What opera have you been watching lately?

[Soave_Fanciulla]

GBP 420 is a LOT of money to spend on the DVDs.

Very simply calculated, it is (420 - premium to have all the Verdi operas on DVD - a little expenditure on nice book with pictures)/26 = maybe just less than GBP 15 per opera. Which sounds good...
BUT if there are some which are not worth having then the calculation is thrown out the window (probably best place for it)

I don't think it is for me; not now.

Some are worth having - eg the aforementioned Battaglia di Legnano; Il Corsaro; Giovanna D'arco; Aroldo; un Giorno di Regno; I due Foscari (my favourite Tutto Verdi).

Many of the more popular operas are better served on other labels.

Now a ALL HANDEL; that would be another matter

(big cheesey grin smiley)

[StarThrower]

Unsuk Chin Alice In wonderland

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Did you make it all the way through? I got so peeved about the wilfully capricious video direction that I gave up in exasperation. Pity, because I think I would have enjoyed it otherwise.

[Adrian]

I see A site is GBP 420...

Who has this set and is it the best thing since sliced bread?

I don't have it as set from Tutto Verdi, but I recorded al lot of them , so that is only the price of a empty disc

[Hoffmann]

Attachment 7024
On the Mezzo Channel now.
Not going to watch with any interest whatsoever.
Horrible production

It has, however, a very good cast - I love the opera, and took a closer look at the DVD. Apparently, the production is done in an updated period - is the production here horrible because it's updated and strange, or because it's all- around shoddy and poorly thought out? I'm taking it that the singing is not enough of a virtue to rescue the concept/production?

[Adrian]

It has, however, a very good cast - I love the opera, and took a closer look at the DVD. Apparently, the production is done in an updated period - is the production here horrible because it's updated and strange, or because it's all- around shoddy and poorly thought out? I'm taking it that the singing is not enough of a virtue to rescue the concept/production?

I have nothing against the cast , it is the production I don't like.
I am not brining up my age again but I rather listen to a CD then watching this kind of performances.
I can't get uses to it.
Not to be snobbish but the old Nederlandse Opera (before Audi took over) was sublime.
Decent settings , descent singing, this days it's al modern .(for me that is)
I use to go to Antwerpen but alas the same .
So I go to The Met in the cinema.(and have to go trough horrible setting again)

[JohnGerald]

The Tutto Verdi series is quite uneven; it's kind of like the little girl with the little curl. When she was good, she was very good, and when she was bad she was sublime. The early Verdi is quite good to amazingly good, but operas from the mature period suffer from some appalling staging and lackluster casts. Rigoletto is near perfect; Trovatore is much less so. Traviata is quite good, but Ballo ain't. Don Carlo, Aida and Forza are troubled. I tried to be careful in selecting when they issued, but caveat emptor rules for the series

[Adrian]

I am getting spoiled by my digital channel again(I hope)
Tonight:



Verdi: Attila

---

Ildar Abdrazakov (Attila), Vladislav Sulimsky (Ezio), Anna Markarova (Odabella), Sergei Skorokhodov (Foresto), Mikhail Makarov (Uldino) & Timur Abdikeyev (Leone)
Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (conductor) & Arturo Gama (director)

[Clayton]

The Tutto Verdi series is quite uneven; it's kind of like the little girl with the little curl. When she was good, she was very good, and when she was bad she was sublime. The early Verdi is quite good to amazingly good, but operas from the mature period suffer from some appalling staging and lackluster casts. Rigoletto is near perfect; Trovatore is much less so. Traviata is quite good, but Ballo ain't. Don Carlo, Aida and Forza are troubled. I tried to be careful in selecting when they issued, but caveat emptor rules for the series

That's good to know. From what you and Soave_Fanciulla say, it sounds like the volume one and part of volume two is the best of it with volume three not so good

Vol 1
Oberto, Un giorno di Regno, Nabucco, I lombardi all prima crociata, Ernani, I due Foscari, Giovanna d'Arco, Alzira, Attila

Vol 2
Macbeth, I Masnadieri, Il Corsaro, La battaglia di Legnano, Luisa Miller, Stiffelio, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata

Vol 3
I Vespri Siciliani, Simon Boccanegra, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino, Don Carlo, Aida, Otello, Falstaff

[Adrian]

The Tutto Verdi series is quite uneven; it's kind of like the little girl with the little curl. When she was good, she was very good, and when she was bad she was sublime. The early Verdi is quite good to amazingly good, but operas from the mature period suffer from some appalling staging and lackluster casts. Rigoletto is near perfect; Trovatore is much less so. Traviata is quite good, but Ballo ain't. Don Carlo, Aida and Forza are troubled. I tried to be careful in selecting when they issued, but caveat emptor rules for the series

That's the reason I recorded them myself, saves a lot of money to.

[Clayton]

Puccini: La Bohème
Cheryl Barker (Mimì), David Hobson (Rodolfo), Roger Lemke (Marcello), Christine Douglas (Musetta), Gary Rowley (Colline), David Lemke (Schaunard)
The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra 1993
Julian Smith
Designed by Catherine Martin & Bill Marron
Directed by Baz Luhrmann



It's charming. I love the characters, the costume and staging. If, the singing isn't first class, the rest of the production will let you love it as if it was. Thank the captain for the pointer, because it is a hidden gem.

[Ann Lander (sospiro)]

Some are worth having - eg the aforementioned Battaglia di Legnano; Il Corsaro; Giovanna D'arco; Aroldo; un Giorno di Regno; I due Foscari (my favourite Tutto Verdi).

Many of the more popular operas are better served on other labels.

Thanks! Will make a note of those ones.

[Clayton]

Prokofiev: War and Peace
Olga Guryakova, Nathan Gunn, Robert Brubaker, Elena Obraztsova, Elena Zaremba, Vassili Gerello, Anatoli Kotcherga, Margarita Mamsirova and many, many others
Opera National de Paris
Gary Bertini
Stage director Francesca Zambello
Costume design Nicky Gillibrand
Lighting Dominique Bruguière
Choreography Denni Sayers



Straight up there as one of my favourite DVDs. Stunning costumes. BIG stage. Brilliant change of scenes. and so much more.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

Hadn't seen this one and it's kind of middle of the range. The production is excellent - it's the first one where I can believe all the protagonists are dissenters, great costumes, blocking, direction. The acting is good too, but the singing is definitely provincial theatre rather than top-notch, particulary Roberto Aronica who was a rather rough-edged Stiffelio (the other two Stiffelio DVDS have Domingo and Carreras in the title role.). If you are only going to have one I would recommend the Carreras/Malfitano version.

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

Prokofiev: War and Peace
Olga Guryakova, Nathan Gunn, Robert Brubaker, Elena Obraztsova, Elena Zaremba, Vassili Gerello, Anatoli Kotcherga, Margarita Mamsirova and many, many others
Opera National de Paris
Gary Bertini
Stage director Francesca Zambello
Costume design Nicky Gillibrand
Lighting Dominique Bruguière
Choreography Denni Sayers



Straight up there as one of my favourite DVDs. Stunning costumes. BIG stage. Brilliant change of scenes. and so much more.

Yes, it's very good, and directed by our own 'Cesca!