Ballet & Dance
Biography
Broadway
Classical
Documentary
General
Instructional
Jazz
Musicals
Opera
World Music
|
 |
Giacomo Puccini - La Bohème / Franco Zeffirelli · James Levine - T. Stratas · R. Scotto · J. Carreras · MET |
List Price: $29.98
Your Price: $26.98 |
 |
|
|
|
| Product Info |
Reviews |
Features:
Description:
The first recording of Puccini's La Bohème to be issued on DVD is the best visual treatment of this opera that anyone's ever likely to see. Director Franco Zeffirelli always seems to have television in mind when he directs an opera production, and his orientation toward visual impact and acting skills comes across effectively. Teresa Stratas (Zeffirelli's soprano of choice in one unforgettable production after another) is totally convincing as Mimi, and José Carreras is nearly as impressive as Rodolfo--most notably in the frequent closeups where acting skills are most crucial. Renata Scotto's Musetta is properly flirtatious, fickle, and verbally violent in Acts II and III, and warmly sympathetic in the heartbreaking finale. The supporting cast is superbly chosen and directed. There have been slightly better voices in some other Bohèmes (Pavarotti, for example), but the solo singing here is good, the chorus and orchestra are wonderful, and the visual treatment is magnificent. This should be considered a first choice among available DVDs. An interesting alternative is the fresh, innovative Australian Opera production, directed by Baz Luhrmann and updated to the 1950s. --Joe McLellan
|
|
|
|
