Donizetti - Don Pasquale
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Movie Reviews of Donizetti - Don Pasquale
Movie Review: An average production with a great Tenor
Summary: 4 Stars
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) is still considered something of a journeyman composer, having composed some 65 - 70 operas, most of them fast! Don Pasquale, premiering at the Theatre des Italiens in Paris on January 3, 1843, was composed in 11 days. That is supposed to indicate a hack at work. To me, for what it's worth, it says that Donizetti was a genius whose unflagging inspiration produced one of the three greatest Opera Buffa in music history. Only le Nozze di Figaro and il Barbiere di Siviglia are comparable in terms of melodic beauty and musical wit. Don Pasquale is my favorite Donizetti opera. A recent La Scala production on TDK, conducted by Riccardo Muti, is quite good in a traditional version. This production, directed by Grischa Asagaroff, updates the action to Rome between the wars, sometime during the 1920-1930s. Sets and costumes reflect this. The reason for the update? Beats me! Our heroes now wear spats and pin-striped suits. The decor is Art Deco. And we cannot forget that this is Mussolini's Fascist Rome. Is there a point being made by the Director? Who knows! European productions cannot leave traditional versions alone, these days.
Ernesto, beautifully sung by tenor Juan Diego Florez, first appears swinging a tennis racket. Thankfully, he never says "anyone for tennis"? It wouldn't have surprised me if he had. The director's comic vision struck me as somewhat pedestrian, without that comic sparkle necessary for a great production. The comic bits seem to fall flat. What saves this production is the splendid singing, especially that of Florez, whose lyric tenor voice soars with great beauty of tone. Especially at the upper registers: Florez exhibits a rich, limpid vocal quality, liquid in its movement, precise in its attack. Sort of a male Renee Fleming. It really is a lovely voice!
Ruggiero Raimondi makes an excellent Don in his spats and pin stripes. His warm baritone and age are perfect for the role. He's a pretty good comedian, as well. Norina, described as "a young widow" in love with Ernesto, is sung by Spanish soprano Isabel Rey. She sings quite well, with a warm soprano voice supple enough for Donizetti's vocal acrobatics and restrained fioratura. Unfortunately, she struck me as (please forgive me, Isabel) looking around 20 years older than her part demanded. Also, her voice lacks the unforced sparkle and the youthful quality of Nuccia Focile, who sings Norina in the Muti conducted Pasquale. The rest of this cast is good. The Chorus and Orchestra of the Opernhaus Zurich are capably conducted by Nello Santi. Muti, of course, conducts La Scala's legendary forces.
This DVD has the usual menus, languages and trailers. It was filmed in hi-definition 16:9 anamorphic widescreen. Sound is PCM stereo and DTS 5.1. It looks and sounds great.
What ultimately recommends this production is Florez. His voice is marvelous. Get it for him. Otherwise, the TDK Pasquale is superior. Recommended, but with that caveat.
Mike Birman
Movie Review: Another wonderful vehicle for Florez
Summary: 4 Stars
Having been extremely satisfied with my two earlier purchases of DVDs in which Juan Diego Florez has performed (La Fille du Regiment and Il Barbiere di Siviglia); I knew that it would not be long before I found it necessary to acquire this version of Don Pasquale. As expected, his performance is everything I hoped it would be and nothing more needs to be added to that. I was a little disappointed that Ruggero Raimondi's voice was at certain times extremely difficult to hear over the volume coming from the orchestra whereas I was pleasantly surprised by Oliver Widmer's performance and clarity of pronunciation, however, there appeared to be a small amount of echo present during the first part of the work that affected everyone. Isabel Rey's voice more than made up for the fact that she was possibly too old for the Don's nephew, Ernesto, to be romantically interested in but, with the apparently successful marriage of Demi Moore and Ashton Kucher in real life, maybe a number of us are making too much of that issue.
The stage set was very interesting from the moment it split in two and folded open during the overture, to rotating completely to provide two other locations that were able to look completely different. Like the other reviewer, I found the presence of the teddy bears completely unnecessary and rather incongruous. I have no negative comments regarding the costumes or the changing of the time period; IMHO it all seemed to work quite well. I prefer this version to the one from the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari which, in too many areas (especially makeup, costumes and overacting), seems to come off as a little amateurish by comparison.
Movie Review: "The Juan Diego Florez Show"
Summary: 4 Stars
As has already been pointed out, the chief reason for seeing and hearing this performance of an opera already well represented on DVD is the outstanding , refined Ernesto of Juan Diego Florez. His singing, both piano and forte, is everywhere beautiful, yet always dramatically appropriate. The other singers, whether veterans or relative newcomers, are fully adequate here, but in no sense memorable. The conducting of Nello Santi, while mostly accomplished, on occasion - e.g. the overture - sounds overdriven and loud, and thus in places pretty bandmasterish.
The sets and costumes are not only those of a novel time period, the Art Deco 1930's, but, oddly, they have no reason indicated in the performance for being so. Unlike, say, Orson Welles' famous staging of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" in Mussolini's Italy, which did make a contemporary political point, the sets and costumes here call attention to themselves, but for no discernible purpose. Moreover, in typical Eurotrash fashion, they are garish, even consummately ugly to look at.
When will this reign of the fashionistas end? Donizetti and Ruffini deserve more respect from those staging the masterful comedy they have wrought.
Movie Review: Isabel Rey was a five star Norina!
Summary: 4 Stars
I love this opera and looked forward to Juan Diego Florez as Ernesto. As usual, he was in terrific voice and funny as the character. He is such a good actor to top off his singing talent. The big surprise was Isabel Rey as Norina. I thought she was fabulous! Beautiful singing and great comic acting. They both deserve five stars for the show.
She and Juan Diego Florez were the only singers, unfortunately, who could be heard over the orchestra most of the time. The conductor, Nello Santi, did a pretty bad job, I thought, of blending the instruments with the voices on stage. I kept adjusting the volume to hear the singers. Thus, four stars instead of five.
Ruggerio Raimondi and Oliver Widmer were also quite entertaining.
The modern sets were okay with me. Some of the costumes though, e.g., hot pink for the servants, were over the top. Instead of the usual Roman sculptures and books, Don Pasquale had a teddy bear collection, which seemed rather strange.
I've seen two other Don Pasquales available on DVD and this one compares favorably. I recommend it!
Movie Review: Good on-stage performers but rather sluggish conducting
Summary: 4 Stars
This production isn't really that bad - you won't throw money away, but it is some what below the top mainly owning to rather disintereted conducting.
The singers strove to give their utmost. Even veteran Ruggiero Raimondi, obviously past his prime, gave a hilarious performance of his great duet with Widmer. Yea, he seemed to have been 'saving' his voice throughout for this duet. But there aren't really much singing parts for the Don throughout this opera, so most of the time he employed effective acting to convey his character to the audience.
JDF is as engaging as ever, though this role is obviously not a big challenge to him.
If there are any disappointment on-stage it is Isabel Rey - not vocally, of which she is more than adequate. It is her makeup and looks. This Norina is simply to mature looking with too heavily-madeup. I have to check on the internet for a more detailed resume of Ms Rey - to find out her age. And I am shocked to learn that she is in fact younger than JDF.
Only if the MET production with Anna Netrebko is being released on DVD!