War and Peace (La Guerre et la Paix)
April 2004 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev produced a draft of this epic opera in 1942. Not until 1945 did an orchestra perform it in Moscow, and then only the first part. The composer originally intended the lengthy work to be performed in two evenings, so the second performance was postponed until the following season. This gave Prokofiev a chance to compose another scene, and he continued to adjust and edit his sprawling composition until his death in 1953.

The Paris Opera version is shortened to fit into one evening, and still tops out at well over three hours of music. The work is structured into two parts: Peace and War, comprising 13 scenes in total with an epigraph for the first part. It is a piece that is better in part than in sum. In the original Leo Tolstoy novel, the author was able to work the romantic Natasha-Prince André story into the background of Russia under siege by Napoleon. Prokofiev opted the tell this ill-fated love story in the opera’s first part, bringing it back only at the end of the second part as Natasha visits the dying prince, and this skews the structure out of shape.

The Paris Opera production is replete with magnificent voices. Seldom have I heard so many incredible male singers in one production. Nathan Gunn is dashing and virile as André, with a well-focused baritone that would do as well in Italian repertory as Russian. Robert Brubaker’s ringing, lyrical tenor voice and expressive face succeed as Count Pierre Bezoukhov. Vassili Gerello is a decisive Napoleon -- in this opera, not without some compassion. But Anatoli Kotcherga, as field marshal Kutusov, steals the show. His aria at the end of scene 11 is spectacular. His magnificent bass voice seems to roll from everywhere and have no end, all with perfect focus, diction, and dramatic insight.

The women are less impressive, with the exception of Olga Guryakova as Natasha. She brings freshness to this role with singing that is radiant, lyrical, and exceptionally appealing. Her duet with Sonia at the beginning of the opera is one of the high points of this production. The chorus and orchestra are, in a word, splendid. The chorus must carry most of the second part and does so impressively. The orchestra plays like the greatest pit band in the world. Conductor Gary Bertini gets the best out of everyone and leads with spirit and insight.

The video is anamorphic widescreen, focused well with good detail. The colors are great in close-up, but less so in long shots. The video direction is super. The camera is always where it should be and close-up reaction shots in crowd scenes provide greater understanding than would be afforded a member of a live audience. The sound is first-rate; it’s about the best I have heard for a live opera recording. The orchestra is recorded with good separation and excellent perspective. The explosions and musket fire in the second part are almost worthy of a good action-adventure movie and are perfectly integrated with the music. The bass is awesome. The first scene of the second part will give your audio system a good workout.

Extra features have been slow to come to classical music DVDs. This two-disc set has a great one -- a 79-minute "making of" feature that provides invaluable information on the opera and its production. Rehearsal scenes actually let a viewer know how it was done, and when the dust clears, this documentary spells out in spades just how difficult it was to produce this opera.

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