11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Monteverdi & Henze - A Great Match!, October 31, 2002
This is one of my very favorite videos. Allen's double duty as
L'Umana fragilita & Ulisse makes perfect sense. I think the work goes to another level when this pairing is practiced.
Allen is naked enough for us to get the idea. Ideally, L'Umana fragilita SHOULD be naked, however, I don't believe we as a society are quite advanced enough for this nudity not to get in the way of the message. Some day.
For me, one of the most heart lifting moments in all of opera occurs is the recognition and scene ending duet which occurs between Ulisse and Telemaco. In the space of a moment, Allen's Ulisse changes from old man (far more then just a disguise, in my opinion), to father reunited with his long lost son, and warrior/hero finally ready to return home to his beloved. A
magnificent characterization.
There isn't a false moment in this production and Allen & Kathleen Kuhlmann's final duet is as glorious to see as it is to hear.
At first hearing, Henze's realizations of Monteverdi's score puzzled me just a bit however now it falls beautifully on the ear. While some have denounced it as unlistenable, I think it's among Henze's finest achievements. If you have only room for one type of interpretation - authentic - this is not the video for you. While I love authentic sounding Monteverdi, I have more than ample room to enjoy this production.
The physical production is wonderful and gives the singers great space to work in.
I revisit this DVD with great frequency and cannot recommend it highly enough.
p.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificat!, June 12, 2002
By A Customer
I can't believe this production of Il Ritorno D'Ulisse is so put down by the other reviewers. I enjoyed the every second of it. It's not conducted by Harnoncourt but it's very well arranged. The staging is awesome. Magnificent! Well structed, well crafted. The direction is superb and the haunting story goes flawlessly. The singers are the top notch and they look the part and are really great actors. They are also well directed, too. The costume and make-up are very well done. The video quality is quite good and the sound quality is excellent(Dolby Digital 5.1). It's a terrific production. Don't be fooled by the others and don't miss this magnificent production!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly good, May 5, 2003
Let me admit right off the bat that early twentieth century opera -- Puccini, Strauss, and Janacek -- is my first love. I put off for a long time getting this Monteverdi work, fearing that it would be a bloodless, continuo-dominated bore. What an eye-opener it was when I finally bought it and watched it! This opera has nothing but gorgeous, dramatic music from beginning to end.
It helps that this production has a world-class cast, headed by Sir Thomas Allen. I think (and this is admittedly a personal opinion) that it also helps that the orchestration has been done by a world-class contemporary composer. Since Monteverdi's orchestration, if in fact he ever did it, has not survived, the choices are limited: create some presumably Monteverdi-like imitation, or go with what works best. Henze did the latter, and the result is music to my ears. The staging and technical aspects of the production are also admirable.
This production may not appeal to period purists, but I found it most enjoyable, and suspect that other aficianados of modern opera will as well.
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