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#1 · (Edited)
PREVIN...A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

Renée Fleming
Rodney Gilfrey
Elisabeth Futral



I must admit that I bought this mostly because Renée Fleming is in it. I didn't expect much from the opera itself. But guess what? I loved it so much that I played the complete opera two times on the same day! Opinions about this work are very divided actually, varying from "a waste of time" to "one of the best operas from the last fifty years or so." I'm in no position to count it among the best of the last half century - I haven't heard enough operas from living composers to make that judgement. Having said that, I can easily imagine this becoming an opera that will be performed and/or recorded on a semi-regular basis - if they are willing to do so it will definitely find an audience. I don't know if it would make much of an impact with a less than great cast though.

The libretto (by Philip Lettell) is very good IMO. It doesn't try to change too much of the story and structure we're familiar with from the play/movie. Previn's music is modern but pretty accessible and snippets of New Orleans type jazz are included - appropriate for the time and place of the story. The cast is without exception very good. Fleming is great as Blanche, for me a more sympathetic figure than Vivien Leigh in the movie (but I admit that I have a soft spot for Renée). Rodney Gilfrey is a very convincing, scary Kowalski. I think he based his portrayal more on Brando's than Fleming did hers on Leigh's actually. Elizabeth Futral's Stella is a real sweetie and her singing was somewhat of a revelation to me.





 
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#2 ·
My order from that guy from HongKong who sells dvd's on ebay for ridiculous prices has arrived today....

-Dvorak...Rusalka (Fleming/Conlon)
-Rossini...Le Comte Ory (Fezier/Woodman/Andrew Davis)
-Puccini...La Fanciulla del West (Domingo/Neblett/Santi)
-Rossini...Il Barbieri di Seviglia (Bartoli/Kuebler/Ferro)
-Verdi...Un Ballo in Maschera (Domingo/Barstow/Solti)
-Tchaikovsky...Mazeppa (Putilin/Diadkova/Gergiev)
-Tchaikovsky...Eugene Onegin (Gavrilova/Redkin/Ermler)
-Strauss...Die Frau Ohne Schatten (Seiffert/Lipovsek/Sawalisch)
-Verdi...La Traviata (Netrebko/Villazon)
-Donizetti...L'Elisir d'Amore (Netrebko/Villazon)
-Martha Argerich...Liszt Piano Concerto Nr.1
-Anne-Sophie Mutter...Mozart Violin Concertos

I've quickly checked a few of them out and they are of great quality. These dvd's are either originals or else absolutely perfect copies - and I can't rule that out at these prices.
 
#3 ·
...Probably copies. I played La Fanciulla del West today and it skips at the end. :mad: I wrote to the guy and he answered that he'll send a replacement. I hope that he uses top quality DVDR's or else in a year or so there will be nothing to see but green spots and skipping.

I could be wrong of course, but I'm beginning to have my doubts. I fear that this guy is too good to be true.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the warning. Of course it's not so bad as it seems, probably, because even if some of them are faulty, you probably still have enough good ones to make your experiment worthwhile.

So obvious that you're sure to have tried it - but just in case .... have you tried playing the dodgy ones on a different player - or on your computer? They could be player-sensitive.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the warning. Of course it's not so bad as it seems, probably, because even if some of them are faulty, you probably still have enough good ones to make your experiment worthwhile.
Well, he has promised to send me yet another copy of that Fanciulla del West DVD plus the Eugen Onegin which skips also and he says that he will send replacements for any other faulty ones there may be. I only hope that if these are copies (and they probably are VERY good copies in my opinion) that he uses top quality DVDR's because poor ones have a very short lifespan.
So obvious that you're sure to have tried it - but just in case .... have you tried playing the dodgy ones on a different player - or on your computer? They could be player-sensitive.
I have tried them on two dvd players and on my computer - all with the same result.
 
#8 ·
Netrebko does vocally very well in my opinion and she's great to watch too. Not only because she's such a gorgeous looking lady but also because she's a good actress, and one who uses the entire stage to her advantage. In fact, the rest of the cast looks like a bunch of statues compared to her. Vocally they are all acceptable though, but Netrebko is clearly the star of the show in every meaning of the word.
I'm very much looking forward to the release of La Boheme the movie on DVD...

We went to see it, and it's a wonderful film!
 
#13 ·
I think I need to get one, don't I?
I can of course only speak for myself, but knowing your love for Puccini I think you would enjoy it as well. I for one love it. There's almost an hours worth of bonus material included also - interviews with the director, Anna and Villazon plus a behind the scenes 'the making of.' There's also a nice booklet.

Meanwhile, back to Handel opera on DVD. I know that nothing is ever going to surpass that stupendous Glyndebourne Giulio Cesare, Gaston - but is there anything that comes even close?
You mean in baroque opera? I don't know if you like Monteverdi, but if you do I can recommend this "L'Orfeo."

 
#17 ·
I didn't know the Villazon/Netrebko version of La Boheme was out on DVD.... I only have the CD version.

I'm seriously contemplating buying this one, I watched some of it on youtube plus some news clip about its release.. It should be straight up my alley since there are so many countertenors in there and the production is kind of "old fashioned".

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stefano-Lan...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1236753830&sr=8-1

a clip from it on youtube, with my favourite Philippe Jaroussky:p
 
#18 ·


Well, I've sobbed my way to the end now. I think I can safely say that anyone who has a soft spot for La Boheme is going to be very, very satisfied by this. I still think, after seeing/hearing all of it, that Villazon is the real show-stealer. His singing is all I could hope for, and more; and his acting is fascinating - he continually adopts little gestures and expressions that are entirely convincing and natural. The atmosphere of the production throughout is really gorgeous.
I agree that Villazon is the star of the show here - no question about it. And I say that as someone who likes Netrebko very much. He's very good in the funnier repertoire too. He's great in Donizetti's comedy "l'Elisir d'Amore" (again with Netrebko) - almost Chaplin-like. I think Villazon and Netrebko are each others ideal partner really.

This is going to get a lot of airings. Thanks to jhar26 for yet another winning recommendation. (Do you realise, Gaston, that when my copy of L'Orfeo arrives (currently in the post), you will have been solely responsible for doubling the size of my opera DVD collection?)
I remember you saying awhile back that you weren't really a fan of opera on DVD. If I had something to do with changing your mind I'm happy for it. ;)

Speaking for myself, that's maybe the most important reason for being a member of a forum like this - turning each other on to stuff that otherwise we maybe wouldn't have payed any attention too.
 
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#19 ·
I remember you saying awhile back that you weren't really a fan of opera on DVD. If I had something to do with changing your mind I'm happy for it.
You're almost entirely responsible. My experiences of watching opera on TV have been generally forgettable, and until our recent discussions the only ones that have impressed me enough to survive the disadvantage of the small screen have been the Dessay/Villazon Manon, and the Kanawa/Howells/Bonney Rosenkavalier. Clearly I stopped too soon - but also, then, I didn't have all these Baroque operas to try because I thought they weren't my kind of thing.... :rolleyes:

My musical journey has become a gallop since joining this forum.
 
#20 ·
I've placed my order a minute ago. I can't wait to see it. :)
Hoorah!

For future reference: I've used the Caiman seller (Caiman Bargain and Caiman USA) many, many times for CDs, but only recently for DVDs. I bought my Glyndebourne Giulio Cesare from them, as well as the Rameau.) What would happen if the DVD in question were region-specific, I can't say; but the 'all regions' ones do indeed seem to be all-region, even when they come from the USA.
 
#25 ·
I posted earlier in this thread about considering to buy Il Sant'Alessio on DVD - I did buy it and have watched it several times since - it's a great production IMO. The interesting thing is I guess my interest in Philippe Jaroussky made me aware of the DVD but to me he didn't stand out as much in the DVD as I'd expected (at least not vocally; his acting impressed me but some of the recitatives sounded a bit squeaky to me). Max Emanuel Cencic and Xavier Sabata impressed me though, as well as Terry Wey - then I discovered I already had heard the 4 of them singing together in another recording, "Faramondo" which I had listened to on Spotify.:p Overall the DVD is great and since I enjoy countertenors so much it was like a piece of heaven :D Not to mention the aesthetics of it; "old fashioned" staging and the little boy trebles as baroque angels, it looked like a painting coming to life.
 
#26 ·
Overall the DVD is great and since I enjoy countertenors so much it was like a piece of heaven :D Not to mention the aesthetics of it; "old fashioned" staging and the little boy trebles as baroque angels, it looked like a painting coming to life.
I'm sorry karen - I'd intended to respond to your earlier post but somehow got swept along and the moment slipped away. Thanks for your comments on this. The production does look interesting (I watched the youtube you linked to), and the lighting has an unusually 'authentic' feeling, too, doesn't it? And it's Christie, I see. His presence seems to be almost a guaranteee of quality! Cheers.
 
#27 ·
You ought to have a Dessay/Villavon as well though. Remind me to buy you one for Christmas.
:) I like Dessay too. She's great - at times hilarious - in another DVD I bought a little while ago - Donizetti's comedy Le Fille du Regiment.
 
#32 ·
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.
At the risk of you buying one in two years' time, loving it, and wondering what the heck I was talking about ... I'd say that was sensible. I'm glad I have it; but I'm also glad I didn't pay full price for it.

I have two items lined up next, Gaston. The first is this:



Based on your recommendation, my recent 'falling-overboard into Mozart' experiences, and also on you-tube snippets, I have every reason to suppose that I'll love this.

But also, I've just ordered this:



This is partly because I've discovered I'm in love with Lucia Popp, and was browsing Amazon to see what I could find of her on DVD. But then, having found this Rosenkavalier, I looked it up in the Gramophone Guide and discovered they award it all the stars available to them: "At last this unforgettable performance appears on DVD ... this is a must-buy". So I found a cheap copy and am waiting for it to arrive.

Do you have this? If you do, how does it compare with the Kiri/Anne Howells/Barbara Bonney version?
 
#34 ·
I don't know, Alan. I only have the Kiri/Anne Howells/Barbara Bonney version (which I LOVE). Be sure to let us know how you like it though, because I wouldn't mind having a second version on DVD.

I'm sure you'll love the Figaro, it's incredible.
 
#36 ·


Well, this arrived, and we watched the first 45 minutes last night. Gaston, I think it's fabulous. I can see what you mean about it trying to hard to prove it's a movie and not a stage show - but it's so visually delectable that I really don't mind. As you say, Raimondi is compelling, but also from what I've seen so far Kiri is pretty stupendous also. OK, there's a lip-synching problem, as always - but overall, I think this is going to prove a great favourite.

(The packaging is very weird, and seems designed to ensure that one or more discs will be damaged in pretty short order.)
Yeah, that packaging is a disaster - I agree. I'm glad you enjoy the movie. I like it as well, although it's (for me) not in the league of the, say, La Boheme movie. I agree that Kiri does a great job, although I'm not impressed with that weird thing on her head. :D

BTW - I've just seen that first act from the Kleiber/Rosenkavalier DVD. It's very, very impressive. As great as the Solti DVD which has been one of my faves for years. So, thanks Alan for making me buy yet another winner. :) I've just seen that they are about to release a new Rosenkavalier DVD with Renée Fleming which as a Fleming fan I guess I won't be able to resist buying also at some point. :rolleyes:
 
#38 ·
I'm glad you enjoy the movie. I like it as well, although it's (for me) not in the league of the, say, La Boheme movie.
Maybe not, though for me this sets the standard that other Giovanni DVDs will have to reach. (Just pause for a moment and consider the implications here. This is me, talking not just about buying a Mozart DVD, but about buying other versions! How times change.)

BTW - I've just seen that first act from the Kleiber/Rosenkavalier DVD. It's very, very impressive. As great as the Solti DVD which has been one of my faves for years
In terms of acting, Gwyneth Jones is stupendous I think. Initially I thought Fassbaender was too, though I now wonder (I am being hypercritical here) if her 'masculine' gestures and flourishes don't become a bit predictable after a while. But I just love it, overall.
 
#39 ·
I've been lurking on this forum for a while hoping to pick up some ideas. I want to thank everyone for pointing me in the direction of the Glyndebourne Giulio Cesare - as excellent an ensemble piece as I've ever seen, the most beautiful music (I want to die and come back as Sarah Connolly so that I can stride around in a red coat and sing "Va tacito e nascosto" like her) and fantastically entertaining staging. Even the seven-year-old was hooked and we're talking a 4 hour Baroque opera here! I've already watched it 5 times.

I've watched the Bourgeois Gentilhomme and enjoyed it, but only because I was brought up on Moliere at the Comedie Francaise on French TV. There's a hell of a lot of speaking, some of it very funny, and the music is glorious when it comes,but there's not that much of it.

Inspired by the joys of Handel and recommendations from another forum, I bought this Alcina. Well. I've watched it, but I have mixed feelings. Alice Coote was wonderful, a beautiful rich mezzo voice and full of yearning, but the rest of the cast was not vocally up to her standards, although Catherine Naglestad in the title role bought a depth of characterisation to Alcina which was very moving. I actually couldn't bear to listen to Catriona Smith in the role of Alcina's sister Morgana. All the on-stage fondling was also a little distracting (although I can see that it was part of the story). The set looked like the dining-room of a 1950s Bournemouth boarding-house - a bit lacking in magic! Will have to watch it again, when I haven't just watched Giulio Cesare which pretty much spoils anything after it.
 
#40 ·
I've been lurking on this forum for a while hoping to pick up some ideas. I want to thank everyone for pointing me in the direction of the Glyndebourne Giulio Cesare - as excellent an ensemble piece as I've ever seen, the most beautiful music (I want to die and come back as Sarah Connolly so that I can stride around in a red coat and sing "Va tacito e nascosto" like her) and fantastically entertaining staging.
These things snowball, don't they? I wonder just how many people have discovered this wonderful DVD as a result of Gaston (jhar26)'s initial recommendation!?

I've watched the Bourgeois Gentilhomme and enjoyed it, but only because I was brought up on Moliere at the Comedie Francaise on French TV. There's a hell of a lot of speaking, some of it very funny, and the music is glorious when it comes,but there's not that much of it.
I've been very tempted by this, but your comments about the 'not much music' confirm what I'd feared; still on my secondbest list, then, I think.

Inspired by the joys of Handel and recommendations from another forum, I bought this Alcina. Well. I've watched it, but I have mixed feelings. Alice Coote was wonderful, a beautiful rich mezzo voice and full of yearning, but the rest of the cast was not vocally up to her standards, although Catherine Naglestad in the title role bought a depth of characterisation to Alcina which was very moving. I actually couldn't bear to listen to Catriona Smith in the role of Alcina's sister Morgana. All the on-stage fondling was also a little distracting (although I can see that it was part of the story). The set looked like the dining-room of a 1950s Bournemouth boarding-house - a bit lacking in magic!
I must admit I've toyed with the idea of getting this myself (because I so much want to see Alcina instead of just listening to it), but it has had some damning reviews. (Penguin Guide: "Don't waste your time or money!") So I'm sorry to hear it's disappointed you, but not surprised. Happily, I'm going to see a live performance of Alcina next week, so my ambition will be fulfilled on stage rather than on DVD.

It might be useful to post notice of one of my own Handel disappointments here, namely:



I found this so depressingly dull that I've only been able to summon the will power to watch the first half of it. The sets are grey and dark - almost unrelievedly so. The transposition of period to something vaguely '1st half of the 20th century-ish' is uninspired and forgettable. Ann Hallenberg is entirely unconvincing as Ariodante, and in short, the thing is a yawn from start to finish. When I compare this DVD production to the wonderful experience of listening to my CD box set with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson singing Ariodante, it's quite hard to believe that it's the same work!
 
#43 · (Edited)
=Elgarian;75094]I

There's a Serse that Gaston likes. I haven't seen it myself but will probably buy it sometime:

Yes I have actually seen this ( and I vaguely seem to remember seeing this production at the ENO when I was living in London.Iit went completely over my head as I was pretty new to opera and Handel was too unfamiliar for me at the time - ditto Glass's Akhnaten which I'd kill to see now!). The singing is lovely (particularly Valerie Masterton) but Ann Murray definitely did not convince me as a man and a leader - I think I've been spoilt by Connolly and Coote in trouser roles. And I think I prefer my Handel in Italian. The production is quite interesting - set in Vauxhall gardens in Handel's time.

Finally, remember, there's always the Christie Les Indes Galantes, raved about earlier in this thread. Rameau, of course, not Handel; but it's one of the few baroque opera DVDs that are as brilliant as Giulio Cesare.
I have this and will let you know when I've watched it.

Meanwhile I'd like to point you to the Glyndebourne Incoronazione di Poppea, again with the lovely Danielle de Niese (all-singing but this time not all-dancing) and Alice Coote as Nero. The latter does a great job as the amoral and frankly scary emperor (Imagine Tolomeo all grown up, having had his own way for ten years, and without the campness). This is the DVD which made me fall in love with early opera. The music is very lovely, and the characters are somehow so real, you even have soldiers moaning about being made to wait for their employers; it seems so relevant to today. No heros, just people. The production was sparse but colourful and I was hooked to the end.
 
#44 ·
Meanwhile I'd like to point you to the Glyndebourne Incoronazione di Poppea, again with the lovely Danielle de Niese (all-singing but this time not all-dancing) and Alice Coote as Nero. The latter does a great job as the amoral and frankly scary emperor (Imagine Tolomeo all grown up, having had his own way for ten years, and without the campness). This is the DVD which made me fall in love with early opera. The music is very lovely, and the characters are somehow so real, you even have soldiers moaning about being made to wait for their employers; it seems so relevant to today. No heros, just people. The production was sparse but colourful and I was hooked to the end.
Is this youtube trailer the same production? I think it must be - Haim, De Niese, Coote etc. Judging from this youtube, I don't think I'd be able to cope with the 'modernising' of it. Purely a personal thing that I can't overcome (the sort of thing that makes me struggle to engage with the otherwise excellent Theodora I mentioned earlier).

Does anyone have this?:



Gramophone gave it a thumbs-up; the bits on youtube look very sparse and strange, but possibly interesting; it's Kozena and Petibon (which seems like a seriously 'wow' combination); and it's cheap! I'm a complete Gluck ignoramus, but I'm wondering about buying it.
 
#45 · (Edited)


Well, I am pretty well bowled over by this. OK, the end is somehow weak and unsatisfactory in a way I can't quite define: the Stone Guest seemed more comic than scary, and although the idea of visually understating the demise of DG seems potentially a good one, this seemed a bit of a damp squib nonetheless. But setting that aside, I've been utterly captivated by this and can't imagine any 'normal' staging having so much impact on me. Kiri is such a blisteringly convincing Elvira that I can't conceive of a better. Different, but not better. DG is such a compelling presence that I can't take my eyes off him. The whole cast seems pretty well perfect, in fact. Visually, the whole thing is a feast - lush Italian landscape, awe-inspiring architecture. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. Thanks Gaston. This must go into my all-time top five.
:) Glad you love it, Alan.
 
#50 · (Edited)
Four. There's a new one to be released soon with Renée Fleming as the marschallin. I fear that I won't be able to resist buying that one either.
Oh yes - I remember you said that was imminent. OK then, four it is.

BTW - I've just ordered your Kleiber DVD. ;)
There's no risk there. I'm as certain you'll love it as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow, and I don't think you'll feel any sense of 'too much of the same thing'. Gwyneth Jones has her very own distinctive take on the Marschallin, and Fassbaender also on Octavian. Lucia Popp sings superbly (I don't think she can do otherwise) though she is just a little too sweet and swoony in her acting, perhaps.

Would you like to make any suggestion about what my next purchase of a Mozart opera DVD should be? (Your recommendation of the Fleming Don Giovanni above, already noted). Is there a Clemenza, Idomeneo, Seraglio, or Flute that you're particularly fond of?
 
#51 ·
Would you like to make any suggestion about what my next purchase of a Mozart opera DVD should be? (Your recommendation of the Fleming Don Giovanni above, already noted). Is there a Clemenza, Idomeneo, Seraglio, or Flute that you're particularly fond of?
Since you like the Don Giovanni movie so much, you also might like this excellent Clemenza movie. Giovanni is a (even) better opera, but you'll probably enjoy this one also. ;)







I like this Magic Flute very much........



......but everyone raves about this one. I have it, but I haven't yet seen it



This is an enjoyable Entfuhrung, though maybe not quite up there with the best opera DVD's that I have. But at least it's a traditional production, so no superman or wonderwoman. ;)

 
#53 ·
Maybe I exaggerated a bit by calling the other singers wooden. They just seem to be sometimes because Bartoli dominates the stage so much. Kaufmann is very good actually , and he's in excellent voice. Laszlo Polgar who plays Bartoli's dad really looks very wooden though. But it doesn't seriously interfere with my enjoyment of this DVD. I'm eager to check out some of Paisiello's other works - good composer.
Thanks, I'll put it on my ever-expanding wishlist. There's still a lot of "basic" stuff to get yet!
 
#55 ·
Same here. The problem with being a music lover is that there's always a lot more that you want than what you already have. But life is much too short to hear it all anyway.
 
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