Live in Concert

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Live Performance DVD!!
Review: A common problem with opera and performing arts dvds is that the audio and video is not taken with the dvd format in mind. Recently, Deutsche Grammophon has began reissuing dvds from older performances, remixed in DTS and DD 5.1. However, this concert of Bryn Terfel is the first performance video done with the digital format in mind. The sound and video are superb and there are loads of additional features, including XFI which allows you to jump to interviews in between arias to get indepth answers about why Bryn chose that piece for the concert. Kudos to DG!

On to the actual concert: Bryn is simply at his best. I have seen him perform live three times and was impressed by his energy and ability to communicate with the audience. It is so amazing to see him perform some difficult pieces such as Wotan's Farewell and Falstaff's Honor monologue with such intensity and beautiful line. He sounds incredible and seems to keep getting better and better. The musical theater pieces for the second half of the program are well chosen and makes one wish he would take to Broadway in the near future. I highly recommend this DVD to anyone- from the casual opera fan to keen enthusiasts.

Rating:
Summary: not really of a fan of the man
Review: Bryn Terfels voice is too throuty for me and his renditions of musical theatre have an exaggerted boom factor that I find unappealing. But the extras on this DVD are notable.

Rating:
Summary: A Different Opinion
Review: I saw Bryn Terfel in the role of Falstaff several years ago in Chicago; it was a most entertaining experience. I know he's very popular and has a great following, but I find the Ambrogio Maestri DVD of Falstaff superior to the Terfel DVD performance. This "Live in Concert" DVD has also not made me a fan.

Mr. Terfel has a powerful voice and is equally at home with opera, show tunes or folk songs. When singing either of the latter two, unlike many opera singers, he does not spoil them with an over use of vibrato. To me, his voice also seems better suited to Verdi or Mozart than to Wagner, but that's very subjective.

He does have one habit, however, that I find most irritating. Frequently -- but not always -- he sings his N's as M's. To those of us who speak only English, this is most noticeable in the songs on this DVD, but he does the same in German and Italian. Some examples are: in "How to Handle a Woman" ("a great roMAMcer", "no IMDEED"); in "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" in the bonus material ("the corn is as high as AM ELEPHAMT's eye"). Once you become aware of this, each mispronunciation (and there are many) is like a pop on a scratched record; it makes one wince and distracts from the overall performance. I thought perhaps this might be a Welsh characteristic, but he never does this when speaking in any of the interview segments. In one of those interviews, Mr. Terfel points out that Verdi was emphatic about pronunciation and says he had worked very hard on that -- making this even more puzzling.

On the technical side, the DVD has a unique feature called XIF. This allows the viewer to jump to the bonus material related to the piece being performed in the concert. It's gimmicky, but can be useful. The problem it has is that if you're listening to the concert in 5.1 audio and use this feature to view the additional segment, when the software returns you to the concert, the audio has switched back to the default PCM 2. This is a minor problem, but one that shouldn't exist.

Edo de Waart and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra are the true stars of this DVD. Edo appears to be having a great time and is amused by Mr. Terfel's antics more than once. There seems to be a great camaraderie between the two.

I bought this DVD but wish I hadn't. Rent it or borrow it if you can before deciding to buy it. I was disappointed.

If you do view this DVD, be sure to catch the recording session of the fugue from Falstaff in the bonus material. The soprano is hamming it up, and the look Terfel gives her at the completion is worth seeing.


Rating:
Summary: Great Concert by Terfel and Orchestra
Review: I've seen Terfel several times and he always blows me away in person. He does so in this concert as well! The orchestra and conducting along with his singing just couldn't be improved upon. A perfectly wonderful concert. The Wagner was beautifully sung and Terfel makes it seem much easier than it is! However, his secret weapon is his ability to communicate, phrase and sing the Broadway show tunes. Each time he performs a selection he makes it new, fresh and his! I loved this DVD and highly recommend it to anyone who loves great music performed by highly trained musicians in a beautiful concert hall. This one is truly special!

Rating:
Summary: Great Concert by Terfel and Orchestra
Review: I've seen Terfel several times and he always blows me away in person. He does so in this concert as well! The orchestra and conducting along with his singing just couldn't be improved upon. A perfectly wonderful concert. The Wagner was beautifully sung and Terfel makes it seem much easier than it is! However, his secret weapon is his ability to communicate, phrase and sing the Broadway show tunes. Each time he performs a selection he makes it new, fresh and his! I loved this DVD and highly recommend it to anyone who loves great music performed by highly trained musicians in a beautiful concert hall. This one is truly special!