Jonathan Dove The Adventures of Pinocchio opera to libretto by Alasdair Middleton. Directed 2008 by Martin Duncan at Sadler's Wells Theater (James Bonas Assistant Director). Stars Victoria Simmonds (Pinocchio), Jonathan Summers (Geppetto), Mary Plazas (The Blue Fairy), Rebecca Bottone (Cricket/Parrot), Graeme Broadbent (Puppeteer/Ape-Judge/Ringmaster/Big Green Fisherman), Allan Clayton (Lampwick), Mark Wilde (Cat), James Laing (Fox/Coachman), Carole Wilson (Pigeon/Snail), Paul Gibson (Barker), Ben Kerslake (Arlecchino), Gillene Herbert (Rosaura), Nicholas Butterfield (Pantalone), Jeremy Peaker (Owl Doctor/Bricklayer), Campbell Russell (Craw Doctor), Hazel Croft (Beetle Doctor), Edward Thornton (Coal-Merchant), and Anthony Cunningham (Drum Maker). Dancers are Ted Sikström, Stacy Abalogun, Marie Andersen, and James Roberts. David Parry conducts the Orchestra (Anthony Kraus Assistant Conductor) and Chorus (Bernhard Schneider Chorus Master) of Opera North. Set and costume design by Francis O'Connor; lighting by Davy Cunningham; movement direction by Nick Winston. Directed for video by Thomas Grimm; sound production by James Whitbourn; produced by Ferenc van Damme and Hans Petri. Sung in English. Released 2009, disc has 5.1 Dolby TrueHD sound. Grade: C
Read MoreHandel Admeto opera to libretto by Aurelia Aureli and Ortensio Mauro. Directed 2006 by Axel Köhler at Opernhaus Halle as part of the the Halle Handel Festival. Stars Matthias Rexroth (Admeto), Romelia Lichtenstein (Alceste), Mechthild Bach (Antigona), Tim Mead (Trasimede), Raimund Nolte (Ercole), Melanie Hirsch (Orindo), Gerd Vogel (Moraspe), and Howard Arman/Alex Köhler (Voice of Apollo). Howard Arman conducts the Handel Festival Orchestra playing historical instruments. Stage design by Roland Aeschlimann; costumes by Marie-Thérèse Jossen; masks by Mario Ansinn; lighting by Matthias Hönig. Directed for TV by Ute Feudel. Released in 2009, this disc features 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C+
Read MoreHandel Acis and Galatea opera to libretto by John Gay, Alexander Pope, and John Hughes. Directed 2009 by Wayne McGregor (assistant Laïla Diallo) at the Royal Opera House. The singing stars are Danielle de Niese (Galatea, a Nymph), Charles Workman (Acis, a Shepherd), Paul Agnew (Damon, a Shepherd), Matthew Rose (Polyphemus), Ji-Min Park (Coridon, a Shepherd), Juliet Schiemann (Chorus Soprano Soloist), and Phillip Bell (Chorus Tenor Soloist). The dancing stars from the Royal Ballet are Lauren Cuthbertson (Galatea), Edward Watson (Acis), Steven McRae (Damon), Melissa Hamilton (Damon), Eric Underwood (Polyphemus), and Paul Kay (Coridon). Other dancers are Olivia Cowley, Cindy Jourdain, Kristen McNally, Iohna Loots, Samantha Raine, Brian Maloney, Liam Scarlett, Johannes Stepanek, and Dawid Trzensimiech. Christopher Hogwood conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (leader: Kati Debretzeni) and the The Royal Opera Extra Chorus (Chorus Master: Stephen Westrop). Continuo: harpsichord by Julian Perkins; theorbo by Jan Čižmář; cello by Andrew Skidmore. Chamber organ by Steven Moore. Designs by Hildegard Bechtler; lighting by Lucy Carter; film director was Jonathan Haswell. Released in 2010, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+
Read MoreGenius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould film. Michèle Hozer and Peter Raymont direct this film depicting Glenn Gould's life. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B+
This is the second HDVD documentary produced about the life and art of Glenn Gould. The other, Glenn Gould: Hereafter, has already been reviewed and recommended on this site. For the Glenn Gould aficionado, both titles are probably already must-owns. But for the less fanatical of us, the idea of purchasing two documentaries about the same subject might be overkill. On the surface the two titles are similar: both use SD footage of interviews and performances by Gould plus new interviews and discussion with HD video. There is quite a bit of overlap of historical footage.
But the two films diverge in the scope and tone of the modern-day material. Hereafter is primarily concerned with the legacy of Gould and his still considerable influence (the interviews in Hereafter are not with anyone who knew Gould personally, but rather with fans who fell in love with Gould's playing after his death). GeniusWithin takes a more direct approach. The interviews are all of friends, colleagues, or former lovers of Gould, who attempt to portray the kind of man Gould was. Where Hereafter is reverential to the utmost degree, Genius Within attempts to show Gould in a more neutral, well rounded light. We learn of an extremely gifted and talented man aware of the power of his fame. And we also learn of his idiosyncrasies and flaws.
Genius Within also does a better job than Hereafter in explaining why Gould became such a phenomenon. I didn't know much about Gould before watching the these two films. Genius Within gave me clearer understanding than Hereafter of Gould's unique way of playing classic works.
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