Customer Reviews

Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Eschwe, Netrebko, Villazon, Wiener Staatsoper

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Some operas live charmed lives both on DVD and CD. This is one of them. We have the Met/Pavarotti-Battle DVD and the Scotto-Bergonzi DVD. We also have several great casts on just CD and almost everyone of them presents an accurate presentation of what the composer asks for. This is not as easy as it sounds. Many Traviatas fall short of our expectations; just to name one opera that gets over recorded and not always well. Now let me be honest and say I don't always enjoy or get into much comic opera; Don Giovanni being an exception. It's really a comedy, tragedy and old fashioned morality play all rolled into one. Absurd plots and many farces just don't cut it with me. I took a risk on this DVD just to see and hear Netrebko and Villazon. I am not disappointed! This entire cast and production do Donizetti and this opera full justice. Netrebko is enchanting. Villazon is unique and special. He's almost Groucho Marx with a great voice. His entire face and body is an actor's dream come true and he can sing while being so physically flexible. His voice strikes my ear as having a little bit of Domingo and DiStefano in it. The aria "Una Furtiva Lagrima" has to be encored and is even slightly better the second time. After all his comic posturing his straight forward singing here is just a perfect contrast to all that came before. This DVD should be added to the Battle/Pavarotti and Scotto/Bergonzi if you already own them. Like I said I'm not the biggest fan of comic opera; yet, this production completely won me over. This is an enchanting evening for eye and ear with some glorious melodies by Donizetti. ENJOY!!!

Donizetti's enchanting comedy 'L'Elisir d'Amore' has rarely been performed with such panache and sense of fun as this beautiful evening captured during a live performance of the Otto Schenk/Jürgen Roseat production at the Vienna Staatsoper on this sparkling DVD.

Conductor Alfred Eschwé enjoys every minute of this bubbling score and the orchestra is especially sensitive to his subtle demands. The raison d'etre for creating this live recording is obviously the inimitable harmony of the leads Rolando Villazón as Nemorino and Anna Netrebko as Adina. These two handsome and talented singer/actors share a magnetism that is gracing the opera houses around the world and having seen them before only in dramatic roles on stage, it is rewarding to find they both share a flair for comedy, not only in their interaction with each other but also in their total professionalism of sharing the sense of ensemble. They are a dream match.

It is difficult to imagine a more tenderly sung 'Una furtiva lacrima' (and here the audience obviously agrees, demanding an encore!) than Villazón offers. But that is one of the highlights everyone expects. It is the manner of delivery of the entire opera that makes the Villazón/Netrebko duo work such magic. They are ably supported by the Dulcamara of Ildebrando D'Arcangelo and the Sergeant Belcore of the dependable Leo Nucci. Sets, costumes, acting, orchestral timbre and of course gorgeous singing make this an opera DVD well worth owning. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, April 07

Sure, there have been better sung Nemorinos than Rolando Villazón's: Di Stefano, Kraus, Bergonzi, even the young Alagna, but none has been better acted or more convincing as a whole. In fact his acting is so good that it's on the level of the finest Broadway standards. He moves with the grace of a ballet dancer, and quite frankly, he is a joy to watch. And last but not least his singing is quite, quite good. Netrebko looks like a million dollars, and if she is not a master belcanto soprano like Scotto, she makes a pretty, nay, gorgeous Adina. The Otto Schenck production is nice to look at and frames well Villazón restless Nemorino. The public gives a standing ovation to the tenor, and in Vienna, that is something, before that he is asked to repeat Una Furtiva Lagrima to tremendous applause. In general I enjoyed this Elisir more than the Alagna on DECCA, it has a more adorable soprano, and a star performance from Villazón. The old Scotto-Bergonzi from Florence will always be a historic document of tremendous importance.

Buy this DVD! Rolando Villazon is one of the great tenors of the past 100 years, something that I feel is safe to say even though he has barely reached mid-career (the fates be willing). He is in rare voice throughout this performance and his performance and encore of Una furtiva lagrima are as fine as you will hear of this aria, even from Caruso or Gigli -- the first time he sings it as a tenore leggiero and the second time as a spinto. You can pick and choose which version you like better, but you can have both. Netrebko is outstanding as Adina. While she has her critics, I find her voice and her acting to be irresistible in general, and this role is hardly "too big" for her voice. She gives the role plenty of character, too. The rest of the cast does the buffo business very well. This is a must have performance.

Videos are strange. For instance, Madama Butterfly is one of the most popular operas of all time, yet there isn't a Butterfly video that's particularly satisfying, at least to me. But Elisir d'Amore: I have three videos (the black and white 1967 performance with Scotto and Bergonzi, the video with Alagna/Gheorghiu, and Pavarotti/Blegen), and all are delightful in their own way. This latest video is another welcome addition to my opera video collection.
I think the beauty of Elisir d'Amore is its simplicity. The melodies by Donizetti are pure and pretty. The story has a delightfully rustic charm. All the characters are appealing. A Eurotrash director couldn't "mess" with this opera even if he tried. The director, Otto Schenk doesn't even try any "funny stuff." This is a 100% traditional production, very pretty and easy on the eyes.
Rolando Villazon and Anna Netrebko have in recent years formed an artistic partnership that's increasingly rare in the opera world today. They have sung together in so many productions of different operas, and any performance featuring this "love couple" is almost guaranteed to sell out. One example is the La Traviata video from Salzburg. That being said, both Villazon and Netrebko have made some career choices that have caused puzzlement in the past couple of years. But no one would criticize this performance. Villazon has made Nemorino a trademark role, as much as di Stefano or Pavarotti. His voice is darker now, but just as liquidy and he remains a sensitive musician, wonderful at phrasing. "Una furtiva lagrima" gets an encore, and it's just as beautiful the second time. As for Netrebko, there have been accusations that she's coasted with a beautiful voice and beautiful looks, and in some roles I can understand the criticisms. The voice does tend to get unruly under pressure. But here, she's a delight. Beautiful to watch and listen to, and she and Villazon have wonderful chemistry. She's totally believable as the pretty village girl that a doof like Nemorino would love.
The best thing about this video is that everyone seems to be having fun. Sometimes singers are seen breaking character and applauding or smiling. To some, this might seem unprofessional, but come on, it's Elisir d'Amore. The point is to have fun, and the video is two hours of fun.

One would be hard-pressed to find a more beautifully sung "L'Elisir..." these days. Netrebko and Villazon are both in their prime, and they have never sounded better. And I doubt there has ever been a more breathtakingly beautiful Adina than Netrebko's. But I have serious reservations about the way this 1980 Otto Schenk production has been directed. It's opera buffo, with an emphasis a little too much on the "buffo" for me.

The major culprit here is Villazon, who never stops moving and mugging for a single moment. With his Harpo Marx hair and caterpillar eyebrows, he's a walking cartoon, and he plays the character less as an open, uncomplicated bumpkin and more like the village idiot. One longs to tie his hands behind his back and yell "Don't just do something, stand there!" Thank God he calms down for "Una furtiva lagrima," which is stunningly sung and well deserving of the audience's thunderous ovation. Interestingly enough, during the encore - yes, he sings it twice; this is a production where more is always considered more - one can see the makings of a marvelous Nemorino: simple, heartfelt and devoid of schtick.

Netrebko is considerably more restrained, except for her Act 2 duet with Ildebrando D'Arcangelo's Dulcamara, which ends in unbridled silliness. This moment, along with Villazon's anachronistic happy dance in Act 1, is just one example of the way in which the singers have been given free reign to tap into their inner Tim Conways, much to Donizetti's detriment.

I think much would have been gained by Nucci and D'Arcangelo switching roles. As marvelous as Nucci is - and when is he not? - he's too old for Belcore. He would have brought a wisdom and wiliness to Dulcamara that is lacking in D'Arcangelo's full-out comic performance. D'Arcangelo is certainly funny, agile and inventive, but he's too youthful for Dulcamara, despite the fake gray in his hair. Don't get me wrong, it's a marvelous performance - but it's a marvelous performance of Rossini's Figaro. I think he would have brought a terrific, droll pomposity to the balloon-headed Belcore.

We should be grateful to have any visual record of four such major talents as Netrebko, Villazon, Nucci and D'Arcangelo. And it's obvious that the whole enterprise is being presented as nothing more than good, clean, operatic fun. But I still find more lasting pleasures - and fewer distractions - in two other ideal DVD "L'Elisir's": the gorgeous Met production with Pavarotti and Battle, and the updated version with Alagna and Gheorghiu.

I just wanna add my praise to this performance which I think is incredible from start to finish. Netrebko and Villazon are incredible actors and singers, for me surpassing Alagna and Georghiu in the Lyon version. Even though Leo Nucci may be too old for the role, his acting is really superb (we all knew his singing was great)I had never seen him in a comic opera before). In short, we have three of todays greatest stars, so it could not be anything but great. The performance never drags and is really fun to watch, and is also excellently singed.

The only thing which was a bit of a problem for me was the audio, with the sound of the voices varying a bit depending on the location of the singers, which I assume, was due to a not ideal microphones placement. Nevertheless, it was very good in general.

I completely disagree with Mr. Erik remarks about Netrebko's attitude. This is not an opera seria, but an opera buffa, and it's great to see that the singers are having so much fun, which they transmit to the audience.

The best available Elisir!

This performance is a gem, fun to watch and beautifully sung. Rolando Villazon is an irresistible puppy, and Anna Netrebko is stunning visually and vocally. I've enjoyed an earlier Met video with Kathleen Battle and Luciano Pavarotti, but it was a "performance:" big stage, big cast, big stars. This one is intimate, frisky, nimble and light-hearted. Villazon and Netrebko have wonderful chemistry together, and the other principals inhabit their roles with similar gusto and enthusiasm. It's a happy, involving, and touching performance. The camera work is excellent, even showing us the glances between Villazon and the conductor before they repeat "una furtiva lagrima." The sound is a little distant and seems to depend on which way the singers are facing, but it's adequate. All in all, the performance is a sparkling gem, guaranteed to generate smiles.

The ovation Villazon receives brings him to tears. The kiss between the two leads at the end was as much Anna and Rolando as it was Adina and Nemorino - it moved me to well up a little to see their real love for each other on stage.

It is clear that they had a lot of fun with this performance and let their own personalities shine through. One reviewer has mentioned the 'unbridled silliness' of Netrebko after her duet with D'Arcangelo - I have seen her performance of I Puritani recently as a video broadcast from the Met... she does the same sort of thing offstage - skipping about and tossing her skirts! It's really rather endearing.

The DVD doesn't offer much more in the way of special features, there is only a short character identification piece offered. And for this price that is just fine. The sound is good. The lighting was the only thing in the whole production that I could nit-pick about. But I won't! I bought the disc for two reasons only - Netrebko and Villazon and that's exactly what was delivered. I couldn't have asked for more!

Yes the acting of Rolando was out there but in opera if you are to see the smallest nuances you need to act big .TV and DVD home in on these parts which do look hammed up close but from the back of the theatre I am sure they are just right.I truely loved this opera it was so much a bright up beat production.There is little enough in opera repetoire for the singers to have fun and this is one where the lighter side and sillier side has its day.The addition of the live donkey reminded me of a programme with Birgit Nielsen doing the Ring cycle and lustily singing for her horse ,the look on her face when the stage hands brought in a real horse was worth its wieght in gold.(needless to say she didn't stop until the horse returned that was it she gave up !!)So who cares if caterpillar eyes are over the top I personnaly found this whole production to be a brilliant piece of musical entertainment with a wonderful cast and some really funny moments