Italian Romantic Opera and Verismo on DVD, Blu-ray, and CD

[Anne of Green Gables]

Me confused.

This is "reviews" section, does non-reviev discussion/questions considering DVDs, CDs and Blu-rays belong here or to other section? If so, I guess the proper one is still to be created. Whetever.





Is the whole production up to the level of this short fragment or does it have some major weaknesses? I've failed to steal it and so I'm thinking about purchasing this DVD.

Got it today. Disappointed. I don't like Eva Marton here at all, her voice is like crowing, far from subtle and beautiful and as for stage presence - she's not fat but very massive and makes Carreras look tiny. She didn't do it for my in no way. Other non-Carreras singers are not too good either. The mezzo-mother is even more crowing, baritones and tenors playing minor/secondary characters... Gerard is fine, that's the least. But all in all I dislike the cast as a whole, too bad because production is great - customes are well done, staging and direction too, all these things are of high quality. A bit of waste. Gotta dig the Domingo two Cheniers instead.

[Almaviva]

This La Gioconda (Ponchielli) DVD is decent:



Competent Placido, pretty good Eva Marton, but they are not helped by the opera itself which I consider to be a weak and overrated one. When the best part of an opera is its ballet (the famous Dance of the Hours) it doesn't bode well for the overall operatic quality of the piece.

[Almaviva]

Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur (this review I wrote years ago for another site is more focused on the opera, than on the DVD)

Staged at la Scala in 2000, with Daniela Dessì, Sergei Larin, Giorgio Giuseppini and Olga Borodina, with conductor Roberto Rizzi Brignoli at the helm of the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro alla Scala. The following review pertains more to the opera itself than the production.

Act I

It starts rather lively with lots of chit-chat and nervous, bouncy orchestration. Here comes Adriana. She calms things down, and sings her first aria. I like it. Io Son L'Umile Ancella. It is sweet and melancholic, in a striking change of tone as opposed to the initial chit-chat.

This pause is soon over and the frenetic rhythm returns. Then Michonnet and Adriana are left alone. He gathers courage... the orchestration is pretty good and punctuates everything while they exchange short phrases in recitatif, then the orchestra turns to nice strings while he finally proposes to her. She turns him down and the orchestra is more dramatic. I really like this orchestration so far.

Then, with Michonnet properly disposed of, it's Maurizio's turn. La dolcissima effigie. Tuneful but weepy, Gigli would have loved it. I don't, but it does improve when it turns into a duet.

Things are heating up. The Prince of Bouillon and the Abbé start a duet that rapidly turns into a quartet - I really, really like this one. Best moment so far.

Again an abrupt change of mood and pace, when infatuated Michonnet watches Adriana and ruminates about his love, between awe and admiration, and scorned anger. Quite excellent, Ecco il monologo. Beautiful orchestration too. I can tell I'll really like this opera.

What follows is a pretty confusing plot development about lost and intercepted letters, lovers who give themselves forbidden rendez-vous, etc. Something tells me that the music in this one is a lot better than the libretto.

Then the stage is full of people again and some short bursts of chorus music end ACT I. What a wild ride! I definitely like it.

ACT II

Now the mezzo enters - the Princess of Bouillon - and despairs about having to wait for her lover Maurizio - has he forgotten her? Acerba voluttà, dolce tortura. Halting, anxious orchestration - good job of tone painting, Cilea! O vagabonda stella follows, quite pungent, verismo style. Impressive! A very good start for Act II.

Then Maurizio rather abruptly hints that he doesn't love the poor woman any longer - more despair and drama are at the menu, with the appropriate orchestral thunders. Maurizio then turns weepy again, what a lachrymose fellow! But it's once more melodious enough, I like it better this time.

The Prince and the Abbé come, the princess goes in hiding, and we get treated to a bit of mistaken identity in good operatic tradition - who was the woman with you? They assume wrongly it was Duclos. Some more confusing plot, and another mistaken identity - Maurizio is actually the Count of Saxony. Really? (Alma's note: so what? This libretto really sucks!). A nice duet follows - Ma, dunque è vero?, further underlining the fact that the music is so much better than the far fetched plot.

Lots of shenanigans go on about the mistaken identity - the princess can't be caught, says Maurizio, Adriana is pulled in to help, they may or may not expose the princess, it's not Duclos, who is it? blah blah blah - this kind of stuff works a lot better in opera buffa, and feels out of place here. Even the orchestration now seems indecisive, like Cilea is thinking - "what am I to make of this mess?" - and the music turns unremarkable as well; there is a rather lengthy let down.

But Cilea recovers, with a soft and peaceful orchestration that turns suspenseful and mysterious while Adriana blows the candles to make it all dark and facilitate the Princess' escape.

Adriana and the Princess talk to each other and it is another clever use of orchestration. Good job again, Cilea!!! The interaction of the two rivals is chilling, intense, and very beautiful with the stage all dark and the orchestra leading the way. She escapes, silence from the singers, the orchestra ends Act II on its own. I like it a lot.

Act III - disappointing. Ballet stuff which I don't care much for, in opera.
No remarkable arias. "Business as usual" orchestration.

Then, the finale is quite effective and spectacular, when Adriana declaims Phèdre (Giusto cielo!): goosebumps all over! Sublime. Curtain. This is about the only thing we can take from Act III, but what a moment!!!

Act IV

One can tell that Act IV will be better than III - it opens quite well with an enticing duet between good guy Michonnet and distressed Adriana who is still vying for Maurizio, followed by light and fun ensembles with her visitors who want her to resume acting.

Then the poisoned violets (!?! - Oookaaayy... this was supposed to be believable verismo, no?) arrive and the orchestration gets dramatic again, although a little obvious and predictable.

But it darkens little by little, and Cilea once more is in his forte, and pathos starts to pour in, punctuated by beautiful melancholic tunes. This is the scene in which Adriana kisses the violet, VERY beautiful. Another high moment of this opera. The way the voice melts into the orchestration and slowly takes over is very touching, and in itself would justify the A that by now I'm sure I'll grant to this opera at the end.

Maurizio is coming, shouting 'Adriana!' from off-stage. Weepy Maurizio (I really don't like this guy) tries to win Adriana back. He says that a soldier's heart never lies. Whaaat? Come on, Colautti (the librettist), can't you do better than this???

But still, Cilea comes to the rescue, and the duet between Adriana and Maurizio is celestial. No, non fu invano. Another touching piece, ending by phenomenal orchestration that seems like an intermezzo and could be a concert piece. Bravo!

Then we get to the mad scene. She is delirious from the poison, declaims bits and pieces of her past roles on stage. Maurizio despairs, she goes on and on. VERY effective. The orchestration turns to a requiem piece. She is dying. Veneno! (poison), says Michonnet.

In good operatic tradition in which people sing their best after they're stabbed or poisoned, Adriana wakes up and soars in a dramatic scene, saying she doesn't want to die (a more assertive death scene than your usual victim of consumption), and resumes her delirious declamation. Wow! This is the second best death scene I've seen in opera, after Pelléas et Mélisande. It ends by the desperate shouts Morta! followed by light orchestration evocative of a soul climbing up to Heaven, and delicate plucks of the harp, instead of your usual tchi-bum-bum-bum! Curtain. I love it.

----

Overall appreciation: a very good surprise. This is an opera that is steadily in the repertory, but doesn't get the big lights. The libretto is dreadful, and there are some dead moments like part of Act II and most of Act III. But there are just too many high points, so the weak libretto can't drag it all the way down to a B. A- it is then, and with a da Ponte or a Boito at the helm of the libretto, it would have been an A+.

Unlike some operas that function better as plays and less well as music, Adriana Lecouvreur is probably best enjoyed on a CD, without the images and without the words.

These characters are not sympathetic. One doesn't really care for their issues. The plot is confusing and contradictory in some points, and clichéd in others. It is a serious theatrical failure, and it even impacts on the music (like when in Act III Francesco Cilea seems tired of the nonsense and is not trying too hard). This is not very demanding soprano music, there are no big high notes, no big opportunities for display of vocal technique (we are far from Bel Canto and into Verismo here).

But then, the orchestration is just extraordinary. Thus the A-.

It will find its way into my second tier of favorite operas.

[Almaviva]

Giordano: Fedora on DVD

The public and most Amazon.com reviewers went crazy about Mirella Freni's performance here. I sadly disagree. I think people applaud and say what they say out of fanship and respect, but the truth must be told: there is a striking contrast here between a Domingo at the top of his game and an ageing Freni who is a shadow of her old self in terms of voice, and too old for the role to look convincing.

I think it is kind of embarrassing. It spoiled this DVD for me. Fedora is not a great opera to start with, therefore this is a mixed bag. The production is good enough with a competent traditional staging, everything is very professionally done, and Placido Domingo is stupendous. But the uninteresting opera and Mirella's vocal troubles are clear downsides.

So, for Domingo fans this is worth having. But for Freni fans, it is not.

[Almaviva]

Mascagni: L'Amico Fritz on DVD

This Kultur product as usual is of incredibly bad quality, technically speaking; actually even more than usual. Sound synchrony is terrible, and sound balance is even worse. Microphone placement picks up certain singers too loudly, and others too softly. The sound of the orchestra is even worse, to a point that it considerably hinders any enjoyment of the musical aspects of the opera. The colors are artificial-looking, lighting is terrible, and the image definition is blurry at times. No choice of sound track, subtitles only in English (unlike most Kultur products, at least these can be turned off), no extras. Another bare-bones Kultur product, with one of the worst sound engineerings I've ever heard. No, believe me, folks. The sound on this DVD is a joke!

Staging: the scenario looks tacky and cheap with painted backgrounds and cardboard vegetation. At least it is a period staging with no Regie trickery. It is a production from a small regional company and orchestra called Città Lirica, staged in 2002 at the Teatro di Livorno.

Acting is rather static, with little movement, park and bark style.

The orchestra, conductor (Roberto Tolomelli), and first violin are rather mediocre, which compromises the beautiful violin solo in Act I and the nice intermezzo between acts II and III. The flautist is particularly bad.

Singing fortunately is not bad, unlike mostly everything else in this production. José Bros in the title role does a rather decent job, and while Dimitra Theodossiou - his love interest Suzel - is not good looking (her cover picture above is actually flattering, she looks worse than that), her singing has many fine moments. Alessandro Paliaga as the matchmaking rabbi David does well as long as the microphones can catch his voice (at times we can barely hear him, especially in the first act when he sings from a chair on the right side of the stage - at first I thought that his voice lacked volume, then in the second act when he sings upfront and the mikes catch him better, I concluded that the problem with his singing is one of sound engineering rather than being his fault). The gypsy boy Beppe, a trouser role, is sung by a weak link, screechy mezzo Sandra Pacheco-Quintero who is also a terrible actress who can't stop staring at the prompter (this is quite laughable, indeed - you gotta see it to believe it!).

What about the opera itself? For one thing, it's not Cavalleria Rusticana. Don't expect the same level of quality or you'll be sorely disappointed. However, it is good enough, with the beautiful Cherry Duet, the violin solo, some fine orchestral moments, and other good arias/scenes like Non mi resta che il pianto; Son pochi fiori; Facea si vecchio abramo; and the final love duet O amore, o bella luce del core. It's a lighthearted piece of modest proportions (run time about 90 minutes), undoubtedly pleasant, in spite of its weak libretto (actually, intentionally so; Mascagni was unhappy that some critics had said that Cavalleria Rusticana was successful thanks more to the libretto than to his music, and wanted a simple libretto in order to let people focus on his music) - Verdi actually said that the libretto for L'Amico Fritz was the worst he had ever seen.

So what is the verdict? Surprisingly, I think I can actually say that this DVD is recommended. Because, see, this is a sort of chamber opera, it's a nice love story that goes on in a more intimist setting (so the staging matters little), in which nothing much happens but the two principals have the most stage time (with the rabbi having most of the remaining lines), and given that the two principals here (and the baritone singing the rabbi) are the strongest points of this otherwise very primitive production and DVD, they still make of this an enjoyable experience of an opera that is good enough and rarely staged, so, I guess we're better off having this terrible Kultur product rather than not having L'Amico Fritz on DVD at all.

But given the sound problems and the mediocre orchestra, for those willing to better enjoy the musical aspects of this opera I'd rather recommend the fabulous Pavarotti/Freni CD (both making their studio debut) with Gavazzeni conducting the Orchestra of the ROH:

[Almaviva]

Catalani: La Wally on TV broadcast

1990 - Pinchas Steinberg - Wiener Symphoniker

Mara Zampieri - Wally
Norman Bailey - Strommingor
Liliana Nichiteanu - Afra
Ildiko Raimondi - Walter
Michael Sylvester - Hagenbach
David Malis - Gellner

Staging - pretty good with convincing snow-caped mountains. Dark lighting, though.

Acting - very weak

Singing: Zampieri is unattractive and with an unpleasant voice, and has horrible articulation. Sylvester and Malis are OK. Raimondi has no musicality, seems indifferent. Nichiteanu is cute but with a small voice. Rather bleak, overall.

The orchestra and conducter do better than the singers.

The opera itself - other than Ebben...ne andro lontan, very forgettable. What is this aria doing there anyway? It is completely different from the rest, and as a matter of fact, it was composed for a different work; Catalani recycled it. This opera has a far fetched plot, is not theatrical, and as a matter of fact, I found it utterly boring.

Not recommended. Just listen to a good isolated version of Ebben...ne andro lontan and don't waste your time with the rest of the opera.

[Almaviva]

Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini on DVD

Francesca da Rimini, Tragedia in quattro atti, premiered in 1914 in Turin
Music by Riccardo Zandonai (1883-1994)
Based on the play by Gabriele d'Annunzio, adapted by Tito Ricordi

1984 (Live) - James Levine - Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Cello soloist - Jascha Silberstein
Production by Piero Faggione
Set design by Ezio Frigerio
Costume design by Franca Squarciapino
Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Choreographer Donald Mahler
Metropolitan Opera Chorus, Chorus Master David Stivender
Video direction by Brian Large

Francesca - Renata Scotto
Paolo il Bello (the handsome) - Plácido Domingo
Samaritana - Nicole Lorange
Ostasio - Richard Fredricks
Giovanni lo Sciancato (the lame, nicknamed Gianciotto) - Cornell Macneil
Malatestino dall'Occhio (the one-eyed) - William Lewis
Biancofiore - Natalia Rom
Garsenda - Gail Robinson
Altichiara - Gail Dubinbaum
Adonella - Claudia Catania
Smaradi, la schiava (the slave girl) - Isola Jones
Ser Toldo Berardengo - Anthony Laciura
Simonetto, il giullare (the minstrel) - Brian Schexnayder
Berlingerio, il torrigiano (the tower guard) - John darrenkamp
Un balestriere (an archer) - John Gilmore
Un prigionero (a prisoner) - John Bills

This is Zandonai's only claim to fame in spite of his long career. It premiered when the composer was 30 years old. He was a pupil of Mascagni, and wrote this opera in the Verismo / late Romantic musical language. He was also a friend of Arrigo Boito's, who introduced him to Giulio Ricordi, the head of the famous publishing house responsible for Verdi's publishing.

Gabriele d'Annunzio wrote this "epic of blood and lust" to great success, based on Dante's tragic love story. The libretto can be said to have been authored indirectly by d'Annunzio, since Tito Ricordi's role was mostly to trim it to a size compatible with an opera. The Ricordis thought that Zandonai's command of late Romantic orchestration was ideal to set this play to music, and this is how it got to see the light of day, since the Ricordis were powerful enough in the world of opera to push through whatever project they had in mind.

The opera was immediately successful, and was rapidly taken from Turin to London and New York, where it was given at the Met in 1916. It never came back to the Met stage, though, until this present production featuring Scotto and Domingo, under Levine who has loved this work since his teenage years.

Maestro Levine wanted to impact on this production Zandonai's colorful scoring - defined as "a heady mélange of Wagner, Strauss, and Debussy" - and incorporated in his orchestra especially for this performance, period instruments such as the lute and the viola pomposa, to conjure a medieval atmosphere.

The staging with massive period settings (13th century Rimini) includes a flowery courtyard, a citadel armed for battle, and richly furnished castle apartments.

This Deutsche Grammophon release is well packaged with complete liner notes including an essay and very detailed chapter-by-chapter synopsis in English, German, and French, although the chapter/track list doesn't include durations. The total running time is 150 minutes.

We get a region zero DVD with 4:3 picture format; PCM stereo, DD 5.1, and DTS 5.1 audio formats. Optional subtitles are included in original Italian, as well as English, German, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Extras only include a picture gallery and a DG catalogue.

First impressions (I've just watched the first act)

This is a weird one, folks, and it's the fault (or it is thanks to) the composer. Yes, it's definitely over-the-top. Sometimes Zandonai tries to be Wagner but he is no Wagner. Then he tries to be Puccini but he is no Puccini. He then tries to be Debussy but he is no Debussy. He goes back to trying to be Mascagni but he is no Mascagni. He even tried to be exotic Delibes' Thaïs but... you've guessed... he is no Delibes. So, major failure, right? Oh well, surprise, surprise... IT WORKS!

The score is all over the place. Sometimes bombastic, sometimes sweet. Sometimes raw, sometimes subdued.

So why does it work?

First, because it's a heck of a rollercoaster. It's FUN!!!!

Second, because these talented artists - Levine, Domingo, Scotto, Faggione, Frigerio - MAKE it work!

You get a conductor who loves this work (regardless of its musical merits or lack thereof) and shapes his orchestra into making it exciting and lively and deep. You get a veteran of the trade in Scotto who finds the exact right balance and in spite of her aging looks and failing high notes (this score is waaaaaay high in tessitura - Mr. Zandonai, making your singers yell these high notes out loud doesn't a beautiful vocal writing make!), she conveys all the passion of a teenager. You get Domingo who plays Il Bello - the handsome - and even this decidedly heterosexual reviewer - me - needs to confess that he does look dashing. You get a stage director who has the right feel for the work and makes the singers/actors movements on stage be very well calculated and appropriate. You get a set designer who imprints onto the work the right lavish sets (this opera would definitely fall flat on its behind in some sort of modern minimalistic staging - it *needs* the OTT staging).

In short, you get a TALENTED team of artists who say to each other: this is no masterpiece, but let's MAKE of it a masterpiece.

And they do!

Better proof, Domingo's and Scotto's SILENT scene at the end of Act I when NOBODY is singing draws enthusiastic applause from the audience, which we usually only see after the delivery of some blockbuster aria.

Oh boy! These artists are good! Very good! This is opera, folks!

There's still a long way to go but I can't see how I'd ever change my mind from "highly recommended" on this one. But we'll see. Back to watching it.

LOL, I forgot to mention that this libretto is very good. There are some fabulous moments, like when Paolo passionately asks Francesca how he should die for her. One expects that she would say, oh, no, my beloved, don't die etc. Well, she proceeds to telling him in all letters how he should die. Beware of what you ask for, Paolo!

Act II is infamously known for general yelling and misguidedly high tessitura, and yes, it's just like this. It continues to be enormous fun, though. There are some rather impressively staged battle scenes, and there is good acting especially from William Lewis.

Act III is a letdown. It has the ubiquitous, boring ballet, and then a scene between Paolo and Francesca that is clearly overlong (takes two thirds of the act), in spite of being well sung and acted by Plácido and Renata. The pace slows down and the orchestration becomes more conventional (Romantic melodious style). They finally kiss, which then (fortunately) ends this slow act.

Act IV gets the drama going again, and starts with an interesting scene in which Malatestino harasses his sister-in-law Francesca. During their tense conversation when he first tries to seduce her (nice brother to her husband, Gianciotto) then rightly accuses her of adultery with his other brother (Paolo), a prisoner keeps howling in the background, which annoys Francesca. OK, Malatestino goes and beheads the prisoner. Nice way to shut him up, it works, he definitely stops howling, LOL. Malatestino comes back with the prisoner's bloody head (someone must have seen Salome), probably thinking that this would earn him Francesca's favor but unfortunately for him (not to forget, unfortunately for the prisoner) it doesn't work because by then Gianciotto had joined his wife. Spiteful Malatestino then takes revenge by revealing to his older brother what is going on between Junior and his wife. Pure Verismo drama! Gianciotto is not happy. He looks positively terrifying. Ominous orchestration is the background to the entire scene. I'm making fun of it but this is actually the best scene so far. It is very dramatically effective and the singers do a wonderful job, and act well too.

We go next to the last scene, in Francesca's room, when Gianciotto surprises the two lovers together and kills his wife and his brother. Oh well, we saw this coming. A good Verismo opera needs some good solid killings. The scene starts with a sense of foreboding when the chamber maids talk about the beheading of the prisoner. Francesca is asleep. Everything is still peaceful but we know that things will deteriorate fast. She wakes up, all weepy and anxious. I guess Boito being Zandonai's friend and the team behind this opera's gestation being the same one that convinced Verdi to come out of retirement, we can see some Othello influences here in the choice of this kind of source material and the musical treatment given to it. It does remind me strongly of Desdemona's scene before she gets killed - the difference being that Desdemona was innocent while Francesca is not.

Renata Scotto is pretty good in this scene. Again, it's all very effective, if a little bombastic (and the problem with the high tessitura persists).

Anyway, this is kind of a historical recording, with a Plácido Domingo in his prime and Renata Scotto showing that even older she can still deliver the goods, coupled with great conducting and pretty intense and convincing staging.

The opera itself has enough ups and downs to not be called a masterpiece.

But this performance certainly makes the best out of it.

Highly recommended.

[Almaviva]

Giordano: Marcella on DVD

2007(LC) - Manlio Benzi - Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia
Slovakia Chamber Chorus, chorus master Pavol Procházka
This production was given at the Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca, in co-production with two small regional companies, Teatro Giordano in Foggia (Giordano's birthplace), and Teatro di San Devero
It was filmed at the Palazzo Ducale in Martina Franca, on August 4-6, 2007

This is a Naxos/Dynamic release. Region code zero. Picture format 16:9. Sound tracks Dolby stero, DTS 5.0, and DD 5.0. Running time 66 minutes. Optional subtitles in original Italian and English. No extras.

Stage director Alessio Pizzech
Video Director Matteo Ricchetti

Cast

Serena Daolio is Marcella
Danilo Formaggia is Giorgio
Pierluigi Dalengite is Drasco
Natalizia Carone is Clara
Angelica Girardi is Raimonda
Mara D'Antini is Eliana
Maria Rosa Rondinelli is Lea
Marcello Rosiello is Vernier
Giovanni Coletta is Barthélemy
Graziano de Pace is Farment

This poorly known Verismo opera by Umberto Giordano premiered in 1907 in Milan, then was lost during World War II, and was recreated from the composer's manuscrit found decades later, and revived for the first time by this Italian regional festival in 2007. It is the story of a poor woman who falls in love with a painter, only to have the idyllic relationship shattered when it is known that the painter is not a pauper but actually a prince in disguise living incognito abroad, who then needs to go back to his kingdom and leave her behind.

Image is of poor quality, dark, with excessive sharpness, requiring adjusting of the TV settings. Sound is thin and variable in volume. It comes and goes, fades at times. There is an incredible amount of stage noise. We can hear every step on the floor and every swish of the ladies' dresses. What we can't hear very well are the singers' voices at times, and the orchestra at other times.

Lighting is appallingly bad (probably the worst I've ever seen in a commercial-grade product). Sometimes the image gets so dark that it looks like it will disappear.

The scenario for the first scene is sparse and cheap looking - a ballroom. Costumes are early 20th century, with people dressed in formal ballroom attire. There are some yummy looking young ladies scantly clad but oh pain, we can't see them very well given the incredibly bad lighting.

OK, after playing with my TV settings several times, I got to a stalemate, now I can see a bit more of the stage, although it got all milky. All right, enough on this.

Singing: Danilo Formaggia is OK - nothing extraordinary but decent/good. The leading soprano Serena Daolio unfortunately is less than decent. She has average looks, and her timbre of voice is not great. I can't say if she has no projection and volume or if it's a question of microphone placement and/or bad sound engineering because like I said the sound comes and goes. The orchestra, when we can hear them, is nothing to write home about. The first scene ends in subdued applause. Apparently the audience, just like me, is not impressed.

The second scene has more light. It's a minimalistic setting this time - just the hardwood floor, and three large windows with pictures of a mountain landscape to give the impression that the windows open to a mountain setting. Again, cheap looking but actually a bit more effective.

The leading soprano in the title role continues to do poorly but the other female in this scene (Natalizia Carone) actually sings and looks better than Serena Daolio. Young Marcello Rosiello as Vernier is good.

I'm forgetting to comment upon the music itself. You know, it's not bad at all. It's very melodious. The orchestration is simple but the vocal writing is beautiful. Dramatically speaking, though, the work is weak, and so far hasn't captured my attention that much.

Next we have Drasco coming in, sung by a weak bass-baritone, bearer of bad news (there is trouble in the home country and Giorgio's presence is required), which prompts the orchestra to become louder and more dramatic. It also calls for higher tessitura for the tenor, and there goes down the drain my good impression of him. Oh well, this is a quasi-amateur performance. I guess I should just stop paying attention to the weaknesses of the cast, the staging, and the lighting/sound engineering, and just focus on Giordano's music.

It's a good moment to do so because we get a short intermezzo that is quite beautiful, followed by a tenor aria that could deserve some fame, when Giorgio discloses to Marcella who he really is and tells her that he must abandon her temporarily to fix the trouble in the home country. This is a fairly beautiful scene and even Ms. Daolio sings a little better here.

She is shocked, faints. Giorgio then asks her to go with him, but she refuses, quoting their different social status. He pleads, but she abruptly breaks up with him. She then sings an overdramatic aria saying how he'll remember her and listen to her voice. Faints again. Lots of overacting. He begs some more. She continues to refuse, silly woman (what country girl wouldn't want to marry a prince with whom she is already in love and vice-versa? This could be another candidate for the Darwin Award). He quits trying to convince her, and just leaves. She faints again. Curtain. What, no deaths? And you call this Verismo?

Verdict: a minor work, done in amateurish fashion with weak singers (a couple of exceptions) and cheap-looking scenarios, packaged in a technically deficient DVD. Not recommended. The few musical qualities of some melodious arias and a nice short intermezzo don't rescue this thing.

[Almaviva]

Franchetti: Germania on DVD

Lyrical Drama in one prologue, two acts, and an epilogue, premiered in 1902
Music by Alberto Franchetti (1860-1942)
Libretto by Luigi Illica, in Italian
Renato Palumbo - Orchester der Deutchen Oper Berlin
Chor der Deutchen Oper Berlin - chorus master Ulrich Paetzholdt
Stage direction - Kirsten Harms
Stage setting - Bernd Damovsky

Cast:

Giovanni Filippo Palm - Ante Jerkunica
Federico Loewe - Carlo Ventre
Carlo Worms - Bruno Caponi
Crisogono - Markus Brück
Ricke - Lise Lindstrom
Jane - Sarah van der Kamp
Lene Armuth - Seri Williams
Jebbel - Jacquelyn Wagner

Phoenix release, in 2008 - Picture format 16:9, sound tracks 2.0 stereo, DD 5.1
Subtitles in Italian, German, English, and French. Extras include a "making of" documentary in German, with no subtitles. Opera running time 140 minutes. Region code zero.

Monotonous opera with uninteresting orchestration and ugly vocal writing, poor singing, weird dark staging, and they seem to engage in special costumes/make-up effects to make people look as bad as they can.

Stay away from this one. It belongs to the fringes for a reason.

[Almaviva]

Boito: Mefistofele on DVD

I'm quite sure I've already reviewed this. But I couldn't find my own review so either I didn't look in the right places or it was for another site. In any case, it's the second time I watch this DVD.

It's been reviewed by Herkku and Annie above, so I wont get into too many details.

1989(LI) - Maurizio Arena - Orchestra of the San Francisco Opera

Samuel Ramey in the title role
Dennis O'Neill: Faust
Daniel Harper: Wagner
Emily Manhart: Pantalis
Douglas Wunsch: Nereo
Gabriela Benacková: Margherita/Elena
Judith Christin: Marta

Video Director Brian Large
Stage Director Robert Carsen
Running time 160 minutes
2001 Kultur release, 1.33:1 image, DD 2.0 stereo sound, optional English-only subtitles, no extras

Technically, bare-bones packaging but good nevertheless with colorful (although not too sharp) image, and excellent clear sound that is well balanced.

The opera itself is a mixed affair - with some sublime music as well as moments of rather mundane orchestration (with the orchestra playing the same music of the vocal writing rather than commenting upon it and developing the themes), and with some outstanding theatrical moments coupled with others that lack pace and impact.

But mixed or not, I do like Boito's Mefistofele very much, and consider that the good far outweighs the bad, resulting overall in a very beautiful opera.

Now, whether or not you like Mefistofele the opera, this performance is simply outstanding. Samuel Ramey is a Mefistofele for the ages, with superlative singing and gifted acting. It's the Ramey show; he steals it, and is quite memorable. O'Neil and Benacková are excellent as well.

Staging is very good (attention, the prude: there is somewhat graphic nudity and a simulated sex act in the second scene - and some more later on - but I wouldn't call the nudity tasteless, it makes sense - it's about sin and debauchery, after all).

This is a very good DVD of an intriguing and beautiful opera. It gets an easy "Highly Recommended" - Samuel Ramey alone justifies the purchase, and everything that goes around him is not too shabby either.

[Almaviva]

Pietro Mascagni: Zanetto on DVD

2003(LI) - Bruno Aprea - Orchestra Sinfonica di Savona



Verismo opera in one act, sung in Italian, running time 40 minutes.

Denia Mazzola Gavazzani in the role of Silvia, soprano
Romina Basso in the role of Zanetto, mezzo

Kicco Classics 2004 release, NTSC, region zero, optional subtitles in 4 languages including original Italian and English, picture format 1.33:1, sound tracks DD 2.0, DD 5.1, and DTS 5.1. Both picture and sound are rather good with sharp definition, bright colors, and nice balance. The concert film is technically better than the opera film.

Extras include a full concert (in terms of image and sound, the concert is technically better than the opera), an interview with the artists, and some trailers, for a total running time of 91 minutes including the short 40-minute opera.

There are only two singing characters, an aging courtesan (Silvia) who is contemplating suicide but then receives the love pledge of a young minstrel (Zanetto), whom she rejects, but is glad to see that she can still be touched by love, which nevertheless doesn't stop her from killing herself at the end.

The staging is very simple, with one single room with walls in a state of disrepair, and a large portal in the middle; there is a couch on the right side and a round dining table with chairs on the left side.

Denia Mazzola Gavazzani looks the part - she is an aging but still half-attractive woman who matches well the supposed age and appearance of the character. Her singing is so-so, with a voice that sounds tired especially in high notes and cracks a bit in the passagio, but in the middle of her register she sings correctly enough and doesn't sink the production. Her acting is conventional but again, not terrible.

Mezzo Romina Basso in a trouser role is better in all regards: looks, voice, and acting. Her voice is particularly pleasant although not very powerful, and she sings better in the lower side of her register when she gets very silky, but when she tries some high trills she is not as successful.

Both singers benefit from the fact that the orchestra is a reduced one, not loud at all, and by the looks of it, it seems like the theater is small as well, therefore they don't need to project too far.

Conducting doesn't seem to be particularly energetic, and the small orchestra is very pale.

As far as the opera is concerned, I rather like it. It starts unimpressively with a generic prelude that is not very appealing, however it is not excluded that this might be the fault of this production rather than Mascagni's, because originally his prelude contained a chorus. Obviously this small regional company was unable to provide one because it is nowhere to be seen or heard.

But the vocal writing is beautiful - particularly the lines for the mezzo, which are very delicate and melodious. It is a very obscure work that even the conductor, the singers, and the director completely ignored before they decided to stage it.

On CD, this opera is surprisingly represented by three different recordings, all three featuring rather unknown orchestras and conductors: on its own in a version with Jennifer Larmore; sharing a CD with three other short Mascagni operas (L'Apoteose Cicogna; A Giasomo Leopardi; Pinotta); and finally sharing another CD with Leoncavallo's Zaza.

In the bonus tracks there is a full concert with the same soprano, the same orchestra but with many more instruments, a larger theater, and a different conductor - Giovanni di Stefano. It also happened in 2003, in Savona. It features some ten arias from Verismo composers. Singing again is so-so (unsurprisingly, since it's the same soprano like I said), but the orchestra is much more vivid. The concert doesn't have subtitles, and is a bit boring.

There is no competition on DVD therefore if you're a fan of Mascagni and Verismo, there is interest in getting this product which is well packaged and contains a performance that if not brilliant, it is not bad either.

But I'd only recommend this to committed Mascagni and Verismo fans.

[Schigolch]

I'm a big time fan of Italian Opera from late 19th century and early 20th. It is a fascinating period, with many composers producing quite interesting pieces.

One of them was Alfredo Catalini, and Loreley one of his last operas.

Gigli and Muzio in the MET premiere of Loreley, 1922

The opera was first given in Turin, in 1890. It was then performed in the rest of Italy, France, Germany, Spain, England,... and also in America. It enjoyed some success until well into the 1930s, but since then has been staged only a handful of times.

The plot is relatively simple. In a castle besides the river Rhine, Count Walter (tenor) is throwing a party for her fiancée, Ana (soprano), niece of Margrave Rodolfo (bass). The Count confess to his friend Hermann (baritone), secretly in love with Ana, that his real interest is the beautiful Loreley, and that he is having an affair with her.

The Count and Loreley meet, but she is not precisely elated to know he plan to drop her, and decides to fling herself into the Rhine in desperation, but after a pact with the sorcerer Alberich, emerges for this predicament transfigured and even more beautiful than before.

Meanwhile, Hermann tries to convince Ana of Walter's betrayal, but the young girl is fully prepared to get married to the Count. During the wedding, however, a strange image of Loreley appears, and Walter, blind with love, abandons Ana, who dies racked with pain.

His conscience is gnawing at Walter, while he spent his days frolicking with Loreley. Finally, she must honor her deal with Alberich, returns to the Rhine and Walter, desperate, also throws himself into the river.





There are several recordings of Loreley available. The two above are my recommendation, really nice work.

Let's listen to some of the best passages from the opera:

Nel verde Maggio, Walter's aria, sung by Franco Corelli

One of the most beautiful arias of Italian 19th century Opera: Ana's Amor, celeste ebrezza..., sung by Magda Olivero

Ove son?, Loreley's aria, sung by Ghena Dimitrova

Overall: B+, recommended for all Opera lovers.

[Schigolch]

Leoncavallo, a long time admirer of Wagner, planned to write a trilogy about Italian Renaissance, at the manner of the Ring cycle. Finally, he was able to complete only I Medici:



Giuliano de Medici - Plácido Domingo
Lorenzo de Medici - Carlos Alvarez
Simonetta Cattanei - Daniela Dessì
Fioretta de Gori - Renata Lamanda

Conductor - Alberto Veronesi

This studio recording is of outstanding quality, with a superb sound and good performers. Domingo is solid, if rather unexciting, while Daniela Dessì's voice, not longer in her prime at live performance, is great here, despite a noticeable wobble. It's a pity that Mr. Alvarez health issues are keeping him out of the operatic stage, he is a very good Lorenzo, while Renata Lamanda vocal portrait of her character is precise and neat.

Mr. Veronesi is a true expert on this period, and it shows.

I Medici itself is among Leoncavallo's finest operas. Arguably even his best, though personally I prefer Zazà.

Overall: B+, recommended for lovers of Italian Opera.

[Schigolch]

After signing a contract to the effect, Alfredo Catalani premiered at La Scala his opera Dejanice, in 1883.


Roles

Dardano - Elderly Triumvir of Syracuse - Baritone
Argelia - Her niece - Soprano
Amdeto - Exiled adventurer, in love with Argelia - Tenor
Dejanice - Former Patrician, now an Hetaera and lover of Amdeto - Soprano
Labdaco - Carthaginean corsair, slave of the Greeks - Bass


The plot

Syracuse, Fourth century BC. The captain and adventure Amdeto has defeated the Carthaginean Navy, and demands to marry Argelia, the niece of the Triumvir Dardano. The old leader refuses and Labdaca, a former Carthaginean corsair that is now imprisoned by the Greeks, convinces Amdeto to flee Syracuse and starts a new career as a pirate.

Amdeto is very succesful at piracy, and his lover is the beautiful Dejanice, a former Syracuse's Patrician, now an Hetaera. After sinking a Syracusaen vessel, the pirates take Argelia captive, but Admeto orders Labdaco to get her back to her uncle.

Admeto decides also to return to Syracuse, and the surprised Argelia swore to him eternal love. Dejanice, in the meanwhile, discloses to Labdaco that she was a spy of Dardano.

Dardano is resolved to avoid at all costs the wedding of Admeto and Argelia, but Dejanice poisons him and prevent the suicide of the young lovers, that are free now to be happy, while Dejanice stabs herself.

This opera, pre-verismo, has more in common with a Gioconda, in the music and in the plot, and its a very nice one. The recording, by Bongiovanni, is typical of this label, done with little known singers, and second tier orchestra. The conductor here is Jan Latham-Koenig, before his appointmnt to the Opéra National du Rhin, that makes a good effort.


Overall: B-, recommended for lovers of Italian 19th century opera


We can hear the overture, and a couple of arias from the opera (not from the commercial recording):

Dejanice - Overture

[Schigolch]

Only two of the fourteen operas written by Umberto Giordano have entered in the repertoire (Andrea Chenier and Fedora).

Arguably the best of the remaining twelve, is Siberia. It was premiered in 1903 at La Scala, (with De Luca, Zenatello and Storchio) and was a modest success. Giordano rewrote the opera in 1927, and new performances in Milan were scheduled.


Stephana (soprano) is the protegée of a Russian prince, Alessi (baritone) living in St. Petersburg, after being first seduced and then offered to the prince by the rogue Gleby (baritone). The young girl falls in love with Vassili (tenor), a liutenant, that is unaware of the condition of her beloved. When he discover her attachment to the prince, he challenged the nobleman to a duel, and mortally wounds him.

Vassili faces trial, and he is deported to Siberia. Of course, despite his protestations, Stephana follows him into exile. They prepare a plan to escape, but at the arrival of Gleby, also condemned by another crime, they are denounced and Stephana is shot while trying to flee, and dies in the arms of Vassili.

The touches of "Russian" atmosphere are not really well conceived, but vocal writing is very good, and appropriately "verista". This CD by Dynamic is using a second rate cast, but the recording is good, with this limitation, and made for an interesting hearing.

Overall: B, for lovers of Italian Opera