Rating: 
Summary: Seeing is Believing
Review: When I first heard the CD version of this opera I thought, that it was good , but certainly not worth all the fuss. Then I saw the DVD and WOW!!! This performance is simply spectacular. When reviewing this work one must begin with Gheorghiu. She brings Violetta to life in a way that few performers have done before. First of all her singing is divine. She is in total control of her instrument and never falters. Second she can act an art that is often missing or downplayed in opera today She is seductive in the opening act, tortured and remorseful in the second, and looking very sickly in the final stanza.. Lastly, as many others have said she is very attractive, which is always a plus especially in this role. Too often audiences are saddled with Violettas that are wonderful singers but frankly are not credible as being the object of Alfredo's desire. This is not the case here. Gheorghiu's natural beauty is accentuated by the wonderful costuming. However for those who think that Gheorghiu is all about glamour, look at the final act where her beauty is sacrificed for a very sickly look. The one knock I have against her performance is not attempting to hit the high E at the end of the Folie! aria in act one. I do not quite understand why she chose to do this. Her voice was in stellar form and she is more then capable of hitting the note. None the less I understand the risk involved and have seen this note skipped on more then one occasion in this opera. However I must say that it would have been a fine exclamation point on her beautiful rendition of this aria.As for the rest of the cast, I must agree with one of the other reviewers in saying that a more lyric tenor then Lopardo would have been better. Alagna would be an obvious choice for me given his voice and his ability to compliment Gheorghiu's voice and vice versa. Doming would have been wonderful, however he is too old at this point for the role opposite Gheorghiu. Having said this, Lopardo does a credible job and does not detract from the performance though he is not spectacular. Nucci is fantastic as alfredo's father. His voice is in great form, and his performance is very refined. A wonderful choice for the role. As for the rest of the production, Solti's conducting was rock solid as usual despite his advanced age. He was deeply involved in the production, and the orchestra showed it. The set was traditional, and the costumes were some of the best I have ever seen. I must comment briefly here on those reviewers that rank this performance as a one or two star effort. These people are those that dislike Gheorghiu for whatever reason. They will never like anything she does because of a personal dislike for her, rather then the quality of her performance. All in all this is a must buy.
Rating:
Summary: Gheorghiu IS Violetta
Review: While flawed in several respects, this DVD nevertheless records the most thrilling and moving performance of this opera I have ever seen or heard (and I have seen it performed live several times and own most commercial recordings of it). I had the VHS tape for years, but bought the DVD immediately when it became available, because this production deserves to be seen and heard in the best quality possible. The success of this performance is attributable almost exclusively to Angela Gheorghiu. Forget what many say about Maria Callas -- Gheorghiu IS Violetta. She looks the part but, more importantly, she LIVES the part. Her singing and acting is exquisite. She truly makes one feel Violetta's ambivalence and conflict in her big Act I solo, love and sacrifice in the first scene of Act II (the scene between Violetta and Germont pere is perhaps the most complex and riveting in all of opera), her heartbreak in the second scene of that Act, and her relief at her reunion with Alfredo in Act III. Her performance tugs at the heartstrings and drains the tearducts throughout the opera without ever seeming mannered or overdone. Her achievement is even greater in that she can have this effect even playing against two antagonists of limited effectiveness. As Alfredo, Frank Lopardo acts with commitment and youthful sincerity. Unfortunately, his singing tone is rather pinched, which makes him seem stiff and unnatural. Leo Nucci's Germont is woolly of tone and completely unsympathetic. His performance in the Act II duet with Gheorghiu makes him seem like a monster rather than a concerned father. It's to Gheorghiu's great credit that she makes Violetta's agreement to sacrifice herself and her love believable. Had a lesser actress been paired with Nucci, the opera would have been over at that point; one would have expected her merely to boot Germont from her house. I said that the performance's success is ALMOST exclusively attributable to Ms. Gheorghiu. One must recognize Sir Georg Solti's contribution as well. Had he driven the music harder or let it languish, all would have been lost. But his moderated reading is perfect. It is a true testament to his genius that one of the most renowned and dynamic conductors of all time could allow himself to be completely inconspicuous in the performance. EVERY lover of opera and anyone interested in exposing himself or herself to opera should own this disc. It will be a long time before it comes out of MY player.
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