The Metropolitan Opera: Centennial Gala
by Kirk Browning
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: John Alexander, Kathleen Battle, Lucine Amara, Martina Arroyo, Metropolitan Opera BalletDirector: Kirk Browning
Brand: Uni
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); Chinese (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Classical, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 231 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-09-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Movie Reviews of The Metropolitan Opera: Centennial Gala
Movie Review: Splendid! The 1983 production, with modern technology.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a 2009 release of a 1983 telecast. As such, the video and audio quality is astonishingly good. Please note: some other reviews refer to an earlier release - there's nothing wrong with the sound on this one - DTS 5.1 is perfectly acceptable; one might say excellent. It's like a visit to the Eighties, in a time machine.
There are some superb performances on this disk.
Watching a very young Levine conducting the overture to The Bartered Bride, with frenetic zeal, is a joy to behold.
Eva Marton's Turandot shows her superb voice at its best.
(and so on... those are just the first two tracks, and there are many more).
Rather than bore you with an exhaustive list, here are a few highlights (at least the ones that affected me - your results may vary):
Joan Sutherland singing 'Bel raggio lusinghier', conducted by an adoring Bonynge
An outstanding performance of Mascagni's 'Son io, Son io la vita', sung by the Met Chorus, conducted by David Stivender, Chorusmaster (a piece which I didn't know, but now intend to look into. It brought the proverbial shiver down my spine).
Bernstein, conducting the overture to Leonore
Levine conducting Carreras and Caballé in Andrea Chenier
Birgit Nilsson in 'Wie lachend sie mir Lieder singer', the only Wagner of the evening.
Oh dear; I'm back to listing tracks again.
Bottom line: if you love opera, and the Met, buy it.
(Just one quibble: according to the sleeve notes, the original was eight hours. The DVD only had four. When can we see the rest?)
Summary of The Metropolitan Opera: Centennial Gala
The gala celebration is a collection of opera's best-loved favorites and immediately catches the attention with spectacular performances by stars such as Dame Joan Sutherland, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Mirella Freni, Marilyn Horne, Birgit Nilsson, Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Kraus and many others. This product features an awesome roster of international star conductors: from James Levine, Leonard Bernstein and Thomas Fulton to Jeffrey Tate, Richard Bonynge.Similar DVD Movies
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