Customer Reviews

Prokofiev - War and Peace / Bertini, Gunn, Kit, Mamsirova, Gouriakova, Brubaker, Paris Opera

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Very much in the vein of the original Tolstoy novel upon which it is based, as well as the two extravagant movie versions, this production of "War and Peace" is epic in every sense of the word. It is a magnificent staging of Prokofiev's massive opera, directed with great emotional sweep by an American, Francesca Zambello. There are 43 listed roles, though there are dozens more that make up the chorus and background scenes. The scenic design, as you would expect, is impressive. It is no wonder this is rarely staged and consequently ideal for DVD, especially for the four-language optional subtitles (it is sung completely in Russian) and digital sound.

So big is the thirteen-scene, 3 1/2-hour production that it's split into two discs - the seven scenes of Act I, "Peace", are on the first and the remaining six on the second, Act II, "War". Among tastefully opulent sets, "Peace" depicts the carefree, luxurious life of Russian aristocracy focusing on the love story of Natacha Rostova and Prince Andrei Bolkonski, including a lovely and rather complicated ballroom sequence. The disc ends with a stunning choral epilogue that builds from Pierre's response to the news that the French have entered Moscow. It's an effective juxtaposition of the original production where this piece actually began Act II when war is declared between France and Russia. With impressive battlefield details laid out in dark shadows, the second part depicts various events of the war highlighting the two opposing commanders, Kutuzov and Napoleon, and including the battle of Borodino, the climactic scene between Natacha and the dying Andrei, and finally the triumphant liberation of Moscow. Not a moment is wasted, and Zambello made some significant edits, especially in Act II and probably to the consternation of purists, to ensure the dramatic intensity of the piece remains unabated throughout. She succeeds admirably and even achieves a very clear sound onstage, amazing when one considers the scope. The clarity seems particularly critical in light of Prokofiev's music - powerful, often beautiful and effectively mood-changing to match the flow of life and death throughout the piece.

Zambello has assembled an excellent cast of mainly Russian performers in order to remain true to the libretto. As Natacha, soprano Olga Gouriakova is radiant and youthful with a stunning coloratura that amply conveys her character's passionate spontaneity. During Act II, Kutuzov is sung very well by bass Nikolai Anatoli Kotcherga, and he gives a strong reading of the Field Marshal's big number. As his larger-than-life counterpart, Napoleon, baritone Vassily Gerello is splendid without being overwhelming. In exception, two Americans play the pivotal roles of Andrei and Pierre. Baritone Nathan Gunn is ideal as the prince - handsome and dashing in appearance, appropriately brooding when it comes to his conflicted love for Natacha, and a powerfully masculine voice of warmth and openness. With their voices beautifully intertwined, Gunn and Gouriakova handle Andrei's death scene with a wondrous intimacy unexpected in an opera of this scale. Tenor Robert Brubaker (who bears a striking resemblance to Elton John) sings the role of Pierre with surprising intensity, even when he shows the vulnerable side of his character. His approach works in highlighting Pierre's strong intellectual curiosity about life and society. The chorus is used effectively throughout to intensify major scenes, in particular, the ending to both acts.

Filmed at the Opéra Bastille (Paris National Opera) in 2000, this is a stunning achievement photographed with cinematic flair and performed with singular beauty by all involved. Music director Gary Bertini conducts the French orchestra with a fitting balance of epic drama and emotional depth. An impressive achievement given how sprawling Prokofiev's music can be here. Kudos also to the impressive sound and dramatically effective lighting, especially during the "War" section. It is no wonder the ending bows and curtain calls seem endless. There is an accompanying documentary on both discs, which runs about eighty minutes in total. In surprising detail, Zambello shares how she coordinated this effort, and it is eye-opening to see the intensive rehearsals and personal interviews with the cast. Strongly recommended.

What an incredible production of this masterpiece. I know it's going against the grain to think this is a masterpiece, but I call it so. What Prokofiev has done is write the ultimate music drama grand opera summing up of the Russian tradition. Don't think it's a grand opera? Check out the burning of Moscow which functions as the great 2nd or 3rd act finale. It is also filled with arias and duets. And it pays homage to the Russian tradition with all those choruses and songs.
Prokofiev has always grabbed me in his later years with his melodies. Romeo, Cinderella and War is filled with them. He may be the foremost melodist of the 20th century - an astounding claim considering how he began his career. When he reveals one of the great melodies of the 20th century in Kutozov's aria the spirit lifts mightily.
This performance is wonderful. The singers look their parts, they sing beaufifully and act well. The production makes do with a minimum of scenery so that the show moves quickly. The war is well done - nearly an impossible task. And the burning of Moscow becomes a great coup de theatre. The performance is cut - and in the excellent 90 minute documentary the creators explain that since this is the first French performance it might be better to cut in the hope of converting people than forcing them to sit through almost 50 more minutes and risk alienating them. I am in favor of the full version - there are some great choruses which although patriotic in the soviet way are still good music. The only cut in Part 1 is the overture. All the rest is in the War half. Whatever - do not miss this unique overwhelming theatrical experience - you are unlikely to find another like it.

If you're interested in opera, in Prokofiev, in theatre, you must have these DVDs. I bought them for a friend this Christmas, to whom I sent the following message, which is not a detailed review I admit, but sums up my opinion:

"I swear to you these are absolutely the best opera DVDs I've ever seen. You watch them like a movie. You're hooked. The singers are good-looking. The lighting is superb. The costumes are outstanding. The scenes are shot like paintings. You're proud of the Opéra National [author's note: we both live in Paris] and glad to pay income tax. I saw the same opera at the Met - not at all the same result: dime-store sets, badly-cut costumes, ridiculous extras..."

This, I believe, is one of those rare productions in which nearly everything is right and what's more, any shortcomings it may have had in the theatre (Nathan Gunn was a little under-powered for a theatre the size of the Bastille, for example) disappear in the DVDs, while things such as costume detail (pretty amazing) come to life.

The reasons to have these DVDs are therefore several. They're a record of a great modern production (this is really one of Francesca Zambello's most successful); the performance is at a high level; they offer an example of what the Paris opera, with the generously unstinting support of the happy taxpayer, can achieve at its very best; they're as gripping as any movie...

For all these reasons, jump at them. By the way, I have no financial stake in this venture whatsoever!

This is a reissue of a no-longer available (except from Amazon's associated vendors who are asking a huge price) 2DVD set from TDK of the 2000 Paris Opéra production of Prokofiev's 'War and Peace'. There are beaucoup customer reviews of the production at that DVD's site here at Amazon and I'd suggest you might read them by clicking on this link: Prokofiev - War and Peace / Bertini, Gunn, Kit, Mamsirova, Gouriakova, Brubaker, Paris Opera. As far as I can tell this reissue is identical to the earlier release, but is at a far more competitive price.

When the Paris Opéra did 'War and Peace' in 2000 it was, amazingly, the work's first Paris production. Perhaps that's not so surprising since the French are the bad guys in Tolstoy's (and Prokofiev's) 'War and Peace'. Still, the work is one of the truly great operas of the twentieth century. One of the highlights of my own opera-going life was the production at the Metropolitan brought over from the Kirov and conducted by Valery Gergiev. As far as I know that production is not available on DVD (although the Kirov's home production, but with different leads, is available) but if it ever becomes available I'd snap it up. It starred Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Gegam Gregorian and Samuel Ramey. This Paris production, though, is very nearly its equal and in fact visually I think it outclasses the Kirov/Met production. The sets, costumes and props are magnificent and in particular the lighting is subtle and psychologically apt. Stage direction by the American Francesca Zambello is fabulous.

The cast, with some exceptions, is not as well-known as the Met cast, but it is certainly first-rate. Olga Guryakova makes a wonderful, girlish Natasha. Hollywood-handsome Nathan Gunn is a stirring and believable Andrei Bolkonsky. His death scene with Natasha is stunningly effective. Robert Brubaker is a stalwart and believable (as well as musical) Pierre Buzukhov. He looks the part of the kind, timid but then brave Pierre, too. Another standout is the General Kutuzov of Anatoly Kotcherga; his monolog in Act II is outstanding.

'War and Peace' is extraordinarily difficult to stage. It requires more than sixty solo singers and a huge chorus that has complicated stage actions to perform. All of them were directed with psychological subtlety by Francesa Zambello. Gary Bertini is a skilled and experienced maestro who somehow keeps all these forces at peak effectiveness. This Paris production is slightly shortened, which for some may be a bit of a blessing, especially in the drawn-out war scenes.

There is an excellent 87-minute documentary, spread over the two DVDs, about 'The Making of "War and Peace".' It adds immeasurably to one's enjoyment of the production.

I would recommend this set without reservation. If and when the Kirov/Met production becomes available -- and who knows if it will -- I'll want it, too, but for now I'm completely satisfied with the Paris production.

Total time: 210mins (opera); 87mins (documentary); Sound: PCM stereo, DD 5.0, DTS 5.0; Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese; Format: 16:9; Region: 0 (worldwide); 2 DVDs

Scott Morrison

It took a visionary American lady to bring this monumental Russian work to the stage, ironically in Paris of all places. The result was glorious. Francesca Zambello pulled off the very difficult task of staging an opera like this spectacularly. Yes, all the special effects were there: battle scene, cannons, burning of Moscow and over 200 people on the stage. Most importantly she managed to tell the story clearly. This is "War and Peace" after all.

The singers were mainly Russians, with two American male lead soloists. Nathan Gunn and Robert Brubaker gave a well sung and well acted performance. The Siberian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky owns the role of Prince Andrei. Mr. Gunn came very close. His handsome voice handled the high notes very well. He certainly worked hard on his Russian dictions and it showed. The phrasing was very nice and natural. Mr. Gunn also had the presence and the nobility of a prince. It is very clear that Mr.Gunn is on his way to a distinguished career.

Mr. Brubaker sang Pierre with different emotional ranges. But his Pierre sounded more like a good-natured country squire. It lacked the intensity of a very complicated man. (By the way, a pre-superstar Franco Corelli sang Pierre at the first complete staging of War and Peace in Italy in 1953)

The Russian mezzo Elena Zaremba is always a delight to see and hear. Here, as Helene, she was sophisticated, beautiful, flirtatious and very corrupted. She let us know how to use just the voice to portray a glamorous woman.

As the heroine, Natasha, Ms. Olga Guryakova got high mark for her performance. Slim, beautiful and with beautiful voice to match, she is an ideal Natasha. Her acting ability is as good as her singing. You will fall in love with Nahasha after you have heard Ms.Guryakova's performance. Mind you, I usually prefer Tatyana from Onegin much much better. (It would be fantastic to see Ms. Guryakova and Mr. Gunn in a production of Onegin. They look so cute and sound so good together, not to mention their matching dimples.) Amazon has Ms.Guryakova's name with the wrong spelling. Her recital cds released by Delos are certainly worth to check out. Anna Netrebko is not the only rising young soprano from Russia. (another stunning Natasha in the Met production with the true Russian Prince of Hvorostovsky. Will the Met release their version on dvd or cd? Should we write and beg?)

As the Field Marshal Kutuzov, Anatoli Kotcherga brought down the house with an old fashioned emotionally charged performance. Of course, the rousing music helped a lot.

Personally I prefer the Peace part much better with the hauntingly beautiful waltz as the centerpiece. The War part has a lot of big choral music which gives a rather chaotic feeling.

The opera is very approachable with a lot of nice tunes. So don't be afraid of it. I am not a modern opera fan and my opera listening taste is very conservative. This dvd is a very good start. The extra feature is a little bit long but gives us an idea the work involved to bring this opera to stage. (So if you want to see a production of War and Peace in your local opera house, you better send a sizable donation to the opera house. Uncle Sam does not pay for any opera productions.) Please don't miss the piano music in the rehearsal. It is very different sounding from the orchestra version. Quite beautiful by itself.

If you would like to explore more about Prokofiev's "War and Peace", try to get the Bolshoi version of this opera on cd with Galina Vishnevskaya in her prime, the reigning Onegin of that era, Yevgeny Kibkalo, the great mezzo Irina Arkhipova and the highlight of cd: Pavel Lisitsian's Napoleon.

Francesca Zambello's production of Prokofiev's monumental opera War and Peace, recorded in 2000 at the Opera de Paris and conducted by Gary Bertini is outstanding. This beautiful and impressive production totally eclipses the other DVD version of this opera, with the Kirov Opera 1991 and conducted by Gergiev.

Bertini and Zambello assembled a near ideal cast: Olga Guryakova is an ideal Natasha. Although she sang the role for the first time, it is a masterful performance. It looks like Natasha went out of Tolstoy's book... Yelena Prokina, singing this part for Gergiev' sounds in comparison heavy and at times, hysteric.

Nathan Gunn is outstanding as Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. He has the looks for the part and a warm and beautiful baritone voice. His Russian diction is quite good and he is a talented actor. Alexander Gergalov, who sings this part for Gergiev, sings well, but he is not an inspired actor. Most of the time just stands and sings. The apex of this production is the 12th scene when Prince Andrei is dying. Gunn and Guryakova are outstanding here.

Anatoly Kotcherga is very impressive as Field Marshal Kutuzov. He is especially great when singing his big 10th scene aria. Other members of the cast (about 40 singers...) are all very good. The production is so beautiful and effective, that you get the impression you are watching a movie...

I can't praise this DVD enough. One of my desert island items...

I had heard so much praise about this production that perhaps my expectations were too high but I was disappointed. This performance in no way replaces the fine Kirov version, which of course is idiomatic and has more soul musically and is more dramatically inventive. I know this opera very well and it is one my favorites. The Bastille performance is cut and since it is trimed, why was the overture cut? I doubt adding a few extra minutes to the first act would have been such a big deal. Someone complained that the Kirov production was too minimalistic and yet this one is also sparse.

But one of the outstanding things about this performance is the Natasha of the wonderful Russian soprano Olga Gurakova. For me, her performance alone made the purchase worth the price. The first act is really about Natasha and Gurakova carries it brilliantly. Handsome Nathan Gunn is just right as Andrei and he catches the character's melencholy moodiness perfectly. Their reunion in the second half is heartbreaking. Gurakova's reaction at being reunited with him speaks volumes and she literally kisses his feet. This might sound over the top but in Gurakova's hands, it seems spontaneous and "in the moment". I want to see more of this wonderful soprano.

Too bad a video was not made of the Metropolitan Opera's production which was a joint venture with the Kirov and neither of the two available DVDs replaced my memories of that production. Anna Netrebko was a brilliant Natasha, this was long before she became a media darling, so her performance was a complete surprise to me. Hunky Hvorostovsky was a wonderful Andrei, and surpassed Gunn vocally with his elegant phrasing, richer and darker voice and endless legato singing. But Gunn's performance was better dramatically. The production was so cinematic that I never felt the length and it was complete enough that each half was approximately two hours. Again the overture was cut and for some reason it was decided to cut Natasha's attempted suicide, but it was one of the most amazing theatrical experiences of my life. The spectacle was overwhelming. When Moscow burned, it literally burned on the stage of the Met. When Neopolian retreated in the middle of a blizzard, that scene really looked like a blizzard on the stage of the Met. The Met's magnificent orchestra was at it's best and that fine chorus almost had me believing they were Russian. And it was easy for the audience to relate to this nationalistic opera because only a few months before the run the 9/11 terrorist attacks occured.

Well, anyway, I obviously was not bowled over by the Bastille's production and I recommend the Kirov's DVD for a performance that is totally Russian and has much more soul than it's French counterpart.

War and peace is the Russian opera I love most. This performance is great: singers who look their parts and sing gorgeously, and a stunning production. One of the greatest opera DVD I have seen.

Highly recommended

Do not miss this amazing production. Even if you already have another DVD or videotape recording of Prokofiev's monumental opera, get this one as well. I had the good fortune to attend Maestro Menotti's powerful interpretation of this work in Spoleto, Italy a few years ago--it was an extraordinary experience, but this one surpasses it.

I wish I had experienced this thrilling production in person, but this DVD recording comes closer to the live experience than any other opera DVD I have watched. The sheer energy of the singers, who are also very good actors, the dynamics of the stage direction, the abstract yet absolutely informative beauty of the kinetic scenery all contribute to a truly stunning performance. Recordings like this one justify the money I've spent on good speakers and a DTS amplifier.
More people should know Prokofiev's operas and DVDs like this one just may spread his reputation. Don't miss it!!!!!