Product Details

• Actors: Ruggero Raimondi, Marcelo Alvarez, Angelo Nardinocchi, Marco Spotti, Fiorenza Cedolins
• Directors: Loreena Kaufmann
• Format: Classical, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Italian
• Subtitles: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: TDK DVD VIDEO
• DVD Release Date: January 27, 2009
• Run Time: 119 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001LB1I5S
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,292 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Item Name: Puccini: Tosca [Blu-ray]; Studio: TDK DVD VIDEO

Product Description

PUCCINI:TOSCA - Blu-Ray Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful looking production with terrific singing., November 7, 2011

By 

Richard Askenase (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tosca [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

I have seen this opera several times, and own over 15 different dvd's of this as well. So, in this one, what particularly moved me? Taking in mind the huge setting in the Verona arena, I was surprised at how well this rather small scale opera worked in this vast space.

The arena sits 15,000 people, so VERY large productions like Aida, Nabucco, etc, work especially well. Here, the ending of Act 1 (with the full church service) was spectacular, and looked even better on the Blu-Ray disc. THIS is really what the Verona arena is for. But the more intimate scenes of Act 2 still worked well for me, even with the large scale.

Marcello Alavarez was terrific as Carravadosi, and all three major roles were well sung and acted.

Finally, the video was excellent, I thought the sound was terrific as well.

This opera is always a fun watch as it is so deliciously melodramatic.

27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent production holds its own among the competition, February 17, 2011

By 

Bryan Leech "Bryan" (Melbourne, VIC, Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Puccini: Tosca [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

I think I can safely say that this is the best-known and best-loved opera of all (well - perhaps we must make a Trilogy of this, Butterfly and Turandot [not 100% Puccini], should be included. So placing another offering in the market-place is a risk. Some will find it too-oft performed. And for other's the Verona is not a satisfactory production venue.

When reviewing an opera, I look to see how well the characters and story come off. Quality of orchestra, chorus and conductor must have a unified presentation, along with settings,and, of course, the direction. Without these qualities, the world's top soloits can find themselves in a disaster

I am happy to say that all aspects unite in a production that holds no significant flaws to detract from the performance The skilled team of singers/actors, second-layer soloists, chorus, orchestra, and, of course, conductor,designs and construction, excellent lighting, sound, camera work and editing, video direction -- all seem to unite in this quality, traditional version. Seeing it on the screen the cameras cn bring intimacy or grandeur. You will find one or two productions where Tosca sings slightly better. But ask yourself :is this a production to exhibit a famous singer or two, or is it a production that would satisfy Puccini's intention? To me, in the item under revew, yhe singing is uniformly good, but the unity of the performance is what make this Tosca shine.
The first thing that impressed me was the settings, ample space being available for the singers/actors to give an outstanding disc. There is something special about going to a live performance, but for me, with a large projection screen and a quality sound system; I can take my pick of what seems the best performance from around the world, and I would include this in that group -, and watch it in "you-are-there") presentation in the comfort of home.

In this review you are not going to get any analysis of voice-production, etc., just s subjective response as to whether everything "worked". And, as you will gather from the above, this performance really "works". There is no sense of being lost in the vast arena at all. And at this point, I can think of little more to say. If you want a good strong presentation of the opera, I would suggest you investigate this. If you want a production with a world-famous soprano overshadowing the opera itself, then look elsewhere.. I prefer to see/hear what the composer intended.

Final comment:Europe is brimming with opera companies and soloists, who don't want to travel too much. Consequently, many opera-lovers miss some wonderful prodoctions. If you are primarily interested in the totality of opera, investigate little-knwn (to us) worthwhile productions. Amazon usually stocks them.

27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK but not outstanding production, October 14, 2009

By 

Mr. John A. Coulson "Tassie Devil" (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Puccini: Tosca [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

The Arena di Verona is a spectacular venue seating an audience of 15,000 but its open air situation makes any musical ambience near impossible. The orchestra is well recorded in DTS-HD audio but does sound flat because of this and the singers come through less intimately. The artistry is ok with Florenza Cedolins capturing a couple of nice moments in her role as Tosca but this traditional production is generally less than riveting. I feel there are better renditions of this opera to come on Blu Ray so this version cannot be enthusiastically recommended.