Customer Reviews

Julia Migenes: Diva on the Verge

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

 

 

I am a fan od Ms. Migenes from a long time ago, and always enjoy her CDs. This dvd surprised me a bit, because I - somehow - did not know that Ms. Migenes has wonderful aptitude for comedy.
I highly recommend this DVD to music and fun lovers.

My first exposure to opera was the Filmed version of Carmen with Placido Domingo. That stunning production had me collecting operas, over a long period of time since 1985,including other productions of Carmen. Honestly though, no Carmen has ever come close to Julia's sultry, 'exuding sexuality from every pore' performance..not to mention her thrilling voice. I found myself comparing other sopranos with Julia Megenes as the one to outdo...and only the great Montseratt Caballe has emerged as my other favorite. It's the voice-oh the voice.Some sopranos can leave you with a tinge of listener fatigue. Some tenors also. But each of these two great opera stars have the range and timbre, expressiveness...there are official words for this, I know...but I think you know what i mean...every note is beautiful-all the way , way down notes as well as the thrilling, pure highs. Julia explains in this performance that there are those in opera who came from a privileged class; and those who came from unimaginable poverty and hardship. Julia belongs to the latter. I think you will agree, that this is exactly what lends her the emotive power, the naturalness, the gift to both act and sing at the same time; a certain 'realness' about her that is immediately likeable and endearing, absent of any hint of haughty or mincing 'diva-ness" - which she makes fun of, much to our delight. Indeed, she makes fun of a lot of operas, and cavorts about singing arias from all the great ones we have come to know, yet giving it a subtle , comedic touch. Superb. But it does not end there, dear hearts. She also sings and performs a beautiful 'prayer/aria' from Othello at the end of part one which will leave you breathless, skin tingling, and eyes just a bit watery. This solo performance is not all 'camp'.( Teh pianist accompanying her deserves the highest praise. An enormously complex show..and he is right there with consummate ability on the keyboards.) Julia megenes is , in my humble view, THE greatest soprano to grace the opera stage in our generation. I too am from poverty. I can't imagine paying $100 or $200 for a ticket. But i would have had i the opportunity. But you and i can own this performance for a couple of paltry sawbucks. I think you would be making a big mistake not to have this one in your collection also. Even people who THINK they don't like opera ( without ever listening to one- isn't that sad! ) should really like this. How could they not admire the talent exuding from her every pore...and oh yes...she is still gorgeous! I still have a puppy dog eyed crush on her.

A stand-up act about opera? It could fail in so many ways. Fortunately, Migenes is both a skilled soprano and a skilled comedian, so it works. It should appeal to both opera fans and opera novices alike. Migenes doesn't rely on in-jokes, and despite her protestations that it's not a recital, her vocal performance is good enough to appeal to a discriminating ear. She deserves 4 stars just for pulling it off, and a 5th for the surprisingly high production values on this DVD. It's enhanced for widescreen, and looks and sounds great.

Definitely worthwhile if you have even the slightest curiosity about opera.

Julia is top! I enjoyed her Carmen and I wasn't disappointed with this Diva hilarious performance in front of a live audience.
Highly recommended to someone curious about opera.

What a treasure! The voice! The sense of humor! The visual treat!

I thought I was buying a CD of Julia Migenes singing. Not true. It is her telling bad jokes, anything but singing (a little singing). It is awful.