Giuseppe Verdi: Les vêpres siciliennes

Les vêpres siciliennes, like the similarly epic Don Carlos, was conceived as a grand opéra for Paris and is driven by the tensions between private passions and public politics. Originally set during Sicily's 13th-century uprising against French rule, in Christof Loy's staging for the Netherlands Opera the action is transposed to a 1940s world of sudden violence and shadowy double-dealing. Imaginatively cast and idiomatically conducted, the performance presents this magnificent score in its entirety, including the allegorical ballet The Four Seasons.

Directed by Christof Loy, Giuseppe Verdi: Les vêpres siciliennes leans on a strong ensemble — Barbara Haveman, Burkhard Fritz, Alejandro Marco-Buhrmester — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2011.