Yelena Obraztsova

Franco Zeffirelli directs these two legendary La Scala productions telling tragic tales of jealousy. Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana features performances by Elena Obraztsova, Plácido Domingo, and Renato Bruson. Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci stars Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, and Juan Pons. Both are conducted by George Pretre. This production of Pagliacci earned director Franco Zeffirelli the coveted Emmy as Best Director in the category of Classical Music Programming.

CARMEN is the classic tale of forbidden passion between a young man and a spoken-for woman, Carmen. From ORF and TDK Music, this release features a live performance of Georges Bizet's 19th century operatic masterwork Carmen. Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, the production was shot on December 9, 1978, at the Wiener Straatsoper. Starring Elena Obraztsova in the titular role, the orchestra is conducted by Carlos Kleiber.

Merry Widow

"When I pray morning and evening, I always ask: I want to die first, and then finish singing!" - this is how Elena Obraztsova said in her last interview. She gave it to our film crew on November 28, 2014. That evening there was a Big Ball at the Bolshoi Theater in honor of Elena Obraztsova's 75th birthday. And for the first time, the best voices of the world sounded on the same stage - Anna Netrebko, Dmitry Hvorostovsky, Maria Gulegina, Jose Cura. They came to congratulate dear Elena Vasilyevna. And later, behind the scenes, we agreed to meet here, exactly a year later, to celebrate her 76th birthday. Obraztsova herself only smiled silently. No one knew about her terminal illness at that time, except the closest ones. A few days after the anniversary ball, Elena Obraztsova flew to Germany for treatment. We were going to continue shooting a big movie in the new year, when all the holidays are over. And they ended. Suddenly.

The fire department is preparing for the New Year. Three activists of amateur performances decide to kidnap professional artists for a New Year's concert. A police captain investigates the kidnapping and listens to complaints from the “unkidnapped” artists.

Napoleon's tumultuous relations with Russia including his disastrous 1812 invasion serve as the backdrop for the tangled personal lives of two aristocratic families.