Customer Reviews

Donizetti: Linda di Chamounix

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Recorded in 1996 at the Opern House of Zurich, performers are first class. Not only for instance Edita Gruberova already specialized in mad characters, but also Cornelia Kallisch as Pierotto, mezzo soprano in a cross dressed role. László Polgár is also persuasive in his role of prefetto. Linda di Chamounix (1842) is somehow the reprise of Lucia de Lammemoor (1835), sense of humor and irony added. I suggest this DVD as a gem for those interested in virtually forgotten opera that were great success about one and a half centuries ago. It makes the difference between commoners and sybarites in opera houses.

Buy this video for beautiful singing all round, and the music is consistantly fine. The story seems to be a comedy done seriously, or a drama done lightly, the production is unsure which, and the staging is serviceable but looks cheap--perhaps intentionally. Gruberova takes the "hit tune" early on rather fast to show off, but she can get away with it. These drawbacks are minor. The dumbness of the storyline may be why "Linda" is neglected. In general, this rarely performed opera is a surprisingly beautiful and often exciting "find."

"Linda is a pretty little opera"is a quote from 19th century superstar Luisa Tetrazzini. And for many years it was a favorite of sopranos to show off their skills and audiences to show their adulation. The story is based on a kind of Christmas-time fairy tale by Frenchmen Adolphe-Philippe d'Enney & Gustave Lemoine "Le Grace de Dieu". Innocence is rewarded after trials and tribulations. It is pretty music but a dull story line. For this reason, I suppose, the producers had to "fill in" with lots of busy work on stage. There is the "hurdy-gurdy" of Pierotto that looks like a Star Wars gadget that at one point spits snow and otherwise shows a light beam. Then when Linda is ensconced in a ritzy appartment in Paris there are all these people doing things in the background that are not relevant to the story. The woman with her legs up being carried on a platter was just too much for me. I'm a great Gruberova fan so I loved this one more star in her many jeweled crown. The story is a trifle and it would be better to just ignore it and let the singers sing; and they are all good at that.

Never mind the apparently tragic component that a brief outline of the opera might mention. The production is clearly intended,as the credits indicate, to be a light melodrama, with the emphasis on light. The score is frothy, as frothy should be, airily sung, brightly lit, scenic design which is very supportive, a director who moves the plot along so that it abets rather than hinders the intent of the music, and a cast which is near perfect in its facilitation of the motif. Have no idea why the producing company should not have kept it in its inventory (save for lack of sales due to inadequate appreciation of what this production does) but, hopefully, it will be available at a reasonable price from some (legal, of course) source.
I will note that the five stars represent a comparison with productions of similar type rather than with the GRAND OPERA with its compulsory tragedy and exaggerated emotion.

Production values are terrific in this DVD of a performance at the Zurich Opera. Great singing by all the principals (and especially Gruberova) made it a pleasure to watch and hear. My wife and I are perfoming in the chorus for a local production of "Linda," and this gave us a wonderful insight into the opera to understand our own roles and songs.