Opera on DVD

[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]

  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.   

[marvinbrown]

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]

  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]

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.

[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.

[DavidRoss]

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.

[kaergaard]

Now I know it!! 

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. )

[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]

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]

According to the amazon.com listing, Nonesuch is releasing both formats in one package, for just $20.99.

http://www.amazon.com/Nixon-In-China-DVD-Blu-Ray/dp/B009FB3YE4/ref=pd_ys_cs_all_10

[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)?

[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

[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?

[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...

[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...

[mc ukrneal]

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.