The Passion of Opera

Just wanted to say that I've been on a bit of a hiatus because 1. I've been working a new job and I want to make sure I'm making a good impression and all that and 2. I'm in a temporary apartment with a smaller tv and poor sound system, so I've been holding off on watching DVDS, etc., for a while.

Last night I watched the Met's DVD of Il tabarro (based on Didier Gold's play La houppelande ). While it has been a trend to perform Puccini's entire Il trittico of Il tabarro , Suor angelica , and Gianni schicchi together, this DVD pairs Pagliacci and Il tabarro , so I can only review the one. You work with what you've got, eh? This particular recording of Il tabarro features Juan Pons as Michele, Teresa Stratas as Giorgetta, and Plácido Domingo as Luigi. The supporting roles are sung by members unlisted except on the DVD and I have no access to them. However, this is okay, as I will explain. Overall, the production seems a bit stagnant. I could hope for a little more life, a little more imagination, and a bit more liveliness. I think part of this suffers from either Puccini's writing of the piece, or from the fact that had I seen all three pieces of Il trittico together, as intended, I might feel differently. The set is fairly simplistic, and built...

I watched this rendition of La fille du regiment with the excellent Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Florez a few weeks ago and I am now getting around to my review of it. All in all, it was an excellent production. The leads did great jobs with just a few small foibles, and the supporting cast was superb in both acting and voice. The acting overall is quite good. Florez, for his part, has some rote gestures that he does again and again (particularly turning away and turning back before starting a phrase). However, he does a good job of acting the part with a sincerity that has been unusual until recently for tenors in particular. That said, there have been exceptions in the past and there are a wide variety of tenors with acting ability currently on the stages. Florez isn't an exquisite actor above the rest, but he's good enough without a doubt. The supporting singers all play their roles well, especially Felicity Palmer (except not so well when she's singi...

Ah! Now, as I return to posting regularly, I thought I would do something I have long intended to do (as mentioned in an earlier post). I will be reviewing the DVD based on Cecilia Bartoli's popular album Sacrificium . I would have reviewed the album, but it came out long before my blog began. This DVD is both more recent, and, I think, more interesting. The idea to make a concert DVD not just in any concert venue (though many of the classical music and opera venues are beautiful in their own right) but in the breathtaking Royal Palace of Caserta was brilliant. The location is simply stunning. Whether the place Bartoli sings is the exquisite Baroque theatre within the palace, in its rooms (near the windows), within the grand foyer, on its stairs, or among the grand cedars of the garden, each location lends itself to the particular aria being performed and provides a stunning backdrop. The setting is not the only part of the DVD that is well crafted visually. The outfits a...