This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

Verdi’s late historical masterpiece never saw a more lavish staging than in Hugo de Ana’s monumental production shared between the Teatro Real (Madrid) and Turin Opera. Filmed in high-definition by RAI in April 2013 to mark the 40th anniversary of the rebuilding of the Teatro Regio, the visual spectacle was complemented by an all-star international cast that was led by the great Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas in the title role. Widely-accepted as the top Italian opera ensemble, the Teatro Regio Orchestra, under its distinguished maestro Gianandrea Noseda, gave the production faultless musical support.

PICTURE FORMAT: 16:9
APPROX RUN TIME: 199 Mins
SOUND: DTS SURROUND / LPCM STEREO
SUBTITLES: English/French/German/Spanish/Italian/Dutch
NO OF DISCS: 2

Robert Lloyd, Rolando Villazón, Amanda Roocroft, Dwayne Croft, Jaakko Ryhänen, Giorgio Giuseppini, Violeta Urmana
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / De Nederlandse Opera Chorus
Riccardo Chailly / Stage Director Willy Decker

Includes:
*Illustrated Synopsis and Cast Gallery. *Introduction to the opera including interviews with Robert Lloyd, Rolando Villazón, Amanda Roocroft, Violeta Urmana, Riccardo Chailly and Willy Decker.

In this majestic production of Verdi’s Don Carlo, Riccardo Chailly’s qualities as a Verdi conductor are brilliantly displayed in the dramatic precision and transparent instrumental detail he draws from both orchestra and cast. Willy Decker directs a wonderful piece of stagecraft, letting the tragedy unwind with minimal, yet telling, interventions.

The drama takes place in the mausoleum of Filippo II’s Escorial, where the tombs of countless generations of Spanish royalty line the walls. Filippo’s confrontation with Il grande inquisitore – which takes place over his own coffin, its resting place in the wall ready and waiting – is chillingly symbolic, as are the feet of the giant crucifix that hangs over Don Carlo as he sees his life sacrificed by his father.

R E V I E W S




This Don Carlo uses the four-act version of 1884, which is described in an interview extra on the first DVD as intended by Verdi to be more comprehensible than the original five-act version. That is debatable, to say the least, since the composer’s stated reasons for producing that revision (the third of four) were to make its length more manageable on stage and to improve the relation of music and text. Like many another fan of Don Carlo , I admit to a strong affection for both of the two longer editions: the 1867 French version and the 1886 Modena one (or “1884 with many of the great French bits stuck back in”). But that’s for listening, when the more late Verdi you’ve got, the better matters get, and you can take breaks at will for as long as you wish. If it comes to viewing a performance of Don Carlo , the wear-and-tear on the soloists has to be taken into account; and I’m more than willing to watch the 1884 edition.


So this Don Carlo lacks the monumental length that some critics (ignoring developments north of the Alps) complained about when the original French version of the opera appeared. But what is not done musically and temporally, stage designer Willy Decker accomplished here visually and vertically. His re-envisioned Crypt of the Kings in El Escorial features a huge, circular stone vault, with square, identical slate-colored wall plates piled seven high and 12 long to mark the burial slots of previous rulers. Towards the back of the stage is the lower shaft of an enormous cross: Christ’s down-turned toe is 12 feet above the singers, while the knee of the carved figure, at the top of the stage, is perhaps another 12 feet above. This unholy alliance of the Bauhaus and Symbolism is intended to convey the harsh, impersonal nature of religion at the royal court and the way in which it dwarfs the personality and reforming ambitions of Don Carlo. It succeeds beautifully, and remains the centerpiece of the production with the addition of minimal props.


While Decker’s visuals are impressive and his blocking effective, I’m less thrilled with his attempts at dramatic reinterpretation. For example, there’s an elaborate dumb show in the opening orchestral prelude of Philip II’s abusing Don Carlo to enforce religious conformity. When the latter attempts to kiss his father’s ring, Philip grabs Don Carlo’s hand in a painful, pincerlike grip, forcing the boy instead to slowly cross himself. Shortly afterwards, Don Carlo is grasped by the back of the neck and pushed down to the ground before the huge cross already discussed. This muddles matters right at the start by placing one of the opera’s victims, Philip, in the role of its only victor, the Grand Inquisitor. Who is the enforcer of dogma at the court and who bows his will to that dogma in the end?


The cast is variable, but generally very fine. Roberto Villazón is exceptional as Don Carlo, with just the right mix of lustrous metal in his attractively light tenor. His is also one of the most detailed assumptions of the title role, attentive to score markings and giving us the half-mad prince with poor impulse control in all his glory. Dwayne Croft is his match, using his lyrical baritone and fine phrasing to great effect (for example) at the start of the act III quartet. Robert Lloyd’s Philip II suffers at this stage of his career from a slight beat whenever he puts significant pressure on the voice, though he manages this by discreetly shortening some phrases. His Philip remains a shrewdly judged assumption of the role, more impressive for the sum of its parts than specific moments.


Amanda Roocroft may have been under the weather when they filmed this live performance (or series of performances—we are never told whether the recording was a one-shot or compiled over several nights), for her attractive soprano is marred by a wobble that regularly disturbs the musical line during the first act. Later, this problem retreats only to loudly sung high notes. Violeta Urmana similarly improves as the production continues. She has difficulty moving her large, dark voice in her act I song, slurring the repeated minor seconds, but does a fine job in act III’s “O don fatale.” Marisca Mulder is a vocally pert and attractive Tebaldo; and if Jaakko Ryhänen lacks the tonal blackness to make the most of his part as the Grand Inquisitor, he makes up for it by accuracy, strong breath support, and excellent acting. Chailly conducts his soloists sympathetically, if with only moderate energy.


Though recorded in 2004, the only audio format supplied here is LPCM Stereo. Visuals are 16:9 anamorphic, and subtitles are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch. The extras alluded to above include a plot synopsis and single pictures for each member of the cast, both of these features being as dull as they sound. The filmed interview is less interesting for its verbal content, which is often trivial, than for its succession of images showing the cast rehearsing and the stage under construction.


In sum, this is an intense, monochromatic, successful production of Don Carlo , sporting interesting ideas about stage design, and possessing performances by Villazón and Croft that are among the finest I’ve seen and heard. Don’t let the price hike for two DVDs throw you off its purchase.


FANFARE: Barry Brenesal

Also available on Blu-ray

Giuseppe Verdi
AIDA

Aida – Hui He
Radames – Marco Berti
Amneris – Andrea Ulbrich
Amonasro – Ambrogio Maestri
The King – Roberto Tagliavini
High Priestess – Antonella Trevisan
A messenger – Antonello Ceron

Arena di Verona Ballet
Arena di Verona Chorus and Orchestra
Daniel Oren, conductor

Gianfranco De Bosio, stage director

Recorded live at Arena di Verona, June 2012

Bonus:
- Cast gallery

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Japanese
Running time: 150 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

Verdi (1813 - 1901) AIDA

Norma Fantini, Marco Berti, Ildiko Komlosi, Mark Doss, Orlin Anastassov, Guido Jentjens
Symphony Orchestra and Choir of La Monnaie - De Munt
Kazushi Ono

Stage director Robert Wilson

Picture Format : 16:9 Anamorphic (widescreen)
Sound Formats: DTS Surround / LPCM Stereo
Region Code: All regions
Menu languages: English Subtitles: English/French/German/Spanish/Italian
Running Time: 159 mins

Cult director Robert Wilson's highly stylised and intensely dramatic staging brings a Zen-like tranquillity to Verdi's great opera concerning the conflict between individual aspiration, tradition and duty. His visually calm, yet emotionally taut, direction is emphasised by outstanding performances from the cast and the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of la Monnaie - De Munt under the commanding and inspired musical direction of Kazushi Ono. Recorded live at the Royal Opera House (La Monnaie/De Munt) in Brussels, this riveting and painstakingly beautiful production, reminiscent at times of Japanese Noh theatre, offers a new and thought-provoking experience of a masterpiece. Recorded in High Definition and true surround sound.

R E V I E W S

"Wilson’s production of Aida is one of his truly great creations - highly disciplined and utterly convincing. ...The Monnaie’s performance was superb... The outstanding cast had no weak links vocally." -- Phil Ward, Opera

"...the Hungarian mezzo Ildiko Komlosi is a sensational Amneris, a singer of the highest calibre and a born tragédienne. The rest of the cast is equally outstanding... Verdi’s score acquired a chamber-music quality and the subtle instrumental details were lovingly underlined. A stunning production, not to be missed." -- The Bulletin

"...Monnaie orchestra was in tip-top rip-roaring form, brass firm focussed and cutting edge, woodwind, specially the flutes, longbreathed and luminous, strings reaching to top and bottom of their ranges with exemplary certainty and clarity." -- John McCann, Opera

"Amneris is sung by the rivetingly powerful Hungarian mezzo Ildiko Komlosi... Norma Fantini’s vibrant, emotionally confused Aida is sheathed in white... Mr Wilson ... creates a sense of visual calm and continuum that has you looking at the stage as you might contemplate a painting. ... Under his subtle, emotionally taut direction, the singers, chorus and orchestra sounded magnificent." -- The Wall Street Journal Europe

Filmed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, Daniela Dessi, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Fabio Armiliato, Juan Pons and Roberto Scandiuzzi lead the cast in the renowned period production filmed in 2003 against the historic paper trompe-l'oeil sets painted between 1936-45 by Josep Mestres Cabanes, the last representative of the old Catalan school of scenography.

Giuseppe Verdi
AIDA

Il Re – Stefano Palatchi
Amneris – Elisabetta Fiorillo
Aida – Daniela Dessì
Radamès – Fabio Armiliato
Ramfis – Roberto Scandiuzzi
Amonasro – Juan Pons
Messagero – Josep Fadó
Sacerdotessa – Ana Nebot

Liceu Grand Theatre Chorus and Orchestra
(chorus master: José Luis Basso)
Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, conductor

José Antonio Gutiérrez, stage director
Josep Mestres Cabanes, set designer
Franca Squarciapino, costume designer
Albert Faura, lighting designer
Ramon Oller, choreographer

Recorded live at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, 21 and 24 July 2003
Bonus:
- Cast gallery

Picture format: NTSC 16: 9
Sound format: LPCM Stereo / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish
Running time: 186 mins
No. of DVDs: 2

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

Proteus - Mark Arends
Outlaw - Elliot Barnes-Worrell
Speed - Martin Bassindale
Julia - Pearl Chanda
Turio - Nicholas Gerard-Martin
Outlaw - Robert Gilbert
Duke of Milan - Jonny Glynn
Host / Outlaw - Molly Gromadzki
Sir Eglamour - Youssef Kerkour
Silvia - Sarah MacRae
Valentine - Michael Marcus
Launce - Roger Morlidge
Antonio - Keith Osborn
Lucetta / Outlaw - Leigh Quinn
Panthino / Outlaw - Simon Yadoo
Crab - Mossup

Simon Godwin, stage director
Paul Wills, stage and costume designer
Bruno Poet, lighting designer
Music composed by Michael Bruce
Recorded live at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, July 2014

Bonus:
- Director’s Commentary
- Cinema Trailer and Films
- Cast Gallery

Picture format:1080i High Definition
Sound format:LPCM 2.0 / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English
Running time: 142 mins (play) + 10 mins (bonus)
No. of Discs: 1 (Blu-ray)

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

"I attended the premiere, fearful that the opera would be tawdry and terrible, that the work would make fun of Smith, who died in 2007 at 39. But it proved a weirdly inspired work: engrossing, entertaining and ultimately quite moving... Here is an unlikely holiday gift that should delight and fascinate anyone interested in contemporary opera and American popular culture." -- Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times [11/20/2012]

In a tragic-comic take on the extremes of celebrity culture, composer Mark Anthony Turnage, librettist Richard Thomas and director Richard Jones add Anna Nicole Smith to opera’s gallery of bad, sad girls. A pneumatic Playboy model who married an octogenarian billionaire, she achieved grotesque fame before her destitute, drugriddled death. With its jazz-coloured score and Eva-Maria Westbroek’s starry performance, this is, as the New York Times said: “an engrossing outrageous, entertaining and, ultimately deeply moving opera”.

"...It's a tremendous show...shocking it isn't; stunning it is!" The Independent

Anna Nicole – Eva-Maria Westbroek
Old Man Marshall – Alan Oke
The Lawyer Stern – Gerald Finley
Virgie – Susan Bickley
Cousin Shelley – Loré Lixenberg
Larry King – Peter Hoare
Aunt Kay – Rebecca de Pont Davies
Older Daniel – Dominic Rowntree
Blossom – Allison Cook
Doctor – Andrew Rees
Billy – Grant Doyle
Mayor – Wynne Evans

Royal Opera Chorus
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Antonio Pappano, conductor

Richard Jones, stage director

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, 23 & 26 February 2011.

Bonus:
- Cast Gallery
- Illustrated synopsis
- Behind the scenes feature including artist interviews

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 + DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish
Running time: ca. 120 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (Blu-ray)

Also available on standard DVD

Also available on Blu-ray

"I attended the premiere, fearful that the opera would be tawdry and terrible, that the work would make fun of Smith, who died in 2007 at 39. But it proved a weirdly inspired work: engrossing, entertaining and ultimately quite moving... Here is an unlikely holiday gift that should delight and fascinate anyone interested in contemporary opera and American popular culture." -- Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times [11/20/2012]

"Anna Nicole may not be the new Madame Butterfly, but its subject matter certainly constitutes a modern-day Lulu of sorts. Prudes should run for cover, ’cause almost everything in this opera is out in the open. Everyone else has gotta see it." -- San Francisco Classical Voice

In a tragic-comic take on the extremes of celebrity culture, composer Mark Anthony Turnage, librettist Richard Thomas and director Richard Jones add Anna Nicole Smith to opera’s gallery of bad, sad girls. A pneumatic Playboy model who married an octogenarian billionaire, she achieved grotesque fame before her destitute, drugriddled death. With its jazz-coloured score and Eva-Maria Westbroek’s starry performance, this is, as the New York Times said: “an engrossing outrageous, entertaining and, ultimately deeply moving opera”.

"...It's a tremendous show...shocking it isn't; stunning it is!" The Independent

Anna Nicole – Eva-Maria Westbroek
Old Man Marshall – Alan Oke
The Lawyer Stern – Gerald Finley
Virgie – Susan Bickley
Cousin Shelley – Loré Lixenberg
Larry King – Peter Hoare
Aunt Kay – Rebecca de Pont Davies
Older Daniel – Dominic Rowntree
Blossom – Allison Cook
Doctor – Andrew Rees
Billy – Grant Doyle
Mayor – Wynne Evans

Royal Opera Chorus
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Antonio Pappano, conductor

Richard Jones, stage director

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, 23 & 26 February 2011.

Bonus:
- Cast Gallery
- Illustrated synopsis
- Behind the scenes feature including artist interviews

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM 2.0 + DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish
Running time: ca. 120 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

Also available on Blu-ray

*** This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD or HD DVD players. ***



MORENO TORROBA Luisa Fernanda & • Jesús López-Cobos, cond; Nancy Herrera ( Luisa Fernanda ); Mariola Cantarero ( Duchess Carolina ); José Bros ( Javier Moreno ); Plácido Domingo ( Vidal Hernando ); Raquel Pierotti ( Mariana ); Teatro Real O & Ch • BBC/OPUS ARTE 969 (Blu-ray: 132:00) Live: Madrid 7/14,16/2006


& Interviews with Domingo, Sagi, and López-Cobos; illustrated synopsis; cast gallery


Alan Swanson covered the earlier DVD release of this production in Fanfare 31:2; hie thee to our online archive for details. This is a highly engaging work from 1932 about a love triangle during an anti-royalist uprising in 19th-century Spain; the musical style is Spanish Puccini with even catchier tunes (by which I mean the melodies are built from short, memorable phrases rather than long operatic lines). You need only see and hear Nancy Herrera for a few seconds to think, “What a perfect Carmen she’d be.” Indeed, she has sung that role many times. Here, she’s not a dangerous Gypsy vamp but an ordinary middle-class woman torn between two lovers: a brash, womanizing, ambitious royalist and military man (sung ringingly by José Bros) and an earnest and stable country gentleman who falls in with the rebels (the superb Plácido Domingo, venturing into high baritone territory). In every respect—composition, singing, orchestral management by Jesús López-Cobos, stage direction, and set design by Emilio Sagi, everything—the production is a delight.


The high-definition video format is perfect for keeping the deep blacks and bright whites in balance, never allowing the light colors to flare or bloom or the dark patches to turn the overall picture murky. As usual with Opus Arte, the audio options are limited to stereo and 5.0 PCM. Extras include a narrated synopsis, and good interviews with Domingo and the stage director and conductor. This is an endearing work, lovingly presented.


FANFARE: James Reel
Vidal Hernando – Plácido Domingo
Luisa Fernanda – Nancy Herrera
Javier Moreno – José Bros
Duchess Carolina – Mariola Cantarero
Mariana – Raquel Pierotti
Aníbal – Javier Ferrer
Rosita – Sabina Puértolas
Don Florito Fernández – José Antonio Ferrer
Don Luís Nogales – Federico Gallar
Bizco Porras – David Rubiera
Emilio Sagi, Stage Director
Recorded live at the Teatro Real, Madrid in July 2006
Bonus:
- Interviews with Plácido Domingo, Emilio Sagi and Jesús López Cobos
- Illustrated Synopsis / Cast Gallery

Region code: 0 (All Regions)
Picture: 16:9; 1080i
Sound: PCM 2.0 and 5.1
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian

Classical Music

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

"With The Judas Tree MacMillan has again challenged ballet's perceptions about its own identity: he shows the human condition, in actual and symbolic terms, as the central matter of a dance theatre that he continues to enrich." -- Clement Crisp

Kenneth MacMillan
THREE BALLETS

Concerto

Marianela Nuñez, dancer
Yuhui Choe, dancer
Steven McRae, dancer
Kenneth MacMillan, choreographer

Music:
Dmitry Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Dominic Grier, conductor

Elite Syncopations

Sarah Lamb, dancer
Valeri Hristov, dancer
Steven McRae, dancer
Kenneth MacMillan, choreographer

Music:
Scott Joplin and other Ragtime composers
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Robert Clark, conductor

The Judas Tree

Carlos Acosta, dancer
Leanne Benjamin, dancer
Edward Watson, dancer
Kenneth MacMillan, choreographer

Music:
Brian Elias
Royal Opera House Orchestra
Barry Wordsworth, conductor

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, March 2010

Bonus:
- Introductions to each ballet piece by Deborah MacMillan

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: LPCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish
Running time: 104 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD 50)

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

This special collection includes three Royal Ballet performances of Tchaikovsky’s beloved masterpieces: Anthony Dowell’s majestic production of the beautiful and romantic tragedy Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty in its detailed re-creation by Monica Mason of the landmark 1946 production, and Peter Wright’s classic production of the quintessential Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker. These spectacular and iconic ballets present the virtuosity and skill of the whole Company. "Osipova was riveting throughout... [Golding] demonstrates real brilliance and prowess." ( Swan Lake - The New York Times) "fresh and reinvigorated - Nutcrackers come and Nutcrackers go but the Royal Ballet's version is a hardy perennial. Peter Wright's version of Lev Ivanov's original 1892 ballet has undergone changes since its debut in 1984 but it remains the one by which all others must be judged. Francesca Hayward dances like a dream child as Clara, expressive, musical and guileless and is ably partnered by Alexander Campbell as Hans-Peter." (The Nutcracker - The Stage) "If you want spectacle at the ballet then this Sleeping Beauty is for you. Based on the opulent production that reopened the Royal Opera House after the Second World War, Monica Mason and Christopher Newton’s staging is a sumptuous homage to the splendour of the French court of Louis XIV. With so much richness on stage, in costumes, sets and the sheer number of courtiers and fairytale characters, the view from the stalls is full to bursting." (The Sleeping Beauty - The Times)

The Royal Swedish Ballet, Stockholm / Michel Quéval
Choreographer Peter Wright stages Swan Lake as a romantic gothic tragedy. This stunning production focuses on the heartbreaking role of the Prince in this dramatic classic, honouring the 1895 Petipa/ Ivanov original. Starring Nathalie Nordquist as Odette/Odile and Anders Nordström as Prince Siegfried

extra features include
• ‘Back to the original’ - an interview with the director of the Royal Swedish Ballet, Petter Jacobsson
• ‘A beautiful way of moving’ - interpretations of principal dancers, Nathalie Nordquist and Anders Nordström
• ‘Love transcends Death’ - Sir Peter Wright on the production’s choreography
• ‘The tale of Swan Lake’ - illustrated synopsis
• Notable productions of Swan Lake - an overview of all historic productions of this classic ballet.

R E V I E W S

"…outstandingly performed under Michel Quéval’s baton – and that’s just the start. …staging,choreography and dancing (by both corps de ballet and soloists) are all excellent. …yet another superb Opus Arte release."
- Classic FM DVD best buy

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players, and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
(Blu-ray Disc Version)

Princess Aurora – Alina Cojocaru
Prince Florimund – Federico Bonelli
King Florestan XXIV – Christopher Saunders
His Queen – Elizabeth McGorian
Cattalabutte – Alastair Marriott
Carabosse – Genesia Rosato
Lilac Fairy – Marianela Nuñez

The Royal Ballet
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Valeriy Ovsyanikov, conductor

Marius Petipa, choreographer

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 5 December 2006.

Bonus:
- Cast gallery and illustrated synopsis.

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: PCM 2.0 and 5.1
Region code: 0 (All Regions)
Menu language: English
Subtitles (extra features): French, German, Spanish, Italian
Running time: 135 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD50)

R E V I E W:



TCHAIKOVSKY The Sleeping Beauty • Valeriy Ovsyanikov, cond; Alina Cojocaru ( Princess Aurora ); Frederico Bonelli ( Prince Florimund ); Marianela Nuñez ( Lilac Fairy ); Genesia Rosato ( Carabosse ); Royal Op House Covent Garden O • OPUS ARTE 7037 (Blu-ray Disc: 135:00) Live: London 12/5/2006


David L. Kirk favorably reviewed this 2006 Royal Ballet performance of The Sleeping Beauty in Fanfare 32:3. I would just add a few comments. Alina Cojocaru as Princess Aurora gives an elegant and seamless performance that manages to enchant without making you constantly aware of her impeccable technique. Cojocaru’s Princess Aurora may not quite be on the level of her signature role of Giselle, but she is the focal point of this extravagantly casted performance, despite some formidable and charismatic competition. Marianela Nuñez, as the Lilac Fairy, is mesmerizing, and could just as easily be Princess Aurora. Frederico Bonelli (Prince Florimund) holds his own and interacts well with Cojocaru. Conductor Valeriy Ovsyanikov almost rivals Antal Dorati in rhythmic intensity, but tends to be a little rigid in comparison to the master ballet conductor. That presents no problem though, because none of the competing DVD versions have a conductor that can compare to Dorati. Barry Wordsworth produces some lovely lyrical moments conducting the 1994 Royal Ballet version, but he sounds rhythmically flaccid compared to Ovsyanikov, and that won’t do with The Sleeping Beauty . I am in full agreement with Kirk that the warm, traditional sets allow the dancers to stand out in a way that is ideal for The Sleeping Beauty.


The picture on this Blu-ray disc has the expected improvement in sharpness and dimensionality, but the high-resolution surround sound is even more important than the picture in The Sleeping Beauty . Tchaikovsky’s spectacular symphonic score is perhaps unprecedented in the world of ballet, even more so than Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. It requires high-resolution sound to make its maximum impact, and for that reason more than any other this Blu-ray disc is the way to go.


FANFARE: Arthur Lintgen

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
PIQUE DAME
(Blu-ray Disc Version)

Hermann – Misha Didyk
Liza – Emily Magee
Count Tomsky – Lado Ataneli
Prince Yeletsky – Ludovic Tézier
Polina – Elena Zaremba
Countess – Ewa Podles
Chaplitsky – Mikhaïl Vekua
Chekalinsky – Francisco Vas
Masha – Claudia Schneider

Escolania de Montserrat
Intermezzo Choir
Liceu Grand Theatre Chorus and Orchestra
Michael Boder, conductor

Gilbert Deflo, stage director

Recorded live from the Gran Teatre del Liceu, 2010.

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: LPCM Stereo 2.0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Catalan
Running time: 183 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (Blu-ray)

---------



TCHAIKOVSKY Pique Dame • Michael Boder, cond; Emily Magee ( Lisa ); Elena Zaremba ( Pauline/Milovzor ); Ewa Podle? ( Countess ); Misha Didyk ( Hermann ); Ludovic Tézier ( Yeletsky ); Lado Ataneli ( Tomsky ); Liceu Th Ch & O • OPUS ARTE OA BD 7085D (Blu-ray: 180:00) Live: Barcelona 06/30–07/01/2010


Generally speaking, the failure rate for opera performances on DVD is far higher than for CDs; they tend to preserve inept to ludicrous stagings saddled with mediocre to intolerable voices. Consequently, it is always a special treat to review an opera DVD that squarely hits the mark with a first-rate production and singing. Last issue I had the pleasure of doing that with the marvelous Glyndebourne realization of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd , and now have the privilege of following it with this excellent version of Pique Dame , a first-rate performance of Tchaikovsky’s late operatic masterwork that not only assumes pride of place among versions available on DVD but holds its own with the best versions on CD as well. It presents a thoroughly traditional staging, more lavish than the 1983 Bolshoi version under Yuri Simonov on Kultur, more focused than the 1992 Kirov production led by Valery Gergiev on Philips (given a mixed review by James Camner in Fanfare 26:3), and free from the occasional miscalculations of the 1992 Glyndebourne version conducted by Andrew Davis on Arthaus, or the perverse 2005 Paris production led by Gennady Rozhdestvensky on TDK and Arthaus (properly damned by Henry Fogel in 31:4). Costumes and sets are elegant, stylish, and free from eccentricity (for example, references to madness and death are effectively but unobtrusively made at key moments by the simple use of a black curtain); stage movements, especially the choral scenes, are well managed.


The singing, while not peerless, is extremely solid. The ancient Greek mathematician Eratosthenes was affectionately nicknamed “beta” by his peers for being an excellent second-best in many things but not the best in any one thing. A similar observation applies to the casting here; while in almost any given role one can find a superior singer elsewhere, no other production on DVD except the Kirov possesses a comparably uniform degree of high quality throughout, and the minor caveats that I note are inconsequential in comparison to the impressive whole. The top honors go to tenor Misha Didyk as the tormented Hermann; if his voice is not as weighty in its lower register or as tormented as that of Vladimir Galouzine for Rozhdestvensky, it has a steadier (if occasionally stressed) top, plus more body and variety in tone than Gegam Grigorian for Gergiev and more cultivated vocal technique than Vladimir Atlantov in his various performances, while he sings as expressively as any of them. An added advantage is that he looks the part perfectly, with a virile, well-built physique, ruggedly handsome features, and fine head of blond hair.


As Lisa, Emily Magee does not have the Slavic timbre and edge of Maria Guleghina under Gergiev (some may consider that an asset), the occasional top note is a tad strained, and she does not blend ideally with Didyk in their duets. However, her Russian is quite good, her voice is attractive and steady, and she sings and acts with conviction. As Tomsky, Lado Atanelli has a slight spread in his upper register, but not to a degree that is distracting, and he plays his role convincingly. (He also doubles as Zlatogor/Plutus in the ballet sequence, where he is vocally miscast.) Ludovic Tézier has made a specialty role of Yeletsky; his singing here is suitably warm and gentlemanly, and superior to his effort in the 2005 Paris production, though a slight degree of strain at the very top makes one yearn in his lovely act II aria “Ya vas lyublyu” for the gloriously effortless magic of Pavel Lisitsian (though of course such a voice comes along only once or twice a century). Thankfully, for once the role of the Countess is satisfactorily cast with the famed Polish contralto Ewa Podle? instead of an aged mezzo whose voice went to seed a decade or two before. The Surin (Alberto Feria), Chekalinsky (Francisco Vas), and Prilepa/Daphnis (Michelle Marie Cook) are all quite good; the only failings are in the minor supporting roles of Pauline and Milovzar/Chloë, where Elena Zaremba has a jackhammer Slavic wobble, and Lisa’s maid Masha wields a squally soprano in her few lines. The chorus is excellent; the orchestra starts out sounding a bit thin but soon warms to its task. Conductor Michael Boder guides the forces with a sure hand, ably shaping the lyrical passages with flowing warmth and the dramatic ones with tension and power.


Subtitles are provided in an impressive array of languages: English, French, German, Spanish, and Catalan; however, they are rather small and sometimes difficult to read, especially when the background is light. The recorded sound is entirely satisfactory; the only extra feature is a cast gallery. While not absolutely flawless, this performance is enthusiastically recommended, and is an outside candidate for the 2012 Want List.


Of competing versions on DVD, the 1992 Gergiev and 1983 Simonov performances are worthwhile if visually somewhat inferior alternatives. Both the Davis and Rozhdestvensky versions, particularly the former, suffer from lethargic conducting as well as problematic stagings, and the Davis is also marred by the horribly miscalculated decision of Yuri Marusin to portray the madness of Hermann by singing most of his role deliberately out of tune. Completely out of the running is the 1992 Vienna production on Sony, led by Seiji Ozawa, afflicted by severe cuts and a cast of vocally over-the-hill former stars. I have not seen the 1960 film version issued by Kultur, with actors lip-synching the vocal roles of a Bolshoi Opera cast of soloists led by Yevgeny Svetlanov. I have an off-the-air recording of Elijah Moshinsky’s 1999 Metropolitan Opera production with Plácido Domingo; if not as visually opulent as this production it is musically superb, and one hopes that the Met will soon release it commercially. On CD, out of several adequate to strong contenders I would recommend three: the 1999 recording on the Relief label with Vitaly Tarashschenko, Natalia Datsko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Grigory Gritsuk, Alexander Verdernikov, and Irina Arkhipova under Vladimir Fedoseyev; the 1992 Kirov/Gergiev performance in its CD incarnation with Grigorian, Guleghina, Arkhipova, Nikolai Putiin, Vladimir Chernov, and Olga Borodina; and the historic 1949–50 Bolshoi production with Georg Nelepp, Evgeniya Smolenskaya, Pavel Lisitsian, and Alexei Ivanov under Alexander Melik-Pasheyev, an excellent version worth acquiring for Lisitsian alone.


FANFARE: James A. Altena