Customer Reviews

Giordano - Andrea Chenier / Rudel, Domingo, Tomowa-Sintow, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]

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Until recently (November 2003) the only DVD edition of Andrea Chenier was a 1975 film version with Franco Corelli in the title role. This one is much better. It is an excellent live production filmed at Covent Garden in 1985. It illustrates why the Royal Opera is one of the world's leading companies.

The three principals -- Placido Domingo as Chenier, Anna Tomowa-Sintow as Maddalena de Coigny, and Giorgio Zancanaro as Carlo Gerard -- are all in the prime of their careers at the time of this filming, and handle their roles superbly. They are backed up by a solid group of supporting singers. The orchestra does justice to Giordano's rich score without ever drowning out the singers. The sets and costumes are appropriate and never distracting. In short, this is exactly what one would expect to see in a first-rate production at a first-rate opera house.

Umberto Giordano's most famous opera "Andrea Chénier" portrays the tragic fate of poet Andrea Chénier in the French Revolution. Setting the real-life figure as the lead character and with the poet singing his own verses, this verismo opera embraces the realism enthusiastically. Character Andrea Chénier is a romantic and idealistic poet, who loved his country ardently and faced his death heroically. It's a tenor's opera. You would think a lyric tenor would be most suitable for the character's poetry, if he could also bring off some great heroic moments in the big orchestration. In this 1985 production, Domingo rendered Andrea Chénier with a well-balanced poetry and heroism. He filled poet's big arias with rich lyricism, at times, intimate feelings, and yet, the big outbursts were all there. Domingo was well matched by the powerful-voiced Anna Tomawa-Sintov as Maddalena. In her dark and rounded voice, Anna Tomowa-Sintov sang the character strongly, although some delicacy and variety might make the role more interesting. Her "La mamma morta" was in no short of dramatic expressions in both the recitative-like passages and the emotional outbursts followed. Giorgio Zancanaro, who approached the revolutionary Gérard humanly, sang a wonderful "Nemico della patria", which won him a storm of applause from the audience.

The stage design of this Covent Garden production is conventional, straightforward, with a few moments quite affecting, one of them would be the haunting picture at the end of Act I, in which the shadows of the poor and the angry gradually appeared above the aristocrats who were in the center stage, singing and dancing, without the faintest idea of what was awaiting.

It is going to be a long, a very long time indeed, before we see another Chenier to rival this fabulous 1985 Covent Garden performance. Domingo was in excellent voice, and he meets every vocal challenge with virile, golden tone. Even if he lacks that brilliant spinto of Corelli, he has what it takes for this formidable role. Of recent tenors none comes near. The rest of the cast is if anything, better. Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Karajan's favourite soprano is a glorious Maddalena: full voiced, warm, compelling, she is quite simply extraordinary. Baritone Giorgio Zancanaro gives a master class on how to mould a phrase in the old Italian style. His big aria is delivered with the kind of musicianship not heard since the days of Amato and Battistini.
Sound and picture are good and you would be completely insane to pass this dvd.

The pairing of Domingo and Sintov is most fitting, and I have great admiration of conductor Rudel--and this one is, I must say,
mesmerizing!

As with every production I've ever seen with Domingo, his acting as well as his wonderful voice and musicality provide a powerful experience for the viewer. This opera is no exception. Andrea Chenier is a strong performance with a story that not only makes sense - (many opera stories are just plain silly) but actually provides a sense of history at the same time. I enjoyed this production very much. The supporting cast is also very strong. Production values are good. This is the only opera of Giordano that I've ever seen so I can't compare it. But I thoroughtly enjoyed this one. Domingo with his dramatic intensity was the focal point of this opera. I don't think you'll be disappointed in this opera.

I am 70 years old and have always known about this opera, but I never actually viewed it...I presumed it to be a second or third class "Puccini".

After seeing this production, I must say that it is on a par with Puccini's Manon Lescaunt if not the on the level of the other big threes of Boheme,Tosca and Butterfly...The famous final duet before the ill fated lovers go to the guillotine is wonderful.

The performance is magnificent and features great artists in their prime. The costumes, sets, orchestral playing,and direction are all as you might expect from a Covent Garden production.