A legendary night at the opera
359550
This is one of my favourite opera recordings.  The sound is believeable and well balanced.  Sometimes the top sound is a little harsh but the bass is very rich.  The brass & timpanii crescendo in the final moments is  thrilling.  Bohm paces the work directly, with subtle rubato and with  obvious care.  Above all it is the singing that impresses.  Reining is  simply magnificent.  She has a rock solid, creamy sound and is able to  float and soar to spectacular effect.  Lorenz is gutsy with the requisite  power to bring off the final moments.  Some may find the  dated vocal  techniques, especially of rising to notes, 'different', but I find it an  endearing record of a lost vocal tradition.  The ensemble, sense of  occasion and sheer joy of music making lift this set well above the Karajan  and Masur recordings which are more technically perfect but routine in  comparison.  I hesitated to buy such an old recording but needn't have  worried.  An easy 5 stars.
4268333
This is dramatic opera at it's very finest. The performances by all are genuine masterpeices. Let us try to keep in mind that this is live theater. Staged as such. True, I have read other reviews that feel the dramatic sets are not as Wagner envisioned. And they are not. Plus the Dragon leaves a lot to be desired. The "Ring" has never been produced as Wagner wanted it to be both seen and heard. However this is a "STAGED" work and "NOT" a motion picture that has undergone an extensive digital format. Sit back, relax and allow the entire production work it's magic.
2622917
I have never been to an opera. This book is a transport to The Met, or one of the famous opera houses in Italy, and after reading through it and admiring the incredible talent of the artist, I know now at least what the experience of being at an opera live must surely feel like. You can actually feel the emotions through the drawings, which I can only imagine are more than accurate depictions of these magnificent performers, frozen in time by the hand of Mr. Blaustein. Thank you for sharing these great drawings and experiences!
2834775
This is a very enoyable opera.  I saw Anna Netrebko in this performance live at the Met Opera, and had to buy the dvd so I could see it again.  The whole cast is terrific.  This is a wonderful performance that should not be missed.
3125276
Nicolai Rimsky - Korsakov (1844-1908) ,Operas getting finally the recognition they Deserve and Snow Maiden is
Truly among the Greatest Rimsky- Korsakov Operas,being beautifully represented in this Classic Performance.
I reviewed previously the French abridged Version, available among my Reviews, but this Performance with an all Star cast is virtually Complete lsting 3 Hrs. 14 min. The Most famous Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya
Stated in her Autobiography,that in Russia during the Era of the Soviet Union you could record any opera only once in 25 years. There was only one record company Melodya controlled  by the government and therefore many star singers who sang major roles during their primes, were obliged to take secondary roles in their older
Age. In result majority of Russian opera recordings made during that time are on a very high artistic level,and that includes the present performance of Snow Maiden recorded in 1957 . I will not write the story of. Snow
Maiden,because it has been previously written in detail by another customer and if you like to get familiar with it
Please read the review by David Anthony Hollingsworth. It is very interesting and correct. In the present recording the tittle role is sang by the great coloratura soprano Vera Firsova. Her voice is beautiful, her florid
Singing outstanding and her high notes very firm. Galina Vishnevskaya as Kupava possesses a beautiful dramatic soprano voice, the only soprano from that Era that was very successful in the West, singing the roles
Of Verdi's Aida, Puccini's Tosca and Liu in Turandot, and she sings beautifully in this recording. Alexei Krivchenya in the role of Father Frost is known to American audiences from the role of the monk Varlam in
Mussorgsky 1954 film of Boris Godunov is in excellent form and interprets his role very fluently. Another excellent soprano Larissa Avdeyeva sings the role of a Shepard boy. Tsar Berendey is sang by well known in the West tenor Ivan Kozlovsky . In sum a star studded performance. The music of Snow Maiden is enchanting
Beautiful like the Magic Kingdom of fairy tale, and if you are familiar with Rimsky- korsakov orchestral masterpieces , Scheherazade, Capriccio Espagnol, Antar Symphony,Le Cog  d' Or  and Tsar Saltan you will be delighted . If you are. Not familiar with it , this is the right place to start. The famous conductor Evgeny Svetlanov
An expert of Rimsky- Korsakov music conducts the Chorus and Orchestra. Of the Bolshoi Theatre with love and devotion. Very highly recommended.
4831362
This is a legendary performance in the best sound it has ever received.  Reiner provides his usual outstanding conducting and he and the cast give us an earthy, dynamic, sizzling performance of Bizet's Opera.  One of the truly great versions of this music.  I have had this music in my library since it first appeared; this remastering of the original analogue tapes is absolutely superb in 24bit/96kHz technology.  The opera sounds fresh, vibrant, and as if it was just recorded - in no small measure due to the original engineering excellence provided by Lewis Layton at the Manhattan Center in New York City.  This is simply a spectacular performance with an outstanding cast supported by the Robert Shaw Choral, the French School Children's Chorus, and as I recall, the New York Philharmonic masquerading as the RCA Victor Orchestra due to the Philharmonic's exclusive use of name contract with Columbia Records.  In short, one of the great opera recordings of the 20th Century in outstanding sound, at a bargain price.  Get it now; when it goes out of print the price will skyrocket and most of us will be unwilling to pay several times the current price for a sonically inferior computer copy made under license from a second generation copy of these discs.
1860581
When I saw this opera in the theater as a one of the productions Met Life HD Broadcast series I was very impressed with the performance. I don't have another reference as this was the first time I saw this opera and I enjoyed it very much.
The cast is outstanding; it is probably one of the best singing Rossinis operas, even the smallest characters were very good.
The music is beautiful. I enjoyed the duets between Elena ,la donna del lago and  GiacomoV(Uberto) played by Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flores respectively as well as the trio with these two characters and Rodrigo played by John Osborne. The singing chorus and different ensembles were amazing: the cast sees a meteor in the sky and then departing to war was very beautiful.
The scenery was simple, but very appropriate playing with costumes and light very well.
The quality of the dvd is perfect.
3776108
This is an ecstatically wonderful work, it's practically on a loop in our house since we got it. The music is ravishing, a masterful recreation of what must have been the concert of the century.  This is the event that gave Louis XVI his nickname of the Sun King. The Ensemble really brings to life a performance that puts you right there. You can practically see it unfolding in your mind, it's a challenge not to dance around the kitchen making baroque declamatory gestures to prepare dinner. The Italian operatic sections are a joy, beautifully performed. The book of notes about the music and libretto is worth the price of admission itself and really goes into depth about the spectacle.
2259509
This was a fantastic performance of Il Trovatore. I adore the voices of Domingo and Kabaivanksa and of course the music of Verdi is exquisite. I personally would have liked to see more shots with a broader scope of vision, where an entire scene could seen and not so many tight closeups. It think giving some room in a scene deepens the sweep and grandeur of an opera.
21655
Not everything here deserves five stars (more on that later), but the amazing vocal offerings here keep me from rating it any lower. The best elements are Erin Wall and Elina Garanca who sound absolutely marvelous together; also, their respective arias are definite highlights. Erin Wall's soprano is silvery and shimmering--powerful at the top and surprisingly audible below the staff; the middle voice is smooth yet textured. Also, every syllable is colored with emotion. As did most of the cast, she got better dramatically and vocally as the night proceeded, but "Come scoglio" is by no means a disappointment, though her "Per piet" is better. I wish I could make it down to the Lyric Opera of Chicago this season to see her Fiordiligi there. Elina Garanca is never any less than fabulous as Dorabella. The voice is large and opulent but high-reaching and agile; she is dramatically captivating at every moment and never drains the tension. Barbara Bonney sounds kind of odd to me below her thrilling high register, but she continuously acts as saucy as Despina should, borrowing (never stealing) the show when necessary. Of all the cast, she ornamented the most, but Mozart is supposed to be ornamented. She made it work. Tenor Shawn Mathey wasn't intensely engaging as Ferrando, but he was no less enjoyable, making "Un aura amorosa" a high point. Stphane Degout inhabited Guglielmo and managed to make "Donne mie, la fate a tanti" more exciting than boring, though I suspect conductor Daniel Harding had a literal hand in this--he kept Mozart's score vibrant and dynamic as it should be (however, the cast occasionally fought him for tempi, though it can be tough to coordinate orchestra and singers in an outdoor theater; also, some delicious cadences are glossed over). Some people seemed to like him, but I couldn't stand Raimondi's Alfonso here. His physical mannerisms--hands flailing at the sides, wide eyes, spread mouth--grated and too much flatness pitchwise proved obnoxious, though, fortunately, he managed not to mar the transcendent "Soave sia il vento." Plus, most of his music isn't that beautifully written, so no huge loss if his voice isn't as fresh as it used to be--he plays an old character, after all. As for the direction, some of it really worked and allowed for opera to be sexy (and not crude, either), while some of it was hopelessly abstract and / or anachronistic if not saliently so. Also, I get the impression that not all his demands were not the most vocally compatible, yet the cast, as a whole, coped and sounded beautifully. The relatively young age of the four lovers probably helped in this department. One more item:  The recorded sound seems pretty true to the voices and orchestra, but the instruments are more closely miked (due to the theatre layout) and occasionally overwhelm the singers. All in all, I highly recommend this DVD for its musical and textual accomplishments.
4308776
I'll never forget the first time I listened to this performance.
I was astonished. It's surely the best opera performance Giulini
has conducted. The orchestral playing is gorgeous. Schwarzkopf sings in a wonderful way and Sutherland, albeit a bit cold, seducts you because of her technical perfection. Tragical moments are combined with funny ones with complete naturality, and you can find here all the passions and subtilities of human behaviour: peace, terror, love, rage, erotism, violence... One of the best operas in the world can be listened to in a (nearly) perfect performance which surprises you with its amazing precision and force.
1380566
Rigoletto is a truly great opera of Guiseppe Verdi, composed in the same period as La Traviata and Il Trovatore. It is most difficult to pull it off well. This performance done in Dresden is sheer perfection with a dream cast in a European production.  Diane Damrau as Gilda, Juan Diego Florez as Il Duca and Zeljko Lucic as Rigoletto are all first rate. There is female nudity and a decadent elegance of the characters in bizarre headdresses that may be a turn-off for some. Juan Diego Florez plays against type here as the Duke Of Mantua. His angelic voice and genial spirituality is put to work here as tools for rampant seduction rather than the romantic heroism for which is known in the roles of my favored Gaetano Donizetti operas where he excels as Nemorino and Tonio in  "L'Elisir d'Amore" and "La Fille Du Regiment," respectively. Florez here is visually spellbinding and vocally untouchable.  The chemistry between Florez and Damrau draws them together incredibly. Diana Damrau is a lovely, visionary and vocally apt Gilda. But it is Zeljko Lucic who commands and compels as the court jester Rigoletto. Spooked by a curse, (La Maledizione, the original title of this opera,)  which frightens him, this Rigoletto's pain is visceral as he resorts to the dispicable act of ordering the murder of the Duke which results in his profound loss. I've long pondered why Verdi allows the violated Gilda to sacrifice her life for the disloyal Duke when Mozart condemns Don Giovanni to Hell. Though Gilda loves the Duke with a steadfast first love, she knows, too, that a future life in Verona with her father Rigoletto would result only in more confinement for her sans love and marriage, making her sacrifice an easier choice. Damrau and Lucic perform Gilda and Rigoletto in the Metropolitan Opera's new version set in Las Vegas which can be viewed in Live in HD in theaters on Saturday, February 16, 2013.
1940130
Love this opera - this purchase was fantastic!
12046
The classic Giulini performance of Don Carlo for EMI is usually counted as one of the greatest recordings of all time, and if one ever came to doubt that it is, just listening to a few minutes of it will almost certainly reaffirm that judgment. Now, it may not be the only performance you would want to own of this opera, one of Verdi's greatest, in part because you would almost surely need both the French and the Italian versions (this is the Italian), and in part because some of the other performances (e.g. the Santini one with Tito Gobbi and Boris Christoff) are more or less indispensable as well. What makes this version nevertheless the top choice is a combination of multiple factors, not the least being Giulini's total grasp of the structure of the whole work as well as individual scenes; the pacing is ideal, indeed remarkable, and despite some relatively slow tempi the opera never threatens to meander or indeed be anything but almost ideally taut.

Then there is the orchestral and choral performances. The Ambrosian Opera Chorus is thrilling throughout, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, give us almost remarkably full-blooded performances, full of spirit, power and color, yet with immaculate attention to detail - rarely if ever have the climaxes and stark tragedy of the music registered more powerfully than here. Add to that a superbly well-balanced, full-bodied sound - clear, but with splendid depth - and you already have a set to treasure.

Then, of course, there are the singers, and at this point I run out of superlatives. First of all, Placido Domingo is on top form and has rarely given a more impressive performance than this. Even the simplest passages are filled with meaning (not overdone), to the extent that it is hard not to identify with the character - and the dramatic passages are tremendous, even staggering. Montserrat Caball's Elisabetta is hardly less impressive. She produces an almost achingly beautiful sound, technically stunning, yet with a wide range of emotion and expression. Sherrill Milnes's Rodrigo is equally satisfying; indeed, his interaction with Domingo's Don Carlos are possibly the highlights of this already magnificent performance.

At first Ruggero Raimondi's Philip II may sound a little light, but then you realize that this is (probably) a deliberate choice to make the later appearances even more stirring in their gravity and depth. Then there is Shirley Verrett's Eboli; excellent as well, and she is especially impressive in the lower range of her voice, but everything she does is done more or less to perfection (she is breathtaking in the more tender scenes). All the other roles are magnificently sung. Indeed, there is hardly a blot anywhere, and hardly a caveat to be added about anything whatsoever. A spectacular performance, and a magnificent, indispensable set.
4834302
I must state from the git-go that I love this opera, and that this is a very good performance.  There are many of us who cut their teeth on the Metropolitan Opera production some years ago, and while this doesn't match it's emotional impact, it is still a jewel - just a little different.  I think it may have been a mistake to cast Anne-Sophie Schmidt as Blanche.  She sings well, but sounds very mezzo-ish and a bit strained in many of the higher passages.  She's a pretty good actress, but seems to struggle more with the notes than with her faith.  And she can't begin the portray the slightly "unhinged" component in Blanche's personality that Maria Ewing did so memorably at the Metropolitan. The rest of the cast is very strong, visuals are never less than commanding, and the final scene, while a bit stagey and symbolic, is quite gripping. Poulencs' gem of an opera is an acquired taste, I think, but well worth the acquisition. I advise you to buy this and watch (and listen) about 4-5 times - you'll be hooked.  Now if only the Metropolitan (M. Ewing, J. Norman, R. Crespin) would release its performance on DVD !!!
2997823
I don't know much about Charles Munch, probably because he was less know than such giants at the time including Eugene Ormandy and Fritz Reiner, but once I heard this performance of Berlioz's crowning achievement, I couldn't agree more that it gave such "fiery excitement" (High Fidelity).

  The final two movements - March to the Scaffold and Sabbath Night - are an absolute MUST!!! Nailbiting high tempo and a brilliant "cheer" in the March, and a power-pack of musical images of monsters and demons - from the swooping cackle of the witches from the strings - to the high-pitched "church" bells cold as ice - to the Dies Irae played by the low brass and winds full of character (the vibrato and the blend really makes a satire out of this infamous chant) - all portrayed in Sabbath Night.

  Even though the sound quality is really dated and certainly not at its cleanest, but still no other performance could be as elecrtifying as this one. Go for it!!!
2914737
I don't understand the complaints about wrinkles, clarity or fat. This is so well executed it will stand the hair up on your neck. Hildegard Behrens nails this performance in her superb singing and acting. She exactly portrays someone hopeful, scorned and unhinged. Her dance is beautiful and spine tingling.

Behrens commands the stage from beginning to the stomach churning end---

This is the cutting edge of opera that Strauss wanted to explore. Don't miss this performance for lack of reviews or a couple of less than enthusiastic comments. Opera is entertainment first and this performance will entertain and disturb you. That makes great art.

Chris Reich, BizPhyZ