Set in Memphis and Thebes during the time of the pharaohs, the story centres on a love affair between Aida, an Ethiopian slave owned by Amneris, the pharaoh’s daughter, and Radamès, a captain in the Egyptian guard. Their relationship is thwarted by the armed conflict between their two peoples and the jealousy of Amneris, who is in love with Radamès. ‘Aida’ is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni based on a plot by Auguste Mariette, premiered on 24 December 1871 at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo. From the box set ‘Tutto Verdi’, featuring 27 of Verdi’s operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 1 and 5 February 2012.

In Germany, at the castle of the Count of Stankar, on the banks of the Salzbach and in the vicinity of Salzburg, in the early 19th century. Upon his return from his travels, Pastor Stiffelio recounts his adventures: a boatman had handed him the wallet of a man who, fleeing from a woman’s bedroom, had thrown himself into the river. In the spirit of forgiveness, Stiffelio destroys the piece of evidence, unaware that it is proof that his wife, Lina, is guilty of adultery. ‘Stiffelio’ is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on ‘Le Pasteur ou l’évangile au foyer’ by Émile Souvestre and Eugène Bourgeois. Premiered in its original version on 26 December 1968 at the Teatro Regio in Parma. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas, “Tutto Verdi”. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 18 and 24 April 2012.