33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
TDK Mediactive Does It Again!!!, August 25, 2003
This review is from: Verdi - Rigoletto / Viotti, Machado, Nucci, Mula, Luperi, Verona Opera (DVD)
This is a superb performance of Rigoletto made at the Arena di Verona. TDK has issued some excellent opera DVDs recently, featuring Eurpean performances, where opera is taken seriously. The digital video and the DTS sound option make the performance very realistic on a big screen TV. Although this is an outdoor performance, on the screen it comes across very well, and there is no sonic compromise, either.
Aquiles Machado is a very good Duke; his spinto voice is perfect for the role, and his interpretation has enough con brio to fit the part. Inva Mula does the most she can with the role of Gilda, which is a "look pretty/sing pretty" character. In her opening scene with Rigoletto, she sings in a pure lyric style, but the voice becomes more of a spinto in the second and third acts, with more richness. I think that it is an artistic bit with Mula and it makes more of Gilda's character than one usually experiences.
Mario Luperi (Sparafucile) and Sarah M'Punga (Maddalena) interpret their characters well, but are both vocally less than expected (This is the reason for a 4 star rating). Marcello Viotti conducts in the style of Toscanini and Levine: it is a brisk, but not at all rushed, interpretation.
Which brings me to Leo Nucci as Rigoletto. Nucci has been around for quite a while, and some recent performances have been a bit uneven, but he steal this show with a near perfect - vocally and interpretively - rendition of the part. The depth of character he brings to his role is best dramatized when he comes "out of character" for curtain calls.
With Rigoletto, Verdi reached a level of genius not achieved in his earlier works, as good as most of them are. For example, the Duke, a corrupt and totally amoral person, sings music that is exquisitely lyrical, while Rigoletto, essentially a good but troubled man, has vocal lines that are more intense but less lyrical. Character trumps over spectacle, with some of the best music being written for the intimate scenes between Rigoletto and Gilda.
I am delighted with this disc. As I have noted a number of times, the DVD medium is the next best thing to attending a live performance. In this case, the immediacy of the experience is near perfect. I recommend it without reservation.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leo Nucci, superb!!!, September 17, 2005
This review is from: Verdi - Rigoletto / Viotti, Machado, Nucci, Mula, Luperi, Verona Opera (DVD)
In this version of this moving opera masterpiece, in the Arena, Leo Nucci shows once more he is the perfect and ultimate "baritono verdiano".
His performance here, both singing and acting, is superb, touching, and full of nuances, and, if you love Verdi as I do, you should not miss it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
bravo bufón y todos los otros., December 20, 2003
This review is from: Verdi - Rigoletto / Viotti, Machado, Nucci, Mula, Luperi, Verona Opera (DVD)
Evidentemente esta es en mi humildo opinión la mejor grabación e interpretación de esta gran ópera. todos, y digo todos sin excepción son casi perfectos, este término dicho sea de paso sólo lo podemos aplicar a las obras de Dios. La simpatía de Machado es sin igual en el mundo de la ópera, casi parece un muchacho; Gilda es una figura tremendamente agradable, tanto al oído como a la vista. He visto hasta ahora todas las grabaciones disponibles en DVD, reiterando mi opinión sobre esta maravillosa grabación. Nucci merece un comentario aparte, sencillamente es grandioso como el trágico padre que ha perdido a todo lo que tiene en la vida. Cinco estrellas es poco para él en especial. Bravo y larga vida a este maravilloso cantante.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
