Verdi - La Traviata / Eva Mei, Piotr Beczala, Thomas Hampson, Franz Welser-Most, Zurich Opera
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jurgen Flimm, Katharina Peetz, Miroslav Christoff, Zurich Opera HouseConductor: Welser-Most
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 128 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-01-17
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Arthaus Musik
Movie Reviews of Verdi - La Traviata / Eva Mei, Piotr Beczala, Thomas Hampson, Franz Welser-Most, Zurich Opera
Movie Review: A Dramatically Effective 'Traviata'
Summary: 4 Stars
This DVD of a live 2005 performance from the Z?rich Opera under the musical direction of Franz Welser-M?st has many things to recommend it -- the young tenor Piotr Beczala as Alfredo, the marvelous Thomas Hampson as Giorgio Germont, the playing of the Zurich Opera orchestra, the simple but effective sets by by Erich Wonder, the uncluttered stage direction by J?rgen Flimm. It also has some flaws: strangely variable volume level of the recorded sound sometimes coming on so loud as to make one reach for the volume control, and the uneven performance of the Violetta, Eva Mei who, for all her merits, gives a dramatically effective performance marred by occasional difficulties with vocal production. Still, overall I felt this was a moving production, one that I would recommend, although perhaps not as an only DVD of one of Verdi's most popular operas.
The most bothersome flaw here was the Violetta. This is, after all, her opera, and if the soprano singing the part has problems the whole suffers. Her voice seemed unsettled in the first act and the most noticeable thing was her inability to cut through the orchestral and choral sound at vital moments. '? strano ... 'Ah, fors' ? lui' was strangely unmoving and the voice showed some strain in both the coloratura and the high notes. Things got better in the succeeding acts although there were still moments when the voice seemed unsupported, breathy and almost inaudible. At other moments, though, as in 'Ah, dite alla giovine' Mei produced some stunning soft singing that went straight the heart. Perhaps I'm being unjustly critical. Certainly Mei's acting was effective and in the opera's third act she was utterly touching.
Thomas Hampson is one of opera's treasures, of course, and his impersonation of Giorgio Germont is practically patented. In this production the setting has been updated to what appears to be the early 1900s. Germont appears for all the world to be a Swiss banker (fitting perhaps, given this is the Z?rich Opera House). Hampson's acting is nuanced and his vocal contribution is thrilling. 'Pura siccome un angelo' brings tears to one's eyes, for all that Germont is being a bit of jerk when he importunes Violetta on behalf of his daughter. 'Di Provenza il mar' brings the biggest applause of the evening. His participation in the heart-breaking third act could not be bettered.
The big surprise for me, since I'd never heard of him before, was the Polish tenor Piotr Beczala. He is an attractive young man with a Domingo-like baritonal tenor with flexibility, thrust, and heft, and Beczala handles it with intelligence and taste. This is a biggish lyric sound that can rise to the challenges of the score's dramatic moments, but supply honeyed tone when required, as in the final duet, 'Parigi, o cara.' For me, this young man is a real discovery. 'Un d? felice' is marvelous. The confrontation scene in Act II is perhaps dramatically a bit histrionic but the singing is right on.
Welser-M?st is a fine opera conductor, as his work at the Z?rich opera house has shown. His orchestra plays like angels for him. I liked this DVD as a whole and don't wish to focus too much on the difficulties I've pointed out.
Subtitles: Italian, English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese. Sound: PCM Stereo, Dolby 5.1, DTS 5.1. TT=128mins.
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