Reply With QuoteOK, I've bought it, although it is very expensive. With taxes (Amazon is now charging taxes, darn), $44 bucks! At this price, I hope it is good or I'll blame you, Clayton!
Yep, DNO is known for somewhat extreme stagings... but generally very good musical values. I do like many DNO productions (but have hated others). OK, it's worth the risk, I think it's a buy, for me. Thanks for recommending it. I'll let you know what I think after I see it (I mean, I'll likely publish a review anyway).Originally Posted by Clayton
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
OK, I've bought it, although it is very expensive. With taxes (Amazon is now charging taxes, darn), $44 bucks! At this price, I hope it is good or I'll blame you, Clayton!
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
Gosh that does sound like a lot of money... PC was selling it until last week for GBP 18.75 which I know is useless information for you and may feel like a lemon sole making impact with your left cheek
Never mind. Although Almaviva junior's education might be a blood sucking vampire now, just imagine in a few years he'll overtake dad on income and will be sending you pocket money to indulge on opera galore
No, I occasionally do buy from PC; even with the shipping to the US sometimes their prices are competitive. It takes a long time to receive the packet so I tend to buy from PC when they have a sale making the prices even more competitive, and so if I buy 5 or 6 together it is all good in terms of savings since the shipping is divided by the number of discs, as opposed to buying one by one from Amazon. Often however to buy just one disc from PC is not a good idea as compared to Prime Amazon membership (this blu-ray will be in my home in two days), just to save a few bucks but delaying the gratification for several weeks.
Yes, I can't wait for my son's graduation from law school... it will free up a huge chunk of money and I'll be able to resume more ambitious traveling such as going to Europe to see opera.
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PS - I just checked, and the PC price for this blu-ray shipped to me would actually be higher than what I paid on Amazon, so... Like I said, I need to use PC when they have sales... for regular purchases I won't save when buying from them.
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PS-2: Oh well, I explored other sites and found it on Classical Music Superstore for $35 shipping and taxes included so I cancelled the Amazon purchase and got it from them. A bit better... So if I don't like it, Clayton, I'll be blaming you a little less, LOL
Last edited by Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva); March 22nd, 2015 at 05:39 PM.
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
The burden of USD 9 worth of responsibility has been lifted from my shoulders
Still that leaves USD 35 of pressure bearing down
I gently roll my head and arch my back
then cross the room to pour myself a generous couple of fingers of Lagavulin (Baccarat Harmonie tumbler number 4)
The first sip is more of a gulp as I check myself in the mirror above the fireplace, a nervous glance before running my hand through my hair
I light a cigarette, steadying my hand with the other
Damn it!
...
I don't think you should be drinking this expensive Lagavulin, because you'll need all the money you can spare once my lawyers get to you. I'm prepared to fire an international lawsuit to recover my USD 35 if the blu-ray sucks, and since I have a clear-cut case (I'll be able to prove with screen shots of this website that you pretty much coerced me to purchase this disc), I'll win, and it won't be just the $35. I'm planning to ask for a compensatory award for pain and suffering, due to the stress of waiting for a blu-ray, building up expectations, then being utterly disappointed. I figure it's worth $2,000,000, at least. Yeah, my lawyers are this good. Anyway, in the unlikely event that I lose the lawsuit, I can always bombard your neighborhood with one of my small nuclear devices, for revenge.
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
You mean:
Sublime. Of course, I know this is only a #1, but still...
Promise me you won't extinguish the cigarette in the tumbler!
That was okay; the scenario in my mind took place in a film (black and white) in the 1950's and there's always plenty of really big ashtrays lying around in those.
Rameau: Zoroastre
Stage Director: Pierre Audi
Anders J Dahlin (Zoroastre), Evgueniy Alexiev (Abramane), Sine Bundgaard (Amélite), Anna Maria Panzarella (Erinice), Lars Arvidson (Zopire/La Vengeance), Marcus Schwartz (Narbanor), Gerard Théruel (Oromasčs/Ariman), Ditte Andersen (Céphie)
The Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra and Chorus & Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset
Recorded live at Drottningholms Slottsteater on the Drottningholm Island, Stockholm in July 2006.
Oui, oui!
Anna Maria Panzarella, Evgueniy Alexiev (sign me up for the dark side again), Les Talens Lyriques, Costumes and make up, the theatre, choreography.
mais
Non, non!
Odd camera angles, choreography.
Verdi: Les vępres siciliennes
Live at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, 2013
Lianna Haroutounian (Helene), Bryan Hymel (Henri), Erwin Schrott (Procida), Michael Volle (Guy de Montfort), Michelle Daly (Ninetta), Neal Cooper (Thibault), Nico Darmanin (Daniéli), Jung Soo Yun (Mainfroid), Jihoon Kim (Robert), Jean Teitgen (Le Sire de Béthune) & Jeremy White (Le Comte de Vaudemont)
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano (conductor) & Stefan Herheim (stage director)
Magnificent in battle:
Michael Volle, Erwin Schrott, ballet (choreography, performance, cohesion)
Losing the fight:
Some sound issues, wooden shoulders and arms from the ladybird book of stage acting, Schrott in a frock and some other odd bits
Special mention (decorated for his actions):
Pocket sized Henri, whose movements are more natural than more experienced full size people (though executioner role was an odd bit)
Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice
Sung in German
Orpheus - Yann Bridard (ballet), Maria Riccarda Wesseling (opera), Eurydice - Marie-Agnčs Gillot (ballet), Julia Kleiter (opera), Amor - Miteki Kudo (ballet ) & Sunhae Im (opera)
Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris & Balthasar-Neumann Chor & Ensemble, Thomas Hengelbrock
Choreography and Stage Direction: Pina Bausch
Set, costume and lighting designs: Rolf Borzik
A dance-opera by Pina Bausch
This is a "dance-opera" ie more dance than opera. However it is an absolutely stunning interpretation of this work.
Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, K621
Recorded live at the Palais Garnier, Paris in May & June 2005
Susan Graham (Sesto), Hannah Esther Minutillo (Annio), Catherine Naglestad (Vitellia), Ekaterina Siurina (Servilia), Roland Bracht (Publio) & Christoph Prégardien (Tito)
Orchestra and Chorus of The Opéra national de Paris, Sylvain Cambreling (musical director) & Ursel and Karl-Ernst Herrmann (stage directors)
Fit for the Emperor: everything about this production
Wearing the Emperor's clothes: nothing about this production
Susan Graham is a fantastic Sesto in this.
Natalie
I am about 15 minutes into this. Like it so far. Jose Bros pretty good, much better than in my Sonnambula DVD. Really like Dimitra.
"Music is enought for a whole lifetime--but a lifetime is not enough for music." --Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff
I kind of got a bit bored by this. I think it's probably best listened to rather than watched - it has some real killer arias and more coloratura than I can cope with in the space of three and a half hours. I really think they could have made more effort to make the costumes look as though they came from the same production rather than granny's dress-up box (Semiramide = slinky evening dresses to show off her amazing figure, Arsace = the Albanian tunic from Cosė followed by grampa's Sunday best, Azema = demure forties suit complete with pearls and shingled hair, and the priest Assur, most inexplicably, a Star Trek outfit). Singing was good, particularly Ann Hallenberg.
Natalie
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