Verdi: Il Trovatore, Falstaff, Rigoletto / Royal Opera Covent Garden
Opus Arte
DVD
$71.99Jun 26, 2007
Falstaff Sir John Falstaff - Bryn Terfel Ford - Roberto Frontali Fenton - Kenneth Tarver Dr Caius - Robin Leggate Bardolph - Peter Hoare Pistol - Gwynne Howell Alice Ford - Barbara Frittoli Nannetta - Desirée Rancatore The Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House Bernard Haitink, Conductor Graham Vick, Stage Director
Il trovatore Manrico - José Cura Count di Luna - Dmitri Hvorostovsky Leonora - Verónica Villarroel Azucena - Yvonne Naef Ferrando - Tómas Tómasson Ines - Gweneth-Ann Jeffers Old gypsy - Thomas Barnard The Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House Carlo Rizzi, Conductor Elijah Moshinsky, Stage Director
Rigoletto Duke of Mantua - Marcelo Alvarez Matteo Borsa - Peter Auty Count Ceprano - Graeme Broadbent Countess Ceprano - Dervla Ramsay Rigoletto - Paolo Gavanelli Marullo - Quentin Hayes Sparafucile - Eric Halfvarson Gilda - Christine Schäfer The Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House Edward Downes, Conductor David McVicar, Stage Director
Extras: Each opera has an illustrated synopsis, various documentaries and interviews with members of the creative team
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format: Dolby Surround / Dolby Stereo Region code: 0 (All Regions) Menu Language: English Subtitles: English Running time: 8 hours 15 minutes No. of DVDs: 3
This by now and long-legendary 1953 live recording of Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore features a cast, conductor and orchestra that makes it difficult to imagine better. Led by Maria Callas and Carlo Tagliabue as Leonora and Count di Luna, the cast also features Ebe Stignani, Gino Penno and Giuseppe Modesti, among others. The legendary conductor Antonino Votto, often partnered with Ms. Callas, in this period, leads the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan, in this gripping, ever-popular operatic drama.
Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Il Trovatore, based on the eponymous play by Spanish playwright Antonio García Gutiérrez, takes us to 15th c. northern Spain to witness the tragic destiny of those under the control of Azucena, who is seeking to avenge the death of his mother. + The first percussion notes are solemn, setting the tone for Verdi’s masterpiece, whose main themes include abandonment, passion, power, love for one’s parents and vengeance. + This production marked the debut of Russian stage director Dmitri Tcherniakov at La Monnaie and the first Verdi interpretation by Marc Minkowski.
