Product Details

• Actors: Mirella Freni, Peter Dvorsky, Fiorenza Cossotto, Ivo Vinco, Alessandro Cassis
• Directors: Brian Large
• Writers: Arturo Colautti, Ernest Legouve, Eugène Scribe
• Format: Classical, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Italian (PCM)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: July 1, 1998
• Run Time: 158 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305078734
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,226 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Musicals & Performing Arts > Classical > By Performer > Freni, Mirella

• For more information about "Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur / Lamberto Puggelli · Gianandrea Gavazzeni · Mirella Freni · Fiorenza Cossotto · Teatro alla Scala" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This Francesco Cilea opera is a favorite with prima donnas not only for its strong vocal attractions but for its pretty death scene (the heroine is killed by a poisoned bouquet of violets) and for its backstage atmosphere filled with gossip, career-building, and complex amorous intrigues (Lecouvreur, a historic figure, was a wildly popular star of the Comedie Francaise in the 18th century). Connoisseurs love it for a subtlety and refinement of both music and libretto (including clever imitations of 18th-century musical and theatrical styles) seldom encountered in verismo opera. The mass audience, on the whole, has yet to discover it. Mirella Freni rises gracefully to the role's potential elegance, aided by sensitive conducting and staging and a competent, sometimes brilliant supporting cast. --Joe McLellan

Product Description

Opera's ultimate soprano showpiece demands a great diva--and our generation has found its Adriana in Mirella Freni. At the height of her vocal and artistic maturity, she manifests all the passion, tenderness and tragedy of this supremely difficult role. "Adriana Lecouvreur" dramatizes the celebrated 18th-century French actress' tempestuous rivalry with the Princess of Bouillon for the Count of Saxony's love. This opulent La Scala production evokes the violent emotions, tender sentiments, and romantic intrigues expressed in Francesco Cilea's "verismo" masterpiece. Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro Alla Scala conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The diva and the clafté, February 14, 2000

By	Noam Eitan (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Adriana Lecouvreur [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a document of a hysterical evening at La Scala. The atmosphere is charged, the singers thrive on the give-it-all-you've-got approach and the audiences goes wild rooting for its heroines. The attitude of the audience is part of the drama and they behave as if they came to cheer their local team. The boundaries between reality and the story are blurred on several levels. The drama has an element of a play within a play (within a play). The heroine is an admired actress, and the role is written as a showpiece for a great diva. The dramatic center of the action is her rivalry with a Princess, sung by the mezzo, over the attentions of the tenor. Acts II and III give the evening a flavor of an athletic competition between the mezzo and the soprano. Cossotto is my favorite mezzo in the Italian repertoire. She opens act II abruptly, singing-to-kill, oozing tormented vindictive maliciousness. The bitchiness is quite palpable, in the story and on stage. I saw Cossotto giving a master class in Israel, and she is quite a clafté. What she did to Callas at the Paris 65 Norma is now history. I don't like lyrical sopranos, and Freni is no exception, but this role is so physically and emotionally demanding that her efforts cannot leave anyone indifferent. Dvorsky produces appropriately heroic sounds worthy of Del Monaco (but with more feeling. This role however doesn't call for a display of his lyrical skills). Cilea is no Puccini. The emotions depicted are rather crude. Like the Cosi Fan Tutte from this source, the DVD has a poor VHS quality. It seems it was copied from a VHS, as you can't remove the subtitles and the picture is not well defined.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ADRIANA LECOUVREUR!, October 2, 2001

By	Michael Anthony Brenton (The Other Side of the Known Universe) - See all my reviews

If you love not just OPERA, but REALLY OBSCURE OPERA, then you will enjoy this La Scala production of FRANCESCO CILEA's opera "ADRIANA LECOUVREUR." The story here is of the celebrated 18th century RIVALRY of the great actress Adriana Lecouvreur with the Princess of Bouillon for the LOVE of the Count of Saxony. However, the reason this opera is SELDOM PERFORMED is not because of the story, but rather because the lead SOPRANO has to really be at the heights of her power. Fortunately, La Scalla had MIRELLA FRENI at the height of her vocal maturity to sign the title role! Enjoy the SINGING of not only Freni but Peter Dvorsky, Fioneza Cossotto and Ivo Vinco!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful production, April 7, 2004

By	G. Golding (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This Adriana is great one. Mirella Freni is not in her absolute best voice, but she still gives a knock out performance of a very spinto role. I heard her on a MET broadcast a few years later and she was in even better voice. I love it, and she acts the role very well. Ok, Scotto and Olivero are better actresses, but Freni certainly is above them in the voice category. She receives an amazing ovation at the end!
Gavazzeni is wonderful as the La Scala conductor. Dvorsky is good, but not wonderful. He does some severe forcing on his high notes but at least he is ardent. Cossotto is dramatic, though time has not been too kind to her instrument.
I love it, though......but after repeated viewings, I STILL don't completely understand the story. It's a shame that Freni was not chosen by Decca to record the role. That went to Joan Sutherland, who was well past her best. I still enjoy it, but Mirella would have been so much the better. Damn you Decca!