Re-live the magical evening when Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti sang together under the sails of the Sydney Opera House. Recorded in 1983, this gala concert is conducted by Richard Bonynge, and features two of the greatest voices of all time singing arias and duets from their signature opera roles.

Joan Sutherland, ‘La Stupenda’, is sublime in some of her best-loved arias, including many of the jewels of the bel canto repertoire that was her speciality – including Verdi, Bellini and Cilea.

Pavarotti performs some of the great tenor arias, including ‘Vesti la giubba’ from Pagliacci, ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ from Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, and ‘Recondita armonia’ from Puccini’s Tosca. And the pair come together for duet performances shaped and perfected by their many years appearing alongside each other on stage and recordings: ‘Brindisi’ and ‘Parigi, o cara’ from La Traviata, ‘Prendi: l’anel ti dono’ from Bellini’s La Sonnambula, and ‘Sulla tomba che rinserra’ from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.

Re-released to coincide with the renewed global focus on Pavarotti due to the major documentary film directed by Ron Howard, this DVD restores to the catalogue a landmark event, and a performance never to be forgotten.

TRACK LISTING

BELLINI Sinfonia from I Capuleti e i Montecchi

VERDI Brindisi from La Traviata

PUCCINI Recondita armonia from Tosca

VERDI Addio, del passato from La Traviata

VERDI La mia letizia infondere from I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata

BELLINI Qui la voce sua soave from I Puritani

BELLINI Prendi: l’anel ti dono from La Sonnambula

CILEA Io son l’umile ancella from Adriana Lecouvreur

MASSENET Pourquoi me réveiller from Werther

MASSENET Méditation from Thaïs

THOMAS A vos jeux, mes amis from Hamlet

LEONCAVALLO Vesti la giubba from Pagliacci

DONIZETTI Sulla tomba che rinserra from Lucia di Lammermoor

DONIZETTI Una furtiva lagrima from L’Elisir d’Amore

RICCI Io non sono più l’Annetta from Crispino e la Comare

VERDI Parigi, o cara from La Traviata