Opera on DVD

Started by uffeviking, April 08, 2007, 12:54:48 AM

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marvinbrown



  Dear all,
 

   I just saw this new recording on BluRay of Verdi's opera Il Trovatore.  Has anybody seen this? Comments are welcome:

  [asin]B007HLUABY[/asin]

  marvin

Wendell_E

#701
Quote from: marvinbrown on May 16, 2012, 02:11:17 PM

  Dear all,
 

   I just saw this new recording on BluRay of Verdi's opera Il Trovatore.  Has anybody seen this? Comments are welcome:

 
  marvin

I bought the regular DVD about a month ago, along with the Met Fanciulla del West that was released at the same time, but haven't gotten around to watching either of them yet.  I did see the Trovatore when it was on television, and liked it a lot.  I didn't like the Fanciulla nearly as much (and I already had two other versions on DVD), but it was cheap and I'm weak.

In the U.S., at least, initially these are supposed to be sold exclusively at Target (though you can get them from an Amazon seller, if you're willing to pay a lot more).  The Target where I got mine doesn't have a classical section, so they were filed with the pop CDs, right next to Madonna's latest release.   :'(
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

marvinbrown

Quote from: Wendell_E on May 16, 2012, 08:52:21 PM
I bought the regular DVD about a month ago, along with the Met Fanciulla del West that was released at the same time, but haven't gotten around to watching either of them yet.  I did see the Trovatore when it was on television, and liked it a lot.  I didn't like the Fanciulla nearly as much (and I already had two other versions on DVD), but it was cheap and I'm weak.

In the U.S., at least, initially these are supposed to be sold exclusively at Target (though you can get them from an Amazon seller, if you're willing to pay a lot more).  The Target where I got mine doesn't have a classical section, so they were filed with the pop CDs, right next to Madonna's latest release.   :'(

  Thanks Wendell.  Il Trovatore is one of the very few operas out there that has not been properly served on DVD.  I was put off by the other DVD recording from the MET with Pavarotti, what's with all those steps??  Anyway it's nice to see new recordings emerge.

  marvin

kishnevi

Quote from: marvinbrown on May 17, 2012, 06:27:13 PM
  Thanks Wendell.  Il Trovatore is one of the very few operas out there that has not been properly served on DVD.  I was put off by the other DVD recording from the MET with Pavarotti, what's with all those steps??  Anyway it's nice to see new recordings emerge.

  marvin

I didn't mind the steps, but I did mind the hammy acting of the chorus, which I assume was the director's fault, and Pavarotti gave a vigorous demonstration of his lack of acting abilities (compared at least to other tenors).  If I replay it, it will be with the screen off, so I can simply listen to it (the non-visual components seemed pretty good).

BTW, although this won't affect Marvin or other non Americans,  the MET DVD versions sold by Target are missing some stuff found in the full-price version--the extras, I think.  (Read about it in a review of the Turandot DVD, on Classics Today or MusicWeb. Since I have the DVD of the same production when it was broadcast with Domingo as Calaf,  I didn't really pay attention to the details of that one.)

Wendell_E

#704
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on May 17, 2012, 06:57:13 PM
BTW, although this won't affect Marvin or other non Americans,  the MET DVD versions sold by Target are missing some stuff found in the full-price version--the extras, I think.  (Read about it in a review of the Turandot DVD, on Classics Today or MusicWeb. Since I have the DVD of the same production when it was broadcast with Domingo as Calaf,  I didn't really pay attention to the details of that one.)

I checked the Trovatore, the only extra is about 7 minutes of Renée Fleming interviewing the four principals during the intermissions.  But even that's more than you often get from DG, and pretty much the same as what's on the Decca release of the Met Thaïs with Fleming.
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

Wendell_E

I see Deutsche Grammophon releasing the Met's Robert LePage Ring on DVD and Blu-Ray on Sept. 11th.  The documentary on the production, Wagner's Dream, is also coming out separately on that date.
"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

DavidRoss

Quote from: Wendell_E on August 07, 2012, 04:19:01 AM
I see Deutsche Grammophon releasing the Met's Robert LePage Ring on DVD and Blu-Ray on Sept. 11th.  The documentary on the production, Wagner's Dream, is also coming out separately on that date.
I'm polishing my credit card already.

"Maybe the problem most of you have ... is that you're not listening to Barbirolli." ~Sarge

"The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money." ~Margaret Thatcher

kaergaard

#707
Now I know it!!  :o

Jonas Kaufmann is the creation of an exceptionally gifted Robot Engineer! I finally watched the NY Metropolitan Die Walküre. - The one with the much maligned contraption. - I have watched live and listened to on records, a great number of Siegmunds, convinced of Siegfried Jerusalem's superiority, until yesterday. The Siegmund I saw and heard is not a real human! Nobody in the past ever sang like Jonas Kaufmann and nobody ever will in the future! As if his voice were not enough, the engineer gave the voice a body none of those previous ones had; simply perfect, no blubber, just six feet of Adonis-like body and facial features.Still not enough? This Kaufmann/machine can act! I hear the Canadian tenor's fans vociferous protest; their man acted like a Cigar-Store Indian.

Looking forward to many more performances by this marvelous creation!

DavidRoss


Glad to see at least one other member liked the new Met Ring! (Nice to see you around, Lis. :) )
"Maybe the problem most of you have ... is that you're not listening to Barbirolli." ~Sarge

"The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money." ~Margaret Thatcher

kaergaard

I was too patient to see my favourite part of The Ring, started with the Walküre, skipping over Das Rheingold. Immediate admiration of Lepage's idea of a man being chased through the woods, trees, trees with bark, what's wrong with that? All the rest of Die Walküre set is inventive, inspirational and it fits perfectly. Maybe I'll have different thoughts after I have seen the rest of this Ring, but after his Walküre, I can't see Lepage really going off into scenic disasters. - (David: I have been here, but not posting too much!)

Scarpia

The new Met Ring looks attractive, but it ain't cheap. 

kaergaard

#711
ArkivMusic had it on sale, about forty bucks less than original release price. I don't know if it's still available. -

Just checked: Reduced from $147.98 to $109.99 - Still on sale!!

Wendell_E

"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." ― Mark Twain

huntsman

Six months since the last post, so forgive me for waking anyone up!  ;)

Is there a particular supplier one turns to for great DVDs and Blu-Ray (particularly in Europe)?
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knight66

I tend to stick with Amazon or their marketplace suppliers. I try to keep the number of places holding my credit card details to a minimum.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

mamascarlatti

Presto Classical, based in the UK, are an excellent supplier of DVDs and CDs. I get a parcel every month!

huntsman

Good.

I've used both for music and suspected they might also be the best for DVDs...

Any other thoughts?
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huntsman

Right -

Everyone uses Presto or Amazon for DVDs....god to know.

I would like to buy my first three Opera DVDs this week. With your experience, which specific versions would you recommend?

Price is of no concern, as I will simply save longer if necessary...

;)
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huntsman

Excellent suggestions and thank you for your help!

Some of these are a little obscure for me, but perhaps with time I will begin to appreciate them in their entirety.

I'll return now to 'Talk Classical' to see if they can add to this exhaustive list...
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mc ukrneal

Quote from: huntsman on June 12, 2013, 11:43:15 PM
Excellent suggestions and thank you for your help!

Some of these are a little obscure for me, but perhaps with time I will begin to appreciate them in their entirety.

I'll return now to 'Talk Classical' to see if they can add to this exhaustive list...
Hey now. It can be easy to miss a post in the opera section since there usually aren;t many. But suggesting DVDs is a difficult thing when there is no focus - does language matter? Any preference or style you prefer? Are you looking for something that is just a good opera or something with bells and whistles? How important is the quality of the picture? Are you familiar at all with opera (or are you just starting out)?

For a beginner in opera, I'd go with Marriage of Figaro (Te Kanawa/Cotrubas/von Stade), Hansel and Gretal (Fassbender/Gruberova), and La Boheme (probably Pavarotti/Scotto). Beyond this, there are some wonderful DVDs, but more information would help narrow things down a bit.
Be kind to your fellow posters!!