Customer Reviews

Puccini: Tosca [Blu-ray]

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is an impressive and entertaining performance of this beloved Puccini opera and I'm very happy to have it added to my collection and in addition the quality of this HD recording is excellent.

It is evident as one watches that this was performed on a very warm summer evening in Verona; if one checks one discovers it was recorded on July 15, 2006. I am always impressed by the dedication exhibited by opera singers as they valiantly perform under what is on occasion rather difficult circumstances. Wearing those heavy costumes under lights on a warm summer evening at the Arena di Verona certainly qualifies as one of those occasions. In spite of these obstacles the entire cast turned in powerful performances that on occasion brought tears to my eyes.

A major contributor to the success of this recording is the camera work and the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The camera shoots much of the opera close up so as to make it difficult to remember it's being performed in an open air arena that seats 15,000. There are occasional shots of the Arena Di Verona that shows the size of the venue and the audience; I think it's a charming touch that the members of the audience are given candles to light.

During the performance the camera work focuses on the stage and the singers enabling the viewer to forget the size of the place and even imagine a theater setting; I found myself able to do that on several occasions.

The major feature of any opera for me is the music; I have delighted myself with beautifully sung opera on CD's and LP recordings for many years. One of the major advantages of surround sound is the immersion effect; one feels as if the music or action is happening all around the hearer. This DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 does an outstanding job of placing the listener on the stage in the middle of the action which I find that rather appealing; if one has the volume loud enough, the first cannon shot could make one jump it seems so close by.

The audio is available in PCM stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio; the default seems to be the PCM stereo and one must manually select the DTS-HD option to get the surround sound. I tried both options and the surround version is clearly superior if you have the system required for playback.

The overall effect is of a grand evening at the grand opera hearing beautiful music effectively performed and at a price that is irresistible. I'm delighted with this addition to my opera library.

There are also a number of selections from several other Blu-ray recordings identified as "Trailers" on the main menu; these include a wide range of performances and styles from the Vienna Boys' Choir to Daniel Barenboim performing Chopin piano concertos via many opera and some ballet segments. All told there are 47 segments lasting over 140 minutes. The audio and video quality on those I've watched to date is very good although I'm still not a fan of Wagnerian opera in a contemporary setting.

For an open air production of Tosca, you cant get better than this. I am impressed with the way that the producers and audio recording personnel have gone about their job.

I have always had a thing against open air productions, and there are some very lousy recordings from the same venue that I have trashed just because the audio as well as much of the video was not up to the mark. But they seem to have redeemed themselves beautifully, given the limitations of the venue.

I would always enjoy a Tosca recorded from an enclosed theater. Yes, most of the other Toscas I have are better sounding than this one, but I have to admit that Alvarez and Cedolins do a great job. I could not have expected more from Raimondi in that role. His voice is not really up to the role, is what I feel about this wonderful singer. Comparing his Scarpia to the likes of Tito Gobi or even the recent Brynn Terfel I think would be unfair. Maybe 20 years ago, Raimondi may have pulled it off beautifully in an auditorium, but the open air venue seems to have got the better of him, in spite of the electronic help. Cedolins pulls off a rather 'un-fiery' Tosca in this - a totally new approach. The murder of Scarpia is not very well done, just OK. She is no match for some of the other Toscas, of which there are plenty, but still, comes through quite competently voice-vice. Cedolins seems to be better suited for La Rondine, a part she has pulled off superbly, and of course in the Donizetti opera, Maria Stuarda, where I actually noticed her first.

This is the best of Alvarez I have seen.He towers above the rest of the cast and really pulls it off fabulously.

The sets, being where they are situated are not really adequate (or convincing) for the Puccini Opera. I wish they could have done a bit better. The staging however, is quite good.
The Video is superb, and I must take my hat off to that crew

All in all, really worth owning. There are really lovely moments in this production, especially for Cedolins that are worth watching over and over again...

BUT WAIT...

There is a huge huge bonus of clips from other operas and a smattering of ballets, which is really worth flipping through and can fill an evening of varied works of different moods, that makes this blu ray doubly worth buying. In fact, if they had sold this without the main opera, it would still be worth keeping as a potpourri of attractive pieces..

This is a recording from a live performance in "Arena di Verona", in Verona (where else) Italy. It is an excellent performance all around.

First of all the music: All three leading stars were very good. Ironically, Scarpia (sung by Ruggero Raimondi) was the best despite the fact that he is the clear number-3 singer in Tosca. All three sung nearly flawlessly, but the singing was somewhat emotionless by Tosca (sung by Fiorenza Cedolins). The orchestra was listless at times, but maybe that was a reflection of the fact that this was an outdoor performance. OK, for singing, this performance is probably not in the same class as the very best I have heard in the past (sung by Domingo, Freni, and Ramey), but it is darn good. I was delighted the whole time I was watching it.

Next the peripherals: the acting, the set design, the costumes, all that stuff that is secondary to the music (for me), but still makes the experience so much richer, if well done. In that sense, this was one of the best Tosca performance I have ever seen. The set design was a cross between ancient Roman and ultramodern. It worked surprisingly well. The costumes were beautiful (more on that later.) Acting was pretty good, but don't expect "Masterpiece Theatre" performances from Opera singers. For an opera, this was much better than average acting.

Next the Blu-Ray: it was fantastic. The cinematography was nothing short of exceptional. When you get a close shot of the singers with their ornamental clothing, you can see every minute detail on the screen (on a 48" HDTV on 1080p). This stuff is typically so small and intricate, that it gets blurred when played from a DVD. (On the negative side, you can also see the tiny specks of perspiration on the singers' faces as well. You cannot hide anything in a well made Blu-Ray.) Subtitles were very good and their timing were perfectly synchronized with the music. Time to retire my DVD collection. From now on, I am buying Operas only on Blue Ray.

Finally the price: it is a steal!!! You can't buy many excellent Opera performances on Blu-Ray for less than $10. Grab this one, and you won't regret it.

Tosca [Blu-ray]
I took advance of the good price to buy this DVD with a great cast.
The production at the Verona Arena was great, the scenery in the vast stage was very successful as well as the costumes and lights .All these elements were very effective in maintain the dramatism of this opera .The end of the first act when Scarpia and a chorus sang "The Sbirri ,una carrosa"(Te Deum) and people arriving at the church at the same time of a procession began, the combination with very good music, scenery and lights were very effective.
The main characters: Tosca, Cavaradossi and Scarpia played by Fiorenza Ceddolins, Marcelo Alvarez and Ruggerio Raimondi were very good in their roles showing the complexity of there personality's .Scarpia has his intend on getting Tosca as his lover using the power of his position to create doubts about Cavaradossi's love for her, on the other hand Tosca goes from love to jealousy and at the same time tries convince Scarpia to pardon Cavaradossi, and in exchange she will accept him although she will kill him before this. At the same time Cavaradossi prefers to die before renouncing to his ideas.
This is a very dramatic opera and it is very well reflected in this production.

I agree with most of the other posts...Very good performance with very good singing, beautiful costumes and sets ( especially the Te Deum at the end of Act l), very good orchestra for a pick up group and excellent sound and video...

Better than most from the same venue.

Not the greatest singing, but very good and an enjoyable production...

Well worth the price asked.You can't go wrong with this one....You could pay a lot more and get a lot less.