Donizetti: Maria Stuarda - Orchestra & Chorus of the Teatro Alla Scalla
by Carlo Tagliabue
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anna Caterina Antonacci, Francesco Meli, Mariella Devia, Paola Gardina, Simone AlberghinoDirector: Carlo Tagliabue
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); German (Unknown); French (Unknown); Italian (Unknown); Spanish (Unknown); Japanese (Unknown); German (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 151 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-02-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Arthaus Musik
Movie Reviews of Donizetti: Maria Stuarda - Orchestra & Chorus of the Teatro Alla Scalla
Movie Review: a triumph for Elizabeth but......
Summary: 5 Stars
Of the three Donizetti queens, Beverly Sills found Maria Stuarda the least interesting. It has many memorable moments: Dramatic- the confrontation of the two queens in scene (I, 8 this recording), sheer beauty - Maria's garden scene "Oh nube! Che lieve per l'aria t'aggiri" (scene I,6) and solemn tragedy - Maria's prayer " Deh! Tu di un 'unmile preghiera il suono (scene II,7). The structure of the opera pretty well follows (but much shortened) the play of F. Schiller; which is considered one of his finest. But I must agree with Ms. Sills for I think for drama, beauty and solemn tragedy more is to be found in Anna Bolena and Roberto Devereux. The former is a better constructed and balanced opera drama and Devereux is a most intense personal potrait.
In Maria Stuarda the success of the production depends almost entirely on a sympathetic identification with the heroine, Maria. We must forget history and what we know of her past foibles. We must see her as a noble, suppressed and tragic person who immediately wins our sympathy. Fortunely, I had the oppotunity to see Sills do her as well as Sutherland and Janet Baker. I was immediately "in her grips" when any of the above started to sing. Not so with Ms. Devia. Mariella Devia is a great singer. She was right on pitch, accurate, has a formidable coloratura, has a voice that can transmit great variety and nuance. But her Maria left me cold. Her voice to me always has a hard edge and I can admire her technique but here was no warmth. She also acted like a cold fish. She always had the same disdaned look even when a dashing young man was telling her he loved her and she appeared to yawn; she seemed more interested in singing than what she was singing. She looked as if a smile would break her (lifted?) face. Cold, Cold, Cold! This made me appreciate that past witnessed performances made the opera appear great to me because of the performers. It's all in the Maria.
But here in this recording the Elizabeth is the triumph. Anna Caterina Antonacci is a formidable singer and a great actress. In her role of Elizabeth she gets to show off her stuff and her capabilities. She, I think can match the Farrel, Varret, Baltsa and Plowrights I've seen before. Brava, Anna! You made the show for me.
p.s. a final note -the final handling of Roberto (Leicester) by the librettist in this opera is awkward. Mr. Bardari has done pretty well until now. In the play Schiller has Leicester disappear along with a dozen or so other characters but in this opera he plays a major role and the end in this opera is just unsatisfactory. Hand him a knife, someone!
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