Turandot (Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia) (Blu-ray)

This 2009 Palau De Les Arts production of Giacomo Puccini's 1926 opera Turandot marks an unusual version, in the sense that Palme d'Or winning filmmaker Chen Kaige did the lavish staging, with elaborate onstage mock-ups of palaces and opulent costumes. The imaginative story is by now well known: the work tells of Princess Turandot, who insists on only marrying a prince capable of solving her clever riddles. This version stars Maria Guleghina in the demanding title role, Javier Agulló as Altoum, Alexander Tsymbalyuk as Timur and Marco Berti as Calaf. The Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana and Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana provide musical accompaniment, with Francesc Perales serving as chorus master, and Lorin Maazel as music director.