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Miscellaneous opera on DVD and Blu-ray

41K views 169 replies 21 participants last post by  Pugg 
#1 · (Edited)
A Met mega production from 1984 conducted by (who else could it be?) James Levine with a dreamcast of Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo and Cornell Macneil. I bought this mostly because I had nothing from Scotto in my DVD collection, I wasn't familiar with the opera. It's a very dark opera really - very verismo. Think Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Leoncavallo's Pagliacci or Puccini's Tosca or Il Tabarro. In some parts I also hear the influence of Strauss in the orchestration. But anyway - it's maybe not quite as great as the very best verismo operas, but it's definitely a great watch/listen with a cast and a production like this. I wouldn't mind hearing another one of Zandonai's operas, although from what I have read this one must be his best.



A youtube from the final scene of Francesca da Remini

 
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#2 · (Edited)


This is an interesting one. An English language opera from the Spanish composer Albeniz from the turn of the 19th and 20th century that was staged for the first time in 2003, more than 100 years after it's creation. Merlin was supposed to be the first in a trilogy of operas based on the King Arthur saga. But he never got around to orchestrating the second in the series, Lancelot and he didn't even get started on the third one, Guinnevere. The trilogy was of course inspired by Wagner's Ring.

The music of Merlin often sounds very Wagnerian. Even though it doesn't quite reach those lofty heights of excellence it's still good and beautifully orchestrated music. Not that I expect this to become a regularly performed opera. The main problem is the archaic and sometimes even incomprihensible text of the libretto. 'Hark what I rede'; 'O wonderful clerk of necromancy', anyone? :eek:

The male singers - David Wilson-Johnson as Merlin and Stuart Skelton as Arthur are more than adequate. The female leads are a bit disappointing. Carol Vaness as Nivian is up to the task vocally but her pronunciation often leaves much to be desired. Eva Marton who sings the role of Morgan le Fay was in her prime one of the leading Wagnerian sopranos, but at this stage of her career Eva's voice is in shatters and she sings with an uncontrollable truly horrible vibrato. She's still a striking dramatic presence on stage though.

The production is very good - excellent in fact. Not a perfect Merlin then, but a fine one nonetheless and something of a curiosity that is unlikely to disappoint the adventurous opera lover.

 
#4 ·
A pity that he didn't complete the trilogy. In the extras there's an interview with the conductor (José de Eusebio) who says that they are going to try to orchestrate Lancelot - the second in the series. There's only a libretto for Guinnevere though.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Mozart on DVD and Blu-ray

Well, I had the opportunity to buy a copy of this more cheaply than usual (opera DVD's are SO expensive as a rule), so took the plunge:



Very strange. The music is somewhat familiar to me, because I have the Raymond Leppard recording from the 1970s, with its strange acoustics and distinctly non-period instrument approach. I was drawn to this DVD because it's Rene Jacobs, and the production seemed reasonably historically authentic from the bits I'd seen on Youtube. I wasn't quite right. This is not what you might have seen in a genuine C17th performance; rather, it's a modern equivalent of that. It preserves all the Commedia dell'arte aspects, for example. The stage sets are simple but effective, with trapdoors and ascending and descending machines through which the gods and characters come and go; but there are distinctly modern 'adjustments'. Pan, for instance, is hard to recognise as Pan - he comes on wearing rather large spectacles or goggles, with dress more appropriate to a clown than a god. Yet overall, the feeling is very seventeenth century, but with continual reminders that we are not in the seventeenth century. I can see this is an interesting approach but I think, on balance, it doesn't work for me. It doesn't come close to the wonderful Cadmus and Hermione I raved about earlier in this thread.

The first 45 minutes or so are really quite moving - the music is marvellous; Calisto is superb. Then there's a general descent into pantomime which extends for rather a long time and gradually lost my interest. I'd far prefer to listen to this as music on CD, than to see the various bits of buffoonery acted out. I'm not saying this is bad; it just isn't what I want to see.

Overall, if I'd paid the going rate of £25/£30 for this, I'd be feeling I'd wasted my money. At substantially less, it becomes an interesting experiment with some excellent musical passages, but not something I'd particularly recommend as a total package to someone who was wanting to test the water of early opera. I'd point to Cadmus, or L'Orfeo instead. Speaking of packaging - the presentation of these two discs is superb - really quite beautiful. For me, the performance doesn't quite live up to the promise of the presentation box.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the review, Elgarian. After reading it this DVD is no longer high on my wish list. I would maybe consider buying it if I would come upon a really cheap copy because the range of available DVD's with operas from the 17th century is rather limited.
 
#7 ·


Bought this one a short time ago - Nina from Paisiello who was a contemporary of Mozart and Haydn. Not quite in the league of Wolfie but neverheless very good. Star attraction is Cecilia Bartoli and her singing and acting is outstanding here. Compared to her most of the other singers seem quite wooden although vocally they are perfectly acceptable. Stylistically I guess it's somewhere between an opera buffa and an opera seria and the production is traditional. There was a Mozart aria added that he composed especially for this opera. The fact that Paisiello's own music doesn't pale in comparison says a lot about how talented a composer he was.

There's a documentary called "a forgotten genius" included as a bonus. That's probably an exaggeration, but Paisiello's music definitely is worth checking out.
 
#8 ·
This sounds interesting. Bartoli has a very idiosyncratic voice and she usually tries hard in her acting, but sometimes I find her exaggerated facial grimaces a little off-putting, although I recently say a Semele where she seemed to have toned it down a little. What was Kaufmann like in this production? Was he wooden? He certainly gave a rattling good performance in the ROH Carmen - the best Don Jose I've ever seen.
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
I've been looking long and hard at this:



This received an excellent review in BBC Music Magazine a few months ago, and I've been looking at some youtubes that have emerged since. I must say, that although I'm entirely unfamilar with Galuppi, I think this does look very, very promising, with some very exciting performances, and some stunning music (completely new to me). Anyway, I like what I've seen well enough to persuade me to order one (MDT have an offer on this at the moment). But see for yourself what you think, from these youtubes:

 
#11 ·
Oh my goodness ....



Just finished watching Act 1 of this, which culminated in a duet that had us completely spellbound - tending not to breathe for fear of missing some vital nuance. I've since skimmed around on youtube and I'm happy to say that some kind soul has uploaded it, so you can see for yourself (Gaston, Natalie, don't miss this):

Duet, end of Act 1, L'Olympiade

The production is minimal but very attractive, though when I say that the presentation is 17th-century, while the opera is set in classical times, you might wonder that the anachronism doesn't trouble me. Well it does trouble me a bit, but actually there's very little here to jar in the sense I've talked about before. The whole idiom of the music is 17th century, after all, so what I see and what I hear aren't in any sense in conflict - unless I keep saying to myself: 'but isn't this supposed to be ancient Greece?' - which I don't. It's an anachronism that I find very easy to accept, then, and the costumes are so beguiling (Aristea's dress is pure Watteau) that they, too, help.

So far, this is a winner. The music is excellent, the characters credible and well-acted, and most of the musical performances gripping.
 
#12 ·


Mirko Guadagnini (Almaviva)
Donato Di Gioia (Figaro)
Stefania Donzelli (Rosina)
Maurizio Lo Piccolo (Don Bartolo)
Paolo Bordogna (Don Basilio)
Rosetta Cucchi (production)
Giovanni Di Stefano (conductor)

Paisiello's "Il Barbieri di Siviglia." This was very popular until Rossini came out with his version of the work. The Paisiello opera is of course not as great as Rossini's, but it's a tuneful work with lots of beautiful, though maybe not particularly memorable music. Unfortunately this production doesn't do it any favors. It's a traditional production, but it all looks very cheap. The same basic sets are used throughout the entire opera. Performers are walking around on stage acting silly in an attempt to be funny, but they were more successful in making me roll my eyes than in putting a smile on my face. Stefania Donzelli who sings Rosina - a part for which Paisiello wrote some of the best music here is frequently struggling with the difficult bits of her arias, although she gets a big cheer from the audience. The others do a better job vocally, although none of them truly stands out for me. Paolo Bordogna as Don Basilio comes the closest though. My overall assesment is that this is a mediocre production of an interesting opera with poor acting but adequate singing. I'd still give it a 6/10 for it's novelty value, but that score would probably go down if there was competition from other and better Paisiello/Barbieri performances on DVD.
 
#71 ·
While I agree with some of Gaston's comments, I think I found more to enjoy than he did.

It was performed at Teatro Orfeo, Taranto (which I'd never heard of) and it looked more like a village hall - with boxes - than an opera house. The stage was small & the curtains squeaked. But I enjoyed it & it did make me laugh; duck chasing, screwing on the table legs, the head-butting of Rosina, the music lesson and what was the significance of the telescopes?

I didn't care much for this Almaviva though and my sympathies were with Don Bartolo especially after his plaintive 'all cats are grey in the dark' (to paraphrase).

I would hesitate to recommend it, mainly because it's expensive, but I'm really pleased I got it & will definitely watch again.
 
#13 ·


Tamas Kobor - Barone Arsura
Beatrix Fodor - Beatrice
Edit Karoly - Lenina
Gabor Bretz - Giocondo
Directed by Janos Toth

Pal Nemeth
Savaria Baroque Orchestra

This one arrived with the mail today.... Il Barone di Rocca Antica is a real rarity. It's one of Dittersdorf's (1739-1799) early comic Italian operas. His later German singspiels are better known, and especially Doktor und Apotheker is still occasionally staged and/or recorded. This one however is completely unknown. This DVD contains a performance from 2005 - the first staging of the work since Haydn had it staged at Esterhaza in 1776! It's a small scale work with a chamber orchestra (period instruments on this DVD) and only four singers (no choir) on stage. The stage is very small and the same scenery is used throughout the two acts. Nevertheless it doesn't look at all unatractive. Placido Domingo and Renée Fleming have got nothing to fear from any of the singers here, but they all do a solid job. It's not at all a great opera, but it's not a bad one either. A harmless and attractive little entertainment I'd say.
 
#16 ·


This is maybe my favorite opera buffa from the classical period from a composer other than Mozart. Just like Mozart Cimarosa is equally skilled at writing ensembles as well as arias and just like Wolfie he knows how to use the orchestra to maximum advantage, at least going on the evidence of this opera. I've never heard any of Cimarosa's other operas, but if they are anything near as good as this one I'm definitely interested in checking them out.

The performance on this DVD is delightful. It's well acted and for the most part very well sung. Warmly recommended to those who love Cosi Fan Tutte and Le Nozze di Figaro. Not that it reaches quite THAT level of genius, but it probably comes closer than any other work of the era by a composer who's name ain't Mozart..
 
#23 ·


This is maybe my favorite opera buffa from the classical period from a composer other than Mozart. Just like Mozart Cimarosa is equally skilled at writing ensembles as well as arias and just like Wolfie he knows how to use the orchestra to maximum advantage, at least going on the evidence of this opera. I've never heard any of Cimarosa's other operas, but if they are anything near as good as this one I'm definitely interested in checking them out.
Apparently the other works by Cimarosa are definitely not as good. I haven't seen any, but that's what I was told.
 
#17 ·
Could Herkku and Gaston give your impressions of this? (I'm presuming this is the version you were discussing on the "opera not yet on DVD" thread.



I've got it on my wish list as the music is so lovely, but I'm in two minds about whether to get this DVD, or simply stick to it on CD.
 
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#18 ·
Yes, that's the one. As this was the first time I saw Renée singing, I was so captivated by her performance that the sets could have been anything from a shopping mall to a dumpster and I wouldn't have minded. As it was I liked the idea of the shallow water pool covering most of the stage and the prince's bedroom reflected upside down from above, like from the surface of the water. I was so concentrated on Renée that I have no recollection of the other singers!
 
#20 ·
Thanks Herkku for the reply and Gaston for the links. I've decided it's worth getting for Renee (just watched the "song to the moon" and it made my arm-hairs stand up). The production seems not ideal, but inoffensive, and at least they've got water for the water-nymphs (wonder if that water was heated or if all the singers ended up with freezing wrinkly feet:D).

Rusalka is definitely one opera where I would like a traditional "magical" production. The other DVD offering, a 70s film, seems on the right track but unfortunately it's rather poorly executed.
 
#21 ·


I know that this production is not to everyone's taste, what with water goblins in Homburgs and the moon represented by a double bed in a large hotel, but by golly I'd turn gay for Renee Fleming in the title role, she kept me hooked to my seat whenever she was on stage and her Song to the Moon reduced me to a puddle on the floor.

Actually I quite liked the production too, especially the fluidly creative ways of indicating water and the role of the costumes in symbolising the duality of the human/magical worlds.
 
#22 ·
As you know I hate this production, but I agree about Renée. What a pity (for me) that one of her best performances on DVD is part of a production I don't enjoy.
 
#25 · (Edited)
I watched this today:



Apparently it got universal praise, including from posters here.
I liked it, but just moderately.

First, the opera itself: it is a good one, but in my humble opinion, not the masterpiece it's said to be.
I find that it has OK melody, OK orchestration, OK pace... but it doesn't shine in any of these areas.

Second, the production.
It's pleasant enough, traditional staging, appropriately small orchestra with period instruments.
But I have the impression that it lacks punch, somehow.
The tenor who sings Paolino is too old for the role and his acting is not convincing.
Carolina is good looking but not as lively; the soprano singing her doesn't portray all the turmoil of a young woman in love.
The cast does a good job overall and there are some delightful moments (especially the witty fast dialogues between Geronimo and the Count - both are more convincing actors than the leading couple - and Carolina's hilarious aria about why the count shouldn't marry her, just as good as the Count's similar account of why Elisetta should reject him). Elisetta and Fidalma do an OK job; again, nothing special.

This opera came to existence right after the Mozart era, and premiered in Vienna 2 months after Mozart's passing, so it's hard not to compare, which may explain why I'm a little underwhelmed. I guess what is missing is Mozart's brilliant orchestration.

The libretto has an interesting story that is not too absurd or incredible, but the problem is with the poetry, and again, what is missing is Da Ponte.

Cimarosa is said to be a nice tavern for a stopover in your way from Mozart to Rossini, and I think that the definition is appropriate, judging by this - although I don't know any of his other works.

In summary, a good opera, especially if one manages NOT to compare it to Mozart's operas. I'd rank it a B. The production above in my opinion is a B as well. Enjoyable, worth having, but not one that I'd be going back to very often.
 
#26 ·
So, you recommend this one?

Dvorak: Rusalka. Conlon,Paris Opera.

I'm listening to CD version with Mackerras, Fleming and Heppner, and loving it, so I'm interested in buying a DVD version.

Can you be more specific in describing it?
 
#27 ·
So, you recommend this one?

Dvorak: Rusalka. Conlon,Paris Opera.

I'm listening to CD version with Mackerras, Fleming and Heppner, and loving it, so I'm interested in buying a DVD version.

Can you be more specific in describing it?
You can't go wrong with the singing - Renee particularly dominates this production and delivers in spades. The rest of the cast is fine too.

The production is more interested in the sexual aspects of Rusalka's awakening than in presenting a magical world. The first scene requires her to paddle around in her nightie in a pool of water while gazing up at a double bed on the ceiling, and she sings Hymn to the moon to the lights on said bed. The water-sprite wear a suit and it's all very sparse and functional so not everyone's cup of tea.



 
#30 ·
But considering that I've got her recording already, I was planning to just attach images to the music, and a Water Goblin with suit and tie just won't do.

This is an opera with many possibilities in terms of imagery.
I hope some talented group from a place like Glyndebourne tackles it at some point.
 
#31 ·
Giordano: Marcella



It's said that curiosity killed the cat, but it made me purchase this DVD: Umberto Giordano's Marcella. Apart from Andrea Chenier and Fedora, Giordano's other operas are not widely known. Perhaps single arias emerge on recitals from time to time, as on Fleming's Verismo CD. Having seen this I am of the opinion that some operas could best be left alone to rest in the oblivion.

The plot: Giorgio, a crown prince of some unnamed nation, lives incognito in Paris, posing as a some kind of artist. He rescues a poor girl, Marcella, and they fall in love. The political unrest in his home country forces Giorgio to return. Marcella, after having heard of the real status of her lover, feels that she cannot accompany him. And there it is.

I cannot find anything remotely memorable musically here, although the singers make the best of it.

If you have money to burn and happen to love verismo, why not? As to the others: Caveat emptor!
 
#32 ·
Korngold: Die Tote Stadt on DVD

I'm watching Korngold's Die Tote Stadt.



Torsten Kerl and Angela Denoke are the two excellent principal singers in this production, and the singers in the two secondary roles are not bad either.

The staging is quite weird but strangely effective, since this is a nightmarish kind of opera, in which acts II and half of act III happen inside the main character's head. It's literally a nightmare and the disturbing images fit this opera well.

This is late romantic opera, folks, so, do expect lots of over-the-top emotions. Do your homework otherwise the plot will be hard to follow (for instance, nothing clearly indicates that acts II and half of act III are a dream or hallucination, and if you don't know it, you'll make little sense of what goes on).

This is a difficult opera to sing and stage (lots of strain on the tenor, and the structure of a dream is hard to convey well), and this production is largely successful, since the novel on which it was based, Bruges-la-Morte, is highly symbolic, and so is the staging - therefore, no big problem with some regietheater here because it does make sense to be weird. So far so good, but then, the staging director thought he should change the end, and instead of the redemption at the end as intended by Korngold (and his father, who was the co-librettist with the composer himself, under a pseudonym), decided to have the main character commit suicide. What a travesty!

But if you can get passed the outrage of such a radical tampering of somebody else's work, you'll be treated to a very intriguing opera with interesting imagery, rather colorful orchestration, some fabulous arias, and good singing.
 
#33 ·
Smetana: The Bartered Bride



Spectacular lively overture! Wow! Contagious uplifiting choruses. Siegfried Jerusalem is in excellent form with good chemistry with Lucia Popp. There are very funny moments, to the point that the public laughed out loud several times. Lucia Popp seemed a little hoarse and out of breath at first (maybe she was a little sick in this performance) but warmed up and delivered.

There are several Bohemian sounding songs and folk dance. The opera goes in vertiginous pace from recitatif secco to accompagnato to arioso to aria to duet to ensemble in crescendo to chorus and all the way back... you get the idea. The orchestration is wonderful, with wicked rhythm, it always melts very well into what follows. Wow, the structure of this opera is as lively as its music. It's all very eventful, both in the voices and the orchestra.

I found the third act a little uneven. The spoken dialogue during the circus act goes on for a bit too long (although it's funny), breaking up the action, and Marie's (Marenka's) weepy aria also could have been shortened. But then the finale picks up again.

Overall, a very, very enjoyable opera in a good production.
 
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#36 ·


Spectacular lively overture! Wow! Contagious uplifiting choruses. Siegfried Jerusalem is in excellent form with good chemistry with Lucia Popp. There are very funny moments, to the point that the public laughed out loud several times. Lucia Popp seemed a little hoarse and out of breath at first (maybe she was a little sick in this performance) but warmed up and delivered.

There are several Bohemian sounding songs and folk dance. The opera goes in vertiginous pace from recitatif secco to accompagnato to arioso to aria to duet to ensemble in crescendo to chorus and all the way back... you get the idea. The orchestration is wonderful, with wicked rhythm, it always melts very well into what follows. Wow, the structure of this opera is as lively as its music. It's all very eventful, both in the voices and the orchestra.

I found the third act a little uneven. The spoken dialogue during the circus act goes on for a bit too long (although it's funny), breaking up the action, and Marie's (Marenka's) weepy aria also could have been shortened. But then the finale picks up again.

Overall, a very, very enjoyable opera in a good production.
I watched that one today and I enjoyed it very much. I think it's superior to the one on Met player I watched a few days ago, although that one ain't bad either. These were the first times I've seen or heard this opera and I think it deserves it's spot on our top 100. I agree with most of your review, except maybe your comment about Lucia Popp's "weepy aria" in the third act. For me that was the highlight of this performance and I listened to it three times in a row. I think she does it brilliantly - it send shivers up and down my spine.
 
#34 ·
Carlos Gomes: Il Guarany on CD



Relatively obscure Brazilian composer, his style is very close to Verdi's (who respected him). I have just finished listening to his most known opera Il Guarany, with Placido Domingo (available commercialy on 2 CDs with the libretto in Italian, translated into English, French, and German).
A non-commercial DVD is available from House of Opera.

Here is what I thought:

Beautiful overture (Sinfonia)

Nice start with the chorus of the 'cacciatori.' It does sound like Verdi. Quality without originality, I see.

Wow, this is very beautiful, Cecilia's second aria (after a very brief and tuneful pollaca) is very good, with a very effective choral punctuation. Deh! Riedi... deh riedi!

Antonio's Ave Maria is beautiful too. Salve, possente Vergine.

All these arias turn to ensembles and the effect is impressive.

Now I got to the gorgeous duet Sento una forza indomita. Excellent!

End of first act. Homogeneously good. A+

Act II starts with a scena and a nice Pery aria, Vanto io pur superba cuna, majestic. Wow, this is a really good opera!

It is followed by a rather theatrical scene full of action, then a dramatic duet - Serpe vil. The steady high quality continues. We're getting to a chorus piece now - Udiste? - L'ore è un ente sì giocondo. Verdian again.

What a nice, tuneful waltz-like rondò follows - Senza tetto, senza cuna, Canzone dell'Avventuriere!

Now, Cecilia's ballata, Oh, come è bello il ciel! - C'era una volta un principe. Delicate orchestration with guitar sounds, light, with beautiful opportunities for the soprano to work the musical lines and do some coloratura. Very lyric, very romantic. I like it!

Here, in a Brazilian production (nice soprano!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=GRXK...eature=related

The duet between Cecilia and her assailant Gonzales is very dramatic, with a good dose of pathos.Donna, tu forse l'unica

Some more good theatrical action, and we get to the finale of Act II. Majestic and impressive ensemble, in two parts, the second one start with the attack of the Aimorès and is appropriately solemn with a moment of frozen fear, then everybody jumps to the arms and prepares for the fight. Good Verdian orchestration.

Poor Carlos Gomes, if only Verdi hadn't done it before him! I mean, if only he had Verdi's creativity as well and weren't just a copycat...
Regardless, even if it's a copy, it's a pretty good copy and Act II earns from me another A+.

Act III now. Opens with a ballet - which unfortunately I can't see. But I can look at it on YouTube later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=8L0Q...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=aHEt...eature=related

Chorus piece, Aspra, crudel, terribil, pretty good, finishing by a rather effective line, Ferro e fuoco (steel - or rather, iron, and fire).

Next, the chief Aimorè indian sings a bone-chilling aria, it does feel salvage and evocative of the fierce tribe's warring ways (the Aimorès historically were very bellicose indians). He turns more mellow and romantic as he sees the beautiful face of his prisoner and falls in love with her, addressing her more gently. The change in tone is striking. Well done, Gomes!

Then, we get to a big gaffe from the Italian librettists, I don't know why a genuine Brazilian like Carlos Gomes didn't correct it. The Cacico calls Pery 'the desert tiger.' What desert, and what tiger??? LOL, the Rio de Janeiro surroundings at the time in 1560 were a luxurious subtropical forest, no desert in sight for thousands of miles, and tigers were not part of the Brazilian fauna. A metaphor, sure, but how would the chief Aimorè even know about these things to be able to formulate such metaphor??? [laugh]

Another quite dramatic and theatrically rich scene, when the Cacico is calling for Pery to be killed and eaten, Cecilia pleads for him, etc. Pery's line is exquisite and plaintiff, Ah! tu me vedrai morir! (Ah! You'll see me die!).

The theme of the overture comes back briefly to a beautiful effect. The Cacico grants to Pery and Cecilia a moment alone to express their love for each other before Pery is killed.

Then, a duet between the two protagonists, pungent and tearful. Superb! Ebben, che fu - Perché di meste lagrime. A+ quality material.

All right. Pery drinks poison. Why does opera like poison so much?[laugh]

Now a chorus with the Cacico and his tribe. The overture theme comes back in full force while the indians kneel and pray to their gods. The effect is very solemn and the orchestration is very beautiful. The choral piece is gorgeous, followed by a short finale to ACT III when the Portuguese come to the rescue.

Did I mention that it all deserves an A+? LOL

Act IV

Very beautiful orchestration again with elements from the overture (different ones) into which the voices of the coro di avventurieri melt; wavy music, again it starts well.

Another gaffe from the libretto - Pery is alive - what happened to that poison?!? Ah, OK, it is explained later that he got antidotes from forest herbs, how convenient.[eyes]

Beautiful aria for Gonzales, In quest'ora suprema.

Good dramatic scenes continue, there is the baptism scene, this is turning more into theater than music, Act IV seems dramatic enough but less musical so far, they're having to pack too much action into a short span and there is no space for good arias. A pity, it's the first downside so far of his entire opera.

OK, Pery's soaring aria (although short - can't really call it an aria, it's more like a short arioso) when he converts *is* beautiful, so, never mind.Al Dio che in me regenera.

Beautiful display by Cecilia.Che sento? Ed io dividermi

Now, for the Gran scena e terzetto finale ultimo. Spectacular! Don Antonio gets to be a suicide bomber 450 years before they became fashionable[laugh] and it literally ends with a bang, with the overture theme returning for a - er... - bombastic finale. Goosebumps!

A+ all around. Excellent opera. I wonder why in the hell this is not part of the repertoire. Not very demanding, not too long, full of dramatic potential, beautiful orchestration, some outstanding arias, duets, and ensembles... A winner from beginning to the end.

The only way to explain its failure to endure is the fact that it is, note by note, done in the exact style of Giuseppe Verdi, and it was composed by an obscure South American composer.

But while not matching a Don Carlo or Aida in terms of majestic impact, or Il Trovatore which is stylistically closer, if only we got Verdi out of our mind and just listened to this opera, we'd easily see that it is extremely good, and certainly much better than I Lombardi which gets staged fairly often.

Folks, if there is anybody reading this long post about an obscure opera composer's least obscure work, get this one.
 
#35 ·
I'm not sure which category Giovanni Paisiello comes into so this could be the wrong place.
Anyway while I was in Ludwig Beck's I saw this:



Any good?

They also have Paisiello's Il barbiere di Siviglia which intrigues me, & now that I've checked it's cheaper than Amazon so I might go back tomorrow & get it.

 
#37 ·
I also quite enjoyed this (as I said elsewhere, you can never go wrong with the trademark directed by Otto Schenk). I do have a few additional caveats, though:

(1) Maybe I'm just too sensitive, but I somehow didn't think making fun of someone's disabilities (stutter) was such a satisfying humorous invention (that's an issue with the opera).

(2) In this particular performance, I found Ridderbusch quite weak in voice, especially in the duet with Jerusalem, when he's basically inaudible when they're singing together (a pity, because this, if adequately performed, would be my favorite number from the whole opera).
 
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