Rating: 
Summary: Satisfaction guaranteed
Review: "Satisfaction guaranteed" I baptise this comment, because by the time this dvd ends you're likely to be satisfied all-round. It is one of those performances where the end-sum ends up adding more than its parts, an ensemble success if there ever was one with no particularly outstanding, aweing contributions. ... Pape and Roschmann heading a very sucessful group of principal characters and Barenboim conducting very lively throughout, even riotously in the second half of the second act, his impeccable band of musicians. If you were in the Staatsoper Unter Den Linden the evening this quite traditional staging was taped, you're likely to have headed towards your after-theatre dinner or to your hotel with a smile as broad as your face.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than I expected
Review: I have the Metropolitan Opera's performance on CDs but I couldn't find it on DVD, so I bought this one instead. I like this DVD after watching it because the singing is not bad at all, and the sound and video qualities are very good, except the makeup - pretty much like the movie 'William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet'. Plus, there is not so much noise from the audience. One more thing that makes me feel disappointed is the short pause before the end of Act II, due to the change of DVD layer.
Rating:
Summary: A director with no sense of unity or character
Review: I knew I would have trouble with a production of Mozart's <Le Nozze di Figaro> as soon as Act I started with Figaro using a magic marker and wearing a modern tool belt while the rest of the cast were dressed in more or less period costume. But even this setting confusion was not consistent, since most modern props (like the Countess's Vogue Magazine) disappeared shortly into Act II. The problem for me is that I cannot have any feelings for characters that are taking second place to some director's "concept" while the music remains glorious. At any rate, this production is still worth hearing on the ArtHaus Musik DVD (100 017) now available through Naxos. Daniel Barenboim conducts the State Opera and Chorus of Berlin with a very good vocal cast: Rene Pape (Figaro), Dorothea Roschmann (Susanna), Emily Magee (Countess), Roman Trekel (Count), Patricia Risley (Cherubino), Rosemarie Lang (Marcellina), Kwangchul Youn (Bartolo), and the rest. The only visual problem is the rather unattractive Count, who looks a bit like a clean shaven Ming the Merciless rather than the charmer this character should be. The scenery is sparse, the night sequences in Act IV barely lit at all. Barenboim gives a reading that calls for no complaints nor kudos. But the DVD format makes this a valuable educational tool for music teachers who wish to show this marvelous opera in parts, since the tracking cues (84 in all) are quite generous and intelligently programmed.
Rating:
Summary: A director with no sense of unity or character
Review: I knew I would have trouble with a production of Mozart's as soon as Act I started with Figaro using a magic marker and wearing a modern tool belt while the rest of the cast were dressed in more or less period costume. But even this setting confusion was not consistent, since most modern props (like the Countess's Vogue Magazine) disappeared shortly into Act II. The problem for me is that I cannot have any feelings for characters that are taking second place to some director's "concept" while the music remains glorious. At any rate, this production is still worth hearing on the ArtHaus Musik DVD (100 017) now available through Naxos. Daniel Barenboim conducts the State Opera and Chorus of Berlin with a very good vocal cast: Rene Pape (Figaro), Dorothea Roschmann (Susanna), Emily Magee (Countess), Roman Trekel (Count), Patricia Risley (Cherubino), Rosemarie Lang (Marcellina), Kwangchul Youn (Bartolo), and the rest. The only visual problem is the rather unattractive Count, who looks a bit like a clean shaven Ming the Merciless rather than the charmer this character should be. The scenery is sparse, the night sequences in Act IV barely lit at all. Barenboim gives a reading that calls for no complaints nor kudos. But the DVD format makes this a valuable educational tool for music teachers who wish to show this marvelous opera in parts, since the tracking cues (84 in all) are quite generous and intelligently programmed.
Rating:
Summary: Rewarding performance despite some flaws
Review: Le Nozze is one of my favourite operas as this is the only version available on DVD, I snapped it up when I saw it even though the singers are all unfamiliar to me. And I am very glad that I did, at the time of writing this review, this dvd is no longer in print. I am never keen on operas being "updated" with props and costumes from a more modern period than the story itself, I don't find that this excercise ever enhances one's enjoyment of an opera, and so when Figaro walks on stage with a tool belt on I was afraid that the production design was going to spoil this DVD. Fortunately, the music was good enough to overcome the jarring visual quirks. All the performers did a much better job that I had expected from a cast of relative unknowns and soon I was transported by the music and barely noticed what the cast was wearing, except perhaps the count's ridiculous leather coat. If you NEED to see this opera on DVD, you did not have much choice and now you can't even buy this dvd new, so if you cannot wait for another version to come out, seek out this dvd used, it's more than good enough to keep Mozart-addicts happy for long while.
Rating: 
Summary: A very Ugly Production of a great Opera
Review: Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" is for me one of my most beloved of operas. Having seen this opera live many times, I knew I just had to have it permanently on DVD. This performance is not the performance to own, not for me anyhow. I could not get beyond the horrible 'ugliness' of the production, the sets, the costumes, the 'darkness' which permeated this entire production, and the very odd way the production was put together. Having said that, I thus could not appreciate the vocal performances and now realize that I will play this DVD solely for the vocal performance without watching the screen. This performance at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin is just plain 'ugly' to watch. Vocally it is quite lovely, if only to watch the magnificence of soprano Dorothea Roschmann, a superb Susanna, and Emily Magee who was a lovely Countess. So, visually.....go look for another performance to watch, this is not the one to see!
Rating:
Summary: A very Ugly Production of a great Opera
Review: Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" is for me one of my most beloved of operas. Having seen this opera live many times, I knew I just had to have it permanently on DVD. This performance is not the performance to own, not for me anyhow. I could not get beyond the horrible 'ugliness' of the production, the sets, the costumes, the 'darkness' which permeated this entire production, and the very odd way the production was put together. Having said that, I thus could not appreciate the vocal performances and now realize that I will play this DVD solely for the vocal performance without watching the screen. This performance at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin is just plain 'ugly' to watch. Vocally it is quite lovely, if only to watch the magnificence of soprano Dorothea Roschmann, a superb Susanna, and Emily Magee who was a lovely Countess. So, visually.....go look for another performance to watch, this is not the one to see!
Rating:
Summary: Marriage of Figaro
Review: This Germanic rendition of Figaro is a Wagnerized disaster with stormtrooper Count and no concept of the themes of love and betrayal which make up this best opera ever written.
Rating: 
Summary: A double face DVD
Review: This is a DVD with a good video quality, devoid big MPEG' s compression imperfection. Unfortunately the audio' s section propose an imperfect Dolby Digital 5.1 track. In fact the central channel don' t contribute to create a large resonant forehead, but it play in an undertone.
Rating:
Summary: FIGARO BRAVO!
Review: This is a very intense and incredibly moving version of Figaro. Overall, the acting is exceptional and these characters truly come to life. Much of the credit has to go to the director. I did find the opera curiously uneven. It is not a seamless affair, but oh! those highlights! If you love Figaro, you have to see these performers. Pape has an expressive face and the voice to go with it. He is simply extraordinary as Figaro and the rest of the cast are admirable as well. I found the conducting to be lacking in the expected Mozartian sparkle. But in the long run the dramatic and spiritual dimensions of this work have been heightened. If you are looking for attractive costume and set design, you won't find them here. But this to me seems inconsequential in view of the overall impact. I don't see how any can fail to be moved and "enlightened" by the end of this brilliant work.
|
