Verdi - Rigoletto / Downes, Gavanelli, Schafer, Alvarez, Royal Opera House

Rating:
Summary: Great from start to finish
Review: I was so happy that this performance was as good as stated by the 1st reviewer. I found ALL & must say it again ALL the performers were great. Gavanelli as Rigoletto was fabulous & also Christine Schaefer. Alvarez sang & acted the part of the Duke Perfectly. The sound is great along with the video. I can only say IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY- Hope you get yours soon & Enjoy. Ed

Rating:
Summary: The New "Nude" look at Rigoletto
Review: In the bonus material on the DVD there is an interview with the director of this production of "Rigoletto", who noticed that his goal was to make totally different approach to "Rigoletto". He mentioned that he was looking for something new, that nobody's ever seen before...and so he came up with the idea to stage the spectacle which I would rate "R", not recommended for the people under 18. What a disgusting, especially the first scene in Duke's palace. If the director thinks that this is the correct way to interpret Rigoletto, he is mistaken. "Rigoletto" has way much more dimensions.
Besides the horrible staging I rate this DVD with 3 stars because of pretty strong cast. Excelent singing from Duke, Rigoletto and Gilda. Being tenor I personally appreciate Marcelo Alvarez. He is really good. Especially his aria "Parmi" is brilliant. So finally, I don't think that this is must have DVD. You just listen to it once and put on the shelf, or even try to sell it (as I did). If one wants to get an idea how powerfull Rigoletto really is, one should buy the movie with Pavarotti or buy CD with Kraus, Scotto and Bastianini.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific - But Not For The Faint of Heart
Review: Oh those naughty Brits! Who would ever have thought that nudity would be a part of a Verdi opera? Well, it is, in the first scene of Act I, and it is for this reason that I caution prospective buyers. But if you know the story of the libertine Duke of Mantua (originally the tenor part was to be King Francis I of France, but Italian censors said "no" to that), you will understand that the nudity and behavior of the Duke's court is that of a totally corrupt ruler. And although I was unprepared to see naked people in one of my favorite operas, it is, vocally, visually and sonically the very best operatic performance I have yet experienced on DVD. All of the singers are simply superb. Soprano Christine Schaefer is perfect in the role of Gilda; she is visually ideal as a young woman, and her vocal skills and interpretation are first rate. Marcello Alvarez, one of the two top tenors of today (the other is Ramon Vargas)is vocally stupendous as the Duke, yet from the outset, you will hate the character while loving Alvaerz' vocal interpretation. This Duke is a spoiled, arrogant, womanizing wretch! Paolo Gavanelli sings the title role brilliantly. His is a demanding part that requires substantial acting and vocal skills, and aside from an occasional excessive vibrato on sustained mid-voice notes, Gavanelli is simply great. Edward Downes conducts with both sensitivity and authority. The digital picture is first rate, but in this performance, the Dolby 5.1 sound has to be heard to be believed. It give a stunning depth and richness to the music, yet one is able to differentiate between instruments, and localize soloists on stage. So if you tend to the traditional, you may find the nudity and sexuality to be too much. But if you want to experience a vocally stunning and dramatically effective performance, you will not find better opera on DVD. But you may want to alert the neighbors, because this is one disc that will demand a boost in the volume control.

Rating:
Summary: Good performances, questionable choices
Review: Ok, so the first scene is over the top. Not only is the nudity unnecessary (do we really need this to sell tickets to "Rigoletto"?), it is out of keeping with the rest of the opera. Life in the Duke's court is corrupt, but there has to be a facade of decorum to make the Duke so appealing to so many women. And in case you are wondering, Ms. Schafer does not appear nude, nor (sorry, ladies) does Mr. Alvarez. Nevertheless, they are both attractive enough to make the love at first sight credible and are both exciting performers.
However, the main reason to purchase this video/DVD is the wonderfully nuanced performance of Paolo Gavanelli in the title role. He is a wonderful actor, one who knows when it is necessary to sing quietly as well as loudly. He has clearly joined the ranks of the great Rigolettos.

Rating:
Summary: Monumental Acting, Piddling Recording Quality
Review: The acting of this opera is so good that it's difficult to describe. The combination of acting, costume, and direction as it comes together especially in the performance of Paolo Gavanelli as Rigoletto is the very definition of artistic vitality and "realism." The post modern edge, the grittiness of the performance is aided by the nudity although I'm somewhat troubled by being drawn into an operatic production in part by shapely breasts, and how that affects the general prospects of opera. I'm most familiar with Christine Schafer through Hyperion's Schubert edition and Schumann songs, but she's certainly excellently warm of voice and well suited to this dramatic role. What does disturb and disappoint is the lack of technical facility involved in recording the audio of this performance, which is after all the central point. The sound is weak at a time when the art of recording live performances has generally been mastered. Not using the center channel for a track in a surround version where the front channel needs the help for voice in no way "limits" the disaster. I'd like to kick
someone for doing this to a performance that defines why one should see opera.

Rating:
Summary: Uneven singing !
Review: This performance is a disappointment especaially I bought it because of rave review by other customers.Schafer's sing is uneven and she is not suitable for this coloratura role. I saw her in "Lulu" at the Met last year and she was great,maybe she should stick with more Germanic roles.Alvarez's singing is unimpressive and sometimes he is pushing his voice so much that the sound becomes unpleasant.Gavanelli is the best of all ( Well, that's why the opera is titled " Rigoletto " ).He sings with good tecnique and acts well too.He sounded very good life at the Met.The staging looks cheap and boring and I don't see the need for frontal nudity in the first act.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST see for lovers of Rigoletto
Review: This production of Rigoletto is in the fine tradition of ROH Covent Garden.Gavanelli, as Rigoletto, is outstanding, He dwarfs the fine performances of the rest of the cast.Some people may complain that the nudity in the opening scene is not needed, but that nudity is a MUST. Remember, what is taking place in the Duke's palace is not an afternoon tea; it is a place of utter depravity, where the people try to outdo each other in acts of depravity. The world of evil in the Duke's palace is in contrast to the world of Gilda, a world of gentleness, of purity in thought and deed. Thus, the opening scene defines what this opera is all about: the deep contrast between evil and good. In this sense, Rigoletto is a morality play.I wish I could give this production more than 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: It shocks, it rocks, it satisfies
Review: This version of Verdi's classic, Rigoletto, performed by The Royal Opera at Covent Gardens, England offers all the features you would expect in a DVD: great digital picture and sound, anamoprphic wide screen, and special features about Verdi and a slide synopsis of the opera which is quite good, though brief. The performances are strong and the sound recording is excellent. The production value, too, is without flaws, except that this version is a darker presentation than I would have preferred. Darker, meaning, post-modernistic, apocalyptic set design which seems to be the rage nowadays - a rage that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Modernism has to be used wisely, and here, while it is not offensive, didn't lend itself to the color one might expect from this opera. I never quite knew if the setting of the Duke's castle was inside or outside of the towering wall that I guess is supposed to represent his residence. The minimalist approach, as I said, has its drawbacks. Still, watching a performance on a DVD is so much more preferable than tape that it makes up for some of the shortcomings in set design. The performances, particularly that of Paolo Gavanelli, as Rigoletto, are superb - truly superb. He has a wonderful baritone voice that never falters or barks. Christine Schäfer, soprano, is marvelous as Gilda, his daughter. She delivers a sensitive and beautifully acted performance. Indeed, all the performances are outstanding, gritty and real. What distinguishes this version from the others I have seen is the full frontal nudity in the opening scene which introduces us to the debauchery that ostensibly occurs inside the Duke of Mantua's great hall regularly. Bare-breasted women and the stripping of both a buffed male and female comprimario forced to engage in a sex act (not depicted) was really unnecessary - and the audience showed its displeasure when after the first Act, the applause was tepid, at best - as compared to the other Acts where the applause was thunderous. It's not that the full frontal nudity was not appealing, rather it was almost forced. It wasn't one of many things occurring in the scene, it became the central focus. It was more like, okay folks; here is our - gasp, genitalia. Had the simulated sex act occurred in a background context with other things occurring all around it might have been more palatable, but making it center stage - for so short a duration - was almost laughable. This kind of "peek-a-boo" simulated sex is more of an insult than turn on. But, it is brief, very brief. Everything shows and then goes, and what you have left is a wonderful opera, performed by an outstanding cast that makes this DVD a good buy and one which I recommend.

Rating:
Summary: I 'second' all the 5-star reviewers,
Review: [...]
This opera has MORE than enough bonus points to make up for the awful sound 'editing': the orchestra often blasts you out of your seat, shortly after you adjust it so you can hear the singing properly. Perhaps they can re-release it with the fixes. I would have no problem buying another copy, if that was the case. The first time I viewed it, I had to play the poingnent duet sequence between Rigoletto and Gilda about 8 times. I was still tearing up, even then. Gavanelli grabbed the reins of his character, and never let go. And Schafer, as Gilda, projects a fabulous beauty onstage that is rarely seen. Any man with a pulse will want to adopt her, or marry her, or BOTH. She may appear frail, but she aces every note, hits every mark with a hammer, and makes you believe this story is REAL. [...] The gruesome orgy-out-of control in the first scene is quite graphic, and scary, but it really sets the stage for the inevitable conclusion. [...] There are lots of copies on sale,worth double the price, but you will NEVER see MINE.(unless they release one that is sound-edited) Click on "Buy Now", and get ready to rock-and-roll!