The Phantom of the Opera (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Amazon.com

Although it's not as bold as Oscar darling Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera continues the resuscitation of the movie musical with a faithful adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster stage musical. Emmy Rossum glows in a breakout role as opera ingénue Christine Daae, and if phantom Gerard Butler isn't Rossum's match vocally, he does convey menace and sensuality in such numbers as "The Music of the Night." The most experienced musical theater veteran in the cast, romantic lead Patrick Wilson, sings sweetly but seems wooden. The biggest name in the cast, Minnie Driver, hams it up as diva Carlotta, and she's the only principal whose voice was dubbed (though she does sing the closing-credit number, "Learn to Be Lonely," which is also the only new song).

Director Joel Schumacher, no stranger to visual spectacle, seems to have found a good match in Lloyd Webber's larger-than-life vision of Gaston LeRoux's Gothic horror-romance. His weakness is cuing too many audience-reaction shots and showing too much of the lurking Phantom, but when he calms down and lets Rossum sings "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" alone in a silent graveyard, it's exquisite.

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Those who consider the stage musical shallow and overblown probably won't have their minds changed by the movie, and devotees will forever rue that the movie took the better part of two decades to develop, which prevented the casting of original principals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Still, The Phantom of the Opera is a welcome exception to the long line of ill-conceived Broadway-to-movie travesties.

DVD Features
The special edition of The Phantom of the Opera has two major extras. "Behind the Mask: The Story of The Phantom of the Opera" is an hourlong documentary tracing the genesis of the stage show, with interviews of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Harold Prince, producer Cameron Macintosh, lyricists Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart, choreographer Gillian Lynne, and others. Conspicuously absent are stars Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. Both do appear in video clips, including Brightman performing with Colm Wilkinson at an early workshop, and Crawford is the subject of a casting segment. Other brief scenes from the show are represented by a 2001 production. The other major feature is the 45-minute making-of focusing on the movie, including casting and the selection of director Joel Schumacher Both are well-done productions by Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group.

The deleted scene is a new song written by Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, "No One Would Listen," sung by the Phantom toward the end of the movie. It's a beautiful song that, along with Madame Giry's story, makes him a more sympathetic character. But because that bit of backstory already slowed down the ending, it was probably a good move to cut the song. --David Horiuchi

More on The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera (Special Extended Edition Soundtrack) (CD)
The Phantom of the Opera (2004 Movie Soundtrack) (CD)
The Phantom of the Opera (Original 1986 London Cast) (CD)

Evita (DVD)
Andrew Lloyd Weber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration (DVD)
More Broadway DVDs

Description

Musical Drama based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's celebrated musical phenomenon. The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a disfigured musical genius (Gerard Butler) who haunts the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera, waging a reign of terror over its occupants. When he falls fatally in love with the lovely Christine (Emmy Rossum), the Phantom devotes himself to creating a new star for the Opera, exerting a strange sense of control over the young soprano as he nurtures her extraordinary talents.

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes:"No-one Would Listen" Approx. 4 Mins.
DVD ROM Features
Documentary:Behind the Mask - The Story of the Phantom of the Opera
Easter Eggs
Featurette:The Making of The Phantom of the Opera in 3 Spellbinding Acts: Preproduction, The Director, Production

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2007-09-16

Wow...the music, the sets, the acting...I loved this DVD! After hearing Brighton and Crawford on the original soundtrack my expectations were high, but they really pulled it off with this DVD. Rossum is no Brightman, but she does have a beautiful voice and Patrick Wilson, wow! What a beautiful tenor voice he has!

I liked the way the movie starts out when Raoul is old and remembering, and ends that way, too. Great touch. This retelling of the story is a little different, but again, they really pulled it off and did a great job. There has never been a more beautiful score than The Phantom of the Opera. Andrew Lloyd Weber is a genius.

Wonderfull!!!.......2007-09-12

First,I have to say that I have not seen the Broadway version of The Phantom of the Opera. However, I have listened to the CD of the Broadway version many many times. I checked this movie from my library. I absolutely loved this movie. The opening scene draws you into the story. I loved Gerard Butler's acting and singing in this movie. I think he did a wonderful job with the part. Emmy Rossum also did a wonderful job as well.

Movies.......2007-09-04

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I love musicals and this one touched my heart. I gave it four stars only because I didn't want it to end.

Holds true to the Broadway musical.......2007-08-29

I've seen Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway production and traveling production of this play. The movie holds true to both and actually makes the play easier to understand. The storyline is strong, the music well done, and the acting superb. Even though this is a love story, this isn't a chick flick. I thoroughly appreciated it. And you will too.

Oh, and the video quality is second to none. I compared this version with the version that came on HBO HD, and the picture was superior on the HD DVD. It was a clear-cut improvement, but the edges were more well-defined on the HD DVD version. The sound quality is also superior. A big bonus when you consider all the singing going on.

I was enchanted.......2007-08-26

I never understood the lure of "Phantom." Friends who'd seen the stage version all raved about it, but when I saw it I was left with that awe they'd all had.

Until I saw this movie... I don't know what it was about it, but it captivated me. I can watch it again, and again, and again and still want to see it yet again.

The Phantom of the Opera (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Wonderful!
Wonderfull!!!
Movies
Holds true to the Broadway musical
I was enchanted

The Phantom of the Opera (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Gerard Butler , Emmy Rossum , Patrick Wilson , Miranda Richardson , and Minnie Driver
Director: Joel Schumacher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007TKNIS
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Amazon.com

Those who consider the stage musical shallow and overblown probably won't have their minds changed by the movie, and devotees will forever rue that the movie took the better part of two decades to develop, which prevented the casting of original principals Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Still, The Phantom of the Opera is a welcome exception to the long line of ill-conceived Broadway-to-movie travesties. --David Horiuchi

Description

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2007-09-16

Wonderfull!!!.......2007-09-12

Movies.......2007-09-04

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I love musicals and this one touched my heart. I gave it four stars only because I didn't want it to end.

Holds true to the Broadway musical.......2007-08-29

I was enchanted.......2007-08-26

Average customer rating:

Great musical
If you love Phantom, this is a MUST HAVE
In dreams he came
Great transfer
Video Quality Review (Blu-ray)

The Phantom of the Opera [Blu-ray]
Starring: Imogen Bain , Paul Brooke , Alan Cumming , Ciarán Hinds , and Kevin McNally
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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ASIN: B000JLSLZQ
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Description

Customer Reviews:

Great musical.......2007-04-13

I bought this movie from Fry's. My whole family loves it. It has beautiful musical, and story. It is totally beyond my expectation. On 50" 1080i plasma with HDMI, the image is crytal clear and gorgeous. A great buy.

If you love Phantom, this is a MUST HAVE.......2007-04-01

At less than $20, this is a no brainer. If you are planning to own the movie, have it in blu-ray.

Aside from the well known picture quality differences between DVD and the blu-ray, this disc includes special features that must be close to two hours. From how this phantom project got started, to the casting of the crew, to showing all the team members (singing to the tune of the phantom), these special features simply help complete the story.

I LOVE the original musical, this movie version only adds to it. Of course, movies are not as intimate as watching live theatre, however, the camera angles, the visual effects, the costume all makes this a really nice movie to own. Love the movie cast!

Last but not least, a DVD upscaled provides a nice picture already. However, having it in high definition just makes the scenes and details so real.

In dreams he came.......2007-03-19

Sumptuous, rich, lush and inviting. Like a gilt-edged dream, Joel Schumacher's "Phantom of the Opera" is a triumphant love note to beauty, song and scenery.

Adapted from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical (and Gaston Leroux's novel), this movie ends up being beautiful in every scene, with solid acting and and a tragic antihero. The singing, the sumptuous sets, the acting -- all are the ingredients of a musical tour de force.

In 1870, a Paris opera house is under new management -- just as diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver, a glorious diva-from-hell) is almost killed by a stage curtain, and stomps out. Fortunately Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum), taught by a mystery tutor, can take over the soprano's role, and soon becomes famous for her singing. Even better, it catches the attention of her childhood sweetheart, Vicomte Raoul (Patrick Wilson).

But Raoul doesn't realize that Christine was taught by a disfigured, tortured genius who hides under the opera house. And the Phantom of the Opera is not only determined that Christine should be the star, but also be his wife. And he's willing to kill for it. Can Raoul break the Phantom's hold over Christine, or will she embrace "the music of the night"?

Watching this, it's hard to believe that it was directed by the same guy who did "Phone Booth" and the awful "Batman and Robin." Instead it looks as if the love child of Jean Cocteau and Peter Jackson decided to direct a musical, swathed in masks, roses, gilt angels, snow and velvet.

And it all wraps around Webber's solid songs ("Turn your face away from the garish light of day/turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light/and listen to the music of the night!") from the stage musical. Most of the lines are sung, which surprisingly doesn't detract from their believability. And there's plenty of fun with the cameras, whether it's the dizzying views of the backstage, or a zoom through a stone floor to the Phantom's face.

Schumacher also adds a few extra scenes, including a sword fight between Raoul and the Phantom, which makes the vicomte seem more passionate; and a flashback to the Phantom's horrific childhood. What's more, the story is framed by scenes from forty years later -- sepia-toned scenes in the dusty remains of the Opera.

The three most prominent roles are what make or break this movie, and in this case, the casting is nearly ideal. Rossum has the ingenue looks -- and the powerful pipes -- to carry off the role of Christine, torn between her love and her passion. Similarly, Patrick Wilson gives some brains and strength to Raoul, and despite the romantic appeal of the Phantom, Raoul isn't hard to cheer for.

Gerard Butler is a bit more difficult. Most of the time his singing is solid, and his acting is powerful and tragic as the "loathsome gargoyle, who burns in hell, but secretly yearns for heaven." The scene where he tries to seduce Christine is deeply sensual. But occasionally his performance gets really hammy, such as the unmasking, where he flings himself around screaming, "You little prying Pandora! You little demon!"

And how does the blu-ray measure up? Well, the regular DVD was hailed for its sumptuous colours and visuals, as well as the lovely songs. Those things are all enhanced by the blu-ray release -- everything just seems so much more brilliant.

Lush, exquisite and passionate, "The Phantom of the Opera" is a solid adaptation of Webber's musical, with good acting and excellent direction. A triumph for "the music of the night."

Great transfer.......2007-02-19

I haven't seen the musical, but have the soundtrack to it. I think this movie is a faithful rendition of the musical. The video transfer is great quality, the colors are fantastic! There were some jerky frames at the beginning for some reason. The audio is also excellent. Great dynamic range and clarity. I highly recommend this disc!

Video Quality Review (Blu-ray).......2007-01-31

The Phantom of the Opera has been the premier demo disk for High Definition TVs and Projectors for some time now. When trying to show off, at various trade shows, not only the detail but the contrast of a new product the HD-DVD of The Phantom of the Opera would always find its way on screen. Now we have it on Blu-ray, the same encoding in fact. It isn't just the transfer, near perfect, which makes this disc such a treat but the lavishness of the film itself. Rich colors, ornate details, vibrant bright scenes next to detailed dark ones; a sense of depth is throughout this musical. What little film grain there is is in keeping with a perfectly maintained film source. This is a top shelf Blu-ray release that will bring out the full range of color and contrast that your TV can display.

(PS3 - 1080p projector - 92")

Verdi - La Traviata / Levine, Stratas, Domingo

Average customer rating:

Stratas/Domingo La Traviata
The definitive Traviata production
OPera at its best
Libiamo! Godiamo!
Moving

Verdi - La Traviata / Levine, Stratas, Domingo
Starring: Teresa Stratas , Plácido Domingo , Cornell MacNeil , Allan Monk , and Axelle Gall
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0783227477
Release Date: 1999-04-13

Customer Reviews:

Stratas/Domingo La Traviata.......2007-08-09

Saw it years ago when it first came out and it seems to have improved over time....as for Stratas:
'Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety'

The definitive Traviata production.......2007-07-05

You won't find a better one. Not just a filming of a stage production but a sumptuous movie rendition. Incredible staging and lighting with terrific casting. Domingo in his prime, and Stratas is one of the leading singing actresses of her generation.

Only minor downside is the subtitles include the hearing impaired queues, but if/once you know the story, just turn them off.

OPera at its best.......2007-06-13

This film of one of the best loved operas is brilliant both in performance and setting. Even someone who does not attend the opera cannot fail to enjoy and be moved by this production.

Libiamo! Godiamo!.......2007-05-28

Drink and be happy with this luscious and moving rendition of this opera classic. Gloriously rich colors are thoughtfully used in concert with the music and plot. The production design makes you feel what it must have been like to live the life of the truly wealthy Parisians of the time. This is NOT a filmed version of a staged opera (which usually are only useful for archival purposes) but, truly a movie.

Moving.......2007-03-16

I viewed this version of Traviata years ago when it first came out. This week I bought a copy and went back to watch it again. I was moved - even to a tear or two. I guess the intervening years of my life have increased my compassion for those caught in its foibles. An excellent interpretation - I look forward to viewing it again.

The Phantom of the Opera (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Wonderful!
Wonderfull!!!
Movies
Holds true to the Broadway musical
I was enchanted

The Phantom of the Opera (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Gerard Butler , Emmy Rossum , Patrick Wilson , Miranda Richardson , and Minnie Driver
Director: Joel Schumacher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007TKNII
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2007-09-16

Wonderfull!!!.......2007-09-12

Movies.......2007-09-04

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I love musicals and this one touched my heart. I gave it four stars only because I didn't want it to end.

Holds true to the Broadway musical.......2007-08-29

I was enchanted.......2007-08-26

George Gershwin - Porgy & Bess / Trevor Nunn · Sir Simon Rattle · W. White · C. Haymon · Glyndebourne Opera

Average customer rating:

The classic DVD currently on the market - a film of the opera performance done at England's Glynnebourne, always well done there
George Gershwin - Porky & Bess
Very Good!
out of date
Preminger's version is NOT the "original"!

George Gershwin - Porgy & Bess / Trevor Nunn · Sir Simon Rattle · W. White · C. Haymon · Glyndebourne Opera
Starring: Willard White , Cynthia Haymon , Gregg Baker (II) , Cynthia Clarey , and Marietta Simpson
Director: Trevor Nunn
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
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ASIN: B00005LIN0
Release Date: 2001-07-03

Amazon.com

This powerful production originated on the stage of the Glyndebourne Festival. It was restaged and filmed on location for the BBC telecast preserved in this video recording. Director Trevor Nunn takes full advantage of the realism, fluidity of movement, and precision of small details that are difficult to achieve when televising a staged performance but easy and natural in a movie treatment.

Nunn's vision, conveyed by an unusually talented cast, is constantly touching and rises to overwhelming intensity at climactic points. For example: the crap game and fight that end in Robbins's death, the hurricane scene, Crown's capture and abuse of Bess on Kittiwah Island, Porgy's fight with Crown, the comically sinister antics of Sportin' Life, the double-edged pathos and absurdity of the scene in which Bess gets "divorced," and the electrifying conclusion, when Porgy throws away his crutches and sets out, naively, to find Bess in New York.

Musically, Simon Rattle and all the performers find the exact style for Gershwin's marvelous score--not only such big numbers as "Summertime," "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," "I Loves You, Porgy," "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Hates Your Struttin' Style," and "O Lawd, I'm on My Way," but such smaller items as the exquisite cries of the street vendors of honey, strawberries, and crabs. There are no weaknesses in the cast. Willard White and Cynthia Haymon are ideal in the title roles, Gregg Baker is a terrifying, larger-than-life Crown, and Damon Evans is a properly slimy Sportin' Life. The white police officers are splendidly repulsive. --Joe McLellan

Description

The Gershwins' musical masterpiece Porgy and Bess is one of America's greatest works. This production was adapted for the screen by Trevor Nunn and Yves Baigneres. It was directed by Trevor Nunn and is based on the highly successful staging of the original Glyndebourne Festival Opera production in 1986-87, which was remounted at Covent Garden in the autumn of 1992 with most of the original cast. Immediately after that performance the production was moved to the giant stage at Shepperton Studios, with much expanded sets and lighting. It was then recorded using EMI's original award-winning soundtrack.

First performed in 1935 and based on the play Porgy by DuBose and Dorothy K. Heyward, Porgy and Bess has achieved worldwide renown through such memorable songs as "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'," "Oh Lawd, I'm on My Way," and many more, set to Gershwin's moving symphonic score. 184 minutes.

Porgy: Willard White
Bess: Cynthia Haymon
Crown: Gregg Baker
Serena: Cynthia Clarey
Maria: Mariette Simpson
Sporting Life: Damon Evans
Clara: Paula Ingram (sung by Harolyn Blackwell)
Jake: Gordon Hawkins (sung by Bruce Hubbard)
Mingo: Barrington Coleman
Robbins: D. Alonzo Washington (sung by Johnny Worthy)

Customer Reviews:

The classic DVD currently on the market - a film of the opera performance done at England's Glynnebourne, always well done there.......2007-06-10

A film of a staged performance always is interesting if the background doesn't take over. In this Glynnebourne production later filmed at a studio, that is the case. Good cast, great music (Gershwin's only opera), and popular in Europe as well as the U.S., this "Porgy" is a classic.

George Gershwin - Porky & Bess.......2007-05-21

George Gershwin - Porgy & Bess / Trevor Nunn Â· Sir Simon Rattle Â· W. White Â· C. Haymon Â· Glyndebourne Opera

Very Good!.......2007-05-19

Having read some of the other reviews, it appears as though some don't realize that Porgy and Bess was (and is) an opera. Many who are only familiar with the 1959 Samuel Goldwyn musical with Sidney Poitier, Brock Peters, Dorothy Dandrige, and Sammy Davis Jr. appear to be disappointed with this production. I too was initially introduced to Porgy and Bess via the musical. And, as a child, enjoyed it! However, after having purchased a complete score recording back in the 1970's, I came to discover just how much I was missing! I also discovered that Ira Gershwin had the Samuel Goldwyn musical pulled in 1974 since it demeaned what he and his brother, George, had in mind. A number of years back (March 20, 1983 to be exact) I saw a production of Porgy and Bess in it's entirety (it did omit the "Buzzard song") at Radio City Music Hall from the front row and was overwhelmed. I saw it again a couple of years ago at, I believe, the Carpenter Center in Richmond Va. (not quite the production as the one in NYC but good none the less). This DVD is about as close as I'll get to seeing a fine production of that opera again! If you don't like George Gershwin music or Operas, don't buy it! If you want to experience what George and Ira Gershwin intended, this is as close to it as we'll get for a while.

out of date.......2007-03-08

In it's prime this was probably a great opera and if you are interested in the early culture of our country it is a must see. The opera is difficult to follow and a guide would be helpful otherwise you just stumble through it. Not much for entertainment.

Preminger's version is NOT the "original"!.......2006-09-20

Several other users have said everything I'm going to, but their opinions may get lost amongst the overwhelming majority of comments lamenting the unavailability of the 1959 film version of "Porgy & Bess". Let's just get some of the basic facts straight again.

The "original" production of "Porgy & Bess" as an opera took place in 1935 on stage. Even this premiere presentation was abridged, both to conform to the conventions of Broadway (where it was originally presented), and to spare the voices of the leads, particularly Porgy (which is why the "Buzzard Song" was cut from the first production).

In a sense, the first time the opera was presented as Gershwin truly envisioned it was by the Houston Grand Opera in 1976, with the full score restored, as well as the recitative passages which were frequently changed to spoken dialogue in earlier productions.

The film version was an aberration-- I've never seen it, but have read quite a bit about it, and it seems clear that this version was intended as more of a musical than an opera. Also, most of the parts were dubbed by other singers, so those who complain about about this issue on the current DVD release of the Glyndebourne production should bear that in mind.

The Gershwin estate *is* responsible for squashing any trace of the PReminger film, which I think is a shame if only for reasons of artistic free speech, but the censorship becomes more understandable when you see how many Amazon.com users have posted comments that demonstrate the 1959 film is, to a large degree, what the public sees as the true "Porgy & Bess". And this is after almost 50 years of supressing the film from public view!

OK, so all the above said, what about the Glyndebourne DVD? I think it's exceptionally well done, but share some of the reservations noted by others: the lip synching is distractingly off at points (particularly if you're watching on a large screen TV); I find the sound mixing occassionally off, sometimes drowning out the vocal lines.

But these are minor quibbles. I can't imagine a true operatic trreatment as a film. I can't even think of a precedent. It's taken for granted that cinematic presentations of Shakespeare will be abridged, rearrange, and reinterpreted, and the same holds true for film treatments of opera. The forms just don't naturally jell.

Television can present opera as opera, with just enough opening up of the action to prevent the story from feeling static or stagebound. And I think Trevor Nunn has done just this, with some creative and original interpretations of his own. Whether you like the change he's made to the ending or not, I think you have to admire the creativity behind it. It's certainly not exploitative. At worst, it's a bit sentimental. I find it inspiring, in a metaphorical way. I don't think the miracle is meant to be taken quite literally.

The performances are uniformally excellent, powerful and dignified. I was personally most impressed by Cynthia Haymon as Bess, who is really the only character to undergo a major transformation through the course of the story. She is believable, earthily beatiful, and the sympathy you feel for her intensifies the heartbreaking tragedy of her fate.

Those who have complained about the acting performances simply don't understand that opera acting is generally stylized, similarly to silent film acting. There's also an unfortunate history of only semi-competent acting in the opera world, but I can't point to a single weak link in the cast of this DVD production.

This is a creative, faithful adaptation for television of the opera as it was intended to be seen by Gershwin himself. The 1959 film should be available for contemporary evaluation, but it's simply unfair to knock this wonderful 1993 prodcution on the basis of dimly nostalgic memories of the lost Preminger film. I do wish the sound were a bit better, and that the lip synching was better matched to the dubbed vocals, but these are intellectual, trivial criticisms of what I find to be a musically and emotionally powerful presentation of Gershwin's masterpiece.

Verdi - Aida / Wanamaker, Price, Pavarotti, San Francisco Opera

Average customer rating:

Verdi - Aida / Wanamaker, Price, Pavarotti, San Francisco Opera
Glitzy, Gaudy Spectacle
Aida /M Price / Pavarotti / Tozcyska /Estes
THE OTHER "PRICE"
Welcome DVD release

Verdi - Aida / Wanamaker, Price, Pavarotti, San Francisco Opera
Starring: Margaret Price , Luciano Pavarotti , Stefania Toczyska , Simon Estes , and Kurt Rydl
Director: Brian Large
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00023BN5G
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Amazon.com

This spectacular 1981 San Francisco production of Aida, directed by Sam Wanamaker, boasts production values more commonly associated with Hollywood to portray scenes from the time of the Pharaohs, notably a striking interior for the temple of Vulcan from where Radames is sent forth on his mission to conquer the invading Ethiopian army. With Margaret Price in the title role and Luciano Pavarotti as Radames, there is much going for this version, both musically and visually.

Price and Pavarotti are in superb voice throughout. Pavarotti sings his initial aria, "Celeste Aida", very much as a showpiece, ignoring Verdi's quadruple pianissimo ending for the very opposite, milking (dare one say it) the audience for a thunderous round of applause, which he duly receives. Initial doubts about his commitment to the drama, however, are dispelled in Act 3 when he denies Amneris his hand and bids farewell to life entombed in the same temple from where he'd once been sent forth as conqueror. Price may not be a natural actress, but her singing throughout, particularly in the concluding farewell with Pavarotti ("O terra, addio"), is very touching. Stefania Toczyska is a compelling Amneris and never more so than when she's offering Radames a lifeline at the start of the last act. Brian Large's direction for video homes in on the salient points of the drama and also picks up on an uncomfortable looking extra or two in the "Grand March" where space on stage seems at a premium. With assured conducting from Garcia Navarro, this Aida is a very desirable acquisition. --Adrian Edwards

Description

In this San Francisco Opera production, Verdi's enduring masterpiece of musical theatre, Aida, is a marvellous blend of human emotion and grand spectacle, full of Egyptian pomp and pageantry. In Sam Wanamaker's lavish production, highly acclaimed for its extraordinary musical performances, Margaret Price is outstanding as the Ethiopian slave, Aida, Luciano Pavarotti makes a triumphant debut in the role of Radames, commander of the Egyptian Army, and the entire performance is masterfully shaped by the Spanish conductor, García Navarro.

Customer Reviews:

Verdi - Aida / Wanamaker, Price, Pavarotti, San Francisco Opera.......2005-07-28

I regret not ordering the La Scala version, which I have seen, for I found both the picture and sound quality of this one so poor that I may never watch it all the way through. A professional review I read, alas, only after buying it said that the poor quality probably reflected the relatively early date on which it was recorded.

Glitzy, Gaudy Spectacle.......2005-04-18

There's a little too much gold lame on display here for my taste, but for those who like their opera productions big and flashy, this "Aida" should thrill. Pavarotti, looking downright boyish at times, is in beautiful voice, as is Margaret Price, his leading lady. (On the other hand, her wild eyes and melodramatic gestures have to go.) Unfortunately, Simon Estes as Aida's father is from the louder is better school of opera singing, but, hey, he's not around too long. The real news for me is Stefania Toczyska, who's remarkable as Amneris. I thought the Met's Delora Zajick owned this part, but Toczyska gives her a run for her money. Superbly sung, dramatically valid, this is one of those performances that gets you hunting for more of her...only this seems to be it on DVD. Too bad, but grab it while you can. As for the production, when I stopped looking for taste and gave myself up to the tacky opulence, I found myself enjoying it a lot. Kinda like Zeffirelli's "Turandot," though on a smaller scale. And it's "Aida," after all, so, really, how can you go wrong?

Aida /M Price / Pavarotti / Tozcyska /Estes.......2005-03-22

Reviewer: Gordon Sholes (Denver CO)

I have also the '91 Met Aida - Domingo, Millo, Zajick etc. The San Francisco version is one of the greatest. It's unusual to have such a good visual and audio restoration of an '81 performance. W e are fortunate to have one of Pavarotti and the other principles when they were in their prime. It's worth having for that reason alone. Each version has its own good scenes such as Zajick's strong performance as Amneris in act IV of the Met's version. Also in the San Francisco version, Simon Estes' strong performance as Amonasro in the duet Ciel, Mio padre! portrays a regal commander of the Egyptian army. This resulted in excellent casting.
Which version one likes best will depend on one's preference for singers. Very few will regret buying the San Francisco one. (there are always a few)

THE OTHER "PRICE".......2005-03-15

I am sure that Margaret Price will be remembered primarily as a supreme performer of Lieder. However, to me, she was also wonderful in the few operatic roles she took on with this DVD of Aida being an excellent example of how good she was as an opera performer. (I place this recording right up there with my other favorite operatic recording that she did-Verdi's Masked Ball with Solti) Her Aida is great aurally and visually. She pours out great sound-exhibiting loads of power along with her known ravishing pianissimos. She fails to "nail" O Patria Mia; however, everything else is great especially her final duet with Pavarotti. I can remember friends of mine that were members, at the time of this performance, of the San Francisco Opera Chorus saying that Margaret Price was very unhappy during this "run" of Aida (she cancelled one performance with Leontyne Price (!!) substituting for her) This sadness comes across as vulnerability (very touching) in the performance. She indeed looks very sad during bows; anyway, she performs that dear ole girl Aida wonderfully. I can remember, at the time, Margaret was referred to as the "other" Price with Leontyne being, of course, first.; nevertheless, I do feel, in this performance of Aida, she "stands on her own" as an opera performer not being second to any one. The BIG star of these performances of Aida was, of course, Luciano Pavarotti (making his debut in the role of Radames).
Pavarotti, at this time, was in his vocal prime. Once past "Celeste Aida", he settles down and gives a great performance singing with power, beauty and tenderness. Never a great actor, he is very much involved and with the sound he is making one soon forgets that he wasn't a good actor-after all opera, to me, is foremost about voice At this time Luciano's voice was a spendid instrument indeed. His big scene with Stefania Toczyska as Amneris is great.
Stefania Toczyska as Amneris is splendid. She is at one moment ripping the Pyramids down with the power of her voice and artistry and at the next moment expressing Amneris' hurt and love of Radames with much tenderness. At the time of this performance she was a gorgeous woman making the role of Amneris very exciting both vocally and visually! Brava!
I am afraid that Simone Estes makes for an unrelentingly LOUD Amoroso exhibiting the kind of singing that kept him from becoming the supreme operatic bass that he should have become.

The production is wonderful with all of the scenery and costumes being extremely beautiful!

Garcia Navarro conducts the opera with passion and plenty of tenderness holding the vast resources together masterfully.

The sound and picture qualities on this DVD are superb. If you love Verdi's Aida do yourself a favor and buy this disc.

Welcome DVD release.......2004-06-20

This performance was telecast from San Francisco to Europe, and features a Pavarotti at the height of his powers. There is a lot of tight-angle camera work, which highlights the performers rather than the staging. The miking also is close -- and what a relief it is by comparison with the undermiking of singers that was common in those early days of televised opera. The 1997 Japanese laserdisc release of this performance received a magnificent audio and visual transfer. Therefore the forthcoming DVD has the potential for demonstration quality.

Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor / Joan Sutherland, Alfredo Kraus, Pablo Elvira, Paul Plishka, Richard Bonynge, Metropolitan Opera

Average customer rating:

Fascinated by the broad spectrum of reviews....
a classic performance
Bel canto diva shines
I was there that night and Sutherland was in great form...
A perfect opera perfectly performed

Donizetti - Lucia di Lammermoor / Joan Sutherland, Alfredo Kraus, Pablo Elvira, Paul Plishka, Richard Bonynge, Metropolitan Opera
Starring: Joan Sutherland , Alfredo Kraus , Pablo Elvira , Paul Plishka , and Richard Bonynge
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000B8ISPK
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Customer Reviews:

Fascinated by the broad spectrum of reviews...........2007-03-14

I'm watching (listening) once again after some years as I write this little note. Out of curiosity I read what the other thirty-five of you had to say. All the opinions count because they are expressed by people who are either educated to opera or have great affection for it. Having said that, I was embarrassed for the principles - and was that taken with Pablo Elvira who has done little in the way of recordings, more's the pity. Plishka was, well, Plishka. In case some of you haven't noticed, the Met has rather shabby performances with singers who don't fit and some who shouldn't be singing in what used to be a world class house. Clearly, that was going on in 1982 and little has improved. (Ask me about Meistersinger on 3/19/07.)

Oh-yes! I'm not brand new, and long for those days of yesteryear when an opera singer considered the lyric stage either a convent or a monestery, so to speak. Dame Joan most certainly lead a circumspect life with her Dickie and God bless them both. Somehow, even the greats too often just don't know when to quit. I've never understood that sort of mania but, then, I never had to.

I believe that those of you who adored this performance and its stars did so out of appreciation and reverence, just as I often do with Callas who had some outstanding flaws - that wobble alone probably drives some listeners to turn her off.

a classic performance .......2007-02-25

The sextet in this opera performance is well worth the price of admission. No words describe it

Bel canto diva shines.......2006-04-26

Perhaps this is not the definitive production of Lucia di Lammermoor, nor is it Sutherland's most sensational performance of the role. But it merits 5 stars simply because it is Sutherland in her signature part, an amazingly rare document considering the astonishing length of her career (she was 56 at the time of this performance), the number of times she performed Lucia, and her position as the foremost bel canto artist of the 20th century.

There were many fine, even great interpreters of this role in the last century prior to Sutherland, despite the remarks of another reviewer. Among them were Tetrazzini, Galli-Curci, Melba and, or course, Pons. Contemporaries included Callas, Sills, Peters, Mesple and, for a very short while, Scotto. In spite of these singers many individual qualities, it is well known that the role belongs to Sutherland.

Opinions are fine, but comparing Devia to Sutherland is quite a stretch, and is a representative example of the deterioriating knowledge about vocal artistry in today's opera going public, which week after week cheer pedestrian-to-outright bad performances on the stage of the Met (one reviewer would have shown greater sensitivity acknowledging the work of Gruberova over Devia). As to comments that Sutherland's voice seems strained at times, there is no question that it does not have some of the qualities it once did. But that would not be the point. The miracle is the way in which she manages this performance, a notoriously difficult one, and succeeds, to the reviewers' own observation, to rise to the occasion at exactly the right moments.

For those who were not fortunate enough to hear Sutherland in a live performance, this recording, as with her others--studio or otherwise--will in no way inform the ear about the incomparable amplitude, virtuosity and sheer beauty of this remarkable instrument. And if one wants to hear what real strain and pinched, uneven singing sounds like, sample some of the work of successors June Anderson, Ruth Ann Swenson and others.

I would also suggest Sutherland's 1986 performance of Lucia from Sydney, on DVD/VHS. Her voice is remarkably fresh, the instrument pliant, and her endurance, well, stupendous. Both studio recordings, made 20 years apart, are also exceptional, showing the amazing growth of an already unsurpassed voice. If you can find her performance of the Mad Scene from the 1984 Concert for Peace in Sydney, get it. As for pirates, they are out there. Of this group, I would recommend the 1970 Lucia from the Met with Domingo.

I was there that night and Sutherland was in great form..........2006-04-19

pushing the music and the melodrama for all it was worth. And with Alfredo Kraus on hand (the most consistently splendid and underrated of the great dark tenors of his generation), and with Bonynge in the pit this was a grand and moving event. There was excitement too, because it was not clear where the next generation of leading divas was coming from at the time, and the Met audience savored the evenings when true representatives of the age of great singers were on the boards, in good health and good voice. Sutherland was always in spendid voice, but she did not often immerse herself in a character like Freni, or Price or Tebaldi were able to rise to the great moments. Here she did, and it is a transcendent memory. I am going to buy this. I will let you know how it holds up. I saw the Pavoratti version (in his prime) and he also could milk this opera for all it was worth, despite his curious inability to really inhabit the character.

A perfect opera perfectly performed.......2006-03-03

I think Donizetti's little masterpiece is a perfect opera, everything fits, it's self-contained, events follow naturally, logically and psychologically from each other in a perfectly self-sufficient universe to the end, and the end and what Edgardo is thinking are natural and perfect too. The music's good too. It's too good. It reminds me of Rigoletto (these are in fact my 2 favorite operas, Tosca used to be a third but I've begun to find too many empty places in it, too many periods of musical blank). Like Lucia, every tune in Rigoletto is a winner, and the opera follows it's own evolution to its, well, as in Lucia, I'm tempted to say natural or logical conclusion. I love both operas. But this one. Sutherland was wonderful. Her singing was stunning. Everyone was marvelous, but she was "la stupenda," and she certainly earned her sobriquet in this performance. She was so involved in the drama and the music of the mad scene that she was singing that she had difficulty coming out of it during her curtain call afterward. In fact, it wasn't until the end of the endless ovation that she was able to come to herself and smile. I love her. Note: how do the members of the chorus and singers of minor roles feel sharing the stage with greatness such as this, a greatness that they themselves will never achieve. It's sad. Surely they're jealous and unhappy. Oh well. This was a wonderful production of a wonderful opera. One last note: I could imagine Sutherland back stage laughing and messing up her hair and dipping her hands in "blood" preparatory to the mad scene.

Minkus - La Bayadere / Guerin, Hilaire, Platel, Paris Ballet

Average customer rating:

Just Superb
Opulence
Rudolf Nureyev's Last Offering to the World - the exotic "La Bayadere"
Una magnífica producción.
amazing perfection!

Minkus - La Bayadere / Guerin, Hilaire, Platel, Paris Ballet
Starring: Minkus , Isabelle Guerin , Laurent Hilaire , Elisabeth Platel , and Paris Opera Ballet
Director: Nureyev
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000294T5G
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Description

Exotic and mysterious India serves as the backdrop to this story of doomed love between the warrior Solor and the bayadère, Nikiya, who is killed by her jealous rival, Gamzatti. Breathtaking sets and costumes are designed by Ezio Frigerio and Franca Squarciapino in this exceptional production, recorded at the Palais Garnier in Paris. Direction and choreography in this fully restored version of Petipa's original ballet are by Rudolf Nureyev. Stars Isabelle Guérin, Laurent Hilaire, and Élisabeth Platel.

Customer Reviews:

Just Superb.......2006-12-14

It is difficult to understand how other reviewers can have reservations about this performance. The production values are excellent and the dancing is exceptional - sets,costumes and the all-important lighting contribute to a stunning dvd with colour and spectacle and to compare it to the Royal Ballet version is simply pointless.
Asylmuratova looks edgy and unsure in the RB and lacks chemistry with Mukhamedov, who was oddly not his (often) brilliant self, while Dowell hammed the High Brahmin role beyond credibility. Darcy Bussell is a redeeming pleasure but all are saddled with an atmosphere of shabbiness in costumes and sets, while the stage of the ROH looks quite tatty. The contrast is even more marked with the timing of the corps de ballet which is an absolute joy with the Paris Opera company (a result which takes more than a taped stage to achieve) and for anyone considering choosing between the two dvds - there's no contest. This is the one and a wonderful legacy it is from Nureyev.

Opulence.......2006-11-05

Nuryev has gone all out in this production! The lead dancer is amazingly turned-out - great technique. Male lead has good feet. Corps...Wow! Paris Opera Ballet dancers are understated compare to American Ballet Theatre. They have a passion that is a little veiled, but after a few viewings you see that it is just as strong and present - just in a different way, a good way. It is true ballet. Your money will be well spent on this DVD! It is worth every cent!

Rudolf Nureyev's Last Offering to the World - the exotic "La Bayadere".......2005-10-19

"La Bayadere" was first presented at the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theatre by the Czar's Imperial Ballet (today the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet) on January 23, 1877. It was the creation of Marius Petipa, the unrivled Maitre de Ballet of the St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet. "La Bayadere" became a classic among the great ballets of the 19th century and a useful vehicle for all the great ballerinas of the day. Petipa revised the ballet in 1884 for the ballerina Anna Johansson, and for the last time in 1900 for the Imperial Prima Ballerina Mathilde Kschessinskaya and for the benefit of the Premiere Danseur Noble Pavel Gerdt. For this 1900 revival Petipa completely refurbished with a new staging and fresh choreography. The ballet lived on for over 25 more years before it fell out of active the repertoire after the revolution. In 1941, the Ballet Master Vladimir Ponomarev and the great Danseur Vakhtang Chabukiani presented a new version of "La Bayadere" based on Petipa's last revival of 1900. It is this version that has lived on to the present day at the Mariinksy Theatre, and that Rudolf Nureyev, the greatest dancer of his generation, learned when he danced there. Interestingly enough "La Bayadere" was the last ballet Nureyev danced with the Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet before he defected from the Soviet Union in 1961 while on tour with the company in France. In 1963 Nureyev staged Petipa's masterful 'Grand Pas Classique' from "La Bayadere" known as "The Kingdom of the Shades". This was the first of many stagings from the Petipa repertoire that Nureyev would go on to stage in the west, but it was not untill 3 months before his death in 1993 that his version of the full-length "La Bayadere" premiered, danced by the Paris Opera Ballet where he had been Artistic Director since 1983.

Nureyev's production of "La Bayadere" is absolutly magnificent. He called upon his close friend Ninel Kurgapkina, former Ballerina and now teacher/coach of the Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet to assist him with the production. Their staging of "La Bayadere" follows the 1941 Soviet revival of Ponomareyev and Chabukiani almost exactly, with changes being very few (among these changes was the revision of dances for the female corps de ballet, along with making the male corps de ballet more prominent).

This production of "La Bayadere" is a lavish dream of the ancient southern Orient seen through 19th century European Eyes. The spectacular decor, designed by Ezio Frigerio, strays far away from the typical painted-backcloth-type sets of most ballet productions and instead, gives the Paris Opera Ballet sets to dance among - the design of the stage decor will take your breath away, as it looks very much like a priceless brazen antique - the wings and the top sides of the stage are decorated with paintings of palm trees and the like, the palace of the Maharajah in Act I/Scene 2 and in Act II pays obvious homage to the Taj Mahal, and it is glorious to see "The Kingdom of the Shades" scene danced in the jungle. The costumes, designed by Franca Squarciapino match the decor absolutly, and in the same regard take inspiration from the Indian Orient. The one thing that spoils the effect of the wonderful decor is the stage floor, which is covered with light gray marley and sealed off with rows of white tape stretching from the footlights on upstage, obviously put there to keep the dancers in perfect rows (as it does - one will never see the Kirov/Mariinky or the Bolshoi in need of such stage markers).

On the DVD liner notes, and in the credits, the music is credited as being re-orchestrated by John Lanchbery (conductor and musical director for the Royal Opera House for many years). In his past productions, Nureyev had called upon Lanchbery to revise/re-orchestrate the scores of Minkus, but unlike Lanchbery's severe revisions of the Minkus scores for Nureyev's revivals of such ballets as "Don Quixote", the "Paquita" Grand pas Classique, as well as Natalia Makarova's stagings of "La Bayadere", he has thankfully only altered a few brief passages - these changes are so minute that one wonders why it was even necessary to have Lanchbery do anything to the score in the first place, as only a person 100% familiar with the original Minkus score inside and out can make out the differences. Thankfully the score of "La Bayadere" is presented here as it Minkus originally orchestrated it (with the exception of the few changes Lanchbery did), a rare treat in the west (most everyone in the ballet world finds the Lanchbery revisions of Minkus's music to be horrific anyway). The scintillating and beautifully melodious music of Minkus sparkles in the hands of the conductor Michel Queval, making the look and feel of the ballet succeed even more. One should never judge Minkus's music for symphonic substance, but instead for its theatrical effectiveness, and even more so for the fact that the music completely accents the movements of classical ballet, and accompanies the dramatic scenes perfectly. (Note - See CD Decca 436 917-2 for the score of "La Bayadere" as re-orchestrated/revised by John Lanchbery for Natalia Makarova's staging for American Ballet Theatre in 1980. This recording is performed by the English Chamber Orchestra and conducted by Richard Bonynge)

For this performance, the leading roles are danced by Isabelle Guerin as Nikiya, Elisabeth Platel as Gamzatti, and Laurent Hilare as Solor. As with most of the ballerinas that have been coming out of the Paris Opera Ballet lately (with the exception of Aurelie Dupont and Emanna Floria of course), the leading danseuses in this film are good, but they are far from being great, and give performances that are very neutral and plain. Isabelle Guerin gives a worthy portrayl of Nikiya in this performance, though her acting is rather cardboard and docile - in the dramatic scenes the woman almost seems indifferent. On the plus side her dancing in the Act I/Scene 1 'Variation of Nikiya', and especially in "The Kingdom of the Shades" is excellent technically (the greatest interpretation on film is without a doubt Altynai Assylmoratova of the Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet as danced in the Royal Ballet film of "La Bayadere"). Elisabeth Platel gives a good portrayl of Gamzatti as a character, but her dancing is very poor - I must say that her variation in the 'Grand Pas Classique' of Act II is absolutly shameful (some reviewers below give her much praise - they either know little about good ballet dancing or they need their eyes checked!). Laurent Hilaire gives a wonderful portrayl of Solor, with strong partnering of both ballerinas and elegant dancing in his variations, not to mention his great entrance in the Grand Procession at the start of Act II atop a pointy-eared elephant on wheels. Wilfred Romoli gives a graceful and elequant performance as the Golden Idol, though he lacks the "pazzaz" one should have when dancing the 'Bazhok' as it is known in Russia, while Sandrine Marache is charming and lovely in the 'Danse Manu' (doing a great job of keeping the water jug balanced on her head). The 3 Shades variations in "The Kingdom of the Shades" scene are perhaps the biggest dissapointment of all in this entire performance. Agnes Letestu, Clotilde Vayer, and Nathalie Rique do the honors here, complete with really stupid smiles on their faces that have absolutly no business among the magnificent courtly opulace of "The Kingdom of the Shades". For some reason what is supposed to be the last variation gets performed first, danced by Agnes Letestu (complete with her ridiculous smile). She does the best job out of the 3, suprising considering her terrible performance in the Paris Opera Ballet's "Paquita" film. Clotilde Vayer dances the next variation (which is really supposed to be the first one) and does an awful, boring job, again with a ridiculous grin on her face. For some reason towards the end of Vayer's variation the camera cuts off her performance and instead gives us a shot of the corps de ballet dancers feet, perhaps because Vayer's arabasque releve-elance's, which are supposed to be traveling on the diagnale but aren't, dont look so good. The last variation (which is supposed to be the second one) is danced by Nathalie Rique. She demonstrates how a ballerina can dance well but have absolutly no spark, and again we have a ridiculously out-of-place smile that warrants a good wack across the face. The Corps de Ballet does well, but its obvious that the rows of tape on the stage floor are responsible for their perfect, straight lines (watch the Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet dance this scene in their film of "La Bayadere", and on another film called "The Kirov Ballet in London" to see true Corps de Ballet perfection un-aided by a taped up stage floor).

This staging of "La Bayadere" is perhaps the greatest version available on film regarding production (sets, costumes, etc.), even more so than Natalia Makarova's sandwiched versions for American Ballet Theatre (in 1980) and for the Royal Ballet (in 1990). In 2001, the Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet (the former Imperial Ballet) presented "La Bayadere" in a reconstruction of Petipa's last revival of 1900. Using the Stepanov choreographic notation and other sources included in the Sergeyev Collection housed at the Harvard University Library and from their own archives, the Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet completely restored the choreography, sets, costumes, and the mime sequences to their original form (one reviewer on this page says that the original choreography of "La Bayadere" is lost, which is not true, as it was notated by Petipa's regisseur Nikolai Sergeyev and his assistants around the time of the Ballet Master's 1900 revival). The original Minkus score was restored from the composer's orignal hand-written manuscript, and what a wonderful masterpeice of ballet music it is. Let us hope that this reconstruction of "La Bayadere" doesnt stay to long from DVD/video, just as the Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet's 1999 reconstruction of the 1890 premiere of "The Sleeping Beauty" has. It would be a great disservice to the world of ballet....but given the ridiculous politics of the current Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet, it is likely niether production will ever find its way to DVD/video. Such a waste.

The Paris Opera Ballet has been releasing quite alot of their repertoire onto DVD over the last few years. I would never go so far as to say that they are the greatest company in the world, but they are exceptional. Unfortunatly many people feel that ballet dancing cant get any better than what they see in these Paris Opera performances - dont ever let good productions and great costumes fool you! If you want to see great ballet dancing, watch American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Ballet, the Bolshoi, and especially the Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet, which is without a doubt the greatest company in the world.

Nureyev's production of "

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