Customer Reviews

Verdi - Un ballo in maschera / Domingo · Barstow · Quivar · Jo · Nucci · Rydl · Chaignaud · Wiener Phil. · Solti · Schlesinger · Salzburg Festival 1900

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have seen several productions of this opera on video including Pierro Faggioni's staging for the met with Pavarotti and Millo. While the Met's production was fine indeed, I have to say that it pales in comparison with this opulent dramatically charged ballo from Salzburg. First of all Domingo is GUSTAV III and infuses this role not only with passionate ringing tone but typifies the enlightened dandified monarch that the real Gustav III was. Pavarotti while excellent vocally, wasn't really convincing dramatically and looked cardboard stiff and utterly ridiculous at times(especially in his sailors outfit). The fiery Amelia of Josephine Barstow leaves Aprile Millo in the dust. Here she sings Verdi's heroine with reckless passion pushing her dramatic soprano to dizzying heights. Barstow is every bit the regal and elegant woman of the court. Millo's voice is coventionally beautiful, but I found her performance to be rather matronly and stodgy. I'm so sick of hearing the complaint that Barstow doesn't sound Italianate, Like DUHHH she's British. Besides who cares when you have a viceral singing actress of Barstow's caliber who really gets into the meat of this role. Vocal beauty if fine but when it doesn't have much else to recommend it, after a while it gets boring. Verdi wrote for voices not nationalities. I actually found that Leo Nucci and Florence Quivar as Renato and Ulrica were acutually better here that in the met performances. Both are terrifying in their dramatic power. Solti's conducting is crackling powerful and wonderfully over the top. And lastly I must praise the opulent staging of director John Schelsinger. This man really does his homework when he mounts a production. I am a period/costume junkie so I know what I'm talking about. There is not a single flaw as is the case with his fabulous Rosenkavalier with Te Kanawa. Gustav's murder at the ball is far more dramatically charged and far more historically accurate than the Met's. One of the major flaws I found in the Met's production was that Faggioni had the same staircase scenery from Gustav's throne room scene, included unchanged in Ulrica's scene and in every other after. They stuck out like sore thumbs. Gustav was actually shot, not stabbed, and Domingo wins hands down in the final scene. Sumi Jo as Oscar is utterly terrific, and I strongly disagree with the reviewer who thought that her interpretation was over the top. Simply the best ballo ever to be released on DVD!!!!!

Wow! Before watching this, I would have thought it was impossible to equal, let alone outdo the Met Ballo with Pavarotti and Aprile Millo, conducted by James Levine. But this is absolutely phenomenal. Like the Met production, this Ballo restores Verdi's original Swedish setting, which is always a plus, but with music-making this good they could have set the damn thing in Antarctica for all I care. Domingo is in top form, both vocally and dramatically, as the well-intentioned king who suffers from hubris, and Josephine Barstow proves herself an excellent interpreter of the heavier Verdi roles(see the recent Glyndeborne Macbeth release for further evidence). Leo Nucci and Florence Quivar repeat their roles from the Met release, without a smirch on either of their performances. Sumi Jo is a delightful Oscar. And Sir Georg Solti ekes out every ounce of dramatic impact from this marvelous score(and believe me, there is plenty). Finally, filmmaker John Schlesinger's production is appropriately epic, colorful and cinematic. I'm trying to think of something negative to say, I can't come up with a single thing.

Ballo is one of my favorite operas, and I feel blessed to have two such perfect productions available on DVD. Ballo enthusiasts rejoice!

This performance of Verdi's opera was recorded in 1990 at the Salzburg Festival. The team of principals are excellent and the production designed by John Schlesinger is beautifully costumed.
Barstow as Amelia may not be to everyone's liking, but she risies magnificantly to the challenges of the role's demands, with an intense and well-acted portrayl of her character. Domingo is as usual his awesome self, with Nucci, Jo and Quivar as excellent support.
Solti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic magnificantly. A must-have for fans of this masterpiece. An excellent performance, well preserved for posterity.
PS, another reviewer states that this performance filmed is the General Rehearsal. It is however the actual opening night, filmed on July 28 1990 (as stated on the cover). The general rehersal was also filmed, but took place 3 days earlier.

This is a spectacular production to behold. Sets are very effective, expansive and detailed, with wonderful use of large staircases and revolving sets. The change of scene in Act III is quite thrilling as everything shifts into the whirl of the ball. We are treated to plenty of elegant grandeur since we are in the royal courts of 18th century Sweden. And with Domingo lending his regal presence the evening is quite a splendid affair.

In this 1990 performance he is just a few years older than the real Gustav III was (he was 46) and his keen insight combined with his natural command of the stage make for a magnificent assumption of the character. Vocal expression is finely nuanced and intense, burning with ardor and grim with remorse in Act II. Also very much dramatically committed is Josephine Barstow: her appeal to her husband about seeing her son one last time is quite moving. And I always enjoy Nucci! He gets into his character and genuinely communicates the conflicting feelings of Renato. I love watching him in Act III. Even as he bursts in, raging at his wife, I sense a Renato of innate gentleness who really cannot seriously contemplate killing her. He still loves her deeply. As he calms down to listen you can feel him right on the edge of yielding and taking her up in his arms once more. Their time together in this scene leaves me grieved that what was apparently such a happy and familiar relationship has been broken.

The final scene is simply stunning. Terrific sets; rich and elegant costumes and colors; sparkling chandeliers; good camera work, too. I don't particularly need fancy costumes but I must admit to being dazzled every time by this one for the king. Black, with very heavy embroidery of gold and glittering things, and that big star medal blazing on the chest; presumably the "Royal Order of the Seraphim" which helped identify the historical Gustav to his assailant. That aside, Domingo poignantly delivers his aria of resignation, farewell and foreboding - and the expression of loss in his eyes! Then we are swept right along into the midst of a brilliant ball where we get lots of fun with the impertinent - and thirsty! - Oscar. The emergence of the king has an almost eerie effect and all that follows simply must be seen, it is carried out so realistically. Domingo is the master at making his slightest movement painfully telling.

Taken all together, this is quite the show!

Booklet has pictures, track listing and an excellent essay about this production and the circumstances surrounding its performance.
See my review of the wonderful '75 Covent production (also Domingo), with some comparison.

Most of the other reviews concentrate on the singers--which they should because they all do an excellent job, but I was impressed with the direction of the piece. John Schlesinger directs BALLO with an eye for detail. Small nuances, like seeing the child of Renato and Amelia, add drama and interest to the story.
Even the character of Ocscar (which is one of my least favorite characters in the opera repertoire) is given direction instead of just bouncing around like a hyper-active super ball as he/she is often depicted.
This dvd is a worthy addition for Verdi enthusiasts, and BALLO collectors.

It occurred to me after watching this production, which reverts to Verdi's original setting of the Swedish court, that the usual, silly Massachusetts setting may be the reason why Un Ballo in Maschera has never quite made it into the top tier of favorite Verdi works. Certainly the music, apart from a few plodding passages reminiscent of the galley years, is in the same league with Rigoletto and La Traviata. Verdi never wrote a more affecting love scene than the one beneath the gibbet (I reach my melting point at "Ebben, si, t'amo"), or a more moving baritone aria than "Eri tu". This performance, with Domingo a true king instead of a colonial governor, and the traitors high-placed officers rather than yokels named Tom and Sam, puts the music in a much more believable context. It also gives the designers full scope for some of the most lavish sets and costumes you are ever likely to see.

As far as the cast goes, you first have to overcome the uncomfortable awareness that this is middle-aged love arousing such passions. But Domingo, as usual, gives 100 percent, and he is ably backed up by Barstow and Nucci. My only complaint is that Sumi Jo as Oscar, whose clear voice should ring out in announcement of almost every new episode, either does not project well or is poorly miked; too often she's simply not loud enough.

The video was made for Austrian TV and is shot in 4:3 ratio. The picture is of acceptable quality, and the sound is good given the constraints of a live performance. I don't see this DVD as a replacement for a good studio recording, but for the spectacle alone, and some fine singing, it's well worth having.

Singers, with Domingo leading the cast, orchestra (who better than SOLTI directing?), constumes, direction, stage design..... everything is wonderful in this production. Maybe Josephine Barstow is not the perfect Amelia, but she sings and acts much much better than Millo, who sings like a goat and is not a good actress (Met's Ballo with Pavarotti, an awful one). Barstow sings with passion and with a perfect control of her great voice. It does not matter if she is Brittish or whatever, as other reviewers have criticized. The issue here, the same that happened with Die Zauberflote recorded at the Salzburg Festival in 1982, with a dream cast, is that the sound was not remastered to DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1 as other previously recorded productions. Even operas recorded in the sixties have been remastered as L'elisir D'amore recorded in 1967, sung by Bergonzi- Scotto.

This ballo is a must and the best available in DVD at the moment.

I have recently seen an excellent performance of Ballo in the Wiener Staatsoper; I was particularly impressed with the highly dramatic acts 2 and 3 of the opera that I had never heard before, either live or recorded. As a result I decided to look for a good recording. The rather ravishing reviews of this particular live piece from the Salzburg Festspiele made me decide to purchase it. On the first listening everything went quite well until the major arias of Amelia in Act 2. At that point I simply discontinued watching (and I am quite convinced that I'll never want to watch it again), for the memory of that wonderful performance from Vienna was still much too vivid in my mind to spoil it with listening to a mediocre soprano that did not attract me at all. All I can say is that:

Manca la diva!

I entirely agree with the other reviewers in what they said about the wonderful performances of Domingo, Nucci, Sumi Jo, and of the great and very inspired conducting of Sir Georg Solti; my deepest respect for him. One could also argue that Domingo's leading tenor role is such a major plus that it overcomes the point I expressed above. However, for me, if there is no real soprano diva, the piece is not worth spending my time on.

I must respectfully disagree with the two previous rave reviews here at Amazon.com of this new DVD of the 1990 Salzburg production of 'Ballo.' It should have been great, but it is merely good. Faint praise, I'm afraid. But it had a number of strikes against it, not the least of which was the death of Herbert von Karajan, the original conductor, only nine days before this filmed performance (which is actually the Generalprobe [dress rehearsal] recorded for Austrian television). Incredibly lucky, the Salzburg Festival was able to secure the services of Georg Solti to take over on short notice, and frankly his is probably the most important contribution to the overall production, except perhaps that of director John Schlesinger and set/costume designers William Dudley and Luciana Arrighi. The three main singers, however, with the exception of Plácido Domingo, are not at their best. Even at her best Josephine Barstow is simply not an Italianate singer. She is fabulous in Britten, say, but here she sounds like, gasp, a British soprano. (Actually, that comment is an unfair slam of British sopranos. One of the best Amelias I've ever heard was British soprano Margaret Price.) This is not to say that she doesn't produce some beautiful sounds, but only to comment that she doesn't sound Italian at all. The stage lights up when Domingo is singing, but the lights dim with Barstow and Nucci (as Renato/Anckarström). The two conspirators (Sam and Tom, here called Horn and Ribbing) are beautifully sung and acted by bassos Kurt Rydl and Goran Simic. Florence Quivar is spookily effective, and in rich voice, in her scene as the witch Ulrica. As Oscar the voice of the fine coloratura Sumi Jo is simply lost in the recording. Everything she does should sound out brilliantly; here is it swallowed up by the orchestra, the chorus and the acoustic of the Grosses Festspielhaus. Further, the recorded sound in general is poorly balanced, favoring the orchestra, muffling much of the vocal sound, and in general sounding somewhat distant. The orchestra (the Vienna Philharmonic -- here called the Vienna State Opera Orchestra), it should be said, is superb, as one would expect.

The acting is certainly acceptable, but neither Barstow nor Nucci is particularly subtle. Domingo, on the other hand, acts brilliantly. His solo scene (Act III, Scene 2) will tear your heart out, as does the finale.

I really wish I could be more positive about this production because it has so much going for it. And I probably will watch it again, but for now I much prefer the Levine/Pavarotti/Millo version, which also features Nucci, on a better night, as Renato

This is, as you have surely gathered, the Swedish version of the opera and I will admit my old foginess in preferring the colonial Boston version. It probably makes little difference except for the greater familiarity of the names of Sam, Tom and Renato.

1 DVD disc; LPCM stereo; subtitles in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish. 145 minutes. No bonus features.

Scott Morrison