Metalluk's Twenty Best Pre-Romantic (Baroque & Classicism) Operas, on DVD
Jul 02 '09 (Updated Aug 02 '09)
The Bottom Line Here's twenty excellent DVD recordings for operas written prior to 1800
Here's a list you can use to help guide your exploration of early opera. "Early," for the purposes of this list, means opera written prior to 1800, which would encompass both the Baroque era (1600-1750) and the Classicism era (1750-1800). Opera came into existence at the beginning of the Baroque period. Jacopo Peri and some of his theatrical friends, in the 1590's, were in the habit of gathering in Florence at the home of the well-cultured nobleman, Count Giovanni Bardi. From their discussions emerged a goal: to exploit the many advances in instrumental and secular musical expression that had occurred during the Renaissance to create a new form of musical rendition of classic Greek dramas. Their ideas led directly to the first staged opera in 1600, Peri's Euridice. Until 1637, opera was performed only for the nobility, on private stages in mansions or palaces, but after 1637, it gained ground as public entertainment. The earliest composers of opera became known as the Florentine School, but gradually the focal point of opera composition shifted several times, first to Venice. In the mid-Baroque, opera spread to France, Austria, Germany, and England. In the late Baroque, the Neapolitan School flourished in Italy and Handel broke new ground in London. In the Classicism era, Mozart elevated opera to new heights. His influence was so profound that he ultimately gave rise to two out of the three major lines of development of opera during the romantic period.
Mozart's operas have been well represented on DVD for many years. On the other hand, Baroque opera has benefited from a recent surge in interest and availability. Unfortunately, roughly half of the recent productions of Baroque operas employ poor quality minimalist sets and/or transpositions in time and/or place, so it continues to be difficult to find well-staged Baroque operas. It is also difficult to find operas by contemporaries of Mozart.
This list is in two parts: (1) a listing of the twenty operas placing them in a historical perspective by schools; and (2) a rank-ordered listing of the operas with the most recommended opera listed first. Both lists contain some basic information about the operas and links to detailed reviews.
Selection Guidelines: In order to ensure range, usefulness and variety in this listing, I've opted to restrict each individual opera to a single recording, even when an opera, such as Mozart's greatest ones, has two or more different recordings that are better than another opera's best recording. This list is therefore a list of top recordings for the twenty best operas written prior to 1800, as opposed to the twenty best recordings for operas written prior to 1800. Also for variety, the representation of composers who wrote many excellent operas (e.g., Handel, Rameau, Mozart) is restricted to their best ones, even when one of their lesser operas might be better than the best opera of a lesser composer. The assumption is that music lovers who work their way through the best works of a great and prolific composer and still yearn for more will be fully capable of directing their own further exploration.
Historical Perspective:
Early Baroque:
Florentine/Venetian School (c. 1596-c. 1670):
Monteverdi: Monteverdi – L'Orfeo (1607)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Principal Vocalists: Philippe Huttenlocher, Dietlinde Turban, Glenys Linos
Performance Year: 1978
Bottom-Line: If you have an interest in the roots of opera, you really can't do any better than this recording. You'll be amazed at how easy this music is to listen to, even if you lack prior experience with early Baroque music. Monteverdi was the man who first disclosed to the world just how vital, passionate, and musical opera could be and he was very much ahead of his time.
Monteverdi: Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria (1641)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Principal Vocalists: Werner Hollweg, Trudeliese Schmidt, Arley Reece
Performance Year: 1979
Bottom-Line: This production of Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria is, quite simply, as good as it gets for DVD renderings of operas. It's an amazing collaboration that I just can't praise sufficiently. Forget whatever prejudices you might have about early opera. You'll find this production every bit as entertaining as a fine rendering of, say, La Boheme.
Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea (1642)
Star Rating: * *
Conductor: Nicolaus Harnoncourt
Principal Vocalists: Eric Tappy, Rachel Yakar, Trudeliese Schmidt, Paul Esswood, Matti Salminen
Performance Year: 1979
Bottom-Line: Despite this opera being one of Monteverdi's two best, despite the presence of both a highly regarded conductor and a world-renowned director of filmed opera, and despite even a strong cast of vocalists, this production is very disappointing. There's far too much hammy acting that just isn't either funny or cute.
Cavalli: La Calisto (1655)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Rene Jacobs
Principal Vocalists: Maria Bayo, Dominique Visse, Graham Pushee, Hans Peter Kammerer, Marcello Lippi
Performance Year: 1993
Bottom-Line: This is a triumphant staging of a Baroque opera dating from 1651/2, composed by the now little known composer, Francesco Cavalli, though he was famous in his own time and is worthy of continuing interest. The opera derives from a time when opera was still drama clothed in music, rather than music first, pinned too often to a contrived libretto. As a result, this opera places a high premium on the drama and the acting, and both are superlative here. This is a highly entertaining ribald tale of spicy intrigues, pitting gods against demigods and mere mortals.
Mid-Baroque:
France:
Lully: Persée (1682)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Hervé Niquet
Principal Vocalists: Cyril Auvity, Monaca Wilcher, Alain Coulombe, Marie Lenormand
Performance Year: 2004
Bottom-Line: This recording is an utter delight. The staging is wonderful, the voices as good as you get in Baroque opera, and the orchestral performance, with period instruments, was high-quality. Lully is the father of French opera and his works held the stage regularly for a full century. This performance, however, is not about musicology. This recording is wonderfully entertaining and the music is ravishingly beautiful. This is the total package of visual and auditory slendor.
England:
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (1689)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Richard Hickox
Principal Vocalists: Maria Ewing, Karl Daymond, Rebecca Evans, Sally Burgess
Performance Year: 1995
Bottom-Line: This is the only available DVD recording of Henry Purcell's miniature masterpiece, Dido and Aeneas. While imperfect, this production is highly entertaining and well worth experiencing. It's a rare opportunity to hear a good quality opera performed in English, where the English is also the opera's original language. This is a visually satisfying rendition but mediocre musically. It will have to do until something better comes along.
Late Baroque:
Italian Neapolitan School (c. 1684-c. 1762):
Scarlatti, A.: Il Pastor di Corinto (1701)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Lorenzo Tozzi
Principal Vocalists: Caterina Novak, Carlo Putelli, Bruna Tredicine, Anna Carbonera
Performance Year: 2007
Bottom-Line: Il Pastor di Corinto is not at all a typical kind of opera. It belongs to a subtype of opera known as "pastoral fables." Each role in the drama was sung by a different soloist, but in the manner of a concert performance, at stands with the vocal score in hand. The work is set in the idealized world of Grecian Arcadia, in the woodlands and countryside. Like most Pastorales, this one has alternating comic scenes and serious segments.
Vivaldi: Ercole Su'l Termodonte (1723)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Alan Curtis
Principal Vocalists: Zachary Stains, Mary-Ellen Nesi, Laura Cherici, Luca Dordolo, Marina Bartoli, Randall Scotting
Performance Year: 2005
Bottom-Line: This recording includes male full-frontal nudity and some bare breasted females. It's tastefully done, context appropriate ("heroic nudity"), and consistent with the overall staging concept. The staging is superlative, the music is pleasing, and the performances range from adequate/good to excellent. It's all a highly creative endeavor, making up in freshness and enthusiasm what little it lacks in world-class, vocal quality.
Pergolesi: Lo frate 'nnamorato (1732)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Riccaardo Muti
Principal Vocalists: Alessandro Corbelli, Nuccia Focile, Amelia Felle
Performance Year: 1989
Bottom-Line: It's a delight to have a full-length comic opera by Pergolesi, especially with such a beautiful set and superlative cast. The beauty of Pergolesi's often haunting lyricism is reward enough, even if the music is pretty much devoid of harmonic inventiveness or writing for ensemble.
France:
Rameau: Les Indes Gatantes (1735)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: William Christie
Principal Vocalists: Danielle de Niese, Patricia Petibon, Christoph Strehl, Christophe Fel
Performance Year: 2003
Bottom-Line: This DVD would be a great introduction to Baroque opera for those not already exposed and a wonderful experience for those already exposed to such works but unfamiliar with this particular opera. This production is just about as entertaining as opera gets, with lots of spirited dancing, beautiful sets, and rousing music.
England:
Handel: Agrippina (1709)
Star Rating: * * *
Conductor: Jean-Claude Malgoire
Principal Vocalists: Véronique Gens, Philippe Jaroussky, Thierry Gregoire
Performance Year: 2003
Bottom-Line: From a musical vantage point, this is an outstanding recording of an early Handel opera. The acting is fine, as well, but the staging is quite inadequate and boring, from my point of view. The minimalist sets and sometimes absurd costumes and wigs add nothing to the endeavor. This recording will reward your ears but offers nothing significant in the way of visual pleasures. At least you'll have less reason than usual to despise the need for subtitles since there's nothing else worthy of competing with the subtitles for your visual attention.
Handel: Giulio Cesare (1724)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: William Christie
Principal Vocalists: Danielle de Niese, Sarah Connolly, Angelika Kirchschlager, Christophe Dumaux, Patricia Bardon
Performance Year: 2005
Bottom-Line: This recording is an odd mix of highly authentic, traditional, and excellent musical performance and creatively eccentric, multi-era staging. Despite that paradox, it is somehow both highly entertaining and satisfying.
Handel: Tamerlano (1724)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Trevor Pinnock
Principal Vocalists: Monica Bacelli, Tom Randle, Graham Pushee, Anna Bonitatibus, Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz
Performance Year: 2001
Bottom-Line: This is a strong and authentic musical performance of one of Handel's best operas, with excellent vocalists across-the-board and the musical leadership of Trevor Pinnock. The costumes are excellent; the sets only mediocre. The acting is very good. This opera is very sluggish by modern standards of entertainment. I highly recommend this opera for those music lovers with well-established powers of concentration and enough interest in beautifully performed Baroque music to be able to devote roughly three hours to a music listening experience with little action. For those looking for lively, fast-paced entertainment, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Handel: Serse (1738)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Christophe Rousset
Principal Vocalists: Paula Rasmussen, Ann Hallenburg, Patricia Bardon, Isabel Bayrakdarian
Performance Year: 2000
Bottom-Line: The music is beautiful, the vocal performances are outstanding across the board, the acting is excellent, the orchestra shines, and the staging and costumes, though not in-period, are beautiful to look at. What more could anyone want?
Classicism Period (1750-1801):
Italian Reform Opera:
Gluck: Orphee et Eurydice (1762/74)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Marco Guidarini
Principal Vocalists: David Hobson, Amanda Thane, Miriam Gormley
Performance Year: 1993
Bottom-Line: This is a wonderful production that works not despite being a modernized rendition but precisely because it is a strikingly original and effective modern dance version of a great classic opera. Nothing is sacrificed from the musical performance of Gluck's incomparably lovely music for this work, but the visual aspect of the production benefits greatly from the artistic zeal of the youthful participants. The three soloists are all excellent, but the chorus and dancers provide the extra degree of merit that raises this production into the highest tier of opera performances on DVD. Only the addition of some more evident heat between the male and female leads could have further improved this production.
Paisiello: Nina (1789)
Star Rating: * * * *
Conductor: Adam Fischer
Principal Vocalists: Cecilia Bartoli, Jonas Kaufman, László Polgar
Performance Year: 2002
Bottom-Line: The primary reason to consider purchasing this DVD is the opportunity to see and hear the wonderful Cecilia Bartoli starring in a full-length opera. The fioritura which she generates with her mellow mezzo voice is uniquely expressive among the current crop of female operatic vocalists. The secondary reason is a rare opportunity to experience the simple but expressive music of the Mozart contemporary Giovanni Paisiello, who was famous in his day but has fallen into neglect in recent times. The opera itself, Nina, is musically satisfying (but not great) but dramatically weak.
Austria:
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (1786)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Karl Böhm
Principal Vocalists: Kiri Te Kanawa, Mirella Freni, Hermann Prey, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Maria Ewing
Performance Year: 1976
Bottom-Line: You will not find a better sung version of Le Nozze di Figaro and there may never be one. Then, add to that, the great musical direction from Karl Böhm, the superlative staging by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, and wonderful acting by an all-star cast and you have the finest version of this great Mozart opera available as a recording.
Mozart: Don Giovanni (1878)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Riccardo Muti
Principal Vocalists: Thomas Allen, Claudio Desderi, Edita Gruberová, Ann Murray, Francisco Araiza
Performance Year: 1987
Bottom-Line: You couldn't ask for a better cast for this great opera. The staging is quite traditional and very effective. Only the faint lighting in some scenes detracts from the excellence of this recording.
Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte (1790)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Nicolaus Harnoncourt
Principal Vocalists: Edita Gruberova, Teresa Stratas, Delores Ziegler, Paolo Montarsolo
Performance Year: 1988
Bottom-Line: Cosi fan tutte is one of the finest comic operas ever written, with a strong libretto and exquisite music from Mozart. This Ponnelle rendition features an exceptional cast, beautiful sets, excellent pace, and lovely cinematography.
Mozart: The Magic Flute (1791)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Conductor: Eric Ericson (Director: Ingmar Bergman)
Principal Vocalists: Josef Köstlinger, Irma Urrila, Håkan Hagegård, Elisabeth Erikson, Birgit Nordin
Performance Year: 1975
Bottom-Line: The Criterion DVD for this film provides a stellar video digital transfer as well as an optimal audio soundtrack. This is a highly distinctive cinematic rendition of a great Mozart opera, beloved for its sublime music, if less so for a rather mediocre libretto. Bergman has provided a unique approach that combines opera's innate theatricality with cinematic enhancements. Visually, it's near the top of the pile for filmed operas but the vocal quality falls somewhat short of the finest opera recordings I've reviewed. I highly recommend this film for opera lovers and Mozart aficionados.
Rank Order (best first):
1. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (1786)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1976
2. Handel: Giulio Cesare (1724)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 2005
3. Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte (1790)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1988
4. Cavalli: La Calisto (1655)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1993
5. Mozart: Don Giovanni (1878)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1987
6. Handel: Serse (1738)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 2000
7. Rameau: Les Indes Gatantes (1735)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 2003
8. Monteverdi: Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria (1641)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1979
9. Gluck: Orphee et Eurydice (1762/74)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1993
10. Lully: Persée (1682)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 2004
11. Mozart: The Magic Flute (1791)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1975
12. Pergolesi: Lo frate 'nnamorato (1732)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1989
13. Monteverdi: Monteverdi – L'Orfeo (1607)
Star Rating: * * * * *
Performance Year: 1978
14. Handel: Tamerlano (1724)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 2001
15. Vivaldi: Ercole Su'l Termodonte (1723)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 2005
16. Paisiello: Nina (1789)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 2002
17. Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (1689)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 1995
18. Scarlatti, A.: Il Pastor di Corinto (1701)
Star Rating: * * * *
Performance Year: 2007
19. Handel: Agrippina (1709)
Star Rating: * * *
Performance Year: 2003
20. Monteverdi: L'Incoronazione di Poppea (1642)
Star Rating: * *
Performance Year: 1979
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You can easily access my other opera reviews using the following lists:
Top-Twelve Film Versions of Operas
Metalluk's Twenty-five Best Italian Romantic Period Operas, on DVD
Metalluk's Twenty Best Non-Italian Romantic Period Operas, on DVD
Metalluk's Thirty Best Operas of the 20th-Century, on DVD
Metalluk's Best Opera from Each Decade of the 20th-Century, on DVD
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