The Magic Flute (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart). On a lonely summit a king lies dying. His final act must be to bequeath the 'seven-fold circle of the sun' - source of wisdom and power. Gathered about him are his wife, the Queen of Night, his daughter, Pamina, and Sarastro, leader of the Brotherhood. Valeri Oganov made the film using traditional cel animations.
The Barber of Seville (Giachino Rossini). Figaro the barber and the rich Count Almaviva both attempt to woo the closely guarded Rosina. But first there's Rosina's nasty guardian Dr Barolo and his slander-loving friend, Don Basilio, to contend with. The stop-motion animation with puppets is by Natalia Dabizha.
Carmen (George Bizet) - Seville, Spain 1820. The film is made by Mario Cavalli who paints over live-action footage with the characters in this piece played live, but treated in postproduction to look as if they are cel animations.
Based on Icelandic lore, Das Rhinegold is an epic tale of the lust for power in the mythical world of gods, giants, dwarves and underwater maidens. Made by Graham Ralph using traditional cel animations.
Turandot (Giacomo Puccini). The Chinese princess Turandot sets riddles for her suitors, executing all those who fail to answer correctly. Exiled Prince Calef sets his own riddle: Turandot must discover his name before dawn. Gary Hurst's retelling of Puccini's Turandot uses traditional cel animation.
Rigoletto (Guiseppe Verdi) - Italy, 400 years ago. Rigoletto, the hunchback, is Court Jester to the not-very-nice Duke of Mantua. Rigoletto's obsession is to save his daughter, Gilda, from the Duke and his court. Claymation. Barry J.C. Purves captures the malevolent pleasures and crushing sorrows of the court of Mantua in his atmospheric rendition of Verdi's Rigoletto.
