Product Details

• Actors: Montserrat Caballe, Fiorenza Cossotto, Jose Carreras, Nhk Symphony Orchestra, Gianfranco Masini
• Format: Classical, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: Italian
• Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Video Artists Int'l
• DVD Release Date: August 12, 2008
• Run Time: 147 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001CISX9E
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,225 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DREAM CAST FOR THE ULTIMATE DIVA OPERA, August 18, 2008

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Bartolome Mesa Gil "TOLO" (Malaga, SPAIN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur (DVD)

Cilea's opera may not be a great work of art, but it has exquisite melodies and is a wonderful vehicle for a great diva as Montserrat Caballé, in 1976 still in the very peak of her long and legendary career. I've seen this Tokyo performance on VHS (with poor picture) and I own the audio recording on CD (Legato) and Caballé has to be heard and seen to be believed. She's in great voice, delivering at full voltage in the dramatic outbursts (including a thrilling passage of declamation) and, with her trademarked pianissimi, just sublime in the more delicate moments. It is hard to imagine a more beautiful performance of this part (and I do love Magda Olivero as well). Carreras (at his most youthfull) and Cossotto are very good too. The production is rudimentary but on the other hand doesn't intrude on the perfomances of the singers as so many recent productions do. Considering the good job VAI has done so far in the quality of transfers of this Japanese telecasts, this could be for me the Opera video of the year. Give it a chance if you love great singing.

UPDATE (September 4): I've just received my DVD and, as expected, it is quite an improvement on the VHS edition, though don't expect great visuals. The stereo sound is pretty good considering the source. You can't get rid of the burnt in Japanese subtitles, but VAI provides optional subtitles in several languages over them. Highly recommended.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adriana Caballe, February 27, 2009

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L. Marietta "The Voice" (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur (DVD)

Here is vintage Caballe in her prime. All the famous Caballe trademarks are here: ravishing pianissimi, silvery glistening tone, seamless legato and thrilling fortes. The strength of her acting comes not from tossing her body around on stage in all kinds of preposterous positions [unlike so much of today's ludicrous staging], but from the unbeatable combination of her consummate vocal artistry and innate musicianship, using her tremendous vocal dexterity, a seemingly endless palette of tonal colors, varied articulations that appropriately declaim the text and dynamic shadings: all of which rivets your attention on her...
...except when the stage is dominated by Cossotto, one of the last *real* Italian dramatics, whose vocal thrust and commitment to the part create the perfect foil to Caballe. When these two ladies start to tangle, get out of the way. If looks could kill, the entire cast would be on the floor from their smirking glances of withering rebuke and whole-hearted hatred.

While this is definitely a diva's opera, Carreras shows why he was such a sensation at the beginning of his career. With his classic good looks, outpouring of a sumptuous, spinning lyric sound and spot-on acting, he makes the most of a rather thankless part, being consistenly engaged in the action (albeit perhaps a little over-wrought at times).

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Adriana!, January 19, 2009

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operamarty - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur (DVD)

These performances from Japan, 1976, are really good. The subtitles in Japanese are imbedded in the disc in white but if needed, the other subtitles are in yellow and can be easily read. With these compelling performances (including supporting casts) you won't notice. I'm playing this at my next potluck opera gathering for my friends to enjoy. Caballe and Jose are in top form. I saw the tape of this performance once and it was so dark you couldn't enjoy it. Great to find that the company has managed to issue the high quality video and sound in this DVD. There are few really good performances of these two stars on video and if you love them, you must have this DVD. Great cast!