Product Details

• Actors: Ruxandra Donose, Maxim Mironov, Simone Alberghini, Nathan Berg, Vladimir Jurowski
• Directors: Sir Peter Hall, Robin Lough
• Format: Classical, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Italian (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: Dutch, English, French, Italian, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Opus Arte
• DVD Release Date: June 24, 2008
• Run Time: 187 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0017RRDPU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,241 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

ROSSINI:LA CENERENTOLA - Blu-Ray Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Evening of Joy, October 6, 2008

By 

Elder Dave "adman62" (Greenbank, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rossini: La Cenerentola [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

There can't be much dispute about the quality of this work. The staging, the singing, the technical brilliance of the hidef experience both visually and aurally are impeccable. A group of us gathered to experience La Cenerentola in my home. We laughed, we applauded, we smiled to each other sharing the delight.

As the review above noted, no magic is involved in this rendering of the Cinderella story. Everything is worked out through the wisdom of Alidoro, the Prince's old sage counselor (sung brilliantly and with all due gravitas by Nathan Berg). This makes it a comedy well within the human domain. The moral lessons are clear: vanity is illusive and will not serve us well, all of us must treat each other with kindness, virtue is rewarded, and forgiveness and love heal all.

The characters are beautifully played and sung. Angelina (la cenerentola herself--Cinderella-sung by Ruxandra Donose)appropriately plays a somewhat withdrawn role at first but grows in vocal power and confidence throughout the opera . She emerges at the end as a shimmering beauty of brilliant voice. The "evil" stepsisters, Clorinda and Tisbe (Raquela Sheeran and Lucia Cirillo) are presented as very distinguishable comedic personalities whose voices often combine in bell-like harmonies. Don Magnifico, the wicked stepfather, is played to great comedic effect (Luciano Di Pasquale)as a buffoon who is cruel, fearful, and self-delusive at the same time. His is a gem of a performance. (It is with this that we see one of the drawbacks of such high visual resolution: one can easily see where the scalp cover is joined to his temples. But then again, the characters and sets seem almost three-dimensional, so it is a definite plus). The Prince, Don Ramiro, (Maxim Mironov) is carefully constructed as a major character who must be less prominent than Cinderella herself, so he is a Rossini tenor, somewhere between tenor and counter-tenor. He is young, handsome, recognizes virtue and responds to it honorably, and sings well. Yet it is the other characters who dominate, including Dandini,(Simone Alberghini) the valet the Prince has commissioned to play him while the Prince stays in the background to observe the reactions of the stepdaughters and anyone else hoping to be his bride.

Certainly this production shows off the glories of high definition BluRay, but it is the quality of the performances that should really sell this version to the public. For opera lovers, this Opus Arte presentation of the Glyndebourne production (almost always high quality from Glyndebourne and Opus Arte)is truly a must. It is not possible not to revel in this 3-hour delight. Do yourself a favor and get it; you'll love it.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Be a Pumpkin, November 1, 2008

By 

Joseph L. Ponessa (Glendive MT USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rossini: La Cenerentola [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

For several years I have owned the DVD release of this performance. Just before the Blu-Ray copy arrived, I watched the whole DVD copy all the way through and was impressed by the high musicality and good staging. The Prince stood out as a Rossinian singer of high excellence, who would be a credit to any stage.
After the Blu-Ray arrived I compared the two masterings with an eye to detail.
Visually, the Blu-Ray stands hand over fist above the DVD. Even with upscaling the DVD is fuzzy, and Jurowski comes across as a stern, aloof figure at the podium. With the extra clarity of the Blu-Ray picture, the maestro's tiny facial expressions demonstrate that he conducts by his charm as much as by his hand gestures. He possesses an inner understanding of the humanity of this piece of music, and exudes it during the overture. That revelation alone is worth the price of the Blu-Ray disc.
Sonically, the Blu-Ray is a careful remix and clean-up of the original tapes. On the DVD, two chairs can be heard to squeak on the floor a split second before Jurowski lowers his baton. Those distractions are gone on the Blu-Ray track. There is also better attention to volume level: the DTS track on the DVD becomes very harsh in the upper levels during the ensemble work, but everything balances nicely on the Blu-Ray.
I enjoyed the DVD very much but that was no reason to turn into a pumpkin: get the Blu-Ray.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Catch a Rising Star, May 11, 2009

By 

J. Wright - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rossini: La Cenerentola [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Bravos are due once again to Opus Arte for another one of their fine Blu-ray opera DVDs. This production is traditional in style (no Euro trash) and entirely enchanting. The smallish stage at Glyndebourne is inventively used and the costumes are a delight. The Prima Donna encompasses a famously difficult role easily, though she -like anyone who essays this role - inevitably faces comparison to Cecilia Bartoli's Cenerentola. In the Buffo role of Don Magnifico, Luciano Di Pasquale nearly steals the show by milking every moment for maximum comic effect - imagine Jackie Gleason at the opera. For this reviewer, however, the real thrill came unexpectedly in the form of tenor Maxim Mironov, whose voice is perfectly placed throughout its range, clear as a bell, and sweetly vibrant with a little bit of fast vibrato. His role here is rather large and fiercely difficult, with extensive coloratura and repeated high notes, all delivered flawlessly. Tenors have always been a hobby of mine, and I have heard almost every one who has made a record in the past hundred years. I believe that Mironov could mount a challenge to Juan Diego Florez, the reigning Rossini tenor of our time. Unfortunately, his acting needs a little work, as he generally looked as if he had wandered onto the stage by accident. But, no matter - this is a great voice.

Finally, the stage direction includes one delightful innovation: Whenever one of Rossini's intricate and slightly weird ensembles occurs (these are one of the chief glories of his comedies), the lights dim and the actors begin to move in stylized and complex patterns, mirroring the music. This is a marvelous touch that serves to highlight the ensembles, rather as if they were happening in an alternate universe.

The DVD itself looks splendid - crisp, bright, and colorful, but the sound (I heard it in Stereo, not 5.1 surround) seemed a little shrill and lacking in bass. Conductor Jurowski, who is amassing a formidable resume and fine reviews, brought the full measure of clarity and high spirits so necessary to this score, although I wish he had allowed the orchestra to stop for applause after the arias. In any event, the Glyndebourne audience loved it, and so will you.