Donizetti - Lucrezia Borgia / Bonynge, Sutherland, Kraus, Royal Opera

Donizetti - Lucrezia Borgia / Bonynge, Sutherland, Kraus, Royal Opera
by Brian Large

Donizetti - Lucrezia Borgia / Bonynge, Sutherland, Kraus, Royal Opera
List Price: $17.28
Our Price: $17.24
You Save: $12.71 (42%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: Alfredo Kraus, Anne Howells, Francis Egerton, Joan Sutherland, Stafford Dean
Director: Brian Large
Writer: Felice Romani
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Italian (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Classical, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 140 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-03-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Kultur Video

Movie Reviews of Donizetti - Lucrezia Borgia / Bonynge, Sutherland, Kraus, Royal Opera

Movie Review: A Great Performance: Sutherland On Fire
Summary: 5 Stars

Dame Joan Sutherland's name is one of the best known in opera history. She was married to conductor Richard Bonynge who launched her career and made her a star. She sang mostly in the 60's and 70's, at a time when Maria Callas's voice was declining as well as her career (Maria Callas had only reigned in the 40's and 50's). Joan Sutherland's voice is miraculously huge. This makes her an essentially dramatic soprano. Even as such, she can sing soft pianissimo and lyric lines (legato) typical of the Italian bel canto repertory. She sang much of the heavy Italian diva roles of the bel canto - Bellini's Norma, Donizetti's Lucia, as well as other challenging roles as Queen Marguerite in Meyerbeer's "Les Huguenots". She had beautiful coloratura as well, evident in her Queen of the Night, Zerbinetta, "Hoffman" heroines and Ophelia from Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet. On this DVD, we have the exceptionally powerful performance of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia. No other soprano has truly made the role hers as Joan Sutherland did. The only other "rivals" which are debated about are Montserrat Caballe and Beverly Sills, who coincidentally all sang the same stuff in the same period of time. But rivalry exists only among fans and followers and the venom of the press. Joan Sutherland stood on her own ground and was a remarkable star that shone bright. This is not to say that Montserrat Caballe or Beverly Sills were lesser lights. All these glorious songbirds of the 60's and 70's were equal in success and beautiful to hear in their own light.

Joan Sutherland sings an Oscar worthy Lucrezia on this DVD live performance, eventhough she had sung the role at a time earlier in her career when her voice was in superior shape. There is also a fine recording of Lucrezia Borgia with Joan Sutherland singing the title role in a 1960's recording available at Amazon.com. The reason Joan is older here is that it's either late 70's or early 80' when she was in her fifties and about to retire and when the Met televised broadcasts first went out. Unfortunately, that's the price these singers had to pay to be seen on a performance captured on film. Both Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills had to deal with aging and declining voices when the opportunity to be televised first appeared. By then, they had a long career of singing sensationally at all the world's leading opera houses far behind them. Alfredo Kraus performs the tenor role of Lucrezia's son. The story is quite dramatic. The Renaissance matriarch, Lucrezia Borgia, who was demonized by many historic accounts of her cruelty and by her ambitious genes (she was the sister of Cesare Borgia after all, Cesare Borgia being the inspiration for Machiavelli's "The Prince"). That she was ruthless and power-hungry is probably true, for after all its power that corrupts any man or woman. Lucrezia's fiery and dark nature is vividly portrayed by Joan Sutherland here, while at the same time showcasing her lyric-coloratura assets (check out the Brindisi and the finale aria). However, Lucrezia's softer side is her maternal nature. She wants to re-establish a relationship with her estranged son but through tragic misfortune ends up poisoning him instead. Her great remorse and feeling of loss is indicated in her final aria as she takes her dead son in her arms.

There is ultimately no superior Lucrezia. So many singers still want to take on this incredible role and kudos to those who try. But we have so many choices to hear from the past- Joan Sutherland with whom you can never go wrong, Montserrat Caballe who provides much fire and passion and Beverly Sills who is transformed in the role of Lucrezia- from light soprano to dramatically masterful (to hear Beverly Sills sing Lucrezia you have to listen to the rare recording "Sillsiana" available on Gala series- a pastiche of many arias and an entire Lucrezia compilation at the end of the album. But we have to applaude Joan Sutherland's unearthly performance as the one and only Lucrezia Borgia. All fans of Sutherland and of opera alike must get this fantastic DVD.

Similar DVD Movies
Verdi: La Forza del Destino- La Scala 1978 ImageVerdi: La Forza del Destino- La Scala 1978
Release date: 2011-03-15; DVD
Best price: $30.22
Price in other shops: $49.95
Offenbach: Les contes d'Hoffmann ImageOffenbach: Les contes d'Hoffmann
Kultur; Release date: 2003-10-14; DVD
Best price: $17.60
Price in other shops: $29.99
Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin / Fleming, Vargas, Hvorostovsky, Gergiev, Carsen [Metropolitan Opera 2007] ImageTchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin / Fleming, Vargas, Hvorostovsky, Gergiev, Carsen [Metropolitan Opera 2007]
Uni; Release date: 2007-12-18; DVD
Best price: $13.46
Price in other shops: $39.98
Puccini: Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera ImagePuccini: Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera
Universal Studios; Release date: 2003-08-12; DVD
Best price: $15.72
Price in other shops: $29.98
Delibes: Lakmé ImageDelibes: Lakmé
Kultur; Release date: 2006-06-27; DVD
Best price: $17.15
Price in other shops: $29.99
Donizetti: Don Pasquale ImageDonizetti: Don Pasquale
Release date: 2011-05-31; DVD
Best price: $15.56
Price in other shops: $29.98
Verdi - Attila / Ramey, Studer, Zancanaro, Kaludov, Gavazzi, Muti, La Scala Opera ImageVerdi - Attila / Ramey, Studer, Zancanaro, Kaludov, Gavazzi, Muti, La Scala Opera
Naxos OF America INC; Release date: 2005-01-18; DVD
Best price: $12.49
Price in other shops: $19.99
Rossini - Semiramide / Conlon, Anderson, Horne, Metropolitan Opera ImageRossini - Semiramide / Conlon, Anderson, Horne, Metropolitan Opera
Release date: 2000-12-12; Published: 2000-12-01; DVD
Best price: $15.23
Price in other shops: $29.99
Donizetti - Anna Bolena / Bonynge, Sutherland, Morris, Canadian Opera Company ImageDonizetti - Anna Bolena / Bonynge, Sutherland, Morris, Canadian Opera Company
VIDEO ARTISTS INTERNATIONAL; Release date: 2001-03-13; DVD
Best price: $27.12
Price in other shops: $39.95
Donizetti: Anna Bolena ImageDonizetti: Anna Bolena
Release date: 2011-11-01; Published: 2011-11-18; DVD
Best price: $22.46
Price in other shops: $39.98
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners