Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Traviata = wonderful, January 6, 2002
This gorgeous opera is given a wonderful treatment in this terrific DVD. Of course, the music is splendid- probably Verdi's most beautiful score. For me, the first act is the most perfect 30 minutes of music ever. And it gets its full due here.This is a filming of the Covent Garden, London show with the, then new, Angela Gheorghiu in 1994. Now she's a superstar.And this production is one of the reasons why. She is spectacular as the dying Violetta. Her tone, acting, and beauty make her unforgettable in this role. The rest of the cast is also fine. And it's hard to believe that this was the first time that the venerable George Solti had ever directed "La Traviata." That's amazing. And, of course, he is wonderful. As for the DVD itself, the sound (5.1) is perfect, and so is the filming of the production. The booklet has an OK essay, and a good synopsis of the opera. It also has a helpful listing of all chapters so you can find a specific place in the score. And, of course, sub-titles. No extra features, but you rarely find them on opera discs. All in all an excellent package. Give me more like this.
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50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gheorghiu IS Violetta, July 12, 2001
While flawed in several respects, this DVD nevertheless records the most thrilling and moving performance of this opera I have ever seen or heard (and I have seen it performed live several times and own most commercial recordings of it). I had the VHS tape for years, but bought the DVD immediately when it became available, because this production deserves to be seen and heard in the best quality possible.The success of this performance is attributable almost exclusively to Angela Gheorghiu. Forget what many say about Maria Callas -- Gheorghiu IS Violetta. She looks the part but, more importantly, she LIVES the part. Her singing and acting is exquisite. She truly makes one feel Violetta's ambivalence and conflict in her big Act I solo, love and sacrifice in the first scene of Act II (the scene between Violetta and Germont pere is perhaps the most complex and riveting in all of opera), her heartbreak in the second scene of that Act, and her relief at her reunion with Alfredo in Act III. Her performance tugs at the heartstrings and drains the tearducts throughout the opera without ever seeming mannered or overdone. Her achievement is even greater in that she can have this effect even playing against two antagonists of limited effectiveness. As Alfredo, Frank Lopardo acts with commitment and youthful sincerity. Unfortunately, his singing tone is rather pinched, which makes him seem stiff and unnatural. Leo Nucci's Germont is woolly of tone and completely unsympathetic. His performance in the Act II duet with Gheorghiu makes him seem like a monster rather than a concerned father. It's to Gheorghiu's great credit that she makes Violetta's agreement to sacrifice herself and her love believable. Had a lesser actress been paired with Nucci, the opera would have been over at that point; one would have expected her merely to boot Germont from her house. I said that the performance's success is ALMOST exclusively attributable to Ms. Gheorghiu. One must recognize Sir Georg Solti's contribution as well. Had he driven the music harder or let it languish, all would have been lost. But his moderated reading is perfect. It is a true testament to his genius that one of the most renowned and dynamic conductors of all time could allow himself to be completely inconspicuous in the performance. EVERY lover of opera and anyone interested in exposing himself or herself to opera should own this disc. It will be a long time before it comes out of MY player.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top-rank stage production, July 4, 2006
The only other DVD of the opera that I'm familiar with is Zeffirelli's movie version, which relies on cinematic effects as much as on the (heavily cut) score. There are no cinematic effects in this Solti version, but neither is it a "live" production -- clearly, it was taped without an audience and then shots of the Covent Garden crowd were spliced in. That's probably just as well, as we get a minimum of interruptions for applause, but be warned if you are expecting a truly spontaneous performance.
I can only echo what has already been said about Georghiu's performance. Unlike the vulnerable, barely-in-control Violetta of Teresa Stratas, she is a queen, commanding every scene she's in (which is most of them). She moves with graceful deliberation and sings with absolute authority. Lopardo is less persuasive as Alfredo -- maybe it's just that he squints too much to convince us that he's the ardent lover -- but the excellent overall direction masks any lack of acting skills. Indeed every bit of stage action in this performance seamlessly advances the story -- there is no sense, as there often is in opera, that the performers are being busy just for the sake of being busy.
It's a pleasure to be able to say that all this technical proficiency does not diminish the emotional impact of the production. Maybe it doesn't quite get the three-hankie rating of Zeffirelli's version, but it certainly gets two, and it perhaps earns them a little more honestly.
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