Customer Reviews

Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is the quintessential version of this gorgeous, infinitely enduring story of the Three Kings visiting the cottage of a poverty-stricken shepherd's widow and her crippled son. Menotti's music here is amazing, the characterizations and voices are marvelous. I have listened to this opera for 45 years, at least annually, and never fail to be moved to tears. No one should miss this lovely thing. This version was the very first, telecast live on December 24, 1951. I researched and revised my original statement regarding the telecast date based on a comment by Scott in L.A. Thanks for the correction!

I cannot confirm whether this is the 1954 version or later (it lists it as 1955 telecast). The original (1951)had Chet Allen as Amahl. This version has Bill McIver. I watched the Hallmark Hall of Fame each year as they showed this wonderful performance. I have been looking for a release of this version for years. This is close enough to the "original" to be collected. The sound and video quality are very good, especially considering what the telecast was like. I have no complaints. The story should be well known from the summary, later versions and the reviews. 50 years have not diminished the greatness and enjoyment of this classic.

I ordered a copy of the 1955 prformance of Amahl and the Night Visitors for many reasons which I think valid, and for some personal reasons.
As mentioned in other reviews, this performance offers no glitzy color or modern day technical perfection to which we have become accustomed. However, we should not always seek such shallowness when
we wish to purchase musical performances. What this performance does have is a dramatically staged version by the composer, a hand-chosen conductor, by the composer, a soprano who, by all accounts was the composer's ideal, a fine trio of Kings, an emsemble which is one of the
tightest I have ever heard and an Amahl who combines vulnerability, sweetness and strength in every way possible. I saw many peformances of this as a child and surely gained much from what it teaches as well as the sublime musical and dramatic moments. I was lucky to have been the college roommate of Bill McIver as we experienced early musical life together. Hearing about his role as he child comprised one of the best periods of my life. I see the man in this child in many ways. I own a number of recordings. This one is all I really need. Recommended highly!!!

David Evans, Kill Devil Hills, NC

I have been looking for this title on DVD for many years. This was a favorite of mine from my early youth. This is not to say that I am a fan of Opera or that I believe that Jesus was born on December 25th. As I expected, this appears to be a simple, VHS to DVD transfer. The original video recording was apparently captured and canned as-is, that is to say, no studio overdubbing. Therefore, the lyrics are often hard to understand. Just the same, I am overjoyed to own this rare seasonal production. If you liked this title as a child, nothing is different (except maybe your own hearing). You should still like it today.

I was a little worried when I ordered this Amahl because of its early television production quality, but I am very, very happy with it. I was involved with two different productions of this Operetta, one in high school and one in my church. I love the music very much, and the voices on this video are very good. If you ever owned the 60s RCA recording of the Hallmark Hall of Fame production, you'll remember a terrible electronic glitch apparently in the master recording during one of the soprano's best moments ("... but no one brings him incense or gold . . . though sick and tired and hungry and cold") that ruined the experience for me each time I listened to it. But there's nothing like that in this recording. If you love this work, you'll want to buy this DVD. I suspect some of the folks critical of it weren't around in the 40s/50s and perhaps think that the quality of telvision images broadcast then were better than they actually were. I doubt any amount of technical restoration would help with the picture quality which is, in my opinion, quite good anyway. It's mostly about the singing after all. The extras on the DVD are good too. I especially enjoyed the boy's choir. Listening to them depresses me in the sense that their singing is tecnically so superior to anything I've heard recently. Probably the Diocese that trained and supported them has sunken to guitar music these days.

Just thinking about the music makes me break into: "Emily, Emily, Michael Bartholomew,how are your children and how are your sheep?" Wonderful.

Having recently purchased and watched this, the only DVD version of this absolutely marvelous opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, here are my two bits on the subject.

First, yours truly is not a reviewer, but a devoted fan of Amahl dating to 1955 when I first watched the show at age 3. Add to this my lifetime background in Theatre as tech and actor, I submit that my opinion here is based upon knowing a good story when it comes along; having trained ability to gauge performance value, both as a former actor and Technical Director; and owning great feelings for this show.

While I would recommend this version of Amahl, simply because it is the only one so far put on disc, I can say without hesitation that this is not the best of them.

One review leads with the comment that this Billy McIver version is the "quintessential" Amahl, but that opinion is groundless and simple-minded. The ONLY quintessential version is that production which aired three times between 1963 and 1965, staring Kurt Yaghjian. Not only is this performance my sentimental favorite, but of ALL the boys who played Amahl, on stage or Television (all of which I have seen), Kurt best captured the boyish characteristics of imagination, innocence, insatiable curiosity, and devotion to his mother. In addition to his masterful job of acting, including the excellent physical business with his crutch, Kurt's voice sounds more like a little boy than any of the other actors.

To illustrate the quality of the Kurt Yaghjian performance, you need only watch and listen to his "Don't You Dare" to feel the deep empathy for his mother character. Or, how about the duet between Amahl and Kaspar during the number, "This Is My Box" - a mesmerizing bit of work between two actors living completely in the moment. And, what of the imposing character of the King Basso in this version - man what a scary yet empathetic Balthazar - none better.

Finally, there is the so-called disdain by Menotti of this version of Amahl. But, it is obvious that Gian Carlo's disapproval was based upon politics and ego, and not upon production value. Menotti did not dislike the performance; rather he was ticked-off at being left out of the taping. It is a damned shame that the Kurt Yaghjian Amahl has been kept from us all due to a pissing contest between GCM and NBC. I here and now make a plea to anyone still holding the distribution rights to release the video taped version of this Kurt Yaghjian production for DVD sale, so we all can enjoy this wonderful performance of Amahl and the Night Visitors - the best of them all. Please bring back the magic of that time when as a boy myself, I lived for awhile inside Amahl's character while watching the wonderful story of a boy that knew no limits to life or love. Give a profound Christmas gift to the world - release this Amahl.

I agree that the DVD is somewhat dark.....but if you were one who saw this opera in 1952 (when I was 5 yrs old), which I did, under the close direction of Menotti himself, you will realize that this is the most exemplery rendering of the opera, unforgettable for the time, and never equalled in subsequent editions. No actress has ever equalled Rosemary Kuhlman's performance as the mother.

Amahl and the Night Visitors was a favorite of mine at Christmas when I was a child. I had ordered it on VHS a while back, but the sound quality was not good at all. This DVD is so much better. The picture is still not real good but that's understandable, it was filmed in the 50's. However, they have been able to do whatever to the sound to greatly improve it over the VHS version. It's a sweet timeless story and one I hope to share with my grandchildren someday.

In spite of the limitations of 1950s TV this is the best performance of the opera that I have seen - very genuine and moving.

I couldn't believe that the old black&white version of Amahl was available. I was a child when I first saw it and it became a family tradiiton. By the time the version with Teresa Statas (and color) came out I was a full-blown opera buff. But it was disappointing! She was great but something was missing - a simplicity, a lack of pretension, an intimacy. The dance had lost all its spontaneity. Now it's all come back in this DVD - I wasn't wrong - it wasn't just nostalgia. This is the way it should always be presented - after all, it was written expressly for the cramped stages of TV.