Customer Reviews

Mozart - Idomeneo / Barstow, Goeke, Betley, Lewis, Oliver, Pritchard, Glyndebourne Opera

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

 

 

This DVD of the 1974 production of Mozart's 'Idomeneo' is a huge disappointment for a number of reasons. For starters, Act I is not given complete. The first scene with Ilia's opening aria, for instance, is simply cut. Richard Lewis, who was a wonderful tenor stalwart in opera and oratorio in his day, is too old to be singing the Cretan King. He is past his prime, sad to say.

But what is worse is that the playing and singing are stodgy except for that of Josephine Barstow as Elettra who, true to her character's name, is electrifying. And even worse than that, the recorded sound is glassy and almost unlistenable, at least to my ears.

I would think twice about buying this version.

Scott Morrison

Scary, scary, scary. Richard Lewis is twenty years past his prime, Barstow sings in Urdu (sloppily), Betley seems to have thought she had been contracted for Adriana Lecouvreur, and Goeke--where in the WORLD did they find HIM? And then to use him in Zauberflöte and Giovanni as well--WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? Primitive production values and a surprisingly rough and ready orchestra in the pit (what's their excuse?--this isn't Lulu, after all) round out this festival of awfulness. When will Amazon finally introduce the zero-star rating this kind of disaster deserves? For a decent Idomeneo, try the Met (Pavarotti, von Stade, Cotrubas, Behrens). AVOID THIS ONE AT ALL COSTS.

So dull, I have never finished it. Supposedly Barstow is worth it, but I have never gotten to her arias before becoming too bored. The Idamante is a tenor and the scenes are not in the order I am used to. The Idomeneo I am used to begins with the scene with Ilia's aria and then Idamante's entrance and aria. If I remember correctly, this one begins with Idamante finding Idomeneo on the shore, so perhaps the first scene I am used to, is simply cut in this version. I don't know, but I certainly enjoy the Met's Idomeneo video with Pavarotti in the title role much better. I have watched that one through quite a few times. Another great recording of this opera is on cd with Ian Bostridge in the title role.

This Glyndebourne performance of Idomeneo from 1974 is of a somewhat truncated version of the opera, but it has a good cast and it held my interest throughout.