| DVD Roundup August 2003
 Opera on DVD
Opera and DVD go together like Maria
Callas and Tosca. When Pioneer first took over the failing laserdisc industry from
MCA DiscoVision, opera figured heavily in its first release. Though many companies
followed suit, sales were not brisk. The sets were bulky, usually numbering two
laserdiscs, and they were high-ticket items. Feeling somewhat burned, producers were slow
to put out opera on DVD, but any fear that might have existed seems to have vanished now.
There are four or five times as many operas in the DVD catalog as were on laserdisc, and
there seems to be no end to new releases.
If you have never seen live opera, you owe it to yourself
to do so someday. A good DVD is not a substitute, but a whole different experience. There
are two basic types of presentation. One is a filming of a live stage production. Examples
of this style are familiar from PBS broadcasts. The second is an opera film, in
which the soundtrack is recorded first and then the action is lip-synched to the music.
The latter method permits directors to shoot way outside the set, making use of exteriors
in the same way they are used for movies of Broadway musicals.
Either method allows the viewer to see far more than he
would in the opera house. Close-ups are possible. In the best instances, you almost feel
as if you're on stage. Reaction and atmosphere shots can be adroitly filmed. In the La
Bohème listed below, as Musetta sings her taunting aria, the camera catches her
ex-lover’s reactions to every word, which heightens the drama.
| Putting an Opera Together: The
Turandot Project For some, Turandot
is a guilty pleasure. I see it as a masterpiece, one that I enjoy over and over and over.
Though I really hoped to love the film version (Turandot at the Forbidden City of
Beijing), I came away disappointed. The directors made a valiant stab at catching the
visual and aural grandeur, but they were let down by a less-than-stellar cast. Giovanna
Casola (Turandot) was supposed to play a woman that men would die for, but she lacked both
the voice and the look to drive me into a guessing game where my life is at stake. Sergei
Larin (Calaf) was so wooden; I almost rooted for the princess to give him a riddle he
couldn’t figure out. The only moment of magic came when Barbara Frittoli (Liu) sang
the beautiful aria, "Tu, che di gel sei cinta." When I found out someone had
filmed a behind-the-scenes documentary, I assumed the worst. I imagined one of those HBO
"Behind the Scenes" shows that would try to make a poor performance sound
star-studded.
The reason I am going through this harangue is because I
want you to know how shocked and pleased I was by that documentary, "The Turandot
Project." Directed by Allan Miller (Academy Award winner for his 1979 film From
Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China and also in 1975 for The Bolero), "The
Turandot Project" is an emotional roller coaster. It careens among sublime art, diva
hissy fits, and impossible logistics with the added pressure of a watchful Chinese
government that has warned all workers that embarrassing the homeland might lead to
imprisonment!
Standing not so serenely at the center of the opera is
Chinese film director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Shanghai Triad), the man
conscripted to direct the cast of thousands while keeping an Indian conductor, a group of
European choristers and stagehands, and a tutti-fruity group of singers from
killing themselves and each other. Miller and his camera crew were given full access to
the drama and they operate in the best voyeuristic style -- as if you had access to a
neighbor’s living room, but weren’t dragged into their bathroom for too much
information.
The editing is done sharply, and Miller’s concept of
where he wants the documentary story to go is unwavering. The outcome is a documentary
that carries one wholly into its world, makes one care deeply about each and every
person’s success, and then shows enough snippets from the final production to make
you feel like you are sharing in the success. It actually had me crying at the end!
I breathlessly recommend this DVD to every one of my
friends with even a passing interest in opera. If you fit that category, don’t miss
it.
...Wes Marshall
wesm@hometheatersound.com |
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Another feature either method can employ is the use of
electronic subtitles. Those unfamiliar with the foreign language used -- and that is
probably most of us -- can flick on English subtitles and have a running translation. At a
third or fourth viewing when it has become familiar, a viewer can turn the subtitles off
and enjoy the opera without any writing on the walls. Early opera releases on the Pioneer
and Image labels had permanent subtitles that could not be erased, but almost every
release now relies on electronic words a viewer can display or not, as he or she chooses.
Extras have been slow to come to opera releases, but they
are starting to show up. Some of the latest DG releases have rehearsal footage and
still-frame galleries. Releases from the new kids on the DVD opera block, BBC and TDK,
often have a synopsis of the action using scenes from the production, as well as
interviews with directors and singers. The BBC production of Il Trovatore has a
featurette about the extensive fight scenes in the production.
Most older productions are presented in the 4:3 aspect
ratio, but a lot of the newer ones are anamorphic 16:9. Sound varies from Dolby Digital
stereo to DTS 5.1. Some of the best sound will be found in the PCM stereo tracks that DG
seems to favor.
Opera on DVD can open new worlds for a viewer. The prices
are low, far less than a seat in the opera house these days. The subtitles make it easy to
follow the action, and the picture and sound are generally reliable. A person who might
have been loathe to dress up and shell out 100-plus dollars for two seats at the Met might
be willing to spend $24.95 for an excellent production he can watch again and again. I
have compiled two beginners’ lists. The main qualification was that the DVD present
an entertaining, enjoyable experience. Most of them are stage productions, but a few are
films. If you like one, note who the composer is, then check out other operas by that
composer and you’re off on a never-ending, amazing voyage.
Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti (BBC Opus Arte)
Leonard Bernstein’s 1952 one-act opera receives an
ideal production on this DVD. Careful integration of period photography and film created
specifically for this performance are seamlessly meshed to give an accurate feeling of the
‘50s. Karl Daymond and Stephanie Novacek are perfect as Sam and Dinah, a
picture-perfect couple whose relationship is falling apart. Conductor Paul Daniel keeps
things moving and the recorded sound is first-rate, whether you choose the Dolby Digital
or PCM tracks. I preferred the latter, finding them a bit warmer and richer. There are
many extras, including discourses by Daniel and Bernstein’s biographer, Humphrey
Burton. Portions of the latter’s discussion are accompanied by black-and-white
photography of the opera’s original production and premiere. It’s presented in
English.
Puccini: La Bohème (Kultur)
With all good wishes to Baz Luhrmann, who recently produced
a "Broadway" version, this favorite opera does not need flashing signs,
updating, or unknown pretty faces; it needs powerful, dramatic singers. We get that in
spades here, with Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti in their prime, supported by Gino
Quilico as a dashing Marcello and Sandra Pacetti as a singularly coquettish Musetta. The
Francesca Zambello production is handsome to look at, and veteran video director Brian
Large knows how to use it like a movie set. His camera is always at the right place at the
right time, giving us little insights into the characters denied to the live audience. The
video on the DVD is sharp, the colors somewhat muted but faithful to what appeared on
stage. The sound is live-performance stereo, with medium fidelity, but the overall effect
is so magical you might not notice. It's in Italian, but there are easy-to-read English
subtitles.
Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Columbia TriStar
Home Entertainment)
This is a fully filmed version of the famous opera, with
beautiful exteriors as well as handsome interior settings. The young cast members look
right in their roles; they sing with passion and have fresh, vibrant voices. The result is
an opera movie that is both a satisfying cinematic experience and an operatic one, too.
The DVD’s anamorphic video transfer is rich, colorful, and detailed. The adequate
soundtrack favors the voices a bit too much over the orchestra and the audio overall is
somewhat lacking in bass, but the visuals are so stunning, most will be forgiving of
less-than-perfect sound. It is presented in Italian, with electronic subtitles.
Verdi: La Traviata (Decca Music Group
Limited)
| Five More Enjoyable Opera Productions on
DVD: Berlioz: The Damnation of Faust
(Arthaus Musik)
Bizet: Carmen (Anne-Sofie von Otter,
Philippe Jordan) (BBC Opus Arte)
Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (Sir
Charles Mackerras) (Image Entertainment)
Mozart: The Magic Flute (Criterion
Collection)
Verdi: Il Trovatore (BBC Opus Arte)
Note: All of these are stage productions, except the
Mozart, which is a film by famed director Ingmar Bergman. |
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This singularly idiomatic performance was shot live at the
Royal Opera House in 1994, but the video editing is so skillfully done that one often
forgets it is a stage production. There are many intimate, close-up shots, with the camera
always at the right place at the right time. The cast looks and sounds exactly right, too.
This gala marked Angela Gheorghiu’s debut in the role, and she comes across as one of
the best Violettas in opera history. It was also one of Sir Georg Solti’s finest
moments in the opera house. The sound is rich, full, and detailed. There are electronic
subtitles but no extras.
Verdi: Rigoletto (BBC Opus Arte)
This is high-tech video opera. For starters, there is a
magnificent set, which is organic to the plot. The singers were largely unknown to me, but
all are absolutely first-rate singing actors. Paolo Gavanelli is a sympathetic Rigoletto
that we care about. Tenor Marcelo Alvarez is a cad that we want to boo, yet we are won
over, as is his conquest, by his handsome singing. The video is crisp and clean 16:9
anamorphic, and the sound is 5.1 Dolby Digital. And there are good extras, including a
documentary on Verdi, a discussion with director David McVicar about this particular
production, and an illustrated synopsis of the opera in which scenes from the production
are shown while the plot is explained. This last feature should be mandatory for all DVD
operas, if the format is to win any new friends. Easy-to-read subtitles translate the
Italian lyrics.
...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com |
