Pelléas et Mélisande

Claude Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande opera to libretto by Maurice Maeterlinck. Directed 2004 by Sven-Eric Bechtolf at Opernhaus Zürich. Stars Rodney Gilfry, Isabel Rey, Michael Volle, Lásló Polgár, Cornelia Kallisch, Eva Liebau, and Guido Götzen. Franz Welser-Möst conducts the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House and the Chorus of the Zurich Opera House (Chorusmaster Ernst Raffelsberger). Sets by Rolf Glittenberg; costumes by Marianne Glittenburg; lighting by Jürgen Hoffmann; directed for TV  by Felix Breisach. Released 2010, disc has 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C

 Pelléas et Mélisande is a made-up-from-scratch Medieval-age fairy tale first presented as a play by the symbolist author Maurice Maeterlinck in 1893. Symbolism was an art movement represented by writers like Poe, Baudelaire, and Mallarmé as well as plastic artists like Leighton, Schwabe, Klimt, Redon, and Munch. As described by Jean Moréas, in symbolism things that happen in the world ". . . will not be described for their own sake . . . they are perceptible surfaces created to represent their esoteric affinities with the primordial Ideals." This statement also describes the music of Claude Debussy. So Pelléas et Mélisande became the perfect vehicle for Debussy's landmark modern opera first staged in 1902. Although the Debussy opera was concerned with hidden truths, the style of most productions throughout the 20th century was exquisitely elegant, refined, warm, and romantic.

Now fast forward to our Bechtolf/Möst production of 2004 (102 years after the Debussy break-through). The libretto and music are of course the same. But in the design department, the old world of tender, limpid, cozy symbolism has been jettisoned in favor of a brutal new ice age full of harsh surrealistic phenomena. So with this production, you will have to deal with both its symbolist origins and the surrealistic vocabulary of its design. This will likely be too much to sort out on the fly. For example, the libretto is full of references to forests, lime trees, roses and other flowers, parks, birds, sunshine, and warm weather---all of which is utterly inconsistent with the sterile snow-bound sets. So you probably will want to do some homework before you tackle this production.

The singers and the orchestra in this show are fine. The 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound recording is excellent, and the video work is good. But because of the abrasive design, I give this disc the grade of "C." If Debussy's style of music appeals to you and you will you chew on this recording a bit, you may well consider it a C+ or B grade disc.

Giselle

Giselle ballet. Music by Adolphe Adam to libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges & Théophile Gautier. Choreographed  by Patrice Bart and Eugène Polyakov based on Petipa tradition and performed 2006 at the Opéra National de Paris,  Palais Garnier. Stars Laëtitia Pujol, Nicolas Le Riche, Marie-Agnès Gillot, Wilfried Romoli, Richard Wilk, Natacha Quernet, Danielle Doussard, Stéphane Elizabé, Myriam Ould-Braham, Emmanuel Thibault, Emilie Cozette, and Laura Hecquet. Paul Connelly directs the Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris. Sets by Alexandre Benois realized by Silvano Mattei; costumes by Benois realized by Claudie Gastine; lighting realized by Marc Anrochte; directed for TV by François Roussillon. Released  2009, disc has 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+

In February, 2010 we had 3 Giselle HDVDs. First to be published was the Opus Arte 2009 Cojocaru/Kobborg/Nuñez version by the Royal Opera House ("ROH"). Later we got this TDK 2009 Pujol/Le Riche/Gillot version from the Paris Opera Ballet ("POB"). And finally we had  a Kultur 2010 Tsygankova/Varga/de Jongh take with the Dutch National Ballet ("DNB"). This review, which I attach to all 3 versions, will present a brief shootout of the three titles.

In Act 1, we meet the tender, innocent peasant girl Giselle who is in love with the handsome Albrecht. Albrecht pretends to be a peasant youth, but he's really a nobleman who is engaged to a girl of his own class. Giselle's mother Berthe warns Giselle of the dangers of romance and tells Giselle about the Wilis, the ghosts of jilted girls who died before their weddings and who haunt the nearby forest. Hilarion, a peasant hunter who loves Giselle, is suspicious of Albrecht. When Hilarion reveals Albrecht's identity and his duplicity, Giselle goes mad and dies. Everyone is distraught, including Albrecht, who, we begin to understand, truly preferred Giselle to the noble lady with whom he has been matched.

In Act 2, Giselle has been buried in the forest. 26 Wilis and their Queen, Myrtha, prepare to receive Giselle as their latest initiate. Giselle will then help them accomplish their mission: to trap young men (whether guilty or innocent) and force them to dance until they die from exhaustion. Hilarion visits Giselle's grave and meets his doom. Albrecht also visits Giselle's grave and is captured by the Willis. But Giselle rebels and protects her sweetheart just long enough for the dawn to arrive and disburse the Willis. Albrecht escapes, but he must live out his life knowing that he will never see his true love again.

In Act 1, the ROH has the best mise-en-scène with updated sets, warm lighting, beautiful costumes, great acting, and coherent direction. Everybody in the cast, selected for acting ability or sex appeal as well as dancing prowess, seems 2 to 10 years younger than their French counterparts in the POB. Picture quality is excellent with vivid and skillfully editing. The sound is adequate. Cojocaru is cute and charming. Her mad scene is deeply pathetic. She stabs herself and then dies hard, which means that she will be buried in the forest, and not in the churchyard, where those who commit suicide are not allowed. Sandra Conley is touching as Giselle's mother, Martin Harvey as Hilarion is appealing, and Johan Kobborg as Albrecht seems worthy of sympathy, especially after we meet his fianceé played haughtily by Genesia Rosato, who appears to be 5 to 10 years older than he. In contrast, the approach of the POB to Act 1 is cooler and more formal. It features larger dancing formations---executed with impressive skill--- that need full-stage photography. I get the impression that the sets and costumes have been packed and unpacked a great many times. Pujol is maybe a bit too old and mature to be the Giselle the girl, but she makes up for this with her assured dancing skills. For example, there is a scene where Giselle hops repeatedly on pointe on her left foot. Cojocaru does 24 small hops which are hardly noticable among all that is going on. But Pujol makes an almost unbelievable display of this with 34 big, bold hops that take her half across the stage while she laughs and flirts with all the spectators standing around gawking. The other stars are only OK. Picture quality is a bit disappointing, but the POB has the better sound with 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio. The Kultur video was made from the first ever production of Giselle by the DNB. For the Dutch folks to compete with the ROH and the POB in this might be a bit like Lichtenstein getting into a soccer tournament with England and Brazil. The DNB forces obviously had a lesser budget than the others and their small forces looked rather thin on the big stage. On the other hand, Varga seemed to me to be the best Albrecht in this group. Kultur is entering the market at a lower price point than Opus Arte or TDK. This means Kultur has to cut corners---picture quality is only adequate and the "5.1 Dolby" sound is feeble when compared to the TDK disc.

Act 2 is a ghost story in ballet blanc. Now the tables are turned in favor of the formal approach of the POB. Marie-Agnès Gillot is commanding as Queen of the Wilis, a task that is too much to ask of the younger and shorter Nuñez. Pujol is prettier as as ghost than she was as a girl. The cool lighting of the POB is perfect now, with a mottled blue-white pattern that allows you to see well enough while preserving a sense of mystery. The blue light washes out the pink skin hues to the point that the dancers look as well as dance like spirits. At Myrta's command, the veils of all the jilted girls instantaneously fly offstage as if by magic. The cameras in Paris are positioned in the balconies where they look down on the stage and reveal the exact location, rank and file, of each dancer at every moment throughout all their formations. This gives us rolling proof of the discipline, control, and perfection for which the Paris female corps is famous. (If their formations were any more orderly, it would start to look like a computer simulation.) In contrast, the cameramen in London shoot Act 2 from positions level with the stage. This they do, I think, in an (only partly successful) attempt to obscure irregularities and raggedness in the ROB ballet-blanc formations. This leaves the female corp of the POB in charge. But let's don't forget about the Dutch! Igone de Jongh is gorgeous and terrifying as Myrtha. Varga bests his competition in portraying Albert's grief. And the Dutch corps worked hard on their white formations, which are better than those of the ROH and almost as impressive as the work of the POB.

So here's how I sum up the 3 Giselles. Act 1 is a the story of a girl who died. Act 2 is a ghost story. The ROH focuses on the girl and has the best Act 1. The POB focuses on the ghosts and has the best Act 2. The DNB has only a fair Act 1, but they surpass the ROH and are competitive with the POB in Act 2. The prettiest scene in all three versions belong to the DNB when the corps circles Myrtha in the smoke at the beginning of Act 2. For young children and ballet newbies, the ROH disc will probably be more fun. For all others, the POB disc must be preferred because of it's admirable white scenes and superior sound. The DNB disc would be an option if you are in Region A, have an entry-level home theater, and you are on a tight budget.

La forza del destino

Guiseppe Verdi La forza del destino opera to libretto by Francesco Piave. Directed 2007 by Nicolas Joël at Maggio Musicale in Florence. Stars Violeta Urmana, Carlo Guelfi, Marcello Giordani, Duccio Dal Monte, Julia Gertseva, Roberto Scandiuzzi,  Bruno De Simone, Antonella Trevisan, Filippo Polinelli, Carlo Bosi, and Alessandro Luongo. MaggioDanza choreographed  by Sabine Mouscardès. Zubin Mehta conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Chorus Master Piero Monti). Restaged by Timo Schlüssel; set designs by Ezio Frigerio; costumes by Franca Squarciapino; lighting by Jürgen Hoffman; directed for TV by Andrea Bevilacqua.  Released 2009,  disc has 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C

People who don't like opera often cite the improbable plots as one of their reasons. Well, Verdi's Force of Destiny is full of improbabilities! It's almost as if putting "Destiny" in the title gives the librettist carte blanc to do just about anything, no matter how ludicrous! Here's just one example: in Act 3 Scene 2 when, after being seriously wounded in battle, Don Alvaro  believes he is on the verge of death. He gives his greatest friend, Don Carlo, a valise containing a bundle of letters which Don Carlo is to destroy as soon as Don Alvaro dies. Don Carlo has sworn not to look at the contents of the letters, but becomes suspicious of his friend. He opens the valise, finds Don Carlo's sister's picture, and realizes that Don Alvaro must be Don Carlo's sister's fiancee who "accidentally" shot Don Carlo's father to death and then disappeared (while the sister ran away and became a hermit). Ever since that day Don Carlo has vowed to find both his sister and her lover and kill them. He curses the fact that Don Alvoro is now about to die of his wounds, depriving him of revenge. At which moment, Destiny plays its card yet again, and in comes a surgeon to announce that, cheer up, Don Alvaro will make a perfect recovery. (This gets a snickering laugh from the audience in the Florentine Opera House!). Don Alvaro reappears about five minutes later, sufficiently fit to fight a duel with his enemy turned friend and now  enemy again.

Nicolas Joël's production does nothing to temper this or other jaw-dropping "twists of fate" in the story. The hammy plot is presented in a very traditional and at times overly static manner. All this crowds out the excellent music (it is Verdi after all!) and the overall high level of performance. In particular, Violeta Urmana, the heroine Leonora, has an amazingly powerful voice and does more than justice to her role. (She also manages to retain her generous proportions after living as a hermit in a grotto for 10 years on just one loaf of rancid bread a week.)

Maybe it's time someone updated "The Force of Destiny" to the First World War or something. In any case, for me, this production deserves no more than a grudging grade of "C." Gordon Smith of OperaDou.

When I first watched La forza del destino months ago, I didn't enjoy it and gave it  a "C" grade without knowing why. Gordon Smith's comments in his mini-review above inspired me to view again. Two aspects of the opera are still valid. First is Verdi's contast between the mad arrogance of the aristocrats and the pitiful condition of the people who are exploited by their leaders. Second is Verdi's condemnation of the Calatrava curse, which brings total destruction to his family while sparing Alvaro. (In the original version, Alvaro also died.)

But there are also two big problems. First, as Gordon so neatly points out, we are too cynical now to accept wholesale plot goofiness for melodramatic effect. Second, there is an obnoxious war mongering theme which peaks at the end of Act 3 with the "Rataplan" military chorus. This was part of European culture in Verdi's time, but it disappeared during the Great European War that took place in two phases between 1914 and 1945.

With all this in mind, I was able on re-viewing to enjoy the great arias, duets, chorus work, and orchestration in this work.  But I think we should stick with the "C" grade. Maybe some other director will be able to update the problematical plot.

La finta giardiniera

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart La finta giardiniera opera (composed at age 18) to a libretto possibly from Giuseppe Petrosellini. Directed by Tobias Moretti at Opernhaus Zürich in 2006. Stars Eva Mei, Isabel Rey, Liliana Nikiteanu, Christoph Strehl, Rudolf Schasching, Julia Kleiter, and Gabriel Bermúdez. Nikolaus Harnoncourt directs the Orchestra "La Scintilla" of the Zurich Opera. Set design by Rolf Glittenberg; costumes by Renate Martin and Andreas Donhauser; lighting by Jürgen Hoffmann; directed for TV by  Felix Breisach. Released 2009, disc has 7.1 dts-HD sound. Grade: A

This is the Italian language version of La finta giardiniera. It was performed maybe three times during Mozart's life and then lost for about 175 years until a manuscript was discovered in the 1970s. Although it's considered "early" rather than "mature" Mozart, it's a complete three-hour-long work with an intriguing opera buffo libretto to keep you on your toes, interesting characters, lots of laughs, and a steady parade of arias suffused with that limpid tenderness that distinguishes Mozart from all others. Everything about this production is great (if you just remember that this is a fantasy and not a true-crime story). But the super-hero here is Felix Breisach, who directed the best video work that I've seen in the 130 + HDVD stage shows that I've seen (January 2, 2010). I still can hardly believe I have something this rare, this precious, and this well-done to watch in my home theater any time I wish. And TDK provided Italian subtitles along the the other languages. There's a lot of repetition in the arias---I watch in English first and then switch over to Italian for a mini language lesson.

Tosca

Puccini Tosca opera to libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Directed 2006 by Hugo de Ana at the Arena di Verona. Stars Fiorenza Cedolins, Marcelo Alvarez, Ruggero Raimondi, Marco Spotti, Fabio Previati, Enrico Facini, Giuliano Pelizon, Angelo Nardinocchi, and Ottavia Dorrucci. Daniel Oren conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Arena di Verona (Chorus Master Marco Faelli) and the A.Li.Ve. Chorus (Conductor Paolo Facincani). Set, costumes, and lighting design by Hugo de Ana; stage design by Giuseppe De Filippi Venezia; lighting by Paolo Mazzon; costumes by Tirelli Costumi; directed for TV by Loreena Kaufman. Released  2009,  disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. This is the same production of Tosca that was later released by Arthaus.  There was only one substantial change between the two versions: the Arthaus Musik disc has Japanese subtitles whereas this TDK version does not. Grade: D

It's an article of faith with fans of HDVDs that everything benefits from high-resolution video. But there is a glaring exception: HDVD recordings usually should not be made of outdoor productions designed to be seen in large amphitheaters. Subject Tosca in the Arena di Verona is prosecutor's "Exhibit 1." The setting probably looked OK from 200 meters up the hillside in the dark. But up close in high-definition the stage looks like a brodingnagian scrap yard in front of a burned-out industrial plant. Humongous crude props litter the place. The costumes and make up were designed to look rich at long distance by weak light---to the HDVD camera they look garish and cartoonish. The stage blood wouldn't scare a 3-year old. All this misery-en-scène magnifies the physical ugliness of the singers: aging Fiorenza Cedolins has turned into a frump, pudgy Marcelo Alvarez needs to check himself in at the fat clinic, and Ruggero Raimondi looks like a doorman at a Las Vegas wedding palace. The audience looks uncomfortable fanning themselves in the heat; only the swarming insects are having fun. So what's left to say about the orchestra and the singing amidst the junkyard? Well, not too bad actually. But why would anyone waste his time with this when he can watch (in the Decca DVD) Domingo, Kabaivanska, and Milnes do Tosca in the actual church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Palazzo Farnese, and the Castel Sant'Angelo mentioned by Puccini score?

Il trittico

Puccini Il trittico with three one-act operas directed 2007 by Christina Pezzoli at the Teatro Comunale di Modena. They are:

1. Il tabarro to libretto by Giuseppe Adami. Stars Alberto Mastromarino, Amarilli Nizza, Rubens Pelizzari, Alessandro Cosentino, Alessandro Spina, Annamaria Chiuri, Roberto Carli, Chiara Moschini, and Allessandra Cantin.

2. Suor Angelica to libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. Stars Amarilli Nizza, Annamaria Chiuri, Elisa Fortunati, Paola Leveroni, Katarina Nikolič, Paola Santucci, Alice Molinari, Camilla Laschi, Alessandra Caruccio, Alessandra Cantin, Paola Leggeri, Margherita Pistoni, Tiziana Tramonti, Beatrice Sarti, Dan-I Kuo, and Chiara Moschini.

3. Gianni Schicchi to libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. Stars Alberto Mastromarino, Amarilli Nizza, Annamaria Chiuri, Andrea Giovannini, Alessandro Cosentino, Tiziana Tramonti, Grigorij Filippo Calcagno, Maurizio Lo Piccolo, Alessandro Spina, Mirko Quarello, Katarina Nikolič, Gian Luca Ricci, Alessandro Busi, Romano Franci, and Antonio Manosperti.

Julian Reynolds directs the Orchestra della Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, the Coro Lirico Amadeus---Teatro Comunale di Modena (Chorus Master Stefano Colò) and the Coro di Voci Bianche del Teatro Comunale di Modena (Chorus Master Melitta Lintner). Sets by Giacomo Andrico; costumes by Gianluca Falaschi; lighting by Cesare Accetta; directed for TV by Loreena Kaufmann. Released  2009, disc has 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A

Puccini's Il trittico or Triptych has three one-act operas with two obvious things in common. First, each has a corpse; second, each work is completely different from the others. Il tabarro is opera verismo laden with social criticism; Suor Angelica a work of inspiration with a supernatural miracle; Gianni Schicchi is a boisterous comedy with no redeeming feature except that it's a great way to trick children into watching an opera. This was my first experience with Il trittico, and I'm glad I watched it cold. I was expecting to be bored with the two relatively unknown works leading up to the famous Gianni Schicchi. So I was surprised to find both Il tabarro and Suor Angelica to be completely absorbing. Now I understand why Puccini insisted that all three of these operas should be presented only together on the same program.

I'm also ashamed to admit that before I saw this HDVD, I had never heard of Modena, its opera house, of Cristina Pezzoli, or of Amarilli Nizza. Well, now I have learned there are opera houses all over Italy with rich production traditions. Such a house in a town of 200,000 Italian souls can produce, using 100% Italian signers, a show that can compete with the work of the most famous and best-financed opera companies in the world. This is exactly what Pezzoli pulled off. Every aspect of the music, direction, acting, settings, costumes, and lighting is exemplary. And don't think this was a small task because each opera in this work is short. There are 43 credited roles in this disc, and only three singers appear in all three operas. The three sets have nothing in common. Back stage at Il trittico is going to be a busy place!

These operas here have another thing in common that is not so obvious: Amarilla Nizza sings lead soprano in all three. Il tabarro demands plenty of the female lead, especially in the acting department. Suor Angelica is totally draining in all departments. In Gianni Schicchi the lead lady gets a little rest---all she has to do is nail one of the most famous of all arias ("O mio babbino caro"). Most productions of Il trittico are cast with two or three sopranos. But Nizza handles all the different roles, and she does it so well that I didn't realize until I studied the keep case booklet that I had seen the same soprano three times!

The video, sound, and production work on this disc are excellent. The keep case are fine, and TDK elected not to waste our time with inane extras. It appears that most if not all the singers on on this disc are native speakers of Italian. And guess what---TDK gives us Italian subtitles. Now this is a nice bonus--- a chance to learn some more opera Italian.  

Elektra

Richard Strauss Elektra opera to libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Directed 2005 by Martin Kušej at Opernhaus Zürich. Stars Eva Johansson, Marjana Lipovšek, Melanie Diener, Rudolf Schasching, Aldred Muff, Reinhard Mayr, Cassandra McConnell, Christine Zoller, Andreas Winkler, Morgan Moody, Margaret Chalker, Kismara Pessatti, Katharina Peetz, Irène Friedli, Liuba Chuchrova, Sen Guo, Martina Weingärtner, Thomas Bäuml, Gerhard Hänfling, and Baila Brasil Show. Christoph von Dohnányi conducts the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House, the Chorus of the Zurich Opera House (Chorus Master: Ernst Raffelsberger), and the Zurich Opera House Extras Association. Sets by Rolf Glittenberg; costumes by Heidi Hackl; lighting by Jürgen Hoffmann; dramaturgy by Regula Rapp and Ronny Dietrich; directed for TV by Feliz Breisach.  Released 2009, disc has 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound.  Grade: C+

This is a Martin Kušej psycho/whacko version of Elektra.  Kušej stars off by building a stage within the stage, expressing, I think, the psychological repressions and constrictions explored in the Orestes myth. The decadence that has fallen on the House of Agamemnon is expressed in a goofy lumpy floor (which was a serious obstacle course for everyone onstage), numerous actors (especially girls) running around in various stages of undress, and props like handcuffs and whips.  The constant frantic actions and distractions interfere with the drama and singing. Something causes the recording of the singers to be strangely muffled (maybe echoes caused by the stage within the stage); and the voices are too often drowned out by the orchestra.

Poor Eva Johansson as Electra appears as a bleached blond in with dark hair roots showing. She's directed to ceaselessly move about overacting. At one point she almost falls down on the wicked terrain. No wonder her diction starts to collapse about half way through this this baptism of fire. She makes silly faces; and when she curses Chrysothemis ("Sei verflucht!" ) she is forced to stare cross-eyed into the camera. She bravely soldiers on. Finally, her aria "Orest" (Track 20) proves how movingly she can sing when allowed to do so. The other cast members are pretty much  overshadowed by the chaos of the production.

Kušej's last surprise is his happy ending. He follows the libretto by including a dance of celebration. Of course, the dancers are not ancient Greeks, but Vegas-style exhibitionists in full show-girl plumage. Alas, they have no idea what they are doing, at least not on that floor,  and Strauss did not know how to write samba. Once the dancers stumble off stage, you wait for Elektra's death. But Kušej keeps her alive. This contradicts the libretto, but is probably closer  to the Greek myth than the death Hofmannsthal writes for Elektra. At curtain call, Christoph von Dohnányi seems embarrassed to come on stage, but tries to be a good sport. Well, I'm sure there are folks who prefer the Kušej approach; but to be fair to all our readers, I give  this show the grade of "C+."  We will welcome comments supporting this title.