Verdi - Requiem / Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Daniela Barcellona, Julian Konstantinov, Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Angela Gheorghiu, Claudio Abbado, Daniela Barcellona, Julian Konstantinov, Roberto AlagnaDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Classical, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-05-21
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: EMI Classics
Movie Reviews of Verdi - Requiem / Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Daniela Barcellona, Julian Konstantinov, Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic
Movie Review: The Funeral Director
Summary: 5 Stars
From the moment that Claudio Abbado crossed the stage of the Philharmonic to take his place on the podium, it seemed that we were in the presence of the walking dead.
Much has been made by other reviewers of the conductor's ravaged appearance, the consequence of severe illness prior to this recording, and its positive impact on the performance. I take the opposite view. To me, the eminent maestro's grip on the proceedings was decidedly shaky, and emphasized the magnificent professionalism of the BPO who seemeingly might have carried on equally well without him. Of course, one never knows from a live performance what may have gone on in rehearsals behind the scenes, and perhaps it was in this scenario that Abbado stamped his ideas and personality upon the music, but many of his directorial movements and baton-waving were ugly to behold, and seemed like the death throes of a terminally ill mortal. After the final note, I was convinced that he was about to expire altogether. A Requiem Mass that concludes with an actual death is no everyday occurrence, and the above simulation certainly adds to the drama of the occasion, even though the visual result is far from pretty.
All of this is an excuse to say something derogatory to balance the superlatives that one otherwise owes to this astonishing DVD that in many respects is beyond mere perfection. No finer orchestral sound has ever emerged from my speakers. The visual close-ups of the orchestra and their instruments were a feast of the photographers' art. The soloists comprised a strong team that varied from the more than adequate Barcellona and Konstantinov through the exquisite Georghiu, to the gloriously heroic Alagna who turned in the greatest vocal performance I have heard him give in any medium. Since the soloists sing much more frequently in combination rather than individually compard with most oher choral works, it is important to emphasize the wonderfully discrete separation of the voices in the sound recording, and the clarity that results. This effect was enhanced by the fine camera work that singled out the singers to the extent that one could almost read their lips ( George Bush would have been pleased), but it came at a small price: I was initially concerned about the quality of the video that seemed to be cut in sections at times by vertical lines, until I realized that it was merely the leads to the myriad microphones that were being captured by the camera. Some reviewers thought that the close-ups were too intimate. This bothered me only in the case of Konstantinov whose prodigious sweating became evident 5 minutes into the performance and grew steadily more profuse as the music progressed. The prospect of his joining Abbado in an early grave could not be ruled out.
Finally, a word of praise for a silent participant: the stunning Philharmonic that is my favourite concert hall and provided such a distinguished background for an equally distinguished performance.
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