Product Details

• Actors: Beverly Sills, John Alexander, Richard Fredricks, John Lankston, Susanne Marsee
• Directors: Kirk Browning
• Writers: Salvatore Cammarano
• Format: Classical, Color, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Video Artists Int'l
• VHS Release Date: March 30, 1999
• Run Time: 145 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302686946
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,809 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Roberto Devereux, the last and probably the greatest opera Gaetano Donizetti composed for the San Carlo Opera House in Naples, is based on the intense, tangled relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Essex, who was beheaded for treason in 1601. The role of the queen is one of the strongest in the bel canto soprano repertoire. In this video (essentially a New York City Opera production transplanted to the Filene Center at Wolf Trap performing arts center outside Washington, D.C.), Beverly Sills gives one of the great performances of her career. She had been singing the role in New York for several years, to great critical acclaim, and had made it her own, though her voice was beginning to lose some of its freshness when this performance was filmed in 1974. In discussing the soprano stars of bel canto opera, we find a 180-degree polarity--at one extreme, the dramatic potency and vocal problems of Maria Callas; at the other, the vocal agility and smoothness of the dramatically unconvincing Joan Sutherland. Midway between these extremes is Sills, who acted almost as well as Callas, sang almost as beautifully as Sutherland, and balanced the two sides of her art more effectively than either.

John Alexander is solid in the title role. Susanne Marsee is relatively problem-free once she gets warmed up, and the supporting cast performs capably. Julius Rudel conducts with a good sense of style and proper balance between voices and orchestra. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SILLS' CLASSIC PERFORMANCE CAPTURED ON VIDEO, July 9, 2001

By 

S. Holmes (Wilmette, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Donizetti - Roberto Devereux / Rudel, Sills, Alexander, New York City Opera (DVD)

When 20th century operatic history is written, there will be certain interpretations that writers will say stood out and must be counted as the greatest of their time: Callas' NORMA, Sutherland's LUCIA, Nilsson's Brunnhilde and Isolde, and without a doubt Sills' Elizabeth in Roberto Devereux. Fortunately, we are lucky enough to have Miss Sills' interpretation captured on video and now, thanks to VAI remastered beautifully (and conveniently) on DVD. Even though Cleopatra in JULIUS CAESAR brought Miss Sills international superstardom initially, it is the role of Elizabeth with which she will be most identified and which put her on the cover of Time Magazine in 1971 when this production at New York City Opera was new. This performance from Wolf Trap in the summer of 1975 finds Miss Sills in less fresh voice than those early performances, principally because of health problems that beset her in late 1974. But her performance is so powerful that a few hints of strain here and there only seem to reinforce the character's inward emotional battle between love and jealousy for the young Devereux which brings about his execution at the end of the opera. Her performance is a complete bel canto tour de force. Every physical gesture and attitude has been thoughtout, from her somewhat mannish gait to her habit of strumming her fingers on the arm of her throne. It's nice to have subtitles (non-optional I'm afraid) but if one new the basic story, one probably wouldn't need them because of the way Sills telegraphs every emotion with her voice and her body. Sills colleagues, Susanne Marsee and Richard Fredricks give fine performances and John Alexander (also somewhat late in his career) turns in a fine aria at the end of his. (Can someone explain why he does not bow at the end of the opera?) The somewhat sparse but evocative production from NYCO transfers to Wolf Trap pretty well (even though the chorus is obviously a summer fabrication). Costumes, especially Miss Sills' are lavish and extremely colorful. Miss Sills' famous make-up is so well done that one almost forgets one is watching Beverly Sills. The conducting of Julius Rudel is idiomatic and one can tell that he has worked with Sills from the beginning of rehearsals on every rhythmic and interpretive nuance. The recorded sound is nothing to brag about, being somewhat below the standard of what we were to expect from the Met Telecasts which began two years later in 1977. But perhaps the blame may be put on the outdoor summer festival conditions at the time. You are not to buy this DVD for it's state of the art sound or video quality (which by the way is much improved from the VHS tape available for years). Buy it for one thing only: Sills' classic and justifiably lauded performance. We were greatful when it was filmed for television and we should be extremely greatful to VAI for releasing this one of a kind performance on DVD.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE SUPREME ACHIEVEMENT., August 5, 1999

By 

Boz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Donizetti - Roberto Devereux / Julius Rudel, NYCO [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Being a great fan of Beverly Sills, I have listened to all of her recordings. She was a brilliant Violetta (Traviata) and a powerful Lucia, but the role of Queen Elizabeth I in Donizetti's ROBERTO DEVEREUX was, in my opinion, her greatest achievement. This live video performance is gripping. Her singing is superb and her acting is inspired. She IS Elizabeth, in all of her glory and her despair. Many have compared her performance to that of the great Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth and I would agree with that judgement. This is the paramount performance of Sills' illustrious career.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great DVD -- Amazing Beverly Sills, January 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Donizetti - Roberto Devereux / Rudel, Sills, Alexander, New York City Opera (DVD)

Beverly Sills is great in this DVD. Her fiery, nuanced, totally believable performance of Queen Elizabeth makes up for her out-of-prime singing. She is incredible. She conveys stage magic to the audience. Her movements are perfectly calculated, but seem completely spontaneous on stage. Sills is truly a national treasure. This role is very difficult, but Sills pushes her voice bravely to meet its insane demands. Yes, her lower register is very weak, but she is very adept at using it effectively.