Falstaff

Giuseppe Verdi Falstaff opera to libretto by Arrigo Boito. Directed 2009 by Richard Jones at Glyndebourne. Stars Christopher Purves, Tassis Christoyannis, Dina Kuznetsova, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Adriana Kučerova, Bülent Bezdüz; Jennifer Holloway, Peter Hoare, Paolo Battaglia, and Alasdair Elliott. Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Lleader Pieter Schoeman) and the Glyndebourne Chorus (Chorus Master Thomas Blunt). Set & contumes by Ultz; lighting by Mimi Jordan Sherin; movement director Linda Dobell; TV direction by François Roussillon. Released in 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B-

This was Verdi's last opera and one of his only two comic works (out of 26). It was written when he was over 80 years old. It was also his third to be based on Shakespeare (after Macbeth and Otello), drawing its inspiration from The Merry Wives of Windsor.

It is admired for its brilliant orchestration, scintillating libretto, and refined melodic invention. In this Glyndebourne production, Jones, chooses to update to a post World War II setting, emphasising the farcical nature of the plot, which some may find rather overdone at times. This is offset by the spirited music-making inspired by conductor Vladimir Jurowski. Overall, it is enjoyable, if a little wacky.

Even though all the ingredients are there - "original" staging, extremely competent singing, reasonably good acting, and excellent musicianship, you tend to come away with a rather bland impression. There is nothing to make this a really landmark opera experience. Even so, this HDVD would certainly be a worthwhile addition to any ardent Verdi lover's collection. You might think twice about paying $300 to see it at Glyndebourne (if you could get a ticket) - but for the price of a Blu-Ray it is a real bargain!

Comments from the L'OperaDou Jury*

Opinions were quite sharply contrasted among members of the Jury, some of them loving Falstaff, while others were not so sure. Here are sample comments:

"Perfect! Acting full of discoveries. Beautiful singing out of the ordinary. Excellent image. I particularly liked the last scene in the forest for its Romanticism and humour."

"The close-ups don't do this Glyndebourne production any favours. Particularly in Act 2, there was a slightly amateurish feel about it at times, although the general youth and enthusiasm of the cast redeemed much. No spectacular singing, but there is hardly room for any. Act three saved the show."

"Falstaff (Christopher Purves) is excellent. The staging a bit too busy, even hectic at times. Not my favourite opera but much more palatable than a traditional staging."

"I particularly warmed to Falstaff (surprisingly). Dame Quickly (Marie-Nicole Lemieux) was exceptionally good. I did not expect to enjoy this -- but was very pleasantly entertained." Overall Jury rating: B-

About the L'OperaDou Jury:

After every showcase screening at L'OperaDou (a "Personal Opera House" in the South of France) the jury-audience of twelve (at least)  true finearts aficionados deliberates on the production they have just seen, assessing it for staging, singing/performance and HDVD production. Final ratings and Jury members' comments are published on the website's "Trial by Jury" and "Archive" pages.