Emma Matthews as the innocent girl priestess Lakmé, and superb tenor Aldo Di Toro as the love-struck Gerald, the story tackles religion and cross-cultural love against a backdrop of British rule in India in the mid-19th century.

Léo Delibess Coppélia is not only a collection of fine dances. It is primarily an abrasive and sardonic comedy, which is somewhat unusual in the world of classical ballet. But most importantly, it is a comedy for which excellent music was composed. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovskys assessment of Delibess ballet scores, allegedly capable of overshadowing the choreography itself, is well known: What beauty, what elegance, what richness of melody, rhythm and harmony! It is not fortuitous that music from this ballet should be performed, for its own merits, during concerts. Funnily enough, the main theme of this light-hearted ballet is taken from E.T.A. Hoffmanns anything but joyful novellas mainly from The Sandman.

French Touch is soprano Petibon's 2003 release which features the works of such French composers for example Delibes, Massenet and Offenbach to mention a few. Petibon sings with much enthusiasm and joy which makes it a very enjoyable recording. Yves Abel leads the national orchestra and choir of Lyon. On track she sings duet with mezzo-soprano Karine Deshayes.

Léo Delibes was 30 years old when he achieved his critical breakthrough in France’s musical metropolis and created his classic Coppélia. The scenery for this fairy-tale piece was designed by Charles Nuitter, and the story was taken from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Der Sandmann (The Sandman). In 1994 the Opéra National de Lyon performed Léo Delibes’s ballet Coppélia under the choreography of Maguy Marin. This special video production by legend Thomas Grimm was fi lmed on location in Lyon and in the studio. Star conductor Kent Nagano directs the orchestra of the Lyon National Opera.

These two concerts, from very early in Maria Callas' career, are of the if-you've-got-it-flaunt-it school of singing. At these points in her performing life there was little Callas couldn't do: almost three octaves were at her command; she was fearless (and reckless) with her resources; and her innate dramatic sense was, if not quite in full-bloom, then at least in mid-blush.
The first concert alternates two murderous–and voice-murdering–Verdi heroines, Abigaille and Lady Macbeth, with two coloratura shrinking violets, Lucia and Lakmé. The alternation of heavy and light, brutal and fragile, is astonishing, the variations in tone consistently remarkable, the singing itself absolutely secure. From 1954 we get light coloratura (Dinorah) enchantingly sung; dramatic coloratura (Konstanze) with a vengeance; lovely lyric (Louise) almost convincing but not quite "pretty" enough; and the nearly-overwhelming fireworks of Armida. The sound is acceptable-to-good. This is a must-have.

–Robert Levine

Darcey Bussell and Roberto Bolle star in Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia, restored to the splendour of its elegant and opulent three-act form for the 75th anniversary celebrations of The Royal Ballet. Ashton was inspired by the music of Léo Delibes to create such great choreographic sequences as the famous Act 3 pas de deux and the mischievous role of Eros, one of the delightful, darkly comic characterisations for which Ashton became known and loved.