Rating: 
Summary: A delightful opera
Review: Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu are very well cast in this lighthearted production. Both are excellent actors, an important detail, and have wonderful voices. The sets, the rest of the cast and the orchestra all do a commendable job. You will be humming some of the arias long after the DVD has finished playing.
Rating: 
Summary: Simone Alaimo (Dulcamara) steals the show
Review: This DVD is a gem! GREAT music by Donizetti; tunes that I'm continually humming to myself (because I can't sing) throughout the day. Wonderful singers: Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu in the starring roles, however the show is stolen by the performance of Simone Alaimo who does a superlative job as Doctorre Dulcamara. Talk about getting into a role: he holds absolutely nothing back....magnificent! Just see him in the duet "Quanto amore" with Angela Gheorghiu and you'll see what I mean. It'll leave you breathless.
As far as the overall production, I have seen a couple operas staged (on DVD) from the Opera National de Lyon and have not been disappointed in the results. They seem to have the knack of producing good audio and pleasing sets that are easy to look at and complement the people on stage. Brian Large handles the video and editing so you know you're going to get great camera angles. My only negative comments(and thus the loss of one star) about this otherwise wonderful production is that first, Roberto Alagna's voice came through my stereo system slightly tinny at times(maybe my system and/or the fact that I like my opera fairly loud) and second, that I could swear someone hits the wrong note at the very end of the opera. All in all an enjoyable show that I've listened to many times and just never get tired of. Absolutely worth getting.
Rating:
Summary: Donizetti at His Best
Review: This is an exuberant production with a marvelous cast and sensitive musical direction. Filmed in a 16x9 format before a live audience, the opera is indeed a joy to behold. The pairing of the husband-and-wife team of Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu works beautifully throughout and the contributions of the other principals leaves nothing to be desired. The work has been updated into the 1920s and the results are satisfying although not quite so colourful as traditional presentations. The stage appears a little cramped and I would have liked to see more space for everyone to move around. Video direction by Brian Large is exemplary as usual. Picture quality throughout is excellent.
My one criticism concerns the audio tracks available on the DVD. Neither the Dolby Digital 5.1 nor the Dolby Stereo is entirely satisfactory because both produce a fairly narrow left-to-right soundstage with too much of the sound emanating from the middle. The absence of a good 2-channel PCM audio track is regrettable. The balance between voice and orchestra is fine however as is the overall quality of all the singers. For years Decca had a top-notch reputation for first-class sound in its recordings. On this occasion however, they fell somewhat short of the mark.
The inclusion of an excellent 52-minute documentary of the making of the video and CD is to be commended as is the comprehensive booklet.
Rating:
Summary: Great production of a simple but very enjoyable opera!
Review: This is by all means a very good production of a simple but very enjoyable opera. The cast is great. The singing is very good, but what makes this production special is that all the singers act very well and they also look their part. They look like they enjoyed themselves on stage and so does one watching them. Please don't listen to the idiot who sais this is a poor production. You can see clearly that he has no idea of what he is saying when he sais it can't be good just because it is filmed in Lyon! He clearly has no idea of the great productions one can see nowadays all throughout Europe. L'Elisir is a funny opera with lovable tunes and this production really achieves that. The sound quality is very good, even though it's true that the sound is a little narrow, with too much coming from the middle, specially in 5.1. I sincerely recommend it! Great buy!
Rating:
Summary: Effervescent and Delightful
Review: When I saw that this performance had been set in the 1920's, I nearly passed on it, because I have found that "re-setting" a work like Elisir rarely works. However, in this case, it "works" very well indeed. Elisir is a comic opera, so the stage action means more than in a serious opera (although good acting in all forms of opera obviously enhances the performance). Donizetti's score is full of memorable tunes, and there is not a dull moment in it. In this DVD, all of the principles have good stage presence, and, with one minor reservation on my part, all are first rate singers. This performance was recorded when Alagna and Gheorghiu were newlyweds, and there is certainly chemistry between them which intensifies the stage relationship between Nemorino and Adina. Both are in top vocal form here, as well. Bass, Simone Alaimo is tremendous as Dr. Dulcamara, with wonderful buffa stage presence. The staging of his "snake oil sales" technique is hilarious. Somewhat less than ideal is Roberto Scaltriti as Sgt. Belcore: his voice sounds dry and one dimensional. Maestro Pido conducts with obvious affection for the score and with sensitivity to what the singers are doing, as well. The video is excellent, and the sound is Dolby 5.1. One reviewer found that the audio soundstage was narrow, but I did not experience this in a large viewing room. I have noted in other operatic reviews that the DVD medium works superbly in bringing opera into the home, and this disc is further evidence in support of my belief. If you are an operaphile, this performance of Elisir is a "must-have". If you are curious as to whether or not opera is for you, then this would be an ideal way to find out.
Rating:
Summary: Effervescent and Delightful
Review: When I saw that this performance had been set in the 1920's, I nearly passed on it, because I have found that "re-setting" a work like Elisir rarely works. However, in this case, it "works" very well indeed. Elisir is a comic opera, so the stage action means more than in a serious opera (although good acting in all forms of opera obviously enhances the performance). Donizetti's score is full of memorable tunes, and there is not a dull moment in it. In this DVD, all of the principles have good stage presence, and, with one minor reservation on my part, all are first rate singers. This performance was recorded when Alagna and Gheorghiu were newlyweds, and there is certainly chemistry between them which intensifies the stage relationship between Nemorino and Adina. Both are in top vocal form here, as well. Bass, Simone Alaimo is tremendous as Dr. Dulcamara, with wonderful buffa stage presence. The staging of his "snake oil sales" technique is hilarious. Somewhat less than ideal is Roberto Scaltriti as Sgt. Belcore: his voice sounds dry and one dimensional. Maestro Pido conducts with obvious affection for the score and with sensitivity to what the singers are doing, as well. The video is excellent, and the sound is Dolby 5.1. One reviewer found that the audio soundstage was narrow, but I did not experience this in a large viewing room. I have noted in other operatic reviews that the DVD medium works superbly in bringing opera into the home, and this disc is further evidence in support of my belief. If you are an operaphile, this performance of Elisir is a "must-have". If you are curious as to whether or not opera is for you, then this would be an ideal way to find out.
Rating:
Summary: Great Fun and Great Melodies
Review: Wonderful singing and acting. There's real chemistry between the two leads--helped, I am sure by the fact that they are married. To my tastes, the audio and video are just fine. This opera is pitched at just the right level to deliver the most at its comic moments.
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