The DVD Project, launched in July 2002, is a series evaluating opera DVDs in both artistic and technical terms. Unlike other reviews (in print and on Internet sites) that are limited by national and commercial perspectives, we examine the source material, encoding, menus and subtitling, and international distribution of releases. We hope to provide information to enable buyers to be discriminating, and expose unsatisfactory and misleading practices by disc publishers.

Project editor Michael Richter has a special interest in new media recordings. He is a pioneer of high-quality CD-ROM publishing (see CD-ROM reviews). He has contributed an An Introduction to the DVD.

Published previously:

Aida with Cheryl Studer, at the Royal Opera House, London (high definition TV, 1994)
Aida directed by Zeffirelli, at the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi in Busseto (2001)
Alcina from the Staatsoper Stuttgart (1999)
Ariadne auf Naxos with Hillebrecht, Jurinac and Jess Thomas, conducted by Karl Böhm, Salzburg (1965)
Ariadne auf Naxos conducted by Colin Davis at the Semperoper, Dresden (1999)
Un ballo in maschera with Ricciarelli, Domingo and Cappuccilli, conducted by C Abbado, London (1975)
Un ballo in maschera with Placido Domingo, conducted by Georg Solti, Salzburg (1990)
Il barbiere di Siviglia with Prey, Wunderlich and Hotter, conducted by Keilberth, Munich (1959)
Il barbiere di Siviglia with Kasarova, Reinaldo Macias and Manuel Lanza, Zurich (2001)
Beatrice di Tenda with Edita Gruberova, conducted by Marcello Viotti, Zurich (2001)
La belle Hélène with Felicity Lott, conducted by Marc Minkowski, Paris (2000)
Les Boréades with Bonney, conducted by William Christie and directed by Robert Carsen, Paris (2003)
Carmen with Grace Bumbry and Jon Vickers, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, Vienna (1967)
The Consul with Patricia Neway conduced by Torkanowsky and directed by Gian Carlo Menotti (1960)
Les contes d'Hoffmann with Neil Shicoff, conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Paris (2003)
Così fan tutte conducted by Daniel Barenboim and directed by Doris Dörrie, at the Staatsoper Berlin (2002)
The Cunning Little Vixen conducted by Charles Mackerras at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris (1995)
Dialogues des Carmélites with Joan Sutherland, conducted by Richard Bonynge, Sydney (1984)
Don Carlos with Alagna, van Dam, Hampson, Mattila, Paris (1996)
Don Giovanni with Samuel Ramey, conducted by Herbert von Karajan, Salzburg (1987)
Don Giovanni with Gilfry and Bartoli, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Zurich (2001)
The Golden Cockerel conducted by Nagano, directed by Takashimi, designed by Asakura (Paris, 2002)
I due Foscari conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni and directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi, La Scala, Milan (1988)
I due Foscari with Leo Nucci, conducted by Nello Santi, Naples (2000)
L'elisir d'amore conducted by Niels Muus at the Arena Sferisterio, Macerata (2002)
Die Entführung aus dem Serail conducted by Marc Minkowski and directed by F A Salem, Salzburg (1997)
L'étoile (Chabrier) conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, at the Opera National de Lyon (1986)
Falstaff with Ambrogio Maestri, and conducted by Riccardo Muti, Busseto (2001)
Fidelio with Benackova and Protschka, conducted by von Dohnányi, London (1991)
La fille du régiment with Joan Sutherland, at the Australian Opera (1986)
Die Fledermaus with Weikl and Popp, conducted by Guschlbauer and directed by Schenk , Vienna (1980)
Die Fledermaus conducted by Marc Minkowski and directed by Hans Neuenfels, Salzburg (2001)
Die Fledermaus conducted by Vladimir Jurowski and directed by Stephen Lawless, Glyndebourne (2003)
La forza del destino with Tebaldi, Corelli, Bastianini, and Christoff. Teatro di San Carlo, Naples (1958)
La forza del destino conducted by Valéry Gergiev at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg (1998)
Hänsel und Gretel with Nikiteanu and Hartelius, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, Zurich (1999)
Les Huguenots at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin (1991)
Iphigénie en Tauride conducted by William Christie and directed by Claus Guth, Zurich (2001)
Jenufa with Anja Silja and Philip Langridge, conducted by Andrew Davis at Glyndebourne (1989)
Kat'a Kabanova directed by Nikolaus Lenhoff and conducted by Andrew Davis, Glyndebourne (1988)
Linda di Chamounix with Edita Gruberova, conducted by Adam Fischer, Zurich (1996)
Lucia di Lammermoor with Devia, La Scola and Bruson, conducted by Ranzani, La Scala Milan (1992)
Lucia di Lammermoor with Bonfadelli, conducted by Fournillier and directed by Vick, Genoa (2003)
Lucrezia Borgia with Sutherland and Kraus, at the Royal Opera House, London (1980)
Lulu with Teresa Stratas, directed by Chereau, conducted by Boulez, Paris (1979)
Macbeth with Paskalis and Barstow, conducted by Pritchard Glyndebourne (1972)
Macbeth with Hampson and Paoletta Marrocu, at the Zurich Opera House (2001)
Madama Butterfly with Anna Moffo, conducted by Oliviero de Fabritiis, Rai Milan, (1956)
Manon with Renée Fleming, conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Opéra National de Paris (2001)
Die Meistersinger conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (1995)
Die Meistersinger with José van Dam, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, Zurich, (2004)
Nabucco with Bruson and Flanigan at the Teatro San Carlo of Naples (1997)
The Nightingale with Natalie Dessay, conducted by James Conlon, Paris, (1999)
Nina with Cecilia Bartoli, conducted by Adam Fischer, Zurich (2002)
Norma with Caballé, Veasey and Vickers, conducted by Patané, Orange (1974)
Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Karl Böhm at the Kleines Festspielhaus, Salzburg (1966)
Le nozze di Figaro with Cotrubas, te Kanawa, and von Stade, Pritchard (Glyndebourne, 1973)
Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Georg Solti and directed by Giorgio Strehler, Paris (1980)
Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Paolo Olmi and directed by Jean-Pierre Vincent, Lyon (1987)
Orphée aux enfers with Natalie Dessay, conducted by Marc Minkowski, Lyon (1997)
Otello with del Monaco, Capecchi, and Carteri (RAI film, 1958)
Owen Wingrave with Gerald Finley, conducted by Kent Nagano, Berlin and Moreton-in-Marsh (2001)
Parsifal conducted by Kent Nagano and directed by Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Baden-Baden (2004)
Peter Grimes with Philip Langridge conducted by David Atherton, English National Opera, London (1994)
Pierre le Grand (Grétry) Helikon Opera in Moscow (2003)
Platée conducted by Marc Minkowski and directed by Laurent Pelly, Opéra National de Paris, (2002)
The Rake's Progress with Jerry Hadley and Dawn Upshaw, Salzburg Festival (1996)
Rigoletto with Cornell MacNeil, Domingo and Cortubas, conducted by James Levine, New York (1977)
Rigoletto with Leo Nucci and Alfredo Kraus, at the Teatro Regio, Parma (1987)
Rigoletto with Gavanelli, Schäfer, and Alvarez, at the Royal Opera House, London (2000)
Rigoletto with Leo Nucci, conducted by Marcello Viotti, Verona (2001)
Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by James Levine, directed by Otto Schenk, and designed by Günther Schneider-Siemssen (1989)
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria with Henschel and Kasarova, conducted by Harnoncourt, Zurich (2002)
Der Rosenkavalier with Stemme, Kasarova and Hartelius conducted by Welser-Möst, Zurich (2004)
Ruslan and Lyudmila conducted by Valery Gergiev at the Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg (1995)
Simon Boccanegra with Guelfi, Mattila, and La Scola, conducted by Claudio Abbado, Florence (2002)
Simplicius (Johann Strauss II) conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, Zurich (2000)
La sonnambula with Anna Moffo, conducted by Bruno Bartoletti, Milan (1956)
Tancredi with Daniela Barcelona, conducted by Paolo Arrivabeni (Trieste, 2003)
Tannhäuser conducted by Gustav Kuhn and directed by Werner Herzog, Naples (1998)
Tannhäuser with Peter Seiffert, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst and directed by Jens-Daniel Herzog, Zurich (2003)
Tosca with Gheorghiu, Alagna, and Ruggero Raimondi, directed by Benoit Jacquot (film, 2001)
Die tote Stadt with Angela Denoke and Torsten Kerl, conducted by Jan Latham-Koenig, Strasbourg (2001)
La traviata with Teresa Stratas and Placido Domingo, directed by Zeffirelli (film, 1982)
Il trovatore with Mario del Monaco, Leyla Gencer, and Ettore Bastianini (1957)
Tristan und Isolde with Nilsson and Vickers, conducted by Karl Böhm, Orange (1973)
Tristan und Isolde with Jon Vickers and Roberta Knie, Radio-Canada Montréal (1975)
Tristan und Isolde with Waltraud Meier and J F West, conducted by Mehta, Bayerischer Staatsoper (1998)
Les Troyens with Kunde, Susan Graham, and Antonacci, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, Paris (2003)
Turandot with Schnaut, Botha and Gaillardo-Domas, conducted by Gergiev, Salzburg (2002)
Il Turco in Italia with Ruggero Raimondi and Cecilia Bartoli, conducted by Welser-Mölst, Zurich (2002)
L'Upupa und der Triumph der Sohensliebe (Henze) with Goerne, conduced by Stenz, Salzburg (2003)
I vespri siciliani with Dunn, Luchetti and Nucci, conducted by Riccardo Chailly, Bologna (1986)
Die Walküre with Rootering, Behle, Denoke and Gambill, conducted by Zagrosek, Stuttgart (2002/03)
War and Peace conducted by Gary Bertini and directed by Francesca Zambello, Paris (2000)
Yevgeny Onegin with Leiferkus and Novikova, conducted by Gergiev, St Petersburg (1984)
Die Zauberflöte conducted by Franz Welser-Möst at the Zurich Opera House (2000)
Die Zauberflöte conducted by Colin Davis and directed by David McVicar, Royal Opera, London (2003)

Vocal collections:

Belcanto: The Tenors of the 78 Era (Part 1): Caruso, Gigli, Schipa, Tauber, Slezak and Joseph Schmidt
Caballé, Beyond Music, a documentary about Montserrat Caballé (2004)
Great Moments in Opera from the Ed Sullivan Show
Great Stars of Opera with Neil Shicoff and others, from the Theaterplatz, Dresden, (1998-2000)
Great Stars of Opera (Volume I): telecasts from the Bell Telephone Hour (1959-1966)
Jon Vickers Early Telecasts (Radio-Canada, 1954-1956)
Mozart in Turkey : Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Istanbul (publ. 2004)
Voices of our time: Ian Bostridge (Paris, 2000)
Voices of our time: Thomas Hampson (Paris, 2001)
Waltraud Meier, A Portrait (2001)
World Singers (BBC, London 1961)

Michael Richter was born in Philadelphia in 1939. After graduating from the University of Chicago in 1960, he worked in various technology fields, largely aerospace systems engineering, until being disabled by heart disease in 1989. His love of music emerged early, attending symphony concerts in Cincinnati, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston. An obsession with music for the voice began with the discovery of Mozart's operas in the early 1960s and has never abated. For the past decade, he has combined professional and musical interests in efforts to preserve our common musical heritage, transferring recordings and publishing volumes of an Audio Encyclopedia, as described at his WWW site www.mrichter.com . He has published numerous articles in engineering journals together with a book on computer programming, but his writings, in both the Opera Quarterly and The Classical Singer, now focus on music and recording technology.

Opera japonica, 1 January 2006