A new take on a familiar opera is always interesting and having read a few reviews I hoped for the best and tried to give this an objective viewing. I found it a muddled and wilful production and vocally second rate. What time are we in? Well there are men in armour, swords a plenty and in one scene an electric fan. I always have problems when the performers sing of one thing but the production says something else. As in the second scene where Rigoletto is finding his way home and sings of his relief when he gets there - except that he has been nowhere at all - sitting in a chair before the closed stage curtains while the whole of that wonderful monologue is crammed with distractions in the way of stage business. All well and good if there is a reason; if it sheds some light on the matter, which it patently did not. Rigoletto is encumbered with 'realistic' deformities yet he exists in a world of strained and often obscure symbolism. I reached for the notes provided to find the writer burbling of the implacability of the sets'. That's one way of putting it I suppose.
Sadly the singing did not improve matters greatly.I have admired Carlos Alvarez greatly as Iago with Antonenko as Otello but Rigoletto is a different kind of role altogether. It need a range of expressive tones, loving, comforting, angry, vengeful, bereft and pitiful but Alvarez has only one tone with variations in volume only. The voice is scratched now and free of bloom. Inva Mula looks lovely but where you yearn for a simple pure sound you hear a voice which under pressure tends to harshness. Best of the soloists is the tenor who starts well with 'Questa o quella' (not in a crowded ballroom but in front of a roundabout of potential partners sitting like girls for sale in a redlight district - as subtle as it gets.) But even he forces his voice in 'La donna' which he ends with a loud B as he fronts the stage and sings directly to the audience with one arm out as if he had just sung 'Di quella pira.' I cannot imagine wanting to sit through it again and wished my money back in my pocket. Of course my poison may well be another man's meat but for me it was a wasted attempt to say something new about an established masterpiece.
Rigoletto [DVD]
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購入オプションとあわせ買い
フォーマット | 字幕付き, AC-3, クラシック, ドルビー, DTS Stereo |
コントリビュータ | Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Marcelo Alvarez, Carlos Alvarez, Giuseppe Verdi, Inva Mula, Graham Vick |
言語 | イタリア語 |
UPC | 824121001988 |
GTIN (Global Trade Identification Number) | 00824121001988 |
登録情報
- アスペクト比 : 1.78:1
- 言語 : イタリア語
- 梱包サイズ : 18.03 x 13.76 x 1.48 cm; 83.16 g
- EAN : 0824121001988
- メディア形式 : 字幕付き, AC-3, クラシック, ドルビー, DTS Stereo
- 発売日 : 2006/10/2
- 出演 : Giuseppe Verdi, Graham Vick, Inva Mula, Carlos Alvarez, Marcelo Alvarez
- 字幕: : ドイツ語, 英語, イタリア語, スペイン語, フランス語, カタロニア語
- 販売元 : TDK
- ASIN : B000I2IV0G
- ディスク枚数 : 1
- カスタマーレビュー:
他の国からのトップレビュー
Steve Bell
5つ星のうち2.0
A wasted effort.
2015年2月5日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Archie (Ottawa Canada)
5つ星のうち1.0
There are better productions
2008年10月30日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
It is relatively easy to review a live performance because it is a one-off event and hence can be considered on its merits. However, when one has more than one version of an opera on DVD at home, it seems natural to have a look at the others and compare. I have two other excellent productions of Rigoletto, and regrettably, this one comes up very much wanting.
First, the direction and concept. It is relatively static. One should have expected that when in the opening scene, the walls of the rotating set have seated women. Presumably this is to show women as objects. But they are lifeless!! Monterone and the Curse come across as very weak, instead of a major focal point. Carlos Alvarez sings and acts wonderfully well -- but why was he made so grotesquely ugly, and so dressed in latex that he visibly drips sweat throughout. And why, immediately after the stabbing of Gilda ( a very dramatic time in the opera) do the curtains close and we switch to seeing the conductor and the orchestra? That is an abrupt mood killer. The symbolism is at times stupidly obvious, such as Gilda singing "Caro Nome" while she picks apples from a tree, and then in her brief appearance during the abduction she has an apple in her mouth. As well, the sound leaves a lot to be desired. I will stop here although I have many more specific criticisms because I do not want to flog a dead horse, as it were.
The two excellent productions I have are:
Ponnelle/Chailly. Deutches Grammaphon have done a splendid job remastering this recording. The technical quality is excellent. Wixell as Rigoletto (and Monterone), Pavarotti (playing himself) as the Duke, Guberova as Gilda and Furlenetto as Sparafucile are all first rate. And there is the nastiest bunch of courtiers imaginable. Ponnelle directs this film, as usual with panache, in various Italian Renaissance sites. One feels sucked into the action here in a way that stage productions cannot equal.
McVicar/Downes. Opus Arte as usual has put out a technically superior DVD. This is a stage production from The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. There is a unitary almost claustrophobic effect to the set on this rotating stage. McVicar, as always, has brought out many subtleties of this opera. The cast -- Paolo Gavanelli, Christine Schafer, Halfverson, and Marcelo Alvarez (much better here than in the TDK production) are all great actors as well as singers. There is a background of violence here, but not over the top as it is in the TDK production. Therefore, it is all the more disturbing in its totality.
The two I mention are both excellent, but different. I admire them both. Get either or both -- but my advice is to not bother with the TDK one.
Archie
First, the direction and concept. It is relatively static. One should have expected that when in the opening scene, the walls of the rotating set have seated women. Presumably this is to show women as objects. But they are lifeless!! Monterone and the Curse come across as very weak, instead of a major focal point. Carlos Alvarez sings and acts wonderfully well -- but why was he made so grotesquely ugly, and so dressed in latex that he visibly drips sweat throughout. And why, immediately after the stabbing of Gilda ( a very dramatic time in the opera) do the curtains close and we switch to seeing the conductor and the orchestra? That is an abrupt mood killer. The symbolism is at times stupidly obvious, such as Gilda singing "Caro Nome" while she picks apples from a tree, and then in her brief appearance during the abduction she has an apple in her mouth. As well, the sound leaves a lot to be desired. I will stop here although I have many more specific criticisms because I do not want to flog a dead horse, as it were.
The two excellent productions I have are:
Ponnelle/Chailly. Deutches Grammaphon have done a splendid job remastering this recording. The technical quality is excellent. Wixell as Rigoletto (and Monterone), Pavarotti (playing himself) as the Duke, Guberova as Gilda and Furlenetto as Sparafucile are all first rate. And there is the nastiest bunch of courtiers imaginable. Ponnelle directs this film, as usual with panache, in various Italian Renaissance sites. One feels sucked into the action here in a way that stage productions cannot equal.
McVicar/Downes. Opus Arte as usual has put out a technically superior DVD. This is a stage production from The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. There is a unitary almost claustrophobic effect to the set on this rotating stage. McVicar, as always, has brought out many subtleties of this opera. The cast -- Paolo Gavanelli, Christine Schafer, Halfverson, and Marcelo Alvarez (much better here than in the TDK production) are all great actors as well as singers. There is a background of violence here, but not over the top as it is in the TDK production. Therefore, it is all the more disturbing in its totality.
The two I mention are both excellent, but different. I admire them both. Get either or both -- but my advice is to not bother with the TDK one.
Archie
jjbraham
5つ星のうち2.0
Bad sound and production
2007年5月28日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
I had high hopes for this Rigoletto. First of all, after seeing Inva Mula's excellent Mimi in Madrid's La Boheme, I expected very much. Sad to say, this was not the case, since she doesn't have the vocal agility to cope with the part and just screams her way out of some parts.
Second, the production and the direction was not interesting at all. The sets are incredibly boring and the camera work just as bad. Never was I drawn into the opera.
Third, the sound was awful. This is one of those productions where the sound "engineers" believe that since the voice is the most important aspect of an opera, why let the music distract from it? And so the orchestra is recorded so low it could well be in an adjacent building instead of the opera house, barely audible, lest it should intrude in the voices. Do they have any idea of how it sound live? They should definitely take a look at the recent Opus Arte productions.
It's a shame for Carlos Alvarez Rigoletto is excellent and Marcelo Alvarez Duke is also very good. Still, look elsewhere.
Second, the production and the direction was not interesting at all. The sets are incredibly boring and the camera work just as bad. Never was I drawn into the opera.
Third, the sound was awful. This is one of those productions where the sound "engineers" believe that since the voice is the most important aspect of an opera, why let the music distract from it? And so the orchestra is recorded so low it could well be in an adjacent building instead of the opera house, barely audible, lest it should intrude in the voices. Do they have any idea of how it sound live? They should definitely take a look at the recent Opus Arte productions.
It's a shame for Carlos Alvarez Rigoletto is excellent and Marcelo Alvarez Duke is also very good. Still, look elsewhere.
figaretto
5つ星のうち3.0
Good singing, ugly sets
2006年12月29日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
I am glad I purchased this dvd because of Carlos Alvarez and Marcelo Alvarez, both of whom I enjoy very much. The Gilda, Inva Mula, was good also. She has a very focused voice, and although she doesn't have tons of fireworks, she is quite pleasant to listen to and her acting is quite acceptable.
Carlos Alvarez has a very focused, low baritone voice which unfailingly impresses and cuts through the orchestra, however the lowness of the voice seems to make the high notes come hard. For the most part, he executes them beautifully, without yelling or wavering. His acting is good and he is probably the most satisfying Rigoletto singing today.
Marcelo Alvarez was fine in this role as normal, although occasionally a little off his mark. When he got relaxed, he did some wonderful singing. He held a long note at the end of 'La Donna e Mobile' and the orchestra just cut right in on him. Bravo to him to try to make the show exciting and poo on the conductor for cutting him off. He of course, didn't get much of his deserved applause as the music was continuing on. He is heavy in this dvd and would look so much better with some weight off.
The Sparafucile was a little unsteady. The Monterone seemed pretty good but better in his second part than in his first. The Magdalena was very pretty but her voice had no focus or was quite small - it was lost most of the time she sang.
Now the sets and costumes: They are the real downfall of this dvd. They are just ugly. Rigoletto is made to wear a rubber head-wound thing that makes his head look all deformed and scabby. He also has to wear a complete upper body rubber suit covering even the arms which gives him both the hump and all sorts of nasty sores. (He takes his shirt off in his first scene with Gilda) The body suit is not very realistic for dvd, since you can see the neck hole and it is obviously a rubber shirt. It's also pretty unrealistic that any rich duke would have a court jester or 'favorite' who is SO repulsive, he appears he could easily give you some sort of disease. Plus, it's a wonder Carlos Alvarez did not have a heat stroke during these performances. By the second act, sweat is dripping out of the rubber headpiece more than one drop per second.
The sets and costumes seem to be quasi-modern but Rigoletto still wears a fairly traditional jester's outfit, which doesn't make too much sense. I have no problem with a modern setting and it's possible if the director would have just made the decision to go all the way modern, some of the ugly clutter could have been cut out of the sets. I did find the rest of the costumes just fine except perhaps the brightly colored masks the courtiers wear as they kidnap Gilda - they were too distracting, as was Rigoletto's costume. The sets are very unaesthetic for the most part, with the Liceu stage being turned around and around again. I have other dvds from this opera house and I must say, they do love to turn that stage. I find it annoying and dizzying. There are also a couple symbolisms, such as at the beginning of the opera, women are lined up around the outside of the circular turning wall along with the duke, the party going on inside the wall; and later the women are actually hanging on the circular wall, the duke's bedroom being inside the wall. Yeah, we get it, the women he conquers are many - really dumb.
So that's it - really decent singing with terrible sets and costumes.
Carlos Alvarez has a very focused, low baritone voice which unfailingly impresses and cuts through the orchestra, however the lowness of the voice seems to make the high notes come hard. For the most part, he executes them beautifully, without yelling or wavering. His acting is good and he is probably the most satisfying Rigoletto singing today.
Marcelo Alvarez was fine in this role as normal, although occasionally a little off his mark. When he got relaxed, he did some wonderful singing. He held a long note at the end of 'La Donna e Mobile' and the orchestra just cut right in on him. Bravo to him to try to make the show exciting and poo on the conductor for cutting him off. He of course, didn't get much of his deserved applause as the music was continuing on. He is heavy in this dvd and would look so much better with some weight off.
The Sparafucile was a little unsteady. The Monterone seemed pretty good but better in his second part than in his first. The Magdalena was very pretty but her voice had no focus or was quite small - it was lost most of the time she sang.
Now the sets and costumes: They are the real downfall of this dvd. They are just ugly. Rigoletto is made to wear a rubber head-wound thing that makes his head look all deformed and scabby. He also has to wear a complete upper body rubber suit covering even the arms which gives him both the hump and all sorts of nasty sores. (He takes his shirt off in his first scene with Gilda) The body suit is not very realistic for dvd, since you can see the neck hole and it is obviously a rubber shirt. It's also pretty unrealistic that any rich duke would have a court jester or 'favorite' who is SO repulsive, he appears he could easily give you some sort of disease. Plus, it's a wonder Carlos Alvarez did not have a heat stroke during these performances. By the second act, sweat is dripping out of the rubber headpiece more than one drop per second.
The sets and costumes seem to be quasi-modern but Rigoletto still wears a fairly traditional jester's outfit, which doesn't make too much sense. I have no problem with a modern setting and it's possible if the director would have just made the decision to go all the way modern, some of the ugly clutter could have been cut out of the sets. I did find the rest of the costumes just fine except perhaps the brightly colored masks the courtiers wear as they kidnap Gilda - they were too distracting, as was Rigoletto's costume. The sets are very unaesthetic for the most part, with the Liceu stage being turned around and around again. I have other dvds from this opera house and I must say, they do love to turn that stage. I find it annoying and dizzying. There are also a couple symbolisms, such as at the beginning of the opera, women are lined up around the outside of the circular turning wall along with the duke, the party going on inside the wall; and later the women are actually hanging on the circular wall, the duke's bedroom being inside the wall. Yeah, we get it, the women he conquers are many - really dumb.
So that's it - really decent singing with terrible sets and costumes.
Steve Perlowski
5つ星のうち4.0
wet suit diminishes production
2008年5月18日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
This could have been a great "Rigoletto". The orchestra, the singing, and the acting are all first rate. Why "they" had to put Carlos Alvarez [Rigoletto] in that hideous rubber body suit that sporadically poured water/sweat like it was coming out of a faucet detracted, however, from the emotional power of a few of his important scenes. I'm not exaggerating here; to the extent that any good performance requires that we suspend our disbelief in the theatricality of the production with which we've become engaged, that body suit, which must have used water [like in a water balloon] to support his deformities, literally spurted its liquid contents out of the back of his head as if a spigot were turned on and off every now and then. Too bad, because the principals, including Sparafucile and his sister, were very good.