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Editorial Reviews
Renée Fleming continues her reign as `Queen of the MET', starring in a bel canto rarity specially staged for her - a showcase for her extraordinary vocal virtuosity as well as one of the most beautiful voices of our time. This four-hour bel canto extravaganza is presented here on 2 DVDs. In addition to the great prima donna title role, Armida uniquely features no fewer than six tenor roles, here led by the acclaimed young American tenor Lawrence Brownlee(previously featured on the DG DVD of the Met's La Cenerentola.)In Mary Zimmerman's magical new production, supported by striking sets and colorful costumes and a fully-staged ballet, the `real world' of the Crusaders and the fantastical realm of Armida's enchanted island are clearly contrasted. Of Renée Fleming's performance, the The Opera Critic said: "The beautiful singing and appearance of Fleming make this an event worth seeing... She was especially brilliant in her long final scene which calls for rich legato singing as well as flashy ornamentation". Renée Fleming returns to the Met in Armida February 18 - March 5, 2011.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
By Matt B
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Rossini composed Armida in 1817 to celebrate the reopening of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples which had been destroyed by fire the previous year. The opera was intended to be an impressive event that would feature all that the Neapolitan company had to offer. The orchestration was to be brilliant, the singing spectacular, and even the ballet would be featured prominently. Rossini certainly did not disappoint and produced an extravagant score... a score that must have seemed to be very avant guard at the time. Incidentally, the San Carlo was blessed with an abundance of tenors, so the opera contains no less than six prominent tenor roles. There is even a trio for three tenors in the final act that is a precursor to the "three tenor craze" of recent years.
That Neapolitan premiere had as it's focal point the San Carlo's prima donna the dramatic coloratura soprano extraordinaire and future Signora Rossini, Isabella Colbran in the title role. The celebrated tenor Giovanni David was featured in the leading tenor role of Rinaldo. So how does the MET version measure up in comparison?
Actually Renee Fleming is quite good even though she tends to slur some of the coloratura... and I think that is a function of her trying to fuse jazz style improvisation with the Bel Canto tradition of embellishment. Also, I wish the voice had more heft and power as it seems just a half size too small for the part. Perhaps I should have better tried to erase memories of Maria Callas who preformed the piece at the 1952 Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, but even Joyce DiDonato in extensive excerpts on her recent Rossini CD proves to be stiff competition as well. Still, Fleming does herself proud, and in a role that is one of the most difficult that Rossini ever penned... Plus her voice sounds as lush, creamy, and sensuous as ever and that is an advantage in the three love duets that grace the score.
However, the real star of the show is Lawrence Brownlee as Rinaldo. My God the man can sing, and sing he does, and with a clarion tenor that has a pleasing quick vibrato that adds a sense of excitement to his vocal production. In the many occasions where the other tenors have to echo passages previously sung by him it becomes all too obvious that the others are merely pretenders to the throne and why Brownlee was chosen for the lead. Of the other tenors John Osborn is the standout... at times he can prove to be a bit inconsistent, but when he is on target as in this performance he is capable of being quite fine. Maestro Frizza has an unimpeachable Rossinian pedigree and certainly knows his way around the eroticism, brilliance, and even the demonic aspects of the score
As for the staging, I continue to be relatively unimpressed with Mary Zimmerman's productions at the MET all of which have made it to DVD. Personally I think she has not exactly proven to be an asset for the company with a Lucia di Lammermoor that was more a study in busy stage business than Donizetti's demented Scottish lass, and a downright ugly and ill-conceived La Sonnambula that seemed to be by Luigi Pirandello as opposed to Bellini. In Armida what should have been magical... turns out to be somewhat bizarre at times. Also, I do not like the fact that a good portion of the third act is played out in front of the show curtain in a very narrow and restricted area, and as such does not give an aura of being a professional production worthy of the MET. In addition, quite often she does not seem to trust the composer. For example, when Rossini writes a march, as in the opening scene, it is just that and solders are expected to march to the beat... not skip, bob, and weave thus making a mockery of and trivializing the basic musical ideas. Still the fundamental concept for the first two acts is quite pleasing visually in a clean-cut and vibrant manner even if the costumes and sets to not exactly reflect the location and era of the librettist's and composer's conception. Therefore the first and second acts... and especially the extended ballet... are the most successful portions of the staging and in spite of some fussy stage business that even somewhat impinges on Armida's big aria "D'amore al dolce impero". Also, Zimmerman has two mute figures representing love and revenge... the two conflicting aspects of Armida's character... popping up periodically throughout the production. It is only in the final scene where the ideas that they represent are depicted in pre-Wagnerian leitmotif fashion by Rossini that this makes total sense.
Still, I am grateful that this production has been made available. I doubt that it will be bettered in the near future... and Brownlee alone is more than worth the price of admission... plus Fleming does sing the title role as well as could be expected... plus there is no such thing as absolute perfection in this world. Still! Would that we had the Callas Armida from 1952 on film... or at least available in better sound! Actually in 1952 Callas was the as close to the perfect Armida as would be humanly possible, but unfortunately at that point in time there were absolutely no tenors who were capable of doing justice to Rossini's musical language. Given the circumstances, even the venerable Tullio Serafin who conducted that performance was forced to abandon any attempt at even approximating a true Rossini style. Today we have the tenors, but alas no Callas... It just does not seem fair...
That Neapolitan premiere had as it's focal point the San Carlo's prima donna the dramatic coloratura soprano extraordinaire and future Signora Rossini, Isabella Colbran in the title role. The celebrated tenor Giovanni David was featured in the leading tenor role of Rinaldo. So how does the MET version measure up in comparison?
Actually Renee Fleming is quite good even though she tends to slur some of the coloratura... and I think that is a function of her trying to fuse jazz style improvisation with the Bel Canto tradition of embellishment. Also, I wish the voice had more heft and power as it seems just a half size too small for the part. Perhaps I should have better tried to erase memories of Maria Callas who preformed the piece at the 1952 Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, but even Joyce DiDonato in extensive excerpts on her recent Rossini CD proves to be stiff competition as well. Still, Fleming does herself proud, and in a role that is one of the most difficult that Rossini ever penned... Plus her voice sounds as lush, creamy, and sensuous as ever and that is an advantage in the three love duets that grace the score.
However, the real star of the show is Lawrence Brownlee as Rinaldo. My God the man can sing, and sing he does, and with a clarion tenor that has a pleasing quick vibrato that adds a sense of excitement to his vocal production. In the many occasions where the other tenors have to echo passages previously sung by him it becomes all too obvious that the others are merely pretenders to the throne and why Brownlee was chosen for the lead. Of the other tenors John Osborn is the standout... at times he can prove to be a bit inconsistent, but when he is on target as in this performance he is capable of being quite fine. Maestro Frizza has an unimpeachable Rossinian pedigree and certainly knows his way around the eroticism, brilliance, and even the demonic aspects of the score
As for the staging, I continue to be relatively unimpressed with Mary Zimmerman's productions at the MET all of which have made it to DVD. Personally I think she has not exactly proven to be an asset for the company with a Lucia di Lammermoor that was more a study in busy stage business than Donizetti's demented Scottish lass, and a downright ugly and ill-conceived La Sonnambula that seemed to be by Luigi Pirandello as opposed to Bellini. In Armida what should have been magical... turns out to be somewhat bizarre at times. Also, I do not like the fact that a good portion of the third act is played out in front of the show curtain in a very narrow and restricted area, and as such does not give an aura of being a professional production worthy of the MET. In addition, quite often she does not seem to trust the composer. For example, when Rossini writes a march, as in the opening scene, it is just that and solders are expected to march to the beat... not skip, bob, and weave thus making a mockery of and trivializing the basic musical ideas. Still the fundamental concept for the first two acts is quite pleasing visually in a clean-cut and vibrant manner even if the costumes and sets to not exactly reflect the location and era of the librettist's and composer's conception. Therefore the first and second acts... and especially the extended ballet... are the most successful portions of the staging and in spite of some fussy stage business that even somewhat impinges on Armida's big aria "D'amore al dolce impero". Also, Zimmerman has two mute figures representing love and revenge... the two conflicting aspects of Armida's character... popping up periodically throughout the production. It is only in the final scene where the ideas that they represent are depicted in pre-Wagnerian leitmotif fashion by Rossini that this makes total sense.
Still, I am grateful that this production has been made available. I doubt that it will be bettered in the near future... and Brownlee alone is more than worth the price of admission... plus Fleming does sing the title role as well as could be expected... plus there is no such thing as absolute perfection in this world. Still! Would that we had the Callas Armida from 1952 on film... or at least available in better sound! Actually in 1952 Callas was the as close to the perfect Armida as would be humanly possible, but unfortunately at that point in time there were absolutely no tenors who were capable of doing justice to Rossini's musical language. Given the circumstances, even the venerable Tullio Serafin who conducted that performance was forced to abandon any attempt at even approximating a true Rossini style. Today we have the tenors, but alas no Callas... It just does not seem fair...
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By flemingfan
I may be a bit bias in reviewing this new DVD of the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Rossini's charming "ARMIDA" as I have always been a huge fan of soprano Renee Fleming. Her charisma as a person and an artist are extremely attractive to me and her desire to push herself beyond what is expected of her as an artist is a quality to be admired. That being said when I saw her sing this role live it gave me chills listening to her. She beautifully fit into the role of the sorceress tempting Rinaldo away from his duties both physically and vocally. Although Rossini is not a specialty of her's, her unique timbre and the color of her voice provided some of the longer legato lines with a quality that both enchants and brings goosebumps. Her runs and faster sections were not always perfection and she seemed to struggle somewhat with Rossini's challenging ornamentation however there is no denying that the effort was a valiant one and not completely unsuccessful. If she was going to attempt any Rossini opera this one was a perfect fit and she sang with a confidence in herself that made any vocal flaws vanish. Lawrence Brownlee, a magnificent Rossini tenor, was wonderful and nearly stole the show from Fleming. His singing was almost flawless and he moved with ease through the complicated workings of the music, singing with passion and care.
Mary Zimmerman has often been criticized for her productions at the Met and I will not deny her mismanaged "La Sonnambula" was a mistake from the very conception. It was a boring, dull, and frankly confusing production that need never be revived at the Met again. Let's hope Peter Gelb locks it away and doesn't speak of it again. However her production of "Lucia di Lammermoor" I found inspired. I loved the fact she moved the period of the piece up a couple of years and to address what most people have a problem with, the sextet, I thought it was an interesting idea and fit the moment of stand & sing quite comfortably while not taking away from Donizetti's music. Now, her "ARMIDA", was a very safe looking production. Probably aware of her failure with "Sonnambula", she seemed to not want to take too many chances with this production and some could find her choices very plain and dull. However, since this was intended to be a showcase for Ms. Fleming, Zimmerman pulled it off quite nicely. It may not have been her best but it certainly was not her worst and I found the production to be interesting and entertaining but the singing was surely the highlight of the night.
It is important to remember that without Ms. Fleming's daring to take on a challenging role it may have been years until Rossini's "ARMIDA" finally arrived at the Met. This is a brilliant opera with some of Rossini's most beautiful music. The finale of the final act is one of the most stirring pieces of music, in my opinion, he has ever written and some of the duets between Mr. Brownlee and Ms. Fleming were incredibly moving. I recommend this production of this Rossini masterpiece. I think that it is a wonderful pairing of singer with role and Fleming's rendition of "ARMIDA" is definitely something to see.
Mary Zimmerman has often been criticized for her productions at the Met and I will not deny her mismanaged "La Sonnambula" was a mistake from the very conception. It was a boring, dull, and frankly confusing production that need never be revived at the Met again. Let's hope Peter Gelb locks it away and doesn't speak of it again. However her production of "Lucia di Lammermoor" I found inspired. I loved the fact she moved the period of the piece up a couple of years and to address what most people have a problem with, the sextet, I thought it was an interesting idea and fit the moment of stand & sing quite comfortably while not taking away from Donizetti's music. Now, her "ARMIDA", was a very safe looking production. Probably aware of her failure with "Sonnambula", she seemed to not want to take too many chances with this production and some could find her choices very plain and dull. However, since this was intended to be a showcase for Ms. Fleming, Zimmerman pulled it off quite nicely. It may not have been her best but it certainly was not her worst and I found the production to be interesting and entertaining but the singing was surely the highlight of the night.
It is important to remember that without Ms. Fleming's daring to take on a challenging role it may have been years until Rossini's "ARMIDA" finally arrived at the Met. This is a brilliant opera with some of Rossini's most beautiful music. The finale of the final act is one of the most stirring pieces of music, in my opinion, he has ever written and some of the duets between Mr. Brownlee and Ms. Fleming were incredibly moving. I recommend this production of this Rossini masterpiece. I think that it is a wonderful pairing of singer with role and Fleming's rendition of "ARMIDA" is definitely something to see.
33 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By L. Mitnick
With all due respect to the previous reviewer, I do not find this Mary Zimmerman production as bad as he found it. While nothing in this production would make me think of the Crusades, at least it was colorful and looked glitzy. It makes little difference anyway because it is highly unlikely that we will ever see this opera staged again (notwithstanding the repeat performances taking place at the Met next month). "Armida" is not one of Rossini's stronger operas. I'll go even further and say that it's not an important opera at all. The plot is too insane and inane to waste words on, and the piece is quite lengthy. So what does it have to offer?
If one is captivated by virtuoso bel singing, and if one is tenor-crazy, then this is definitely a piece of exotica that you should investigate. All the tenors are excellent, most notably Lawrence Brownlee and John Osborn. There are tenor arias, duets, and all are embellished with florid cadenzas and rousing conclusions. In fact, I had a problem distinguishing which tenor was singing which character. But this matters very little because the effect is that of an elaborate vocal concert in costume. I found the ballet mildly interesting, though somewhat longer than I expected. One wonders if Rossini inserted it to give the singers a rest.
Renee Fleming is to be commended and lauded for taking on this fiendishly difficult florid role. Maria Callas caused a sensation with this opera in Florence in 1952, and along with her revelatory performances of Norma, Gioconda, Lady Macbeth and Lucia di Lammermoor, firmly established herself as the reigning prima donna of the world. Well, Renee Fleming is no Maria Callas, but then again, who is? Fleming has a great voice, and she has the florid technique to command the bravura passages of the role. Her huge aria in Act II ("D'amore al dolce impero") is a doozy of a showpiece and Fleming gives it everything she's got. Whether or not she's at her absolute vocal best is not important -- for there's not another soprano anywhere today who would attempt this music --- and for good reason. Armida's music is full of mine fields and Fleming doesn't fall into a single one of them --- an amazing feat in itself!
I would not dismiss this opera. If you are the type of listener who is excited by virtuoso operatic singing, colorful sets, and sheer fantasy, you will probably enjoy this performance. If you're a fan of Renee Fleming, you should definitely own this performance. It displays her in what is probably one of most difficult operas any soprano could ever even consider singing. With operas like "Armida" and "Pirata" already in her repertoire, one wonders whether she'll ever take on Bellini's Norma.
If one is captivated by virtuoso bel singing, and if one is tenor-crazy, then this is definitely a piece of exotica that you should investigate. All the tenors are excellent, most notably Lawrence Brownlee and John Osborn. There are tenor arias, duets, and all are embellished with florid cadenzas and rousing conclusions. In fact, I had a problem distinguishing which tenor was singing which character. But this matters very little because the effect is that of an elaborate vocal concert in costume. I found the ballet mildly interesting, though somewhat longer than I expected. One wonders if Rossini inserted it to give the singers a rest.
Renee Fleming is to be commended and lauded for taking on this fiendishly difficult florid role. Maria Callas caused a sensation with this opera in Florence in 1952, and along with her revelatory performances of Norma, Gioconda, Lady Macbeth and Lucia di Lammermoor, firmly established herself as the reigning prima donna of the world. Well, Renee Fleming is no Maria Callas, but then again, who is? Fleming has a great voice, and she has the florid technique to command the bravura passages of the role. Her huge aria in Act II ("D'amore al dolce impero") is a doozy of a showpiece and Fleming gives it everything she's got. Whether or not she's at her absolute vocal best is not important -- for there's not another soprano anywhere today who would attempt this music --- and for good reason. Armida's music is full of mine fields and Fleming doesn't fall into a single one of them --- an amazing feat in itself!
I would not dismiss this opera. If you are the type of listener who is excited by virtuoso operatic singing, colorful sets, and sheer fantasy, you will probably enjoy this performance. If you're a fan of Renee Fleming, you should definitely own this performance. It displays her in what is probably one of most difficult operas any soprano could ever even consider singing. With operas like "Armida" and "Pirata" already in her repertoire, one wonders whether she'll ever take on Bellini's Norma.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
How not to stage an opera
Rossini's Armida is based on a Renaissance fantasy about the First Crusade. Rossini's librettist clearly cared a great deal about the underlying theme of honor versus love. Read more
Published 7 months ago by amateur historian
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love!!
One of my all-time favorite performances. Beautiful music. Only thing I could ask for is a larger screen to watch it on.
Published 9 months ago by Lisle H
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great performance
The real issue in this opera is the struggle between love and revenge. The love part is easy to understand. The revenge is a combination of hate, jealousy and honor. Read more
Published 16 months ago by A. Lupu
2.0 out of 5 stars
Mary Zimmerman's Stupid Staging
Lots and lots of beautiful music, as other reviewers describe in detail. Some also describe Mary Zimmerman's poor staging, but I was so disgusted I had to issue a warning:... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Raymond B. Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully staged, beautifully song, beautifully transferred to DVD
I am not a Rossini expert, but I enjoy opera and I enjoyed this performance. Renee Fleming did not just stand and sing, but fully engaged in the character. Read more
Published 19 months ago by David Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very good performance
Rossini: Armida (The Metropolitan Opera Live 2010)
I saw this production when it was shown in the movie theater during the HD metropolitan series and since that moment I want... Read more
I saw this production when it was shown in the movie theater during the HD metropolitan series and since that moment I want... Read more
Published 20 months ago by A. Delaspozas
5.0 out of 5 stars
OMG These Guys can Sing!
Me and my family are relatively new to opera. I purchased this DVD because of the pink dress on the cover -- I thought my girls would like it. Read more
Published 21 months ago by bfris
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rossini is the star in this production!
Renee Fleming does a credible job in a difficult role as Armida. Lawrence Brownlee has a voice for the ages. Keith Miller is a standout!
Published 22 months ago by Douglasmagee
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastical
It is very obvious why Renee Fleming revived this relatively obscure Rossini opera. It is a tour de force for the leading lady and Ms Fleming gives a bravura performance in the... Read more
Published on May 7, 2011 by MikelMask
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Moment in Time - Captured!
I would encourage anyone who has an interest, even if slight, to take the plunge and get this DVD for a number of reasons. Read more
Published on April 30, 2011 by Jim Lieberthal
