Gounod: Faust (2004), 8

3h | Drama, Music | TV Movie 14 June 2004
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Directors: Sue Judd, Robin Lough
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Stars: Roberto Alagna, Bryn Terfel, Angela Gheorghiu, Simon Keenlyside.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1954436/

Premiere 1859

Place: Germany
Time: 16th century

The production looked more Victorian than 16th century, but it worked for me. At one point Faust injects himself with a hypodermic (illicit drugs); that's rather modern: 1853 is when that's invented.

I'm on an Alagna jag, and this one was pleasing, to the extent that I can appreciate this opera.

I felt like I watched fairly carefully (not undivided attention, but close), and find these plot deficits: According to the synopses in Simon's Great Operas and on Wikipedia, Marguerite is in prison because she killed her out-of-wedlock child. We see her in prison, and earlier put a baby into a coffin, but not its cause of death. Also, Marguerite is supposed to go to heaven at the end, and possibly Faust too, but they're both onstage after the appearance and exit of the angel and the descent of Meph, so that did NOT convey either direction for our mortals.

I believe Marguerite is portrayed as fairly innocent at the beginning of the show, and resists Faust's advances, but when she succumbs, she pays dearly. He pays too, but only because he has a conscience.

I never did see the moment complained about by a (civilian) reviewer, and which is memorialized on the dvd menu: Meph tasting blood. His costume is red brocade, which I believe he wears in the first half of the opera. I have no idea of the source of the blood. (Or is it Valentin's? That's the only blood I remember seeing, but that's on the second disc, and Meph wears a plain black cloak there.)

I have no quibbles with the production design; the Victorian costumes are consistent with the metal hypodermic needle (I watched for that). The ballerino (why don't we use that word more?) had some pretty scary vampirish teeth; wonder if that was prosthetic.

The moral of the story: don't mess with the devil (duh) and wait until marriage and/or use some of those new-fangled rubber condoms (invented 1855) before you fool around. (Other covers were available since the middle of the 16th century, per Wp.)

Rated  9.3 (7)

RoyalOpera, cond. Pappano; 8

Becoming Traviata (2012), 7

2h | Documentary, Musical | 24 October 2012
Natalie Dessay prepares to take on the role of Violetta in this documentary about the staging of Verdi's masterwork at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France.
Director: Philippe Béziat
Stars: Charles Castronovo, Natalie Dessay, Louis Langrée, Jean-François Sivadier.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294917/

Read some praise for this somewhere, and I like Dessay a lot, so I thought I'd try it.

I missed the obvious fact that this is mostly in French. Interesting that the chorus is coached in English. (On the opera's credits, the chorus is listed as Estonian; the orchestra is the London Symphony O.)

This was not as interesting as I'd hoped. There was not much discussion of the big picture. Mostly micro-management of gestures/expressions, including for the chorus. I actually thought: has Dessay performed this role elsewhere, or is this her first crack at it; she seemed patient enough with the director. (Her IMDb credits show this as her first Traviata recording, but that means little.)

It was interesting to hear Dessay sing in non-operatic mode during rehearsal.

Sometimes we get the audio from either a different rehearsal moment or from the final performance. Sometimes we get dress/semi-dress rehearsal footage and/or performance footage spliced in with the raw rehearsal stuff. It's mildly interesting, but not consistent enough to make it really so. Y'know: here's the early rehearsal, here's dress, here's performance, especially for the 2 or 3 key scenes featured.

This should have been a double feature with the opera itself. I'm going to try to resist buying the opera (I have too many Traviatas already), but I think seeing this without that is very incomplete. On the other hand, if you have both, you'd almost need to queue them both up on 2 devices and play this scene on one then the other.

Rated 7.0 (98)

indie, dir. Beziat; 7

Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore (1996), 7

2h 5min | Music, Comedy | TV Movie
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Director: Brian Large
Conductor: Evelino Pidò
Stars: Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Simone Alaimo

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252412/

Premiere 1832

Place: A small village in the Basque Country
Time: The end of the 18th century

Thought I'd try a more attractive couple to see if this opera is to my liking. Meh is still the result, although I did not watch it carefully, so maybe I missed the fun.

But my perception of "the fun" is that Alagna plays a fool (young, naive, whatever) who wants the best girl in town (landowner, no less), and thinks the medicine man's cheap wine will woo her when HE drinks it. So he's foolish, then he becomes drunk. When he runs out of money, he enlists in the army to get cash to buy more elixir. This time it works with all the other girls, because they learn he's just inherited his uncle's farm. Somehow the best girl figures out she'd miss him, buys back his army contract, professes her love, and the medicine man takes the credit (the elixir makes you rich too.)

Setting it in the time of automobiles doesn't help. Makes me wonder which war the army will stumble into.

Although they're real life newlyweds, I didn't feel any chemistry between them, and they don't get together until the very last duet. Their stage kisses are completely chaste, but given this plot has about the same tone (but mellower) as Li'l Abner, that's more appropriate than passionate ones.

Oh well. Hope I never get tempted to buy another performance of this.

Rated 8.5 (49).

OperaLyon, cond. Pido; 7

Massenet: Le Roi de Lahore (2005), 7

2h 33min | Music | Video 28 March 2006
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Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Marcello Viotti
Stars: Giuseppe Gipali, Ana María Sánchez, Vladimir Stoyanov, Federico Sacchi.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2354171/

Premiere 1877

Time: 11th century.
Place: Lahore, a city of Pakistan.

Filmed at Teatro la Fenice di Venezia

This came to my attention when IMDb had misspelled Vladimir's name (Vladmir is underlined by spellcheck; name change/merge went through today; I wanted to cheer and send them praise, but they just did their job properly without intercession - how sad I wanted to celebrate that improvement). The cover is pretty and interesting, and the Amazon reviews conflicted with the YouTube clip I found, so...

The story seems to make passing between death and life an easy switch, assisted by a god of course. The strange part is that Alim seems to retain his memory of both during his return trip (or maybe I missed something).

I like the 3rd act ballet (toward the end of disc1). The music is a bit slow, but they have enough stuff going on to liven things up. Besides, you can stare at the painted topless dancer to try to determine if she's really topless and painted, or if there's some very thin fabric covering her.

The female lead is too heavy and too old, but has a nice voice, and is matched with a tenor who's almost as wide.

Again baritone Vladimir Stoyanov pulls my attention back to the screen with his aria. He's nothing to look at, and I wouldn't recognize his voice among other baritones. I wonder why he consistently pleases?

Learned today that Fenice is Phoenix, and this opera house has burned down 3 times.

FeniceOpera, cond. Viotti; 7

Giordano: Fedora (1993), 8-

1h 53min | Drama, Music | TV Movie 1993
Princess falls in love with her fiance's killer just after sending a letter to authorities reporting his guilt. Tragedies ensue.
Conductor: Gianandrea Gavazzeni
Stars: Mirella Freni, Adelina Scarabelli, Plácido Domingo, Alessandro Corbelli.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381939/

Premiere 17 November 1898
Teatro Lirico, Milan

Time: 1881
Place: St. Petersburg, Paris and The Bernese Oberland in Switzerland

Filmed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, cap. 2030.

When I watched the Met on Demand production (same 2 stars, almost 2 months ago), I found this story interesting (except the ending). Not so much today. At one point I started wondering if the background was a large painted canvas, or just a scrim with back projection. The backdrop is not particularly interesting, so that tells me my mind was wandering. I didn't really catch why she fell in love with him, other than he declared his love for her; no idea why he fell for her. (I ran it twice, and both times something brought my eye back to the screen as they were trading love declarations. Watched that section a 3rd time, and wonder if his love for her was evident earlier still; not gonna start it again.)

I do like having this in my collection for breadth. There are more than 5 Italian composers (Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini), after all. One fascinating scene has no singing, no dancing, only the Princess contemplating and writing the letter pointing to her fiance's killer; "fascinating" only for what it doesn't do, and that it lasts a longish time.

OperaLaScala, cond. Gavazzeni; 8-

Verdi: La traviata (1982), 7+

G | 1h 49min | Drama, Music | 18 February 1983
Violetta meets Alfredo and quickly falls for him. After the lovers run away together, they live in bliss for a short time. However, Alfredo's father, Giorgio, starts to interfere, concerned that Violetta's bad reputation will affect the marriage prospects of Alfredo's sister. Violetta reluctantly leaves Alfredo, but his love is so strong that it leads him to actions that have tragic consequences.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Conductor: James Levine
Stars: Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084821/

First performance at Venice, March 6, 1853

Time: 1846
Place: Paris and the suburb Auteuil

I have too many productions of this opera already, and have already spotted another I might want.

This film is disappointing, because it is Zeffirelli. I was absolutely distracted throughout by the incredible wealth (home furnishings) amassed by the courtesan. Did one patron gift his entire palazzo to her? How does that opulence align with the plot point of her selling off all her country home possessions to pay the summer debts? Seems like she could do that with the contents of one mantle in the city home. And the country home is almost as opulent.

I was fine with the restructuring FZ did: opening with her on her death bed, then flashing back to happier times, bringing us up to date all in flashback. I like that we can go outdoors, or at least to outdoorish sets that would be too much transition onstage. But at the end, Alfredo, his father, the doctor, her maid are all absent. That seems too cruel; makes the immediately prior scene of reconciliation (too late) with Alfredo seem like a dream. So was it all a dream? Oh no no no.

The music is gorgeous, and so is Domingo (b. '41) both visually and aurally. Stratas is not really pretty enough for the role, but her voice is.

Now that I know of the inconsistencies/ differences in plot (Zeffirelli took a writing credit), perhaps the next viewing will be less distracting.

The 3 others I've noted about have lengths 2:13-2:15. Perhaps FZ cut quite a bit of music, which might account for such a low rating.

Rated 6.9 (1,246)

MetOpera, cond. Levine; 7+

Passion Callas (2006), 8

1h 14min | Documentary, Music | Video 24 January 2006
1997 documentary with then-new interviews with people who worked with la Callas, as well as archive footage of interviews with associates. Film clips, photos and recordings illustrate her performance powers.
Director: Gerald Caillat
Stars: Maria Callas

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10549716/

(I had to add this title to IMDb. It went live in the time it took to watch it.)

I set out recently to acquire some Callas. I chose 3 titles: the Zeffirelli fiction Callas Forever (2002), the '62/'64 Covent Garden performances, and this. I did very well. There is almost no overlap among the 3; the most noticable is a bit of one of the Carmen arias from Covent Garden is here the small slice of Tosca here has her in a different dress, and a different camera angle than the full Act II on the CG disc. Likely some audio recording was used in both this and Callas Forever.

This focuses on her career. Onassis is included, but mostly because that relationship interrupted her career measurably (met him in '59). Meneghini is discussed a bit, but more as her manager than as her husband. Only slight mention of her mother that I recall, nothing about trouble there.

This focuses on her talent, and her deliberate study of the music to determine her performances. Her work with Visconti is here, but I don't remember Zeffirelli being discussed.

This is mostly in French, Italian, perhaps some Greek; some is in English. All non-English is subtitled, so it's a lot of reading.

The bootleg footage taken by a violinist in the orchestra pit is fun but silent. The still photos of performances are well-chosen to convey the emotion she transmitted onstage.

Now I'm torn whether to invest in more, particularly in audio recordings. I should listen to what I have on CD, try to transfer my LPs to disc. The recent (2014, 2017) "remastered" releases are rated high, but also highly criticized by one "expert" in particular. Besides, I want to see the performance while hearing it, not possible with MC beyond a few concerts and Tosca Act II on the Covent Garden disc.

(EMI), dir. Caillat; 8

Mozart: The Magic Flute (2007), 7

The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Season 1, Episode 1
1h 52m | Musical | Episode aired 24 January 2007
Prince Tamino and Papageno are sent by the Queen of Night to save her daughter Pamina from the clutches of the evil lord Sarastro.
Director: Gary Halvorson, Julie Taymor (stage)
Conductor: James Levine
Stars: Matthew Polenzani, Ying Huang, René Pape, Nathan Gunn, Erika Miklósa, Greg Fedderly.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0956790/

Premiere 1791, 2 months before Mozart's death

Sung in English.

Colorful costumes and (some) sets. Puppetry is not as dominant as the poster might suggest, but is pleasantly prevalent. Visuals enhance the fairy tale aspect of the story.

However, it still took several attempts before I actually finished watching this. (Started on the Met on Demand service, had bad connectivity, ordered disc because this was the first production that felt consistent between story and sets/costumes; yay Julie Taymor.) Even with all the color, and Papageno's humor, and the English lyrics, I don't like all the sing-speak, nor is the story very interesting to me.

Rated 8.5 (43)

MetOpera, cond. Levine; 7

Maria Callas at Covent Garden (1964), 8+

1h 10min | Documentary, Music | TV Special
Few of Maria Callas's performances were filmed, so these two gala concerts recorded at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1962 and 1964 are special. On 4 November 1962, it was before an excited audience that she appeared unexpectedly in a live television transmission of a concert with several other performers. She was in excellent vocal condition, which reassured her fans, who had heard rumors that she was vanishing from the stage to be with Aristotle Onassis or because her voice was failing. Callas sings "Tu che le vanita" from Verdi's Don Carlo and the flirtatious gypsy girl's role in the Habanera and the Seguedille from Bizet's Carmen. In 1963 Callas occasionally recorded for EMI in Paris, but her last triumph was her appearance in Puccini's Tosca at Covent Garden in 1964. The director was Franco Zeffirelli and singing in the role of Scarpia was baritone Tito Gobbi.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Conductors: Georges Prêtre (1962), Carlo Felice Cillario (1962)
Stars: Maria Callas, Renato Cioni, Tito Gobbi.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0261048/

Owning this disc fulfils my desire to have the Tosca Act II footage, the only known opera performance footage of MC, in my collection. And although the video quality is lacking a little (I'm not bothered by b/w), I have no complaints about the audio.

The '62 performance is brief, only 3 arias, but the Tosca act is complete.

Gobbi is a terrific Scarpia: both dignified and sinister. (Having seen some alternate interpretations, I appreciate this more.)

The liner notes (required magnifying lens) stated this Zeffirelli production was a new interpretation of Tosca as young/innocent, where prior she had been a mature grand diva. So her dispatch of Scarpia seems more spontaneous and desperate. The acting is compelling and well filmed, a much better view than sitting in the opera house.

Rated 9.0 (66)

RoyalOpera, cond. Pretre & Cillario; 8+

Verdi: I vespri siciliani (2003), 8-

2h 40min | Music | TV Movie February 2003
...I Vespri Siciliani is in many senses an intimist opera, all based on the contrast between the duties imposed on, and sorrowfully accepted by, all the leading characters by their political roles, and their private feelings which, of course, do not correspond to the demands of politics...
Conductor: Stefano Ranzani
Stars: Orlin Anastassov, Amarilli Nizza, Vladimir Stoyanov, Renzo Zulian.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2662532/

French Premiere: June 1855; Paris Opéra
Italian Premiere: December 1855, Teatro Regio, Parma
Italian libretto rewritten in 1861

Place: Palermo, Italy
Time: 1282

Filmed at Teatro Verdi di Busseto

Not the same performance/production as Tutto Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani (2010), 7-, although similar with the opening scene having the chorus on the periphery of the audience. This one did a good job of lighting so you didn't see the audience; the house could almost have been empty. But later, when individual players walked the same edges, some patrons were very visible (and almost bored-looking). They must have made an announcement at the beginning for everyone to "tuck in", but later people forgot or didn't care.

Again I'm impressed by V.Stoyanov's beautiful baritone; when I'm not watching, his aria brings my eyes back to the screen. The lead soprano was also vocally attractive, as was the tenor. In this cast, the rebel leader (also baritone/bass) was young, handsome, and vocally pleasing as well. So I like all 4 leads, the intimacy of the house (the audio was terrific), and the production was fine (no French ballet).

Still, the story leaves me cold: unacquainted father/son on opposing sides of a rebellion alter their loyalties upon learning their true relationship. I do like that the rebellion goes on without their confusion.

The costumes seem more appropriate to revolution during Verdi's life than to 1282.

RAI, cond. Ranzani; 8-

Callas: A Documentary (1978), 8-

1h 40min | Documentary, Music, Romance | TV Movie
Documentary about opera diva Maria Callas.
Director: Tony Palmer
Writer: John Ardoin
Stars: Maria Callas, Aristotle Onassis, Franco Zeffirelli.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417514/
Watched on AmazonPrime.

Good overview of her life (perhaps); some performance footage included, but only clips.

Lots of doc'ys out there about her. Hard to know if any is worth owning. Glad to have watched Zeffirelli's fiction (Callas Forever) first.

Rated 7.9 (24)

(none), dir. Palmer; 8-

Callas Forever (2002), 9

PG-13 | 1h 51min | Biography, Drama, Music | 18 Sep 2002
The last days of legendary opera singer Maria Callas.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Stars: Fanny Ardant, Jeremy Irons, Joan Plowright.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274407/

I'm probably over-rating this. My prior rating is 7 from Netflix. But after watching many Zeffirelli opera productions, and seeing a bit about his history with Callas, this film made me smile from beginning to end. Hearing her recordings within the film helped a lot.

FA is wonderful as Callas. I chose the Greek poster because it uses the best shot of her. The current bd cover could be Rene Russo (big sunglasses) playing Jackie O. (There was a similarity in appearance. Perhaps Onassis had a "type.")

This is NOT about her last days. This is complete fiction, Zeffirelli's dream of what might have happened, albeit without being too rosey about the outcome. This was clearly a labor of love, a valentine from FZ to MC. And he seems to have embraced FA as a suitable substitute, at least according to the bits provided as extra features.

Here's an undated photo of the real Maria Callas.

Rated 6.6 (1,994)

indie, dir. Zeffirelli; 9

Alfano: Cyrano de Bergerac (2008), 8-

2h 20min | Drama, Musical, Romance | 2 March 2008
While best known today for having composed the ending to Puccini's unfinished Turandot, Franco Alfano wrote some dozen operas, including Cyrano de Bergerac (1936) with a libretto by Henri Cain based on Edmond Rostand's drama of the same name. It is a moving tale of romantic misunderstanding, swashbuckling bravado and heartbreaking loyalty, in which the eloquent Cyrano feels unable to express his love for Roxane because of his famously protuberant nose--except on behalf of his handsome but inarticulate friend, Christian. 
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Patrick Fournillier
Stars: Plácido Domingo, Sondra Radvanovsky, Arturo Chacón-Cruz.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1329126/

Premiere 1936 (in Italian), Rome
Alfano originally set the text in French, which is how it's performed in this video.

The Rostrand play opens in Paris, 1640. (I have not found this information for the Alfano opera.)

This is my second Alfano: Cyrano, the first being Alfano: Cyrano de Bergerac (2005), 9 with R.Alagno as C, and his brothers doing the production design/direction. They managed to mine more comedy from the script, and RA had more swash in his buckle. PD is dignified and hurt, singing and acting splendidly as always. But with RA you get the extra pleasure of a native speaker singing in French. RA's nose was less extreme, but neither was rendered ugly by the prosthetic, as Cyrano describes himself.

Audio is less than ideal, with the singers sounding far from the mics, but perhaps normal for recorded onstage in 2008.

I like the story a lot, and wish other composers had done this, or done it well enough that we have performances available. I don't find any other Cyrano opera on Amazon,

This opera house is in Valencia, Spain.

ValencianaOpera, cond. Fournillier; 8-

Tutto Verdi: Falstaff (2011), 7

2h 11m | Music | TV Movie 2011
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Conductor: Andrea Battistoni
Stars: Ambrogio Maestri, Daniela Pini, Luca Salsi, Romina Tomasoni, Svetla Vassileva.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2813068/

26th Verdi opera, 27th and final major work.
Premiere 1893, La Scala, Milan
(NB: Otello premiered 1887, Aida 1871, Requiem 1874; Verdi was 80 y.o.)

Time: The reign of Henry IV, 1399 to 1413
Place: Windsor, England

Filmed at Teatro Farnese di Parma (capacity 3,000 spectators; where the Requiem was performed)

I like the performers/singing, many costumes are colorful, and the sets are a nice abstraction of Windsor. The opera moved along at a nice brisk clip. I really just don't appreciate the story.

A full 6 chapters in the Great Course (45 min each), each scene is discussed. Apparently this is a culminating work of musical evolution, but that's all lost on me. Also discussed: Verdi's charitable work, which was extensive.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 6th among Verdi's operas, 24th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).

Rated 7.2 (5); one of the votes is a 4.

Unitel, cond. Battistoni; 7

Tutto Verdi: Otello (2008), 7+

2h 10min | Music | TV Movie 10 August 2008
The Moorish general Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality it is all part of the scheme of a bitter ensign named Iago.
Director: Peter Schönhofer
Conductor: Riccardo Muti
Stars: Aleksandrs Antonenko, Marina Poplavskaya, Carlos Álvarez.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1510822/

25th Verdi opera, 26th major work.
Premiere 1887, Teatro alla Scala, Milan
(NB: Aida premiered 1871, Requiem 1874)

Time: The late 16th century.
Place: A coastal city on the island of Cyprus.

Filmed at Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

I was very disappointed that this was filmed in a non-Italian, Large opera house, with 2,179 seats. (Contrast with Teatro Regio di Parma, the most frequent venue in this set, with 1,200 seats.)

The stage had a slanted, elevated platform, dressed somewhat differently for various scenes. Here's how much I wasn't drawn into this: I don't know if they put a bed onstage for Desd's demise. They projected images on the backdrop.

This Otello is the same tenor as in the 2015 Met production I strongly disliked (production was distracting from the story, Iago was meh.)

This Iago is ok. But again stage business distracted: twice I saw him pull the stage curtain closed when he was going to sing to us (s/b himself), and seemingly wanted to prevent people in the story from hearing.

Desd. looked the part (was that a wig? long blonde hair looked real), but her voice was too mature, too mezzo?

Costumes were fine.

If this were my first Otello, I would never have noticed how wonderful the story is. The plus might be generous.

Fewer than two chapters in the Great Course, plus reference to 4 chapters in the Great Course for Opera overview. Verdi was a traveling conductor (of his own works), and gentleman farmer/manager of his land holdings, had retired from composing. He first met with Boito (librettist) in '79.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 8th among Verdi's operas, 28th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).

Rated 8.2 (6); 5 8's and a 9, mine will be the first 7.

Unitel, cond. Muti; 7+

Tutto Verdi: Requiem (2011), 8

2h 27min | Music | TV Movie
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Conductor: Yuri Temirkanov
Stars: Sonia Ganassi, Francesco Meli, Dimitra Theodossiou, Riccardo Zanellato, Chorus of Teatro Regio di Parma.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812558/

Not an opera, but 25th Verdi major work.
Premiere 1874, at the San Marco church in Milan

Filmed at Teatro Farnese, Parma
This is not an opera house, but an auditorium with seating stacked like bleachers.

Written as a tribute to Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist,  famous for the novel The Betrothed (orig. Italian: I promessi sposi) (1827), generally ranked among the masterpieces of world literature. The novel was a fundamental milestone in the development of the modern, unified Italian language, based on the Tuscan dialect. Manzoni helped create linguistic unity throughout Italy.

I've not been impressed by the Requiem previously, but here the soprano and bass parts, in addition to the choral singing, attracted my attention favorably. I found the mezzo-soprano's voice a bit strange. The tenor was fine, just didn't grab me.

The repeated theme for the day of judgement is a famous segment, and very memorable and suitably scary/exciting.

Glad to have this. Wonder if the back story helped, or if this is really better than the other version I have.

Unitel, cond. Temirkanov; 8

Rossini: La donna del lago (1992), 7-

2h 47min | Drama, Music | TV Movie
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Director: Ilio Catani
Conductor: Riccardo Muti
Stars: June Anderson, Rockwell Blake, Chris Merritt, Martine Dupuy.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0194439/

Premiere 1819

Place: Scotland
Time: First half of the sixteenth century

Very disappointing. June Anderson is supposed to be a big deal, as is La Scala.

But this suffered from poor direction and/or lack of appropriate camera lenses: most shots were of the entire stage from the back of the house. People looked small. If they changed costume, I wasn't sure who it was. Very rarely did we get as close as the poster would lead you to believe.

The set and costumes were dull, but the time and woodland setting might dictate nature-based colors and simple backdrops. The actual image and sound quality was technically good, but a clear picture of a far-off stage is not what I want to see.

There's no real action or movement here, just stand up and sing. The plot is not terribly interesting, so you need some good acting and visuals to help it along. A maiden, her father, her betrothed, her beloved (en travesti) and an incognito king meet in the woods. Everybody loves her, she's not sure about anyone, maybe not even the beloved. No one important (or at all?) dies despite the war/battles offstage, and it ends with a wedding, or the promise of one, so it's not a tragedy. But it's no comedy either, at least not the way it's played here.

I really liked the 2015 Met production with J.DiDonato & JD.Florez, even rated it higher than the IMDb avg; wonder if I really watched it carefully enough to make that decision. My comment: the intermission interviews made the plot sounded interesting. I shoulda just bought that, but today it's $17.50 and that's a lot cheaper than the sold history. Had already saved a search for $13. Hmm.

OperaLaScala, cond. Muti; 7-

Tutto Verdi: Aida (2012), 9

2h 34min | Music | TV Movie 2012
One of "Tutto Verdi" series "Aida" staged by Joseph Franconi Lee, filmed in Parma.
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Antonino Fogliani
Stars: Susanna Branchini, Mariana Pentcheva, Walter Fraccaro, George Andguladze, Carlo Malinverno.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2813000/

24th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1871, Khedivial Opera House in Cairo

Place: Memphis
Time: of the Pharoahs

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

If this were my only copy of Aida, it would be sufficient. Except that I've grown to really like this opera, so more (different) productions is better. And this one is different than the other 2.

Sets/costumes/singing/acting all excellent. The stage is too small for the attempted processional, but they did have room for the 3 ballets, and may have done them well. But the TV director decided this was MTV, and did lots of closeups on the biggest (most people & longest) ballet, instead of letting us see what the audience does. Those decisions were fine for the singing, NOT for the dancing. My only consolation: I'm sure the quality of the dancing was not great, but it would've been more interesting to see what was designed/executed. (One of the ballets was comic and cute; beginning of Act II.)

The standout was Aida: Susanna Branchini. Born in Italy (father Italian, mother Caribbean), she was also the female lead in Attila. She has 1 other video credit in IMDb: Leonora in Forza ('07), not the Tutto Verdi effort.

This is an excellent story, with 3 primary characters, all of whom have deep conflicts between love and loyalty to their homelands. The grapple with this conflict throughout, with tragic but logical results. Extra stress: Aida's father has a bit of Iago in him, although he has good reason for his manipulation.

The contrast between grand spectacle and intimate scenes also makes this more enjoyable. Public duties versus private needs has been a theme Verdi used often, but it is very effectively blended here, with characters better developed than usual.

Two chapters in the Great Course again discusses Verdi's life almost as much as this opera, and has high praise for the elements I discussed above.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 3rd among Verdi's operas, 13th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).

Unitel, cond. Fogliani; 9

Tutto Verdi: Don Carlo (2012), 8-

3h 25min | Music | TV Movie 4 December 2012
Based on Schiller's play of the same name, Don Carlos was written for the Paris Opéra in 1865-66 in the tradition of a French grand opera. Repeatedly revised and performed in Italian as Don Carlo, the opera is seen here in the version that Verdi prepared for Modena in 1886. In many respects, this is Verdi's most ambitious and most forward-looking work.
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Fabrizio Ventura
Stars: Giacomo Prestia, Mario Malagnini, Simone Piazzola, Luciano Montanaro, Cellia Costea, Alla Pozniak.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812962/

23rd Verdi opera.
Premiere 1867, Salle Le Peletier (Paris Opéra)

Place: Spain
Time: around 1650

Filmed at Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti di Modena
(smaller than Parma, bigger than Busetto)

Very competent cast, not young. Amazing they don't have more IMDb credits.

Outline: Carlo, prince of Spain, meets his betrothed Elisabetta, and they fall in love. But father Filippo decides to marry her himself. Carlo's friend Rodrigo convinces Carlo to advocate for the people of Flanders, who are treated badly under Spanish reign. But father Filippo will have none of it. Princess Eboli falls for Carlo, but has an affair with Filippo; when Carlo rejects her, she sabotages Elisabetta's marriage, accusing Elisabetta & Carlo of an affair, putting them in mortal danger. Filippo consults the Grand Inquisitor about putting his son Carlo to death, and GI relates it to God sacrificing his own son. Rodrigo gets imprisoned and dies. Carlo is supposed to be rescued from his fatal sentence by a monk who might be his grandfather, but that was not at all clear in this production. (They also didn't make clear that some heretics were about to be burned.)

Yes, this is the same Don Carlo lineage as in Verdi's Ernani.

Excellent costumes, good sets, good singing/acting. Just don't like the length (and this is the short version; the original for Paris is 5 hrs), and the story doesn't engage me. If you've got 3.5 hrs, seems like more should happen, or we should know our characters better. Otello does both, and in less time.

I own a Salzburg production with H.von Karajan & J.Carreras, watched it in October and praised it here. But I complained about vagueness there too.

In 2 lectures on Don Carlo, the Great Course discusses Verdi's life in Busetto, including the beginning of his relationship with Teresa Stolz, and examines three episodes at the beginning of Act IV:
1. The orchestral prelude.
2. King Philip’s subsequent aria “Ella giammai m’amò!” (“No, she never loved me!”).
3. The opening section of Philip’s interview/duet with the Grand Inquisitor
4. (end of Act IV) Princess Eboli's rage and lament

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 11th among Verdi's operas, 64th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).

Unitel, cond. Gelmetti; 8-

Tutto Verdi: La forza del destino (2011), 7

3h 9min | Drama, Musical | TV Movie 2011
For La forza del destino, Verdi created one of his most famous melodies, the "fate" motif that permeates the whole of the score. Music and action alternate in masterly fashion between large-scale crowd scenes and intimate interiority, in that way illustrating Verdi's real theme: the manner in which fallible human beings are destroyed by a cruel fate.
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Gianluigi Gelmetti
Stars: Dimitra Theodossiou, Vladimir Stoyanov, Aquiles Machado.

22nd Verdi opera.
Premiere 1862, Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, Saint Petersburg
Revision premiere 1869, La Scala, Milan

Place: Spain and Italy
Time: around 1750

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

The set is a bare stage with 3 (or 4) large walls that stagehands (in costume) push around, sometimes DURING the performance. The poster shows 3 of the walls, 2 with cutouts forming the cross, which is lit from within.

The lighting of the players is weird, often from above/back so their faces are obscured.

Costumes are dark, although Leonora's first gown (all black) is very ornate, with texture that matches the wall behind her.

The plot is not interesting to me: Leonora and Alvaro are in love, but her father forbids their marriage because Alvaro is part-native South American. In an argument, a gun accidentally kills the father, and the lovers flee, but are separated. Leonora's brother Carlo embarks on a search for the pair to avenge his father's death. She takes refuge at a cave shielded by a monastery. Alvaro disguises himself and enlists in an army. (omitting some stuff) Carlo happens on him, and they duel near the cave. Alvaro seeks help for wounded Carlo, and Leonora comes out. As she bends over Carlo, he has strength enough to stab her in the heart. Both die. The end. Given that story, can't imagine the production/performances required to make me like this. Few of the Amazon listings has a rating over 4/5, and those have few votes. Good thing I have this one for completion.

Watched 2 of these at Met on Demand. Didn't like the one with Sweet/Domingo, (in theory) liked the one with Price/??tenor, but beware sentimental purchase of Price.

The Great Course discusses Verdi's life (he attempted retirement, served in Parliament), and highlights the overture (fate theme) and Leonora's Act III aria (Pace, pace).

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 11th among Verdi's operas, 64th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).

Unitel, cond. Gelmetti; 7

Tutto Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera (2011), 9-

2h 16min | Music | TV Movie 2011
In 1792 King Gustaf III of Sweden was shot at a masked ball, and this was the starting point for Verdi's
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Gianluigi Gelmetti
Stars: Francesco Meli, Vladimir Stoyanov, Kristen Lewis, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Serena Gamberoni.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812768/

21st Verdi opera.
Premiere 1859, Teatro Apollo, Rome

Place: Stockholm, Sweden or Boston, Massachusetts
Time: March 1792 in Sweden or the end of the 17th century in Boston (British colony)

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

I own a 1991 Met production with L.Pavarotti as the King and L.Nucci as his killer. I didn't like it much: Verdi: Un ballo in maschera (1991), 7, and the notes help me remember more than I wrote.

This production I like a lot. This is the Boston version, so there's not so much opulent excess (although the wigs of those bringing the governor requests are really enormous. But the costumes are more Three Musketeers than at court with Louis XIV.)

As evident in the poster, the sets and costumes have a lot of substance. Hard to believe this is still Parma.

The players all sing/act really well. Only the male leads and the witch have multiple IMDb credits. Amelia and Oscar (trouser role; formally "en travesti" in Italian) have only this one. I could become a fan of all 5, but looks like I won't have much chance with some of them.

It helps that I understand the story now; the Met show above was my first, and I watched two online at Met on Demand; didn't like either of those. But today, after all the meh Verdi operas I've seen recently, this looks excellent. The plot is simple, no one is a long-lost child, although Renato's loyalty shifts quite a bit, and he puts his child in harm's way. The smaller production makes it more accessible.

I love the way the patrons keep applauding as the bows go on forever. I didn't feel they gave enough noise for the principals, though. But the bows were poorly organized, and really took too long to get to the principals. Stoyanov (baritone) in particular got a big hand for his 3rd act soliloquy, but I didn't really recognize him during the bows; wonder if the crowd had the same difficulty, and that's why he didn't get more.

There's a sameness to the diegetic party music in Verdi operas. I really think the music used at Rigoletto's party might be the same as that at the ball here. Ir doesn't sound like it comes from the orchestra pit, more backstage, and seems like the same tune both times. I think there's at least 1 more opera with the same/similar music. Ah, the lone violinist was onstage for part of this; kept playing when the king was stabbed? But she's not playing the music that sounds like Rigoletto's party.

The Great Course discusses the censorship/contractual issues in this opera's creation, and finally discusses the last act, where 3 men draw lots for the privilege of killing the king/governor. The 2 chapters with this opera's title are really about Verdi's personal life and Italy's unrest.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 7th among Verdi's operas, 26th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).

This has insufficient ratings to show an average, so I'll push it up today. I really do like it a lot better than the 3 Met perfs I've seen. It's also my favorite of the Tutto Verdi so far, although 9 may be a bit high.

Unitel, cond. Gelmetti; 9-

The Hoax (2006), 8 {nm}

1h 56min | Comedy, Drama | 20 April 2007
In what would cause a fantastic media frenzy, Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s.
Director: Lasse Hallström
Stars: Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Marcia Gay Harden, Julie Delpy.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462338/
Purchased with something else.

Enjoyable. Gere's portrayal made it very understandable why Clifford Irving did this. I got the impression that the moments where they almost got caught, and didn't, or needed to invent answers to unanticipated questions in the moment, were like a gambler's high, and CI at least was addicted, needed/wanted that excitement.

Plot point: CI was shown as a good enough forger to make at least 2 documents. His prior book was Fake, about an art forger. Orson Welles made the movie F for Fake ('73) about them and other forgers.

Fascinating to hear the details that CI & co-writer invented about HH bribing Nixon associates hit reality, and the Nixon Whitehouse ordered the Watergate breakin to see what else the DNC might have.

2 c.tracks is 1 too many. I didn't get much out of the producers' track except the desire to punch the male producer for interrupting and talking over the woman.

Rated 6.7 (15,543).

I bought this on a hunch that Gere would make this better than it sounded or the rating indicated. I was right. I wonder what else of his is worth the risk.

Miramax+, dir. Hallstrom; 8

Tutto Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (2010), 7

2h 17min | Drama, Music | Episode aired 3 December 2012
Add a Plot »
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Daniele Callegari
Stars: Leo Nucci, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Simone Piazzola, Paolo Pecchioli, Tamar Iveri, Francesco Meli.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5440938/

20th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1857, La Fenice, Venice;
1881 (second version), La Scala, Milan

Time: The middle of the 14th century.
Place: In and around Genoa.

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

This is the 4th performance of SB that I'll rate, 3 of them from the Met on Demand voyage, 1 of those owned. I have not liked it in any of these forms. There are 16 on IMDb at the moment; only 1 has a higher rating than the one from the Met that I own, and it's only a sliver higher.

I like the sets (lots of "Dutch" angles, as they call the distorted proportions of German expressionism in film) and costumes (lots of heavy velvet, good colors, even shiny trim on Adorno's outfits), but I somehow I wish they had furniture and props to deal with. The sloped stage looked dangerous.

I ran it more than once, and was attracted to watch a couple of times in the same place, where a singer had something special to their voice/song. It may have been Scandiuzzi (Fiesco) each time; also noticed him as Banquo in the Macbeth I own. But the music is just OK compared to the better Verdi operas. Of course, like Hitchcock, his middling work is still better than most other's best.

I read the synopsis pretty thoroughly beforehand, and watched the intro video carefully. The story is complex without being interesting. It's yet another reunion of adult child (daughter) and father, who bond instantly just because they realize they must be related. Again this instantly changes the loyalty of the the daughter's love interest Adorno, who was formerly the mortal enemy of the father. Verdi seems to like this plot twist a lot, and I dislike it a lot, although in this case I'm not sure Adorno's loyalties were well-founded. I didn't absorb the reason for the antipathy of the "sides", unless it was the personal tragedy of Fiesco's daughter dying, but that might have been his own fault for barring her access to her lover (Boccanegra) and her child (Amelia, grownup by Act 1).

The Great Course mentions this, but basically dismisses it. The strange thing is, according to OperaBase, in the 2004/5 (the earliest I could access) season worldwide, this was the 81st most performed opera, with 43 performances in 7 productions. (To the right: the top 10 in 2004/5. Click to enlarge.)

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 12th among Verdi's operas, 70th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics). I think the featurette mentioned no big choral numbers, which is something that adds to a Verdi opera in my estimation.

Unitel, cond. Callegari; 7

Tutto Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani (2010), 7-

2h 50min | Music | TV Movie 4 December 2012
Not until 1855 did Verdi have a chance to try his hand at the genre of French grand opera. A setting of a libretto by Eugène Scribe, Les Vêpres siciliennes proved a success in Paris despite the problematical nature of its subject matter, which deals with the Sicilian uprising against occupying French forces in Palermo in 1282. Today, the opera is usually given in the Italian version of 1861 as I Vespri siciliani.
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Massimo Zanetti
Stars: Fabio Armiliato, Daniela Dessì, Leo Nucci, Giacomo Prestia.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812274/

19th Verdi opera.
French Premiere: June 1855; Paris Opéra
Italian Premiere: December 1855, Teatro Regio, Parma
Italian libretto rewritten in 1861

Place: Palermo, Italy
Time: 1282

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

It took several attempts for me to get through this one. It seems like a giant step backward in plot: another pair of enemies discover they are adult son & father, and loyalties shift immediately, with freedom vs. tyranny formerly dividing the pair. The love interest is also a plot-stirrer: she wants vengeance for the death of her brother a year ago. The bass/baritone intriguer tries to rally the people to revolution by encouraging some drunken occupying army men to carry off the young women for rape. Don't know if I would like it better if a favorite star or two would lead the cast.

The leads and most of the chorus are in dark clothing, and the set is barren, so until the last moments of the opera, when the revolutionaries wave Italian flags (in 1282?), this is colorless. (Ah, one of the Sabine women was wearing a red dress, but most wore white.)

Glad I was not in the audience where the singers stood and performed. For those sequences, the camera points to them, so we're taken out of the story into reality. Meh.

Another dvd I had my eye on sounds like the same production, in the even smaller Busetto theatre, but one of the singers is someone I've liked elsewhere. Decisions, decisions.

The Great Course talks about this briefly.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 17th among Verdi's operas, 228th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).

Unitel, cond. Zanetti; 7-

Thomas: Hamlet (2004), 8

2h 56min | Drama, Music | Video 6 September 2004
Hamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
Director: Toni Bargalló
Conductor: Bertrand de Billy
Stars: Simon Keenlyside, Natalie Dessay, Béatrice Uria-Monzon, Alain Vernhes, Daniil Shtoda.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512840/

Premiere 1868

Place: Denmark at Elsinore Castle.
Time: ?

Filmed at Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona

I know the 2 principals now from my time at Met on Demand, and they're both very good and well-suited for the roles.

The set is stark and mostly bare. The costumes post-date Shakespeare's time, and seem inconsistent between men and women: large skirts kept wide by some system, while at  least one man wore a fedora. But it's not very distracting.

Lots of stage blood used. Not sure where Ophelie's came from. Dessay does "mad" well.

The ghost was obvious from the makeup/"costume" (mostly a sheet wrapped loosely).

When I want to really study this opera, I suspect this is a good performance to have. On IMDb, 6 people give it 9.7 average. Can't imagine my appreciation ever getting that high.

LiceuOpera, cond. de Billy; 8

Rossini: L'italiana in Algeri (1986), 8

2h 37min | Music | Episode aired 1986
A typical rescue opera involves a kidnapped young woman who faces torture or death - until her heroic lover shows up. But in this one, the roles are reversed: it's a man in desperate trouble, and his clever girlfriend gets him out of it.
Director: Brian Large
Conductor: James Levine
Stars: Marilyn Horne, Douglas Ahlstedt, Allan Monk.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1214968/

Premiere 1813

Place: Algiers
Time: The past

When I ran this at Met on Demand, it was only the 26th (of 205) opera I'd viewed there, and I was discovering my love of Italian opera and Rossini. Now this sounds very same-y a lot of the time, and I didn't pay enough attention to get the humor. However, it is great to look at (audio & visual are excellent quality), and this is clearly played for laughs (but didn't hear many from the audience). Biggest applause came for Horne, for whom this had become a signature role.

So next time, be in the mood to actually watch it; it might be worthwhile.

I had gone along with the crowd (8.9 with 11 votes), but today I'm going with 8, and that still might be high for me.

DVD extras include Horne's portion of The Ghosts of Versailles ('92), which was the only good thing about that mess.

MetOpera, cond. Levine; 8

Puccini: La rondine (2009), 8-

Musical | Episode aired 2009
Magda, mistress to wealthy Rambaldo, wants romance with a younger man. She moves in with Ruggiero until his cash runs out.
Director: Brian Large
Conductor: Marco Armiliato
Stars: Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Lisette Oropesa, Marius Brenciu, Samuel Ramey.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1347918/

Premiere 1917

Place: Paris and the French Riviera.
Time: Mid-19th century.

This production places us in Art Deco/Nouveau settings, with almost-flapper women's clothing.

Since I'm a Puccini fan, thought I should have this. Saw it at Met on Demand, and liked it for the setting/sets/costumes and the stars. Gheorghiu & Alagna have been married since '96, although her IMDb trivia list 2007-11 as separation years. Their backstage interview did not give any hint about that, and their characters had to romance it up a lot. He even slapped her on the butt when she went out for her curtain call; she looked surprised.

I like Alagna a lot, but this is more of the soprano's opera. In fact, it's a lot like Traviata, without the fatal disease. The synopsis writer got it wrong: she doesn't leave him for $$, but it's related. (I also have Gheorghiu in Traviata, and gave that a good rating.)

Ramey has very, very little to do.

If I just listen, and don't look, this is another shrug-worthy composition for me, but Puccini's best is tough competition. The Met didn't run this since 1936.

MetOpera, cond. Armiliato; 8-

Verdi: Aida (2001); 9

2h 22min | Music | TV Movie 3 December 2001
Add a Plot »
Conductor: Massimiliano Stefanelli
Stars: Adina Aaron, Kate Aldrich, Scott Piper, Giuseppe Garra, Enrico Iori, Paolo Pecchioli.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3121538/

Premiere 1871, Khedivial Opera House in Cairo

Time: period of the Pharaohs’ power
Place: Memphis and Thebes

Filmed at Teatro Verdi di Busseto

I have an ongoing eBay search for anything with Zeffirelli's name attached, hoping to capture more of his opera films/productions. This is exactly what I had in mind. And now that I've watched 2/3rds of the Tutto Verdi set, I know how small the theatre in Busseto is, so I was fascinated to know what the king of spectacle did with Grand opera in a shoebox theatre (seats 300; one Amazon reviewer quipped the stage was the size of a 2-car garage.)

Well, the stage is much bigger than it looked in that production, and the theatre has patron boxes up 3-4 flights, so the stage has some height as well.

We get gorgeous period costumes, and gorgeous sets.

Even better, we get gorgeous performers with superb voices, all coached personally by Zeffirelli on their acting for these roles. How do I know that? We get a 45min doc'y (not listed on IMDb, and I don't have the desire today) showing the process. It almost seems like some of it is a pre-audition session; there are lots of young performers in the room. Not surprising: the ones sitting forward, reacting are the ones who we see in the opera.

At least the top 3 roles are sung by young Americans, 2 are African American. (I got really excited when I heard Scott Piper; he's very pale, but has a voice for Otello. Found online that he has performed that in regional operas I really want to see that role played by a man of color.) Unfortunately, he has only one other recording (Traviata), and Aida (Aaron) has no others (not even on Amazon), but she too has plenty of regional/European credits.

So what did they do with the opera in the small venue? Grand opera becomes intimate, and works really well. Aida is a love/jealousy story more than a story about war/slavery. So it absolutely works, plus we get the benefit of Zeffirelli's opulence. What we also get is a much-shortened Processional, which is portrayed happening off-stage, and we only see the backs of spectators (with Aida contemplating things downstage).

We get some dancing, mostly arm movements of 4 women dressed like my souvenir statuette (without the bird/gourd on the head) from the King Tut exhibit in '79 (online images to the right; she's named Selket). Another woman soloist dances in a bad costume for showing legs, but since she too mostly dances with her arms, maybe that was deliberate.

The doc'y shows Zeffirelli coaching the singers in Italian, and sometimes English. Scott Piper was interviewed in Italian, but had to ask for the word for audience. This goes a long way toward my understanding of how well do opera singers need to know the language... at least of the director/staff where you're performing.

Even though I already have 2 Met productions (one from b'cast), and the Tutto Verdi production, I'm very happy to have this in my collection. (Interesting that a more recent 2014 dvd re-issue of the performance does NOT emphasize the Busseto location on the cover as this does. I never would have bought that one.)

My rating is influenced by the inclusion of the doc'y.

Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, cond. Stefanelli; 9

Tutto Verdi: La traviata (2007), 8

2h 13min | Music | TV Movie 2007
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Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Yuri Temirkanov
Stars: Svetla Vassileva, Massimo Giordano, Vladimir Stoyanov.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812738/

18th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1853, Teatro La Fenice, Venice

Place: Paris and its vicinity.
Time: Beginning of the 19th century

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

Really lavish costuming/sets/cast size; clearly a cash cow. Great colors. The country house is drab, a restful contrast to the Paris digs where the first party occurs, but they have a snowy backyard and glass window(s); Alfredo threw an egg at it, and then showed us where the egg hit, smearing egg and shells; not in other prod's I've seen. Her death bed room is dark/drab, but that's appropriate.

Was more drawn to papa Germont's (Stoyanov) singing than in other perf's I recall. And by that I mean the singing/vocal_acting, not the visual_acting, because he's no treat to look at (although I'm sure that face is great for other baritone:villain roles).

A nice, traditional perf.

The Great Course has ~1 chapter on this opera, then refers us to one of his other courses.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 1st among Verdi's operas, 2nd among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).

Unitel, cond. Temirkanov; 8

Tutto Verdi: Il Trovatore (2010), 8-

2h 32min | Drama, Musical | TV Movie 3 December 2012
Gypsy Azucena finally tells her adult son Manrico that he is the brother of his political and romantic rival, the Conte di Luna. The Conte strikes a bargain with Leonora (who loves Manrico): her hand in marriage for the life of Manrico.
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Yuri Temirkanov
Stars: Claudio Sgura, Teresa Romano, Mzia Nioradze, Marcelo Álvarez.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812788/

17th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1853, Teatro Apollo, Rome

Place: Biscay and Aragon (Spain)
Time: Fifteenth century

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

Now that I've seen a few productions/performances, the story is clearer, so I submitted the outline above.

But that leaves out the history of Azucena's mother being burned at the stake by the Conte's father, her kidnapping the Conte's infant brother, accidentally throwing her own infant son into the flames instead of the Conte's brother, raising the Conte's brother as her own. It also omits Leonora intending to enter a convent when she believes Manrico is dead in battle, but both Conte and Manrico intercede, with Manrico taking her with him. We get an offstage battle or two between Conte's & Manrico's armies, and the capture of both Manrico and Azucena (who Conte has sought for his brother's death). Leonora takes poison rather than fulfill her bargain with Conte, so when she dies, he has Manrico executed. Azucena is a little happy, because her mother's death is now avenged by Conte having (unknowingly) executed his own brother. Oy Vey. If the music weren't so good, would this be a story people want to see?

Marcelo Álvarez is a familiar face and international star tenor (many Met in HD telecasts on IMDb). He sings well, overacts a bit, and is not eye candy, so I'm not enthused when I see him on the cast list, but it could be much worse, of course. Sgura as Conte is good, but now I've bonded a bit with D.Hvorostovsky from Met performances, whose name I got corrected on IMDb. Both female leads are fine as well.

The anvil chorus had only 1 anvil, which was nearly drowned out by the chorus. I prefer the multi-anvil version of the Met, especially since that invokes the Marx Bros film A Night at the Opera ('35).

The costumes were appropriate to the period, but the color choices were a bit too on the nose: red for gypsies, black for the Conte's men, white for Leonora.

The Great Course has ~1 chapter on this opera.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 5th among Verdi's operas, 23rd among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).

Unitel, cond. Temirkanov; 8-

Tutto Verdi: Rigoletto (2008), 8

2h 11m | Music | TV Movie 2008
Add a Plot »
Director: Andrea Bevilacqua
Conductor: Massimo Zanetti
Stars: Francesco Demuro, Leo Nucci, Nino Machaidze, Marco Spotti, Stefanie Irányi.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812254/

16th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1851, Teatro La Fenice, Venice

Place: Mantua
Time: the sixteenth century

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

This opera suffers from my having 2 really good versions, and having seen an "interesting" one via Met Opera on Demand. I really like the story, except for the targeting of Rigoletto's woman to punish Rigoletto. The woman is clearly not seen as a person. But the plot also characterizes her reaction as mixed, since she's "in love with" the Duke.

I don't find Nucci all that compelling as Rigoletto. He's not angry/anxious enough. But the audience loved him, and the father/daughter duet got an encore. She's a good bit of why they wanted more; her high note at the end is spectacular.

Demuro as the Duke was much less appreciated; he's not as strong a singer as might be expected of a role often performed by superstar tenors. He's young and handsome-ish, so his lechery seems more like sowing wild oats than debauchery, which helps the plot, since the Duke floats free of the havoc he wreaks. His charm/youth are what save his life; that's less easy to accept with an older Duke.

Costumes and sets are downright lavish for what I've seen of Parma in this series (and Parma is the most frequent venue by far.) I'm sure this opera is a money-maker, probably run often, so it makes sense to spend more on producing it. Colorful stuff.

Finally figured out who the suit taking bows was: the Chorus Master. Weird that he seems to take the credit for himself without throwing a lot of applause to the people onstage, as the Met chorus master does. He was missing IMDb credit for 9 of 22 titles in this box set, so I added them, and they went through very quickly.

The Great Course spends ~4 of 32 chapters on Rigoletto.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 2nd among Verdi's operas, 10th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics). They simplified badly why Gilda gets murdered.

Unitel, cond. Zanetti; 8

Tutto Verdi: Stiffelio (2012), 8-

1h 58min | Drama, Musical | TV Movie 15 August 2013
Stiffelio was based on the play Le pasteur, ou L'évangile et le foyer by Émile Souvestre and Eugène Bourgeois and was originally censored due to it involving as it does a Protestant minister of the church with an adulterous wife.
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Andrea Battistoni
Stars: Roberto Aronica, Yu Guanqun, Roberto Frontali, Gabriele Mangione.

15th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1850, Teatro Grande, Trieste

Place: Count Stankar's castle by the River Salzbach, Germany
Time: Early 19th Century

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

This benefits from my dislike of the only other performance I've seen (Met on Demand, '93 prod w/P.Domingo and a hefty soprano who stretched the plot point of being unfaithful to PD just too far for me.) Yu Guanqun as Lida and Roberto Aronica as Stiffelio were excellent, as was Roberto Frontali as her father.

Costumes were very plain (almost Quaker) but appropriate to the period, and consistent, except perhaps Raffaele's red suit. We wouldn't have been able to spot him in the crowd without it, but it seemed much too flashy for this community. But when he changed to a simpler outfit, we had to recognize his face.

Sets were also simple, but the story is in a simple community.

Lida always dressed and acted modestly, so you don't really blame her for attracting the lothario. She's young enough that you can imagine her becoming vulnerable after so many months of her husband's absence.

I can't say I paid enough attention to get all the details. I think Raffaele and Lida's father had a pre-duel fight scene, not the actual duel. I believe it's written to have the duel offstage; at least that's what I remember it from '93. It almost feels tacked on that Raffaele dies.

The Great Course does mention this opera: censorship troubles, poor reception by the public; reworked later as Aroldo.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 19th among Verdi's operas, 303rd among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics). They claim that Verdi "invented" the dramatic tenor here(?), later using it to great effect in Otello.

Unitel, cond. Battistoni; 8-

Tutto Verdi: Luisa Miller (2007), 7+

2h 36min | Music | TV Movie 2007
The opera was based on the play Kabale und Liebe by Friedrich von Schiller.
Director: Andrea Dorigo
Conductor: Donato Renzetti
Stars: Fiorenza Cedolins, Francesca Franci, Leo Nucci, Rafal Siwek, Giorgio Surjan, Marcelo Álvarez.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812316/

14th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1849, Teatro San Carlo, Naples

Time: Early 17th Century
Place: The Tyrol

Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma

Nothing fancy here. To distinguish Miller's life with Count Walter's, they get extreme, making Miller's walls out of bare distressed planks, and Walter's from white geometric segments. What little furniture each has is appropriately shabby or swank. The costumes are iffy as to era, and the women's hair was too modern, but I liked the all-white costumes at Walter's party.

This has 2 oft-filmed singers: Nucci and Alvarez as Miller and Rodolfo, but Cedolins as Luisa got the star bow and at least as much noise as the other 2. With the TV closeups, she was really too old for the role.

The Great Course plays some of the music, and connects the father/son relationship with (future) Traviata, the father/daughter relationship with (future) Rigoletto.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 13th among Verdi's operas, 112nd among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics)

Unitel, cond. Renzetti; 7+

Alfano: Cyrano de Bergerac (2005), 9

2h 13min | Drama, Music, Romance | Video
An opera of the famous play.
Director: George Blume
Conductor: Marco Guidarini
Stars: Roberto Alagna, Nathalie Manfrino, Richard Troxell.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472301/

Premiere 1936 (in Italian), Rome
Alfano originally set the text in French, which is how it's performed in this video.

The Rostrand play opens in Paris, 1640. (I have not found this information for the Alfano opera.)

The opening here was a bit uncomfortable for the theatre audience, with characters coming from the back of the house down the aisles and interacting in front of the curtain. But it retreats to the a proper well-set stage fairly quickly.

R.Alagna is amazing in the role. He acts as well as he sings, and that is considerable. He clearly has great affection for the role; he instigated this production, and his brothers Frédérico & David are credited with production design and stage direction. A featurette on the disc interviews all 3 and some of the cast.

The nose was also amazing, clearly giving him room to breathe, and staying put after his lengthy swordfight cum song "composition" that generated a lot of sweat on his face. Somehow he is still handsome with the nose; something about the force of his personality and talent.

VERY glad to have this. Now I'm curious about the P.Domingo production.

Opéra National de Montpellier, cond. Guidarini; 9

Tutto Verdi: La battaglia di Legnano (2012), 7-

1h 59min | Music | TV Movie 13 August 2013
The opera is based on the play La Bataille de Toulouse by Joseph Méry. The performance is conducted by Boris Brott, who served as Assistant Conductor to the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, and Music Director and Conductor for the Royal Ballet.
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Boris Brott

Stars: Enrico Iori, Leonardo López Linares, Dimitra Theodossiou, Andrew Richards.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812340/

13th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1849, Teatro Argentina, Rome

Time: 1176
Place: Milan and Como

Filmed at Teatro Verdi Trieste.

This may have been popular in its day (amid revolution in Italy), but I find it tiresome today. I question whether someone dedicated to revolution will get so distracted by romance. Then again, it's not the positive energy of requited love, but the negative energy of perceived betrayal, and the stubbornness to believe the bad things you want to believe instead of giving the benefit of the doubt. What would it have hurt Arrigo to believe that Lida thought him dead and took her father's advice to marry Rolando?

I don't like the mixed wardrobe again. The principal men are dressed more like 1949 revolutionaries than 1176. Lida comes out in a Victorian bustle. The chorus is dressed mid-20th century. I'm too busy trying to determine what the heck it all means to appreciate the opera itself. Why do we have giant paintings being painted, seemingly of the battles that provide the context for the story. Are the principals ghosts, reenactors, tour-guides for the chorus? Just DISTRACTING.

Might have been my mistake to watch 3 Verdi's in a row. (Not enough votes on IMDb to guide my rating.) So I won't step down to a 6, but it's tempting.

The Great Course has this listed in the timeline of Verdi operas, and mentioned among others with the librettist. Otherwise, zilch.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 25th among Verdi's operas, 1443rd among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics)

Unitel, cond. Brott; 7-

Tutto Verdi: Il Corsaro (2008), 7-

1h 48min | Music | TV Movie 2008
Written in 1848, this three-act opera is based on Lord Byron's poem The Corsair.
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Carlo Montanaro
Stars: Bruno Ribeiro, Andrea Papi, Irina Lungu, Luca Salsi, Silvia Dalla Benetta.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812884/

12th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1848, Teatro Grande, Trieste

Place: A Greek island in the Aegean and the Turkish city of Corone.
Time: The early 1800s

Filmed in Teatro Verdi di Busseto (booklet says Teatro Regio di Parma.)

Corsair = pirate. Our lead, the head of the pirates, is a young handsome tenor. The female leads are also young. And we get a lot of opponents sword-fighting for more than a few seconds.

Story (ending): <sigh> another pair of suicides, triggered by the mistaken notion that one of them was already dead. How old IS this trope?

Lots of sets: rigging for the pirate ship, drapes for the harem, different rigging for the Pasha's ship, etc. Did NOT get the claustrophobic feeling of previous Busseto performances.

They made a decent production out of a lesser opera.

The Great Course has this listed in the timeline of Verdi operas, and mentioned among others with the librettist. Otherwise, zilch.

Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 24th among Verdi's operas, 500th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics)

Unitel, cond. Montanaro; 7-