Product Details

• Actors: Cecilia Gasdia, Furio Zanasi, Roberto Staccioli
• Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 30, 2001
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000055XSP
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #117,875 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This performance of Cavalieri's La Rappresentazione di Anima e di Corpo was taken from the notes and instructions of Cavalieri himself from a published version dated September 1600. This particular performance includes the talent of Cecilia Gasdia (soprano), Furio Zanasi (baritone), Roberto Staccioli, Massimo Rossetti, Stefano Cucci, and Lucilla Tumino, along with the Roma Barocca Ensemble and the Symphonic Opera Choir of Rome under the direction of Lorenzo Tozzi. Filmed live in Rome, Italy, at the Basilica San Paolo Fuori Le Mura. A rare and interesting performance available for the first time. 120 minutes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Poor Recording, April 19, 2001

By A Customer

This seems to be a fine performance of Emilio de Cavalieri's proto-opera, but it's hard to tell since the audio recording is so poor. A couple of soloists are barely audible, and the orchestra sounds unbalanced. I don't know if the problem lay with the hall acoustics or the engineering, but with all the microphones they had scattered about, obtaining a decent mix shouldn't have been difficult. Contrary to the audio information on the DVD, the sound is two-channel not six-.

Very little information is provided on the package or on the DVD itself, not even the composer's first name. A spoken dialogue at the beginning is subtitled in English but nothing else is in either Italian or English which seems remiss for a vocal work. Of course no booklet is provided to make up the lack. Perhaps something can be found on the Internet.

The basilica is beautiful, but the rotating camera shots of the ceiling are overdone. Also, what appear to be tourists wander around in the apse behind the orchestra causing some distraction for the viewer.

I enjoy this performance, but I wish the producers had done a better job with the DVD. Does it cost that much more to provide subtitles?

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Naxos did this properly, May 11, 2001

By	stephen meadow (cambridge, ma) - See all my reviews

I agree with the comments made by Flesh And Wine below. The lousy sound quality is particularly infuriating because the sound is much better on the Naxos CD(8.554096-97)release of this performance. The CD also includes the libretto in both Italian and English.

It's unfortunate that subtitles are usually only provided for operas. I find they greatly add to my enjoyment of any long vocal works such as oratorios, passions, and song cycles.