Classical Music Forum banner

Berlioz on DVD and blu-ray

9K views 43 replies 11 participants last post by  Hesoos 
#1 ·


Great singing, great customes (much better than in Gardiner's, realistic and good-looking), good staging and ballet scenes. But I didn't realize that Norman is that fat. Or is it just her custome? If so, I revert what I wrote, customes are not that great.

And character of Dido is surely under some curse, singer that plays her here would be much more convicing in role of Dido's grandmother. She looks even worse than Graham did. When I'll watch it again I'll make sure to avoid all scenes with Dido, except necessary ones.
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·


Great singing, great customes (much better than in Gardiner's, realistic and good-looking), good staging a nd ballet scenes. But I didn't realize that Norman is that fat. Or is it just her custome? If so, I revert what I wrote, customes are not that great.
I've just ordered that one a couple of days ago. Glad about your mostly positive impressions.

...and Norman really is that fat.
 
#3 ·
I was originally torn between this older Les Troyen and the newer Gardiner version, I went with newer one mainly for Anna Antonacci, she will hold my attention no doubt

Jessie Norman
Is not a good choice for visual media, felt the same way about MET Ring with Levine, why so many overweight people in opera especially Wagner opera
 
#5 ·
Berlioz: Les Troyens on blu-ray



This is a performance that was mostly flawless in terms of orchestra, conducting, most singers, and chorus.

I found the acting rather good, especially Antonacci and Graham.

I liked the staging very much, with the mirrors. I thought that it was clever and interesting. There were several successful ways of treating various scenes in my opinion - this is an opera that I love, and I wasn't disappointed with the solutions that they found as is often the case when you love a work too much .

The flow of the performance was nice, with the chorus entering and leaving and moving on stage very well and the distribution of performers on the stage admirably well done, given that Les Troyens requires a particularly large number of people and stage directing can easily get overwhelmed with a too-crowded stage - they didn't.

I liked the ballets, with the beautiful flying birds effect.

I generally like minimalistic stagings and thought that this one was very tasteful, liked the colors, the lighting.

The filming/editing was efficient and unobtrusive.

Sound quality in my blu-ray disc was excellent, and the HD images were crystalline.

The bonuses were interesting and informative, with extended and deep interviews with the main creators of the performance.

In summary, for me, when you combine all these assets - most importantly and beginnig with a very well conducted opera with excellent singing - you get a top 5 product.

---------------------

(This wasn't exactly a full review - it was an answer to a person who didn't like it - but I have edited out some parts to make it approach a little more the review format - still, just a few fragments, but like I said, I'll be digging around for what I said about the works of Berlioz on DVD, blu-ray and CD, and paste them here so once it is done, it may work as a review of sorts).
 
#8 ·


Some great work here, but also some real problems (for me)

The problem is act 1 & 2 wardrobe which takes place in Troy, Trojans are wearing modern drab generic clothing (salvation army?) with no attempt to abstract historical models and soldiers enter Troy wearing Vietnam era army surplus with modern guns, oh my.....just seemed very poorly thought out and ruined some otherwise great visual staging effects.

Then suddenly starting act 3 in Carthage it "seems like" they hired a new wardrobe desgner and now we have tasteful clothing that abstracts historical models and looks very appropriate, where was this enlightened person for acts 1 & 2.......recent MET Armida with Renee Fleming had very good abstracted historical wardrobes

The rest is all good news and there are brilliant modern visual effects, acts 1 & 2 use bare stage with very clever mirror back wall and rear projected images that create all kinds of interesting illusions of space and show action off stage, trojan horse image is great effect and I was very impressed with this aspect of production..... I tried to ignore the baffling wardrobe choices and concentrate on my beloved siren AC Antonacci.

Later acts have all cylinders working and is very impressive both singing and visual production. Picture quality on DVD was excellent although 3 DVDs are needed, and Gardiner orchestral work is excellent as usual.
 
#9 ·
The problem is act 1 & 2 wardrobe which takes place in Troy, Trojans are wearing modern drab generic clothing (salvation army?) with no attempt to abstract historical models and soldiers enter Troy wearing Vietnam era army surplus with modern guns, oh my.....just seemed very poorly thought out and ruined some otherwise great visual staging effects.

Then suddenly starting act 3 in Carthage it "seems like" they hired a new wardrobe desgner and now we have tasteful clothing that abstracts historical models and looks very appropriate, where was this enlightened person for acts 1 & 2.......recent MET Armida with Renee Fleming had very good abstracted historical wardrobes
The contrast with the costumes made sense to me and I think was done very deliberately. Don't forget Troy has been under siege for 10 years, and is a place of woe and foreboding, particularly with Cassandra wailing all over the place. Nobody can expect the clothes to be new and clean and light and airy, people are just trying to survive. Carthage is in contrast a place of properity and peace where the inhabitants can pay due attention to things like their garnments.
 
#11 ·
I doubt there is any good reason for which these customes are so silly, they probably didn't have enough cash/time to prepare something decent so they decided to pretend that it's all okay because soldiers are armed - details aside, who cares if they have spears or guns.

And turn attention to black something that Aeneas and few others are wearing on their chests. It's shape reminds me of ancient cuirasses and makes impression like they would try to make as much as it's possible in "normal" way. It supports my theory.

 
#12 ·
Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust - Concert version on DVD



Outstanding! There isn't a single note that isn't beautiful. The damn thing (pun intended) is exquisite from the beginning to the end. The orchestration has stupendous musical pictorialism (e.g. the thrilling tone painting in the ride to the abyss). There are hypnotic, dreamy moments. There is sublime romanticism. There are exciting moments of pandemonium (literally). The poetry is superb - what a libretto! There are excellent tenor, baritone, and mezzo arias. There is sublime choral music. The length of the work is just right. Nothing is superfluous, nothing is excessive, nothing is missing. This was conceived as a concert piece, therefore there is no recitatif, because the score and the arias tell it all. And it ends (like it starts) delicately and peacefully, instead of a big oom-pah-pah. Perfect! What a masterpiece!

This version has superlative singing by all artists, and exquisite conducting.

Absolutely first rate! A+!

What I don't understand is why it doesn't enjoy more popularity and why it's relatively rarely performed or staged in its opera form. There are great theatrical opportunities in it, with nasty Méphistophélès (oh boy, he is despicable) and other assorted demons, a damsel in distress, taverns, forests, peaceful prairies... A good stage director would have lots of interesting aspects to deal with. Sure, it takes a big orchestra and chorus, but only four singers, and it only lasts 2 hours and 10 minutes. It seems accessible to most companies - not to mention the concert form. And it is so damn good, so why don't we see it everywhere?

Maybe it is because of competition with the vastly more popular (but in my opinion vastly inferior) Gounod's Faust.

One of these days I'll watch the staged version on MetPlayer.
 
#19 ·


Outstanding! There isn't a single note that isn't beautiful. The damn thing (pun intended) is exquisite from the beginning to the end. The orchestration has stupendous musical pictorialism (e.g. the thrilling tone painting in the ride to the abyss). There are hypnotic, dreamy moments. There is sublime romanticism. There are exciting moments of pandemonium (literally). The poetry is superb - what a libretto! There are excellent tenor, baritone, and mezzo arias. There is sublime choral music. The length of the work is just right. Nothing is superfluous, nothing is excessive, nothing is missing. This was conceived as a concert piece, therefore there is no recitatif, because the score and the arias tell it all. And it ends (like it starts) delicately and peacefully, instead of a big oom-pah-pah. Perfect! What a masterpiece!

This version has superlative singing by all artists, and exquisite conducting.

Absolutely first rate! A+!

What I don't understand is why it doesn't enjoy more popularity and why it's relatively rarely performed or staged in its opera form. There are great theatrical opportunities in it, with nasty Méphistophélès (oh boy, he is despicable) and other assorted demons, a damsel in distress, taverns, forests, peaceful prairies... A good stage director would have lots of interesting aspects to deal with. Sure, it takes a big orchestra and chorus, but only four singers, and it only lasts 2 hours and 10 minutes. It seems accessible to most companies - not to mention the concert form. And it is so damn good, so why don't we see it everywhere?

Maybe it is because of competition with the vastly more popular (but in my opinion vastly inferior) Gounod's Faust.

One of these days I'll watch the staged version on MetPlayer.
I am torn between the staged version above which has some great reviews and this



of which one reviewer says

This DVD has completed my conversion. All my life I have been used to Berlioz's Damnation of Faust as a concert work, and I have had no particular view as to whether it would be suitable for staging. The stage-production here is controversial and even provocative, but it has left me in no doubt at all that the work does not reveal its full stature and significance unless it is enacted.
I have taken note of Alma's review - anyone else with an opinion?
 
#13 ·
Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini on DVD

Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini.



A+. The string of spectacular operas by Berlioz that easily find a spot among my favorites continues.

I don't know how to highlight any arias since just like La Damnation de Faust I found it uniformly good from beginning to the end - without being as intense as the Damnation of Faust; this one is lighter, being it comic rather than dramatic - but it is lively and varied.

Berlioz himself provided the best appraisal of his own work: "I cannot help recognizing that it contains a variety of ideas, an energy and exhuberance and a brilliance of colour such as I may perhaps never find again." I only disagree with the "never find again" part, as his subsequent works proved - this one was an early one.

The extreme variety of this work according to some can be taxing - I read a critic saying that "the effect can be claustrophobic and exhausting, as the music piles on more harmonic, rhythmic and contrapuntal complexities than any ear can process immediately." Sure, it does pile on all that, but I don't find the effect exhausting at all, but rather exhilarating. It's a wild ride, and a very pleasant and entertaining one.

The singing in my version - Salzburg 2007 conducted by Gergiev - was not stellar but it was adequate. Burkhard Fritz was in the title role; Maija Kovalevska - young Latvian soprano with killer legs (the most beautiful and sexy legs I've seen in a while in any opera, conveniently and thoroughly displayed in a mini-skirt in one scene) was Teresa, and Laurent Naouri whom I like a lot was Fieramosca. The Wiener Philharmoniker was impecable.

Staging: this is the ultimate Eurotrash, stage-director-out-of-control production. Brace yourselves: there are robots (three of them, one just like C3PO), a helicopter, a shark, and a winged vehicle for a pop star Pope. And yet... and yet... it works. It gets to be charming and interesting in many ways. When I read the description of the staging and saw some pictures in the material that came with the DVD, I was completely convinced that I would throw up upon seeing it, but the whole thing ends up being rather enticing, to my deep surprise. Still questionable, of course, since Berlioz's opera is good enough without robots, but because the score is such a rollercoaster, I guess the even wilder staging was a good fit. And I'm thankful for that mini-skirt.;)

I remain completely puzzled with the fact that Berlioz remains so marginal in the standard repertoire. Sure, his operas are hard to stage, expensive, unreasonably demanding on opera companies, and rather difficult for the singers - but they are the real thing: extremely exquisite and beautiful.
 
#14 ·
Berlioz: Béatrice et Bénédict on CD

There is no DVD of Béatrice et Bénédict so I've listened to this CD, and I confess that for the first time I'm a little disappointed with Berlioz. Maybe it's the fault of the CD, which I found to be relatively bland, with correct singing but not exactly enthusiastic or remarkable. Maybe there are better versions, and I'll welcome suggestions.



There is delicate and melodious music, and I loved some arias and duets, especially Vous soupirez, madame? ... Nuit paisible et sereine, the last one in Act I. I also enjoyed Je vais d'un coeur aimant, and a couple of others. The overture is nice.

But there aren't many arias, duets, or ensembles to start with; the whole thing is full of recitativo secco.
By comparison, the libretto of Benvenuto Cellini is a lot more exciting. I don't understand the those who say that the libretto for Benvenuto Cellini is vapid. Sure, it's not da Ponte, but it's not bad either. A lot happens: an attempt at kidnapping, a duel, a death, a strike, a race against a deadline, intrigue, rivalry, a capricious pope, and so forth. By comparison, in Béatrice et Bénédict nothing much happens. They are against marriage and pretend to disdain each other, then their friends tell them that they love each other; they believe it, and impulsively get married, curtain. That's about it. Somarone is an annoying character and is not in Shakespeare, while other worthy characters who are in the play are not in the opera. It's Much Ado About Nothing without the ado. It all feels rather insufficient. It's sort of pale when compared to the other highly dynamic and varied operas that Berlioz composed.

Béatrice et Bénédict has some beautiful music since Berlioz doesn't know how to *not* compose beautiful music, but it is the lesser work when compared to his other three operas, in my opinion.
 
#15 ·
I just did a quick watch on MET player

Traditional production is very lavish spectacle especially sequence of presentation of the trojan horse, the elaborate dance numbers dwarf the modern Gardiner version (I like ballet in opera), although almost all male dancers hmmmm......if only we could remove the larger than life Jessie Norman (as cassandra) and replace her with the passionate firey AC Antonacci from Gardiner we would have a real winner

Troyanos as Dido was not too bad especially for back when this was made, the abstract greek ships was nicely handled visual, overall could use some more abstraction and creative visuals (like the moveable rear mirrors for Gradiner) but I would probably choose this over the Gardiner version because it tells the story better for me
 
#17 · (Edited)
Cassandra
AC Antonacci is more dramatic plus better actress compared to Jessie Norman (and is also attractive visually) Norman has a powerful voice but Antonacci much more expressive and colorful

Dido
Susan Graham gets a slight edge here has refined elegant "queenly" appearance, Troyanos is pretty good not far behind just not as elegant perhaps. Graham has slightly lighter tone, Troyanos can be darker more ominous when needed

Aeneas
Placido Domingo in his prime obvious choice over "that other guy" :)
 
#21 ·
I know, it's one of the major reasons why I got the membership. But I haven't watched it yet. My membership is fully paid until May, so, I'll get to it eventually.
 
#25 ·
La Damnation de Faust



So I borrowed this from the library, and here I am watching it, and thinking WTF every two or three minutes. Why isn't Faust old at the beginning? Why is he carrying a milk pitcher? Who are the strange people dressed in baggy white trousers and beanies? Why is there a solar eclipse in act 1? And a (lamentably old fashioned) cell phone? Why does the chorus grab torches and yet more milk pitchers to go to war? Are we in some kind of dairy factory? That white tower with liquid swishing around in it might be a milk silo... Oh good, mysterious bed like structures, or are they coffins for the local Michelin Man? And one of the most stirring military marches in operatic history illustrates - putting a ladder up against the silo. That's so that that the slightly portly tenor can be made to run up it while trying to sing. Oh of course, he needs to empty his pitcher into the silo, the dairy industry needs him. Oh wait, the milk's on fire. And the tenor has fallen into the silo and is being processed through it. Must be hard to sing as you're being squeezed through a tube, but he's still sounding great. Meanwhile the subtitle writer is obviously addicted to the same substance as the director "I return with boredom in my bags" (no French subtitles).

Now Mephistopheles has appeared. He looks like an escapee from the Matrix, and is being lit from the floor, like a child with a torch scaring the other kids. I'm a bit dubious about the shiny yarmulke. He's tempting Faust with... a patent leather shoe. Ok, it's obviously a better offer than staying in the milk factory, Faust fell for it. The other workers are clutching brandy bottles and dancing on the coffins. Mephistopheles now has a whip and is having a lot of fun cracking it out of sync with the music. A tree has mysteriously appeared in the factory and Faust is smoking a hookah under it. He is now also part of the black yarmulke club and is completely stoned, but amazingly he is still singing while borne aloft by 6 stage hands. Faust has had a vision of Marguerite and has been given the other shoe (a bit Life of Brian, isn't it). We're back on the silo but he managed not to fall in this time. The milk's on fire again though.

I won't go on, you get the message. The singing is impeccable and the music brilliantly beautiful, but this production distracts rather than illustrates. Annie, get the concert DVD, or a good CD, or wait for the Met version, however long it takes.
 
#26 ·


So I borrowed this from the library, and here I am watching it, and thinking WTF every two or three minutes. Why isn't Faust old at the beginning? Why is he carrying a milk pitcher? Who are the strange people dressed in baggy white trousers and beanies? Why is there a solar eclipse in act 1? And a (lamentably old fashioned) cell phone? Why does the chorus grab torches and yet more milk pitchers to go to war? Are we in some kind of dairy factory? That white tower with liquid swishing around in it might be a milk silo... Oh good, mysterious bed like structures, or are they coffins for the local Michelin Man? And one of the most stirring military marches in operatic history illustrates - putting a ladder up against the silo. That's so that that the slightly portly tenor can be made to run up it while trying to sing. Oh of course, he needs to empty his pitcher into the silo, the dairy industry needs him. Oh wait, the milk's on fire. And the tenor has fallen into the silo and is being processed through it. Must be hard to sing as you're being squeezed through a tube, but he's still sounding great. Meanwhile the subtitle writer is obviously addicted to the same substance as the director "I return with boredom in my bags" (no French subtitles).

Now Mephistopheles has appeared. He looks like an escapee from the Matrix, and is being lit from the floor, like a child with a torch scaring the other kids. I'm a bit dubious about the shiny yarmulke. He's tempting Faust with... a patent leather shoe. Ok, it's obviously a better offer than staying in the milk factory, Faust fell for it. The other workers are clutching brandy bottles and dancing on the coffins. Mephistopheles now has a whip and is having a lot of fun cracking it out of sync with the music. A tree has mysteriously appeared in the factory and Faust is smoking a hookah under it. He is now also part of the black yarmulke club and is completely stoned, but amazingly he is still singing while borne aloft by 6 stage hands. Faust has had a vision of Marguerite and has been given the other shoe (a bit Life of Brian, isn't it). We're back on the silo but he managed not to fall in this time. The milk's on fire again though.


I won't go on, you get the message. The singing is impeccable and the music brilliantly beautiful, but this production distracts rather than illustrates. Annie, get the concert DVD, or a good CD, or wait for the Met version, however long it takes.
With a review like that I've just gotta see this!!! Seriously I think I'll wait for the Met.
 
#27 ·
The dreadful Gergiev/La Fura dels Bauls production of Les Troyens is about to be released (5/31/11 in the UK)



"Ancient myth meets Star Wars, and the eye is constantly engaged with images ranging from space-age technology to details of soccer uniforms."

Jesus Christ! Make it disappear!!!
 
#29 ·
Hey, Nat, I'm all for it. As long as I'm not the guinea pig myself, I won't mind if someone else tests the waters. Then in the unlikely case that you survive the horrible experience, you can tell us about it.:devil:
 
#31 ·
Oh well, why am I fooling myself, I'll have to bite anyway. This is my second favorite opera of all times, I'm kidding myself if I sustain that I'll *not* purchase a new version of it, regardless of how outrageous it is. I'll *have* to check it out, even if it means I'll deeply complain about it and threaten to sue just like I did for the Copenhagen Ring. I just hope that one of you will take the plunge first and warn me so that I don't get to it totally unprepared for the shock.
 
#35 · (Edited)
Berlioz: Les Troyens on Blu-ray



OK, for the next four hours I'll be watching this and posting simultaneously about it.

This is of course my second favorite opera, after the Ring. And this is a controversial production. I own and love the Gardiner/Chatelet version. This is the Gergiev/Valencia/La Fura dels Baus version.

First impact: it's 1080p unlike most opera blu-rays which are 1080i. And yes, it makes a difference. Spectacularly sharp image! DTS-HD Master audio. Technically speaking, this product from Unitel Classica is perfect, with substantial and complete liner notes, bonus features, documentary, trailers, fabulous sound balance, subtitles in several languages including original French. Running time for the opera, a round 240 minutes.

Opening chorus and orchestra: very energetic. It looks like this will be a good performance, musically. Cassandre makes her entrance. Elisabete Matos is old for the role and her voice falters, but she does have stage presence and dignity. So far I like this thing!

Chorèbe comes in, dressed in a sort of ridiculous looking Star Trooper uniform - and he's too fat for it. He sings well (Gabriele Viviani). Actually, very well. Cassandre is on a wheelchair (why?) and Matos is really mismatched when compared in age to young Viviani - whose voice is also a lot more potent than hers. Her acting though is better than his.

The Trojan horse is high-tech, full of computer screens - it's a Trojan Horse, get it? (Computer virus). The images projected on a screen backstage are a lot more low tech which doesn't make for a beautiful effect in my opinion. So, we're into it for only 20 minutes and there's a lot of highs and lows already.

End of the Cassandre/Chorèbe duo - well sung but with distracting visuals and poor acting. In direct comparison, I like better the same scene in the Gardiner version, with the fabulous Antonacci. But this is not bad and I'm enjoying it. We'll see how this unfolds.

Dieux Protecteurs, the next chorus number, is nothing short of spectacular, both from the stage and from the pit.

On the other hand, the Combat de Ceste is done with boxers on a ring. Not cool.

The highs and lows pattern continues, because this rather silly scene is followed by a very beautiful scene for the pantomime Andromaque et son fils.

The scene with the two serpents devouring Lacoon is utterly ridiculous and visually unpleasant. Again, it distracts from the tragic chorus music.

Act I finale, the Marche Troyenne, is again spectacular. By now I'm coming to expect one good scene, one bad scene, and so forth.

I'd give a 7 out of 10 to act I. Overall, inferior to Gardiner's.

Act II is starting now.

Énée seems to be sung by a weak link - Lance Ryan. Darn, this may ruin the whole thing!
Very impressive scene with Hector's shadow, well sung by Yuri Vorobiov, and visually striking.

Now the second tableau, the women. It starts very well with the beautiful choir Puissante Cybèle. All in red lighting. Alma's Boob-O-Meter registers that the dancers are topless - but they are rather unnecessary and again, distracting. This production doesn't seem to have a sense of theatrical propriety.

The scene when Cassandre is inviting her peers to kill themselves definitely lacks theatrical impact. Acting is week. Singing is fine. Visuals are fine. But something is missing. The very end of the scene is interesting, with the blood. But overall, fail.

Still, I give to second act a higher note than the first - 8 out of 10. Gardiner remains ahead.
This is the end of La Prise de Troie. Pause for snack. Next, Les Troyens à Carthage (acts III, IV, and V).

Oh well, this starts very badly. Here the 1080p image works against this product. The cover picture does seem interesting, with the singers inside this spaceship/particle accelerator thingie. But when this scenario actually comes up on stage, it looks incredibly fake and cheap, because the high-def image allows us to see that it's all made of inflated plastic tubes.

Didon (Daniela Barcellona) makes her entrance hanging from wires, in a rather ridiculous costume (her hairdo makes her look like a huge Minnie Mouse), and sings only reasonably, nothing great (I hope she'll warm up later). Something tells me that this production will derail rapidly; I'm starting to like it a lot less.

I swear that I just saw a Klingon in the chorus.

OK, folks, the very beautiful scenes in the Gardiner blu-ray when we get to the parade of laborers (constructeurs, matelots, laboureurs) here instead are simply pathetic. I've rarely seen something this unappealing. Terrible. I'll be giving this act a 3 out of 10 if this doesn't improve.

Another problem is that in spite of all the high-tech scenarios, this production is rather static. These huge tubes make the chorus look sort of small and lost, down there. We're far from the fluidity and the movement of the Gardiner production, with the chorus coming in and out with movements amplified by the mirrors. Instead, what we have here is the same problem with Lepage's Ring: this particle accelerator / space age thingie is just too big and makes the stage look crowded.

The female leads are unattractive. One wonders why in the hell would Énée fall in love with this Didon. Her sister Anna is played by an even less attractive woman (Zlata Bulicheva - who does sing reasonably well).

In a trouser role, Oksana Shilova does very well as Ascagne, with a beautiful voice and nice looks.

Lance Ryan has a terrible accent in French. He sounds like a hillbilly. The weak acting continues.

Yep. Act III doesn't get any better than a 3 out of 10.

OK, this thing is surprising, the highs and lows continue. After the dreadful act 3, act 4 opens very well, with, for the first time, truly beautiful visuals, great orchestral playing, imaginative ballet for the Chasse Royale et Orage pantomime (with the dancers from the Mariinsky that Gergiev imported with him - they are gorgeous, and topless). Next, the high level continues with the first truly great singer in this production delivering a very beautiful moment - Stephen Milling as Nardal. By now they have removed the big particle accelerator and the stage looks, for a change, spacious and sleek. So far, act 4 is getting from me a 10 out of 10.

OK. Weird. For the ballets Pas des almées, Danse des Esclaves, and Pas d'Esclaves Nubiennes, we get instead a sort of fashion show with people in strange space-age clothes with erect penises and people on leashes like dogs. Okaaaaay... We're getting a little Eurotrashy. Fortunately the gorgeous Russian ballerinas are back, this time in black bikinis. Then we get a real ballet with two male dancers who do well. In spite of the Eurotrash, I actually like these scenes. Two female dancers now. Very cute (especially the brunette) and talented.
The Nubian slaves scene is very beautiful as well, with nice choreography. The orchestra does a very good job throughout these ballet scenes, rendering beautifully Berlioz's thrilling music.

Iopas' song Ô Blonde Cérès is well performed by Eric Cutler. The fourth act continues to be *very* satisfactory. If they deliver a good Nuit d'Ivresse at the end of it, it will boost significantly my appreciation of this production. We'll see (it's the make it or break it moment).

So far so good. Act IV continues to deliver beautiful images, good singing, and good orchestral playing. The quintet is very successful.

The septet however suffers from Lance Ryan's weak singing and dreadful accent. When he is drowned by the other six singers, things improve. Again for the first time, the use of the computer screens is helpful rather than distracting, with beautiful effects.

OK, Nuit d'Ivresse now. Pretty good. Even Lance Ryan does better than expected. Daniela Barcellona sings beautifully. The scene is very atmospheric with the two singers being slowly raised in a strange contraption until they get into a kind of sphere (the cave, I suppose). Mercure passes by inside a communications satellite, to deliver his line Italie, Italie, Italie.

I give to act IV 9.5 out of 10, knocking half a point down due to Lance Ryan's singing. But definitely this time the production delivered the magic of Berlioz's music and the extreme beauty of this opera. I'd say that act IV justifies the purchase of this blu-ray in spite of the extremely uneven performance (as evidenced by my scores of 7, 8, 3, and 9.5 for the first four acts).

If in act V they are able to maintain this level of quality this thing will be rescued, but given what I've seen so far, I'm half expecting that they'll not do well in act V, to continue the up and down trend.

It opens beautifully, though, with a space shuttle, Hylas as an astronaut, and Earth in the background. Hylas is sung by Dmitri Voropaev, and he does a decent job with Vallon sonore (another highlight of this opera) but could have been better.

Panthée is Giorgio Giuseppini, a good singer who delivers in his short role, singing Préparez tout. The Par Bacchus duo however is a letdown, a bit too comic for the situation, and with weak singers (Yuri Vorobiov, Vincent Pavesi). Oh well, in an opera with so many characters, one can't expect too much of these two minor roles.

Next we have Lance Ryan murdering the beautiful aria Inutiles Regrets... Ah! Quand viendra l'instant. Pity.

The scene of the four shadows (Cassandre, Priam, Chorèbe, Hector) is interesting.

The dramatic duo between Didon and Énée, however, is again spoiled by Ryan's appalling singing. This scene is fortunately the last one featuring Énée, so I'm looking forward to the last two scenes of the opera, which are thankfully Lance Ryan-free. The Trojans depart, in a spaceship, headed to outer space.

I give to the first scene of act V a 7.5.

Second scene - starts beautifully with a well-sung duet between Didon and Anna. The usual problem with updated versions happens again: the libretto says that the Trojans are gone, their ships are still visible at sea. However, the images show spaceships traveling in space.

Barcellona sings very well the rage scene, but her acting remains subpar. Je vais mourir is beautiful and the imagery is fine. We get to Adieu, fière cité. Good, too.

The whole scene is quite effective and gets 8.5.

So far, act V has an average of 8. We are now in the very last scene. Very stylish, with the laptops making a beautiful effect, all in bluish lighting, turning red when the queen stabs herself. There is no last line "Carthage is over, now Rome." Pity. 8 again. So the average for act V remains 8.

7, 8, 3, 9.5, 8.

Final average, 7.1

Pros:

1080p blu ray with spectacular image and sound
Gergiev and the Orquestra de La Comunitat Valenciana play beautifully
Some moments of sublime visual beauty (especially in Act IV) and nice singing, with about half of the singers doing well
Interesting documentary as a bonus

Cons:

Dreadful Act III
Weak singer in the role of Énée, and about the other half of the singers doing poorly
Rather bad acting across the board
Ridiculous costumes and fake-looking scenarios - don't expect the visual fireworks of the Valencia Ring - this is definitely not at that level of visual quality
Questionable update to the space age
Overcrowded, static staging

It's hard to say "recommended." Act IV is recommended. The rest, not as much. The Gardiner version is much, much better. For someone who doesn't know Les Troyens, this is definitely NOT recommended, since only in act IV they really convey the extreme beauty of this opera. Get the Gardiner instead. For someone who already knows several versions of this opera, this production does have some beautiful moments and some redeeming qualities, it's not a totally wasted buy.
 
#36 ·
I watched this production in Valencia, at Les Arts, a couple of years ago.

A great job by Gergiev, orchestra and chorus.

However, the voices were just not the right ones, except for Daniela Barcellona. Enée was Stephen Gould, instead of Lance Ryan, but it seems they both play in the same league.

The staging was not very well received, with some people protesting loudly at the end of the performance. In my view, the first part, in Troy, was interesting, but things just grew out of control in the second, in Carthage.
 
#38 ·
As part of my homework for next July I bought this recently.



Not knowing much about Berlioz, I don't feel qualified to do a meaningful review but being PAL, the picture quality is superb.

Anyway I like it very much.

Not sure why all the cast are wearing these though ;)

 
#39 ·
Les Troyens is definately a tough one to crack as a viewer/listener. I now have 2 DVD versions the one with Susan Graham and Anna Caterina Antonnaci and then the new 'star wars' version from Fura del baus.

Struggling with both of them to be honest. This is a long opera and it is taking some getting into!!!

I quite like the newer DVD from Fura del Baus. I am not a huge fan of their Gotterdammerung (not seen the other parts) but i quite like the effects on this one.

I guess i just need to persevere and watch bit of Les Troyens and let it sink in a bit.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top