Delibes Lakme Blu-Ray
Emma Matthews (Lakme), Aldo Di Toro (Gerald), Stephen Bennett (Nilakantha), Domenica Matthews (Mallika), Edmond Choo (Hadji), Luke Gabbedy (Frederic), Opera Australia Chorus, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Emmanuel Joel-Hornak (conductor)

Lakme, Delibes greatest opera, is performed by Opera Australia in all its oriental glory. Starring the exquisite coloratura soprano Emma Matthews as the innocent girl priestess Lakme, and superb tenor Aldo Di Toro as the love-struck Gerald, the story tackles religion and cross-cultural love against a backdrop of British rule in India in the mid-19th century. French conductor Emmanuel Joel-Hornak brings out the full depth of the lush, dramatic score, with familiar high points being the beautiful renditions of the well-known Flower Duet and Bell Song.