Opera on DVD & Blu Ray

[Jared]

I'm coming to this of course, from the stance of never having seen (or heard) Angelica before, so of course it is difficult for me to say. My own feeling is that Jaho has a slight frame, with not as powerful a voice as either Popp or Angeles, but what she does bring to it is a fragility which is heart-wrenchingly emotional for the viewer.

Incidentally, there is an interesting extra feature with Lucio Gallo who performs both Michele and Schicchi, thereby bookending the entire production. He talks about both roles whilst having his make-up put on and removed...over one evening. This triptych was of course famously performed at the ROH over the course of one evening (I wouldn't have wanted to be a stage-hand!), and Pappano was later asked to introduce the operas in a separate programme on BBC4 as a forward to the 'season' they put on, early September.

My views on Westbroek thus far are generally positive; she has a fine voice, although I only have her in a very unusual production of 'La fanciulla del West' which if I'm being honest, I struggled to enjoy and appreciate the whole concept. Maybe when I revisit this opera, I will try a more traditional version.

[Jared]

In these cynical times it´s very easy to laugh at Puccini´s melodramas, but if they are done well you´d better have some kleenex at hand.

I'd very much like you to elaborate on this for me Pepe; why is it exactly that many opera buffs seem to be a bit sniffy about Puccini?

also, I would be interested in your overall thoughts on this recently released Opus Arte boxset of 11 La Scala performances... well worth the money for a newbie, or a curate's egg?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scala-Collectio ... NGDWHSRR79

[Jose Echenique]

In these cynical times it´s very easy to laugh at Puccini´s melodramas, but if they are done well you´d better have some kleenex at hand.

I'd very much like you to elaborate on this for me Pepe; why is it exactly that many opera buffs seem to be a bit sniffy about Puccini?

also, I would be interested in your overall thoughts on this recently released Opus Arte boxset of 11 La Scala performances... well worth the money for a newbie, or a curate's egg?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scala-Collectio ... NGDWHSRR79

Puccini will always be a popular composer of course, because of his gorgeous arias, but thematically speaking, his sentimentalism and "pathetic women" (yes, they ARE pathetic as opposed to Verdi´s heroic women) are not in favor in the XXI Century. Take for example La Traviata and Madame Butterfly. The difference between the 2 is that Violetta´s sacrifice is a generous act of love, in the understanding that she didn´t have a future with Alfredo, but she leaves Alfredo because she thinks that´s the best for him and his family, not because his father told her to do so, whereas Cio-Cio San is a stupid little woman who is defeated without even trying. Puccini just adored this kind of weak women, take Mimi, Liú, Cio-Cio San, and Suor Angelica (it would have been fun and logical if Angelica slapped silly her dreadful aunt when she ORDERS her to sign the papers). Though of course Tosca, Minnie and Turandot, strong willed women, are exceptions. Maybe Puccini liked pathetic women because his own wife was a nightmare....

There are excellent things in the Opus Arte La Scala box. The Guglielmo Tell and Donna del Lago are valuable because those are still the only versions available on video of those operas. I imagine the Guglielmo Tell was much more impressive live than on TV, because it used screen panels all around the stage, but it´s superbly sung and gloriously conducted by Muti. The cinematography by the way is by the great Giuseppe Rotunno, Fellini´s and Visconti´s cinematographer, quite a luxury.
The Lucia di Lammermoor is quite simply a must have because of Mariella Devia, the greatest belcanto soprano of our time.
I´m also very fond of the Maazel Fanciulla del West. Not everybody loves Mara Zampieri´s unusual voice, but the sheer vocal security she brings to perhaps Puccini´s most difficult soprano role, and her better than average acting skills, are rare gifts. And of course there´s Domingo, none better, enough said.
There are other rarities that are valuable like I Vespri Siciliani, Attila and I due Foscari, all very good.
The Adriana Lecouvreur with Mirella Freni sadly past her best, is the one disappointment, but all others are worth having.

[Jared]

Puccini will always be a popular composer of course, because of his gorgeous arias, but thematically speaking, his sentimentalism and "pathetic women" (yes, they ARE pathetic as opposed to Verdi´s heroic women) are not in favor in the XXI Century. Take for example La Traviata and Madame Butterfly. The difference between the 2 is that Violetta´s sacrifice is a generous act of love, in the understanding that she didn´t have a future with Alfredo, but she leaves Alfredo because she thinks that´s the best for him and his family, not because his father told her to do so, whereas Cio-Cio San is a stupid little woman who is defeated without even trying. Puccini just adored this kind of weak women, take Mimi, Liú, Cio-Cio San, and Suor Angelica (it would have been fun and logical if Angelica slapped silly her dreadful aunt when she ORDERS her to sign the papers). Though of course Tosca, Minnie and Turandot, strong willed women, are exceptions. Maybe Puccini liked pathetic women because his own wife was a nightmare.....

could you argue however that writing in 'pathetic' women was in a sense an act of social realism, in terms of how women were educated and treated throughout Europe during the 19th Century? If you aren't able to go to University, embark on a meaningful career, divorce your husband, vote or own any property in your own name, then the end product will be a glut of socially conditioned Mimis in Society... the artist, playwright and philosopher in La Boheme after all were all men, whilst the women are symbolised by a seamstress and naked model? Just a thought.

Thanks for your detailed insights on that boxset btw... certainly food for thought as it now resides in my Amazon basket....

[Jared]

Just returned from another live Met screening... this time, Verdi: Otello, with Renee Fleming as Desdemona... once again, a very enjoyable evening.

[fergus]

Just returned from another live Met screening... this time, Verdi: Otello, with Renee Fleming as Desdemona... once again, a very enjoyable evening.

Renee Fleming is one of Pepe's sweethearts so he should be impressed with that one Jared LOL!!!

[Jose Echenique]

Just returned from another live Met screening... this time, Verdi: Otello, with Renee Fleming as Desdemona... once again, a very enjoyable evening.

Renee Fleming is one of Pepe's sweethearts so he should be impressed with that one Jared LOL!!!

In spite of having dinner with her a few years ago :-) , I´ve heard disappointing comments of her recent Desdemona. Most say that now she has to husband her resources all the time, and that the once gorgeous voice is now beginning to show signs of decay. Sad but inevitable, she is already 53.

[Jared]

In spite of having dinner with her a few years ago :-) , I´ve heard disappointing comments of her recent Desdemona. Most say that now she has to husband her resources all the time, and that the once gorgeous voice is now beginning to show signs of decay. Sad but inevitable, she is already 53.

Yes, I would tend to agree with that; her voice is still fine, but it does appear to have lost a little of the power I have heard in other performances. It appears that she has played this role on a number of occasions in the past, including at the Met:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/arts/ ... .html?_r=0

I would also agree with this reviewer about Johan Botha's lack of acting ability; he did seem a tad detached emotionally from the character he was meant to be performing, and had had three days off previously, having suffered with a cold, but his voice seemed quite fine, all the way through.

[Jose Echenique]

This weekend I watched several Blu Rays and DVDs.
I missed Prometheus when it was in the theatres, so I bought it on Blu Ray and have to say that I loved it.
I didn´t care much for the "let´s look for our makers" plot, but the visuals are quite stunning and beautiful.



In august of 1977 I heard a then very young Plácido Domingo singing Cav/Pag in Verona. Quite an evening. Not many tenors since have sung both Canio and Turiddu on the same evening, in fact I can´t think of any.
Plácido is stunning and ideal in both roles. Tatiana Troyanos who recorded very little is a magnificent Santuzza, and though Teresa Stratas had an unimportant voice, her acting skills were superior, much appreciated in the role of Nedda. And what a treat it is to hear Sherrill Milnes singing the Prologue of I Pagliacci, quite simply there´s nowhere in the World a baritone voice like his today.
James Levine obtains glorious sounds from the MET orchestra, especially in the intermezzos of both operas.
Oh Lord, this was 34 years ago!!!!

[Jared]

An interesting post, Pepe... primarily because I also watched Cav & Pag at the weekend, (my first ever) and found it very interesting. I was particularly compelled by how art imitated life in the Pagliacci story, which seemed in some way to influence Il Tabarro. The version I 'won' on ebay at a bargain price was: