Vincenzo Bellini - I Puritani
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Movie Reviews of Vincenzo Bellini - I Puritani
Movie Review: Incredible
Summary: 5 Stars
Ha sido un placer ver y escuchar esta gran producci?n. Antes de comprarla hab?a visto aqu? mismo cr?ticas hacia el decorado y cosas as?...el decorado es m?s que suficiente, pero me parece extraviarse de lo que realmente es sobrecogedor, que es el arte de Anna Netrebko, que aqu? alcanza uno de los c?lmenes del belcanto. Est?n inmensos ella y Franco Vassallo, y no tan bien Eric Cutler, que tiene una voz un poco nasal de m?s, aunque las escenas con Anna est?n cargadas de emotividad y de buen hacer, que quiz?s supla un poco ese d?ficit que a m? me parece sentir. Por otra parte, el bajo es tambi?n muy bueno, y la complicidad con Franco Vassallo es total. As? que es una obra muy recomendable y m?s todav?a con la impresionante soprano de este plantel...s?lo por el aria de la locura, vale la pena pagarla...s?lo les digo que la Netrebko canta en un momento boca arriba, colgando sobre el foso, y su potencia y timbre es el mismo!Movie Review: Ana Netrebko show
Summary: 2 Stars
Agree with Mrs. Silvia Costa about the bad choice of the male singers. I also think that there is a lack of talent and creativity in most of the MET productions including this one. The outdated painted scenaries are a real shame. Whereas European productions are experimenting these days with new concepts of opera staging (some of them quite good and some others quite unfortunate) Americans seem to be stuck into a rather rigid and old fashioned concept of staging. This is a clear example that money and excess does not necessarily buy good taste specially if they do not go hand to hand with new ideas. About the great diva: I certainly love Anna Netrebko, particularly her mad scene that is quite breathtaking. However I cannot take out of my mind the legendary performances of other great divas such as Maria Callas and Edita Gruberova in the same role. Anna Netrebko is spectacularly beautiful and elegant in the role though. Movie Review: Beautiful Bellini; charismatic Netrebko
Summary: 4 Stars
Several reviewers have criticized Anna Netrebko because her coloratura skills do not match those of Maria Callas. Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, or Edita Gruberova. On that point, I have to agree. Although Netrebko does an exemplary job of sustaining long notes at the end of phrases (a Bellini specialty), she doesn't display the trills and ornamentation skills of a true coloratura soprano. If the ability to sing coloratura is of primary importance to you, then this production will be a disappointment. However, I am willing to rely on "I Puritani" CD's to hear Elvira in her full coloratura glory because Netrebko brings so many other fine qualities to the role. Those qualities include: a full-bodied dark and dusky voice that, at the same time, is gentle and supple; superior acting ability; a charismatic stage presence. These combine to make for a performance that is both dazzling and haunting. Sadly for the other players, the stage often feels empty when she's not on it.
The male performers don't fare as well, but I think it's partly that Netrebko's stage presence is so strong that The Met needed to dig deep and find three males who could keep pace with her. Unfortunately, none of the three do. As Riccardo, Franco Vassallo has a strong baritone voice, but he doesn't convincingly express the pain of a rejected suitor. Eric Cutler fares better on the acting side as Elvira's true love, but he struggles with the high tessitura of the tenor role. (Nevertheless, he and Netrebko have good stage chemistry even though her voice dominates the duets.) As Uncle Giorgio, John Relyea's bass is too gravely for Bellini's melodic score.
The orchestra, conducted by Patrick Summers, does a superior job bringing out the melodic beauty of Bellini's score. Unfortunately, only Anna Netrebko does it justice vocally (and this, despite her not being a coloratura specialist).
The DVD has many special features. The highlights are Renee Fleming interviewing Netrebko between each act and a wonderful set of interviews with the late Beverly Sills in which she discusses (with her characteristic warmth and humor) her own experience playing Elvira.
Movie Review: One of the best opera recordings I have seen
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an outstanding recording. The music ic beautiful, the singing and conducting are excellent. Netrebko is outstanding and everyone else is excellent. I also saw this in the HD broadcast on PBS, and it is hard to tell the difference in picture quality between this dvd and the HD broadcast, although I think the DTS audio on the DVD id a little better than the Dolby on the broadcast.Movie Review: a lack of bel canto style
Summary: 3 Stars
This performance of Bellini's masterpiece was marred
by a lack of the style of bel canto, an early 19th
century specialty in ornamentation for expressive effects.
Anna Netrebko is beautiful and acts well, but did not sing
the part in the bel canto style. Listen to singers like
Maria Callas or Joan Sutherland to hear how the part should
be sung. I saw two wonderful bel canto specialists sing this
part, Beverly Sills and Edita Gruberova. Netrebko is simply
not on that level and needs to learn the style.
Patrick Summers was a stylish conductor, though the other
singers were average. Best was John Relyea the basso.
The HD performance was fun to watch, but it makes one
sad to think that such a visible productions, which is so
heavily publicized, did not employ bel canto technique.