The performances are ghastly
350291
These performances, to be fair, are a matter of subjective taste.  Mozart's final Divertimento #17 KV334, a BRILLIANT composition, written for instruments UNLIKE the assembly of the BPO is a genius arrangement of rhythm, tonality; and is almost underrepresented on excellent recordings.  Karajan using the BPO, gives a swollen, undifferentiated, non-chamber sound.  This lack of detail, spatial absoluteness, failed chamber ensemble precision etc - robs the music of the defining interplay Mozart wrote to the score.  The musical argument is neutered by Karajan's rather bizarre (and willful) tempo selections.  Never a gifted Mozartean, Karajan and DG mostly recorded Mozart's vocal masses and some opera, and Karajan's Mozart interpretations of Mozart symphonies are just DG and BPO's recorded discography machine at work.  Easily bested elsewhere for recordings, interpretations, insight and Mozartean lilt.  So while DG repacked, re-grouped and provided different album cover artwork for Karajan's Divertimenti, ONLY IF you view Mozarts divertimenti (and the K239 I found dull) as works needing or benefitting from a large, smooth, "generalized" orchestral texture with mediocre recording quality, you'll do far better to seek out Master of Arts Amati Ensembles K334 and TELARC has a nice K239 with Mackerras.  I payed 10 cents for my disc walking by a sidewalk sale.  And less than one hour of music with Karajan's discography available.
1048914
Some decisions by Maiden simply amazes me... It seems that sometimes they dont'know how ridiculous they can be. This once majestic band decided to release a show mixed with a magician presentation. Alright, I'm not against innovations... But to release a show featuring the tour when Bruce Dickinson had already decided to leave, when the atmosphere amongst the band member were not good due to that (check their official biography, RUN TO THE HILLS) is not a ver clever choice. Also, to face that guy Janick Gers is a real test of perseverance. He's the most untalented guitarist ever to front a mega band. I think he runs and runs around to disguise his lack of playing.

The magic part is ludicrous, annoying, childish. this show is all cliche and no quality. Skip it and stick to LIVE AFTER DEATH, or, even better, the show at The Rainbow with Paul Di'anno.
2942341
In listening to inexpensive digital transfers of analog recordings, one notices dramatic variations in quality.  At one extreme there are superb items such as the Puccini Girl of the Golden West with Tebaldi, and at the other extreme is this poor transfer of the fine Forster version of the St. John Passion.  It is the worst I've heard--the sound level is VERY low, and even when the sound is cranked way up, it sounds muddy and unfocused.  It's awful.  I own the old LP Seraphim version from the 70s, which I remembered as sounding excellent.  I pulled out my much played LPs last night to make such I wasn't nuts--in fact, the LPs have beautiful, clear, detailed sound--they're just noisy from having been played a lot.

IMHO Amazon should withdraw this until something is done about the sound.  They'd be better off with a decent version of this for the same price as the 1964 Richter recording, to which it is rather comparable.  It's disgraceful to see this fine performance subjected to such mistreatment.
1451102
Mariusz Trelinski's production is the worst example of the modern "Regie-opera" and has no artistic value. I'd definitely give it zero stars (not possible, though) and ask everybody to avoid it like a plague. "Unfortunately", there are 2 outstanding performances - Tatiana (Kristine Opolais) and Lensky (Dmitry Korchak) plus excellent orchestra and conductor. So, I have to give it 2 stars.

Most of the modern productions of Onegin are terrible (although this one takes the cake). My recommendation would be the wonderful traditional production from 1980s in the Kirov/Mariinsky Theater. As for the modern productions - the controversial Dmitry Tchernyakov's  Bolshoi Theater production is the only one worth considering.
1864782
Most audio reviews contain two parts... the performance and the recording.  The recording is  SO BAD on this CD that if the performance is magnificent you'll never know.  This sounds like someone in the balcony snuck in an old cassette recorder.  You can hear rustling of heavy handling.  You can hear the thum-thum-thum of a spindle(s) turning.  Old telephones had more dynamic range than this recording.  It's a shame... but this CD is utter junk.  Even Ludwig could hear how bad this recording is.  (fyi... I listen on ADS 1530s.)
1657909
How depressing to see such a talented band fall into the "Bloated Elvis Syndrom". Spoiled to the point of overindulgence and it shows. The stage is so big, that you rarely see the whole band all at one time or  in one spot, or for that matter anywhere near each other. They don't even  seem like a band anymore, but 5 seperate pieces floating around in  nothingness. The backup singers really bring an extra helping of crappola  to the show, complete with flutes, horns and all the cheeziness of a Poison  concert. What happened to the raw attitude they used to have? My  grandmother would enjoy this, but if your a die hard GNR fan, and you want  to see them play as a band, and not a circus act than go find a copy of  "Guns N Roses Live at the Ritz 1988". If your really a glutton  for punishment Ill gladly sell you mine.
3989918
Great, great performance - singing, acting, conducting - marred and denigrated by an absolutely unforgivable production and set design.  Reminds one of a high school low budget production - at the Met!  "Minimalist" it might be - but since was this something for Pushkin's Russia?  It's painful to watch, and the performance breaks your heart in more ways than one.
877436
This CD/DVD presentation of the music of Baldassare Galuppi is not very well done. If you are not already a Galuppi fan, and convinced that Galuppi's music should be performed far more often, this performance will be more likely to make you skeptical than enthusiastic. The film quality is barely passable, the staging and costuming are plainly low-budget, but much more dissatisfying is the performance by the modern-instrument orchestra. Not only do they and their conductor lack any sense of baroque style but they don't play terribly well. The oboes in particular are shrill and not quite in control of pitch.

Why four stars? Why bother with the set then? If you are at all interested in Venetian opera and/or theater, you must take every opportunity to see the works of Carlo Goldoni brought to life on stage. Goldoni was the most artful Italian playwright of his era, and a major influence on the theaters of all Europe ever since. It was Goldoni above all who combined the Italian tradition of "commedia dell'arte" with the French innovations of Moliere. Goldoni's librettos for opera were set by composers again and again for two centuries after his death; without Goldoni, even Mozart and Rossini wouldn't have been what they are. Baldassare Galuppi was Goldoni's closest musical collaborator for more than a decade, producing both opera sera and opera buffa. Their works became an international sensation and were staged everywhere from Italy to England. It's safe to say that Galuppi was more acclaimed in the mid-18th Century than Handel and Gluck combined. This rather bumbling production at least allows the modern devotee of musical theater a taste of what baroque audiences enjoyed. The libretto, praise be, is included in Italian and English.

Impressive performances of Galuppi's music are available on CD:

Vivaldi-Galuppi - Gerard Lesne with Il Seminario Musicale (2 CD)
Messa per San Marco - Athestis & Academia de li Musici, Filippo Brassan conducting
Sette Concerti a Quattro - Orchestra da Camera di Venezia
Settecento Veneziano - Accademia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone conducting

Arias by Galuppi are also turning up on more and more recital CDs by the great baroque singers who've been emerging from Italy for the past decade. Bottom line: Give Galuppi a Go!
1969293
This performance is less than satisfying.  It makes long-time fans of this opera nostalgic for the Sutherland-Horne-Alexander combination.  This recording has certain visual and auditory shortcomings.  The colors are muted, with a sort of wash-out appearance.  And the sound, overall, has a muffled quality rather than an expected crispness and clarity.  The orchestral playing is acceptable but hardly inspired.  At times, the tempos are distressingly slow.  And what can one say about those costumes?  It is doubtful that any Roman official ever dressed like that!  The Druid warriors resemble shepherds rather than eager revolutionaries.
4420284
The performances are very good -- propulsive and exciting.

The sound is excellent, albeit slightly sterile, sounding almost as if it were recorded in a studio.

The video is poor, the worst I've encountered in a symphonic performance Blu-ray. A diffusion filter appears to have been used, and it softens the image, reduces detail and adds an unfortunate bloom to the whites.

Worse yet, the direction, camerawork and editing are awful. There are a lot of frequent cuts and overlapping images. At times, a freeze frame is used -- a very gimmicky effect that pulls you right out of the moment and makes you aware of the director. It made me appreciate even more the crystal-clear, well-directed EuroArts Blu-rays, which successfully convey a "you are there" quality that adds greatly to the excitement.

This was a lost opportunity.
961018
This is not an easy review.  There are some real issues with this performance and especially with the DVD quality!  I expect more in quality from DECCA.
1) I am very disappointed with the Video part of this production.  The picture just fills only 3/4 of my HD screen.  Definition is very poor with many blurring problems.  When singers in bright costumes move too fast a ghostly blur follows them.  Lighting is far too dark at times and one can barely see the singers at times.  This is picturewise a less than good video recording. In fact I have some private DVDS with much better picture and sound production.
2) The Sound Quality is not that great either.  It's muffled or muted much of the time.  The excellent Weiner Philharmoniker is too much in the background.
3) The Sets are okay; just not inspired.  Set changes often are way too long and the viewer sits in his/her living room in total darkness and wonders if the DVD is having problems or has stopped.  These long pauses are very distracting and should have been edited out.
4) The stage directing is very weak and at times none exsistent.  Too many times a character enters and just "parks and barks."  Tamino often runs in turns and sings with no motivation.  The poor Queen in both arias gets no help from the director.  In the first her costume sabotages her...her qown is the set.  In the second she just stands there and sings to the Conductor.  Luciana Serra deserved better than this.  The three ladies just do traffic patterns for no apparent reason and with nonexistant motivation.
5) Some of the costumes just work, some work(the priests) and some are outright disasters.  Tamino's and Pamina's are very bad.  My Grandmother has better "house dresses" than Tamino's feminine rags.
6) Make up and hair styles are not always flattering i.e. Pamina's braid and Tamino's red marks on his forehead.
7) Most of the singers are really fine; especially, a very young Rene Pape and Deon Van Der Walt.  Luciana Serra's very bright voice works well for The Queen Of The Night.  Ruth Ziesak is a weak Pamina.  Her top just doesn't float and she does squeeze at times.  Anton Scharinger is just adequate as Papageno.  The three ladies are only Okay.  The three boys are very good.
8) Solti's conducting is fine; I just like Muti so much more in 2006 at Salzburg.
IN CONCLUSION: This DVD has some weak production values that DECCA should have addressed or left in the Vault.  It isn't worth the money I spent on it and does neither DECCA or THE SALZBURG FESTIVAL JUSTICE.  I don't expect to view this again.
4278196
Lousy musical direction and actors who cannot sing make one hell of a train wreck of a recording. The OBC, The Paper Mill Revival and "Follies in Concert" are all excellent and each have their merits. This London revival is simply the pits.
2739554
This DVD is of Maria Stuarda is in fact a film, which is a... of Donizetti's opera.  Dramatic scenes and arias arechopped and changed around at will, with huge chunks of music missing,suddenly interspersed with German dialogue.  This is bad enough; whatis worse is watching ... eastern european actors and actressestrying ... to lip synch to Joan Sutherland's magnificentvoice.  The makers of the film didn't even specially record thesoundtrack, they just lifted directly from Sutherland's full recordingof the opera.  I would recommend anyone to steer clear of this....
2186033
Unfortutely this show gets harder to listen to each time you hear it.  First you notice that most of the singing is off-key.  Then you realize that most songs are 16 bars of a melody, which are then repeated louder, and then again louder.  Broadway can, and does do much better.  Spend your money elsewhere
3310976
This disc largely consists of sticky-sweet, bastardized choral arrangements done in a saccharine style. The pieces whose texts are set to familiar "Top 40" classical works are really quite tasteless- Lugebat David and Crux Fidelis being the worst of them.
The recording has been made with a manufactured sound in an unusually resonant space, which has allowed the producer to gloss over a startling number of sloppy entrances, a poor blend, occasional pitch problems, and a shrill soprano section.
Borrow the disc from your library and listen to the transcriptions for the novelty of it- but for more legitimate recordings of the Rutter, the Messaien, Part and Rachmaninov, you'd best look elsewhere.
459143
What an abomination. Currentzis is a conundrum: some of his output - such as his Rameau compilation and Rite of Spring - is admirable and refreshing, other things - especially his abuse of Mozart's operas, which he clearly despises - are risibly poor. This one of course belongs to the second category; apart from Kenneth Tarver, who has a beautiful voice but is wasted and all at sea in this tub - the usual assemblage of third-rate voices, crooning and twittering ineffectually, is enough to reduce the seasoned Mozart lover to tears or laughter. Currentzis has an inexplicable attachment to a white-voiced soprano who cannot remotely cope with the fioriture, coloratura or long-breathed phrases of Fiordiligi's music and simply wheezes her way through the part sotto voce, never once singing out. She huffs and aspirates her way through her showpiece aria which is no longer a satirical parody of a diva's big number but rather a failed trial by fire. Dorabella sounds like Marcellina from "Figaro" - someone's querulous old auntie, the archetypal old bag. All three female singers sound like over-parted boy trebles and are interchangeable in their mediocrity and anonymity - and the two lower male voices are equally unmemorable.

The warnings are there straight away in the breathless frenzy of the overture and throughout Currentzis hacks and chops his way through the choruses and orchestra passage without the slightest concession to line or legato, asking his strings to yowl along in vibratoless sympathy with singers who cannot sustain sufficient resonance to carry the musical burden. An obtrusively loud and insistent piano in the recitativo accompagnato and numerous cuts complete the hatchet job.

Reviewers who love this are entitled to their taste but I cannot conceive of their having any real acquaintance with the operatic and vocal traditions which have developed over the last two hundred and more years.
2209656
I was so looking forward to seeing this production of CANDIDE since it's conducted by the great John deMain. Also the production looks good on paper, but it's not very good in performance. The sound is poor, and  the chorus sounds as if it's singing in another room and the production doesn't move swiftly enough: CANDIDE is a bawdy farce with serious movements that needs to move like the wind since it's essentially a one-joke show: innocent babes who've taught the world is the best of all possible worlds are repeatedly raped, beaten, cheated, robbed and worse until they finally wise up.

You know you're in trouble when the choreographer decides to choreograph the greatest overture ever written for Broadway, and you're stuck watching six dancers in silver body suits prance around aimlessly while the principal trumpet blows notes left and right. The orchestra is very secondrate. Some of of the secondary cast, as well as the chorus, is Italian, so some of the of the wonderful lyrics are difficult to understand. The design, overall, is quite good, mid-eighteenth century, as is Voltaire's novella, but the pace is slow and the choreography and musical staging very poor.

Then we get to the fantastic finale "Make Our Garden Grow" and the trumpeter blows the final notes! Final gripe? The credits list the singers but don't tell who played what roles. Pathetic.

I still prefer the Bernstein performance with Jerry Hadley, June Anderson, and Christa Ludwig. Bernstein's pace is much slower than Samuel Krachmalnik who conducted the original 1956 performances, but his discussion about the show's development is fantastic and illuminating. Still, you want to yell at the screen "It's a comic operetta! Move it." Anything, even this, is preferable to the dreadful Lonny Price campfest from the Philharmonic. It may be funny but it's completely lacking in style and wit besides being a lousy rendition of a great score.