That is a difficult one Jared!Jared wrote:and I see you have converted Fergus to your cause... ;-)Jose Echenique wrote:On the other hand, we have reached definite Vivaldi.
I have been meaning to ask you Pepe, if I asked you to name say your 5 favourite Baroque operas (available on DVD/ BR), ranging in time from Monteverdi to Handel/ Rameau, which would they be?
First of all, let me say that it´s been quite a surprise to see how well Rameau has done on dvd, but there´s an easy explanation: in Rameau the arias are very short and there are lots of dances, giving the stage director countless opportunities for lively action. Handel on the other hand has lots of arias that can last up to 12 minutes, a nightmare for stage directors.
But here is a list of very good recommendations:
1. Perhaps the finest Monteverdi production on DVD is Il Ritorno d´Ulisse in Patria from the Aix-en-Provence Festival with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie (Virgin). This is musical theatre at it´s best. The production is simple and beautiful, and every singer looks and acts his role to perfection.
Christie filmed a different production from the Teatro Real in Madrid. I haven´t seen this newer production, but the Virgin is so perfect, so breathtaking beautiful, that why bother?
2. I have just received a L´ Incoronazione di Poppea with Les Arts Florissants also from the Teatro Real de Madrid with a very promising cast: Philippe Jaroussky, Max Emanuel Cencic and Anna Bonitatibus. I haven´t seen it yet, but it can´t be anything but excellent. This is also in Virgin.
3. As I said Rameau has been particularly lucky on dvd, luckier in fact than in cd. Practically EVERYTHING in the market is worth having: a hilarious Platée with Minkowski, a gorgeous Indes Galantes with Les Arts Florissants, a Zoroastre and a Castor & Pollux with Christophe Rousset shot in the beautiful Drottningholm Theatre in Stockholm, and last but not least, Les Paladins and Les Boréades with William Christie in productions so beautiful and inventive that defy description.
Let´s face it, we don´t have a Futwängler to conduct Tristan in our time, but we do have William Christie to conduct Rameau.
4. We of course HAVE to name some Handel productions. I like a lot the Giulio Cesare from Harmonia Mundi with Andreas Scholl and a magnificent but little known Danish soprano called Inger-Dam Jensen. She sings a lovely Cleopatra, and Scholl was still in his finest voice. The production is highly inventive but in a good way, and the orchestra, the Concerto Copenhagen under Lars Ulrik Mortensen gives a classy performance. There are other Giulio Cesares on dvd, even one from Glyndebourne with William Christie, but the HM is preferable because it´s extremely well sung.
Another truly great Handel opera, Alcina, has been well served by Minkowski. These 2 are probably the finest Handel productions on dvd because musically they are excellent and they are also lovely to watch.
5. And finally let´s say something for Cavalli. Dynamic recently released an interesting production of Il Giasone, one of his latter operas. This was filmed in the Netherlands and the production though provocative is very interesting. Also I would like to mention a true rarity that one never expected to see on dvd: Stefano Landi´s Il Sant´Alessio. This is a Roman sacred opera (you must know that opera was forbidden in Rome in the XVII and XVIII centuries, except those with sacred stories). This is really interesting, and the production is beautiful. Who else but William Christie managed to have this recorded?
Hope these suggestions help :-)
