Unbiased Reviews by Real People
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Unbiased Reviews by Real People
Metalluk's Twenty-five Best Italian Operas of the 19th-Century, on DVDJul 7, 2009 (Updated Jul 22, 2009) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Here's twenty-five excellent DVD recordings for Italian Operas from the Romantic Era (19th-century) During the Romantic era (roughly contemporaneous with the 19th-century), Italy, led by Verdi, was the dominant force in the world of opera, but German opera emerged as a major challenger to Italian preeminence. Both of these schools had been greatly influenced by Mozart, in different ways. On the Italian side, Mozart led to Cimarosa and Paisello, who led to Rossini, who led to Donizetti and Bellini, who led to Verdi. In the German line of development, Mozart led to Cherubini, who led to Beethoven, who led to Weber, who led to Wagner. The operas produced in Italy in the early part of the Romantic Era adhered the bel canto style in which beautiful singing was given precedence over drama. Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini were the main practitioners of the bel canto style. Verdi's early opera also largely adhered to the bel canto style, but, later, he and other Italian composers developed a new approach that blended lyricism with intense drama. Towards the end of the 19th-century, a group of young composers developed a radically realistic approach to opera, featuring ordinary kinds of people and the seamier elements of social life, in a style that became known as verismo. Mascagni, Leoncavallo, and Puccini (his early works only) were the movement's chief exponents. Selection Guidelines: In the interest of usefulness and variety, no opera appears twice, even though some operas have two or three different recordings that are better than another opera's best recording. This list is therefore a list of the twenty best operas from the period, not the twenty best recordings. Also for variety, the representation of composers who wrote many excellent operas (e.g., Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti) 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 prolific composer and still yearn for more will be fully equipped to direct their own further exploration. Historical Perspective: Early Romantic Period (Bel Canto) (c. 1802-c. 1845) Rossini: The Barber of Seville (1816) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Claudio Abbado Principal Vocalists: Luigi Alva, Teresa Beganza, Hermann Prey, Enzo Dara, Paolo Montarsolo Performance Year: 1972 Bottom-Line: Rossini is one of the top masters of comic opera and The Barber of Seville is the foremost masterpiece among his comic works. Only Mozart stands head-and-shoulders above Rossini in the opera buffa domain. This recording is worth viewing for the rendition of La calunnia è un venticello alone, but there are many other delightfully performed numbers as well. Rossini: Cenerentola (1817) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Claudio Abbado Principal Vocalists: Frederica von Stade, Francisco Araiza, Claudio Desderi, Paulo Montarsolo Performance Year: 1981 Bottom-Line: I loved this DVD from the first viewing and will continue to pull it off the shelf many more times. Von Stade's performance alone, both vocally and visually, is reason enough to acquire this DVD. I give this opera DVD my highest recommendation. Rossini: L'Italiani in Algeri (1817) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: James Levine Principal Vocalists: Marilyn Horne, Paolo Montarsolo, Myra Merritt, Douglas Ahlstedt Performance Year: 1986 Bottom-Line: L'Italiana in Algeri is one of those good but not great operas that really requires a first-rate production to impress an audience. That's exactly what you get in this instance: Marilyn Horne in one of her signature roles, a strong supporting cast, ideally-paced conducting by James Levine, and excellent stage direction by Ponnelle. Rossini: La Donna Del Lago (1819) Star Rating: * * * * Conductor: Riccardo Muti Principal Vocalists: June Anderson, Rockwell Blake, Chris Merritt, Martine Dupuy, Giogio Surjan Performance Year: 1992 Bottom-Line: Musically, this recording is outstanding, with some of Rossini's best music, an all-star cast of bel canto specialists in the lead roles, and Verdi expert Riccardo Muti at the helm of the La Scala orchestra. Visually, this production has multiple deficits, with gloomy sets and costumes badly out of synch with the setting (Scotland), era (16th-century), and music (bright and spirited). Between the libretto, weak acting (excepting Blake), and Herzog's "stand-and-deliver" approach, the stage business is excessively static. Musically, this is a 5 star production; visually 3 stars or less. Rossini: William Tell (1829) Star Rating: * * * * Conductor: Riccardo Muti Principal Vocalists: Giorgio Zancanaro, Chris Merritt, Cheryl Studer Performance Year: 1988 Bottom-Line: Musically, this recording is top-notch, from one end to the other, vocalists and orchestra alike. The acting is pretty good, the costumes are fine, and the staging of the two ballet sequences is excellent. The opera is very long, however, and, between the stage direction and the libretto itself, it's a very static and, yes, sometimes even tiresome event. The music is impassioned but the staging is lame. Bellini: Norma (1831) Star Rating: * * * Conductor: Friedrch Haider Principal Vocalists: Edita Gruberová, Sonia Ganassi, Robert Scandiuzzi, Zoran Todorovich Performance Year: 2006 Bottom-Line: This is a solid though imperfect musical effort, badly undermined by sets, costumes, and props bordering on horrendous. The freakish staging adds nothing to the merits of the opera, although it does mange to stay mostly out of the way of the music and drama. Gruberová, in the key role, sings and acts well, though she's too old for the part and fails to obscure memories of keener performances by Caballé or Sutherland. Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amour (1832) Star Rating: * * * * Conductor: Nicola Rescigno Principal Vocalists: Luciano Pavarotti, Judith Blegen, Sesto Bruscantini, Brent Ellis Performance Year: 1981 Bottom-Line: If you enjoy Pavarotti, you'll surely want to add this DVD to your collection. This is one of his signature roles, performed near the height of his career, featuring a sympathetic pairing with soprano Judith Blegen as Adina. Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (1835) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Richard Bonynge Principal Vocalists: Joan Sutherland, Alfredo Krauss, Pablo Elvira, Paul Plishka Performance Year: 1982 Bottom-Line: The joy in this particular opera recording is far more aural than visual. This recording's great strength is elevated vocal virtuosity, but its weaknesses are in those categories that movie lovers (as opposed to opera lovers) depend upon: drama, acting, and the part of casting which has to do with physical appearance. If you have a love for opera music and the human voice as a musical instrument, you won't find a more glorious example of pure vocal art than Sutherland's rendition of the mad scene. That assumes that you have playback equipment that can do as much justice to the audio track as the video. Donizetti: La Fille du Regiment (1840) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Bruno Campanella Principal Vocalists: Natalie Dessay, Juan Diego Flórez, Felicity Palmer, Alessandro Corbelli, Dawn French Performance Year: 2005 Bottom-Line: The opera itself is a fluffy B-grade comic opera, but here it is invested with Laurent Pelly's joyous operetta-style staging that elevates the overall value of the production to a fully A-grade endeavor. Dessay provides the best comedic performance I've ever seen in the context of opera, reminiscent of Lucille Ball or Charlie Chaplin. Excellent comedic touches are also furnished by British comedian Dawn French and vocalists Alessandro Corbelli, Felicity Palmer, and Donald Maxwell. Then, you also get the extraordinary vocal performance by Juan Diego Flórez, the new King of the High-C's. Do yourself a favor: check this recording out! High Romantic Period: (c. 1842-c. 1896) Verdi: I Due Foscari (1844) Star Rating: * * * * Conductor:Gianandrea Gavazzeni Principal Vocalists: Renato Bruson, Albert Cupido, Linda Roark-Strummer Performance Year: 1988 Bottom-Line: This is a good quality performance of a good, but not great, early Verdi opera, filmed at La Scala, with the kind of cast one might expect to see on an average night at that opera house. There is just one world-class singer (baritone Renato Bruson), but two other excellent (but not star quality) principals in soprano Linda Roark-Strummer and tenor Alberto Cupido. The rest of the parts were assumed by in-house principals. Obviously, the in-house conductor, orchestra, and chorus at La Scala is well-versed in this operatic literature. Musically, this opera delivers one gorgeous melody after another, but dramatically it is quite weak. That being the case, you might consider an audio-only recording rather than a DVD for this opera. Verdi: Attila (1846) Star Rating: * * * Conductor: Riccardo Muti Principal Vocalists: Samuel Ramey, Cheryl Studer, Kaludi Kaludov Performance Year: 1991 Bottom-Line: Attila is a serviceable opera but clearly not among the top dozen Verdi operas. It was written during the time that Verdi was learning his craft and cranking out a lot of operas in a short period of time. The libretto provides action and some dramatic tension, but only two of the characters, Odabella and Attila, are well delineated. Plot credibility is quite weak on several points. The score is indifferent by the standards of Verdi's more mature operas. What you have here is a second rate opera nicely performed, with two world-class performances from Ramey and Studer. A powerful hankering to see either of those two great singers, in stellar performances, might be reason enough to seek out this recording. Verdi: Rigoletto (1851) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Riccardo Chailly Principal Vocalists: Ingvar Wixell, Luciana Pavarotti, Edita Gruberová Performance Year: 1982 Bottom-Line: I've had this version of Rigoletto for some time. After examining the casts for the various alternative versions and reading as many reviews as I could find for the various versions, I'd still pick this one again. Wixell's performance in the title role is extraordinary, musically and dramatically. Pavarotti is vocally magnificent and adequate dramatically. Gruberova is perfectly matched to the role of Gilda vocally and good (but not great) dramatically. The visual production values are excellent in every respect. Verdi: La Traviata (1853) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: James Levine Principal Vocalists: Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil Performance Year: 1982 Bottom-Line: Although there are a handful of operas that I love more than La Traviata, this particular opera film is the one I would call the most cinematic ever made. It is beautiful to look at, gorgeous to listen to, and packs a lot of dramatic punch. The Universal DVD offers an anamorphic widescreen format, Dolby digital sound, an Italian language soundtrack, and optional English captions or French subtitles. Extras include production notes, cast and filmmaker bios, film highlights, chapter access, a theatrical trailer, and web links. Whether you're an established opera lover or a novice seeking an entry point into opera, you'll find this particular filmed opera satisfying in every respect. Verdi: Il Trovatore (1853) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Herbert von Karajan Principal Vocalists: Raina Kabaivanska, Plácido Domingo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Piero Cappuccilli, José van Dam Performance Year: 1978 Bottom-Line: This is one of those legendary productions that opera fans hear about even when they're unavailable as recordings. We must count our blessings when a great recording like this one becomes available. It has a superstar cast in each of the major roles and a great conductor at the helm who made this opera his own special territory. There are better versions of Il Trovatore with respect to staging, but no other that can equal this one for musicianship. Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani (1855) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Riccardo Muti Principal Vocalists: Chris Merritt, Cheryl Studer, Giorgio Zancanaro Performance Year: 1989 Bottom-Line: This is the complete recording of the grand opera I Vespri Siciliani, running 210 minutes. The music is glorious and the ballet segments very nicely done. The only part of the opera that dragged a bit for me was the first of the five acts. With four natural break points between acts, there's plenty of opportunity to divide the viewing of this opera into multiple sessions. This is not one of the first half-dozen Verdi operas to seek out, but certainly belongs in your second half-dozen, if you get that far. Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (1857) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: James Levine Principal Vocalists: Vladimir Chernov, Kiri Te Kanawa, Plácido Domingo, Robert Andrew Lloyd, Bruno Pola Performance Year: 1995 Bottom-Line: This is a highly effective Verdi opera given a splendid production by the Metropolitan Opera and an all-star cast, led by Vladimir Chernov. Verdi provided this opera with music of high inspiration pretty much throughout its course. He had to struggle, a bit, to smooth out the rough edges of this opera, but the 1881 revision which is heard today is something of a marvel. It provides, among other virtues, one of Verdi's strongest characters in the person of Simon Boccanegra. Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera (1859) Star Rating: * * * * Conductor: James Levine Principal Vocalists: Luciano Pavarotti, Leo Nucci, Aprile Millo Performance Year:1980 Bottom-Line: This recording provides perhaps the ideal vehicle for showcasing the voice and acting of legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Moreover, he is supported by a strong cast (Millo, in particular, garners as much applause as Pavarotti) and an excellent staging by the Metropolitan Opera. Music: A-; Musical Performaces: A; Acting: A; Staging: A; Libretto: D. Verdi: Don Carlo (1867) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: James Levine Principal Vocalists: Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Grace Bumbry, Louis Quilico, Ferruccio Furlanetto Performance Year: 1983 Bottom-Line: This opera has real dramatic punch and holds viewer attention throughout. A DVD experience with this opera can therefore greatly surpass the benefits to be derived from an audio-only exposure. This particular 1983 Metropolitan production has a great all-star cast, atmospheric sets, lovely period-appropriate costumes, and excellent musical direction. This rendition includes the frequently-omitted Act 1, which adds coherency to the plot and consistency to the tone of the opera. It's a true opera spectacle and highly recommended! Boïto: Mefistofele (1868) Star Rating: * * * * Conductor: Maurizio Arena Principal Vocalists: Maurizio Arena, Gabriela Beòaèková, Dennis O'Neill Performance Year: 1989 Bottom-Line: Great production values is too little a complement for the spectacular sets that provide the backdrop for all but two of the scenes. That said, it's still Ramey's brilliant performance as Mefistofele that makes this recording a must-have for opera lovers and one of the finest opera performances you'll ever see. Benackova is excellent in her two soprano roles and tenor O'Neill is good enough though unexceptional as Faust. Verdi: Aida (1871) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: James Levine Principal Vocalists: Aprile Millo, Plácido Domingo, Dolora Zajick, Sherrill Milnes Performance Year: 1989 Bottom-Line: This recording earned an Emmy in 1989 for "Outstanding Classical Program in the Performing Arts." The quality of the four leads, taken collectively, is the highest ever put together for a recording of this ever-popular opera. Domingo is terrific but, on this one occasion, he's actually out-sung by both of the two lead females: Millo and Zajick. Ponchielli: La Gioconda (1876) Star Rating: * * * * Conductor: Daniel Callegari Principal Vocalists: Deborah Voigt, Richard Margison, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Carlo Guelfi, Ewa Podleœ, Carlo Colombara Performance Year: 2005 Bottom-Line: Ponchielli was only a second-tier opera composer, but this is his best work. The Dance of the Hours from Act III is the opera's highlight and the sexiest piece of opera you're ever likely to encounter. There are also some excellent duets and a few worthy arias. The cast features six good quality soloists. Verdi: Falstaff (1887) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: James Levine Principal Vocalists: Paul Plishka, Mirella Freni, Marilyn Horne, Barbara Bonney, Bruno Pola, Frank Lopardo, Piero de Palma, Susan Graham Performance Year: 1992 Bottom-Line: Verdi's last opera finds the wise old composer sharing a wry and spirited bit of humor, with a twinkle in his eye and a cunning musical score. Gone are the passionate, lyrical flights of his youth, replaced by a witty, whimsical melding of music to words, in a brilliantly fluid manner. Armed with opera's finest comic libretto and Verdi's last musical hurrah, this opera is sure to delight opera fans of all ages. The opera's rousing final chorus could be interpreted as a final ovation for Verdi's astounding lifetime of dedication to music. Verdi: Othello (1893) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Lorin Maazel Principal Vocalists: Plácido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Diaz Performance Year: 1986 Bottom-Line: Although this opera and the story on which it is based are not among my favorites, there is really no question that the libretto is exceptional, with stronger characterizations than for most operas, and the music is dramatic and intense throughout. This filmed rendition is also among the finest ever made, provided one judges filmed operas by how cinematic they are rather than how faithfully they render the composer's work. I'm giving this film five stars, despite the fact that it won't crack my personal top ten filmed operas, because, objectively, it's magnificent filmmaking as well as operatic composition. Verismo: Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (1889) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Georges Prêtre Principal Vocalists: Plácido Domingo, Yelena Obraztsova, Renato Bruson, Fedora Barbieri Performance Year: 1982 Bottom-Line: Cavalleria Rusticana provides passionate, almost divine, music along with a gruesome script. Zeffirelli has given it a wonderfully atmospheric and realistic rendition, ideal for a cinematic production of the opera. Leoncavallo: I Pagliacci (1892) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Georges Prêtre Principal Vocalists: Plácido Domingo, Teresa Stratas, Juan Pons, Alberto Rinaldi Performance Year: 1982 Bottom-Line: Although I can't name any one opera as my very favorite, I Pagliacci would certainly make the cut down to the final irreducible list of about five. The libretto is a work of inspiration – a level of inspiration, in fact, that Leoncavallo was never again able to match. Puccini: Manon Lescaut (1893) Star Rating: * * * Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli Principal Vocalists: Kiri Te Kanawa, Plácido Domingo, Thomas Allen Performance Year: 1983 Bottom-Line: In defending his choice to set a story already successfully made into an opera by Jules Massenet, Puccini declared, "Massenet feels it as a Frenchman, with powder and minuets. I shall feel it as an Italian, with a desperate passion." That's a pretty fair description of the difference between the two operas, as far as it goes. The libretto for Puccini's opera, unfortunately, reduces the two principal characters to archetypes and then milks the basic emotions of love and despair for all they're worth. It's pure emotional upheaval without any other kind of literary value. Musically, this opera is pretty good, though nowhere near the quality of the next three operatic compositions on which Puccini was about to embark. Had Puccini not gone on to greater things, I doubt that Manon Lescaut would hold the stage today. It's good but not as good as the best operas of some B-grade composers. Puccini: La Bohème (1896) Star Rating: * * * * * Conductor: Herbert von Karajan Principal Vocalists: Mirella Freni, Adriana Martino, Gianni Raimondi, Rolando Panerai, Gianni Maffeo Performance Year: 1965 Bottom-Line: This filmed opera is one of the most cinematic that you'll find. This rendition not only makes full use of the potential of cinema, but it may actually be more satisfying, dramatically, than any performance you'll ever see on stage. That's because the potential for close-ups is especially important for this highly intimate opera. This is, quite simply, one of the greatest cinematic adaptations of opera done so far. La Bohème is a great entry point for those wanting to explore opera for the first time, so I highly recommend this film both for established opera lovers and would-be novices. You just can't do any better. Rank Order (best first): 1. Puccini: La Bohème (1896) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1965 2. Leoncavallo: I Pagliacci (1892) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1982 3. Verdi: La Traviata (1853) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1982 4. Rossini: The Barber of Seville (1816 Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1972 5. Rossini: Cenerentola (1817) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1981 6. Verdi: Don Carlo (1867) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1983 7. Verdi: Rigoletto (1851) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1982 8. Verdi: Il Trovatore (1853) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1978 9. Verdi: Falstaff (1887) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1992 10. Donizetti: La Fille du Regiment (1840) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 2005 11. Verdi: Aida (1871) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1989 12. Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (1857) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1995 13. Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (1889) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1982 14. Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (1835) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1982 15. Rossini: L'Italiani in Algeri (1817) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1986 16. Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani (1855) Star Rating: * * * * * Performance Year: 1989 17. Verdi: Othello (1893) Star Rating: * * * * * <b>Performance Year:</b> 1986 18. Boïto: Mefistofele (1868) Star Rating: * * * * Performance Year: 1989 19. Ponchielli: La Gioconda (1876) Star Rating: * * * * Performance Year: 2005 20. Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera (1859) Star Rating: * * * * Performance Year: 1980 21. Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amour (1832) Star Rating: * * * * Performance Year: 1982 22. Rossini: William Tell (1829) Star Rating: * * * * Performance Year: 1988 23. Verdi: I Due Foscari (1844) Star Rating: * * * * Performance Year: 1988 24. Rossini: La Donna Del Lago (1819) Star Rating: * * * * Performance Year: 1992 25. Verdi: Attila (1846) Star Rating: * * * Performance Year: 1991 ********************************************* ******************************************** You can easily access my other opera reviews using the following lists: Top-Twelve Film Versions of Operas Metalluk's Twenty Best Pre-Romantic (Baroque & Classicism) 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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