Product Details

• Actors: Amarilli Nizza, Alberto Mastromarino, Annamaria Chiuri, Rubens Pelizzari, Alessandro Cosentino
• Directors: Cristina Pezzoli
• Format: NTSC, Subtitled, Dolby, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: TDK
• DVD Release Date: September 25, 2007
• Run Time: 180 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000TXY2DY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,908 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

PUCCINI:II TRITTICO - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh, insightful Il Trittico, October 4, 2007

By 

Mike Birman (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Puccini - Il Trittico (DVD)

Puccini was a crowd pleaser but even he couldn't ignore the currents of musical change following in the wake of Debussy, Schoenberg and Stravinsky. Debussy's influence is obvious in his score for La fanciulla del west, produced at the Met Dec. 10, 1910. The advent of the First World War caused musical downsizing between 1914-1918 for everyone, so Puccini produced three one act operas with slighly smaller orchestral forces which also premiered at the Met Dec. 14, 1918. The score is masterful, pointing towards a future Puccini only partially fulfilled with the unfinished Turandot of 1926. Puccini died before creating the modernist work he might have produced following Berg's Wozzeck and Lulu.

This production of Il Trittico, recorded live at the Teatro Comunale di Modena, 8 February 2007 is fresh, insightful and entertaining. Both Il tabarro and Suor Angelica are spared dirge-like productions in director Cristina Pezzoli's clean, crisp versions of the first two operas of Puccini's triptych. She removes everything superfluous, leaving behind the essence of the two harrowing plays. Both the Verismo in Il tabarro and the religious ecstasy of Suor Angelica are not over emphasized. The drama is naturalistic, the sets and costumes spare and stylized, so we are never forced into a downward spiral of bathos. The female lead in all three operas is Amarilli Nizza and she is splendid, obviously the singing and acting star of this production. The rest of the cast is equally as good.

The final opera is, as always, the most entertaining, the most fun of the three. This Gianni Schicchi, a tale of rampant greed and fraudulent wills that is based on a story from Dante, now updated to the era of it's composition, is wonderful. With imaginatively designed and beautifully realized comic costumes, and a simple but effective set, the performers shine. Surrounded by all of this artfully done comic freedom, they sing and act with natural comedic grace. It is very refreshing to see such creative excellence. This is my favorite Gianni Schicchi thus far on DVD. Alberto Mastromarino, the rotund, treacherous but hilarious Schicchi, is a hoot! It's a performance that will remain with you a long time. The Orchestra della Fondazione Arturo Toscanini and the Coro Lirico Amadeus, conducted by Julian Reynolds (not Nello Santi), play and sing splendidly. The entire large cast is excellent. Sound is exemplary in Dolby Digital 5.1, with an effect that is beautifully natural. Voices are wrapped in a spacious soundfield: airy and surrounded by/enfolded within their natural stage distances. Costumes are abstract, beautiful, funny and colorful. I adored their comic book wit. Sets are simply designed and very effective. There was creative intelligence involved in this production and it shows.

Modern and stylized, serious in the first two operas, very funny in the last, this is a splendid Il Trittico. Most strongly recommended.

Mike Birman

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Trittico, November 18, 2007

By 

J. Schiavone "JSS" (Whittier, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Puccini - Il Trittico (DVD)

Giacomo Puccini is very well served in this production of Il Trittico. I've never had the luxury of seeing all three operas together. I saw Suor Angelica in San Francisco around 1990 with Leona Mitchell (paired with I Pagliacci) and Gianni Schicchi in Los Angeles a couple of years ago with Samuel Ramey (paired with Bartok's Blubeard's Castle). When I watched this video, I was not expecting Renata Scotto or any of the others. Amarilli Nizza more than holds her own vocally and dramatically, as well as the uniformly good cast. The singing, conducting, staging & video quality are all excellent. I had never heard of any of the cast members, but the first couple of 5 star reviews encouraged me to order this DVD. And I am so glad to have seen it and to add my own 5 stars. I for one am not pining for that elusive past golden age, but rather grateful for the high quality of what is available today. However, I must confess that I hope the Met will release the Scotto Trittico on DVD one of these days. "Madonna salvami."

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, May 16, 2009

By 

Allan Vanegas "Opera Fanatic" (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Puccini - Il Trittico (DVD)

This is a beautiful production of Puccini's Il trittico. Il Tabarro has a beautiful convincing cast. Luigi's singing is beautiful and his love duet with Giorgetta will bring tears to your eyes. I found it very erotic when Luigi is lying on top of Giorgetta. The only complaint about il tabarro is puccini's fault to leave us at the end of the opera speechless and cold. If only he would have extended it a little bit longer. I think that last chord ends really fast, when Giorgetta looks what her husband is hiding under his long coat....ups!!! is her strangled lover - she sings out a loud cry in disbelief and boom the opera is over. Personally Suor Angelica is full of new theatrical tricks. I love how the nuns at the end bring crosses that will attach to the ground. Very Theatrical and beatifuly done. Suor Angelica is an opera that only with the music it tells me a lot so the production even though is bad, the music still emotionally moves me. The only complaint is - what the hell was the producer thinking about the black crow on Suor Angelicas Aunt's hat?. She is supposed to be a Princess you know? I don't get it. A black crow is ugly. I should be a white dove. I know that the princess is bringing bad news. Is that why she has a black crow on her hat? Please explain. Gianni Schicchi my most favorite of the three is funny but I would love to see Gianni Schicchi a little bit more funny. At some points I think he looked nervous but, the rest of the cast were pretty funny. I loved the conga line when Gianni Schicchi was reading the testament. Overall my praise goes to the diva who sang; Giorgetta, Suor Angelica and Lauretta. (Amarilli Nizza) Her characterizations where very convincing.