Rating: 
Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: A splendid show nicely presented.
Makes me want to go to Lyon, but
I'm sure this quality is exceptional for them.
Alagna is without doubt today's
supertenor. The accompanying documentary
is also fun. One major complaint (almost made me deduct
a star - 4 1/2 would have been better) - why are the
original language subtitles not provided? DG does
it and it makes all the differenbce if one doesn't
know the words by heart. If you folks who produce these things
read these reviews PLEASE include subtitles in the language in
which the operas are sung. Make a good product a great product.
Rating:
Summary: You'll fall in love with this Elixir!
Review: Elisir d'amore is one of Donizetti's most popular operas, and it's easy to see why: it's bubbly, funny, romantic, and Nemorino remains one of opera's best tenor roles. The story of the country bumpkin drinking a "love elixir" to win the heart of the town flirt contains some of Donizetti's best music, and the famous aria "Una furtiva lagrima." Nemorino was a favorite role legendary tenors such as Caruso, Gigli and di Stefano. It's been lucky on video too. There is a wonderful B&W film from 1968 with Carlo Bergonzi, Renata Scotto, and Giuseppe Taddei as Belcore. But that's a film from a live performance, and the picture quality is not very high, although the performance is of course extremely charming. For a modern video, I heartily recommend this staged performance from Lyon of Elisir with Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu.
Alagna and Gheorghiu in recent years have cut down their number of joint performances, and rumor has it that the husband and wife team are now separated in all but name. It's a shame, for this video shows what a great pair they could be. Of the twosome I respond more to Alagna -- his Nemorino is funny, sweet, adorably naive. His "Una furtiva lagrima" uses slightly different ornaments and cadenzas than the more "familiar" version. His voice can turn sharp on pressure, and like a lot of French tenors his voice has a metallic edge. It's a different sound than a Gigli or Pavarotti (to name two other famous Nemorinos). But Alagna sings with passion and he's one of the rare tenors who seems to have an instinctive way of shaping and phrasing the music to the better. Gheorghiu is a chillier, more cerebral singer. Her lyric voice is dusky and smoky, and she's not as perky and soubrette-ish as most Adinas. Yet somehow it seems to work.
The production is vaguely 1920-ish, but otherwise extremely traditional: Nemorino is still a sweet country bumpkin, Dulcamara a travelling quack, Belcore a blustery "studmuffin," and Adina the tart-tongued town flirt. Eveline Pido is one of today's underrated conductors: he understands ottocento operas as needing a firm incisive hand. No mindless oom-pah-pah stick beating from him.
I can't think of a drawback to this video. If you like Elisir, it's a definite keeper.
Rating:
Summary: Un gran 'Elissir'
Review: Esta es una muy interesante version de "L' elissir d' amore" desde todos los puntos de vista. La actualizacion escenica es acertada (traspaso de la acción a la actualidad), y tiene realmente bastantes gags muy conseguidos.
En lo vocal, ANGELA GHEORGHIU descolla con una Adina esplendida en lo vocal y desenvuelta en lo escenico, como tambien ROBERTO ALAGNA construye un Nemorino de alto nivel vocal y escenicamente. Muy divertido y bien cantado el Dulcamara de SIMONE ALAIMO, aqui casado con una vieja 'Madame Dulcamara'. Como Belcore, ROBERTO SCALTRITTI ofrece una caracterizacion muy conseguida del rol, y vocalmente esta mas que correcto.
EVELINO PIDO dirige con soltura a una orquesta y coro que rinden a gran nivel.
La toma de video es muy buena, la de sonido suficiente, y el dvd se complementa con un interesante documental sobre el making-off de la ópera, que incluye ademas una version alternativa de la 'Furtiva lacrima', a cargo de Roberto Alagna.
Rating:
Summary: Un gran 'Elissir'
Review: Esta es una muy interesante version de "L' elissir d' amore" desde todos los puntos de vista. La actualizacion escenica es acertada (traspaso de la acción a la actualidad), y tiene realmente bastantes gags muy conseguidos.
En lo vocal, ANGELA GHEORGHIU descolla con una Adina esplendida en lo vocal y desenvuelta en lo escenico, como tambien ROBERTO ALAGNA construye un Nemorino de alto nivel vocal y escenicamente. Muy divertido y bien cantado el Dulcamara de SIMONE ALAIMO, aqui casado con una vieja 'Madame Dulcamara'. Como Belcore, ROBERTO SCALTRITTI ofrece una caracterizacion muy conseguida del rol, y vocalmente esta mas que correcto.
EVELINO PIDO dirige con soltura a una orquesta y coro que rinden a gran nivel.
La toma de video es muy buena, la de sonido suficiente, y el dvd se complementa con un interesante documental sobre el making-off de la ópera, que incluye ademas una version alternativa de la 'Furtiva lacrima', a cargo de Roberto Alagna.
Rating: 
Summary: Roberto's voice is too hard
Review: Excellent performances by Dulcamara and Belcore. Nemorino just wasn't melodious enough for me. This production was in 1996 and Roberto has certainly improved since. As for Adina I do not think she was coquettish enough. For some strange reason the scene was updated to the 1920s; why this when the original was quite ok?I have the Pavarotti version on VHS, which is now coming out on DVD. I much more prefer his Una Furtiva Lagrima than Roberto's. Likewise I think Judith Blegen provides a better performance than Angela. But Dulcamara and Belocre are much better in this version. In my opinion both version are worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: This is A Great Preformance!
Review: I am 12 years old and a big opera fan. I absolutly love this preformance. The camera angles are great, there are some funny parts, the preformers are great singers and actors, and Roberto Alanga is so cute. I don't see how anybody can't love it.
Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: I disagree with the reviewer who praised the lavish sets, they were nothing of the kind, they were sparse and perfunctory and at best functional. I agree with the reviewer who said they cramped the space. I was disappointed in Gheorghiu during the first act, I was afraid this was going to be a Donizetti opera without a coloratura soprano in it, but in the second act she in places shone. Unfortunately for me, she did not end her arias on high notes as Sutherland would have done, but rather went up (splendidly and solidly) and then alas dropped, as Caballe would have done. Finally, in her long exchange with Alaimo near the end, she warbled which made me moan and think of a dying moose, but that was brief. I love her overbite. At the end of the show when she and her husband held a kiss while the lights faded out, I could see them giggling. It was adorable. The whole show was fun and (an opera?) actually funny (though the audience, which was legion, did not laugh), the many directorial touches were perfect. As yet another reviewer mentioned, everyone one in it put his heart into it, and they all seemed to be having a ball, which was infectious. Alagna sang like a dream, and Alaimo handled the patters with impossible perfection. Incidentally, I love Verdi's Attila (commercial copies out of print everywhere), and have ordered a cheap copy (possibly filmed with a camera held in the audience by the uncle of one of the cast members!), and Alaimo is in it which gives me a little hope anyway. I thought this show (Elisir) was a charming, well-sung riot. I left a star off because of Gheorghiu's lack of facility in the 1st act. Incidentally, I wouldn't have known it was set in the 1920s if I hadn't read it, but it obviously wasn't set in the 19th Century. A wonderful show
Rating:
Summary: Performance 5 Stars, Technical 3 Stars
Review: I heartily second the raves of other about the performance on this DVD; it's a charming production and most highly recommended. However, a word of warning for those of you with 'standard' TV screens. The packaging claims the disc is anamorphic, but in reality it simply chops off the sides of the picture. This is not a problem during the opera, but during the extra 'Making Of' documentary, the subtitles are frequently off the screen. The menu is also a bit flaky. However, it's nice that Decca actually put an extra on the disc (a rarity for performance DVDs), so I hope they work out the technical glitches on future releases.
Rating:
Summary: A very lively l'Elisir
Review: I'm a believer of live performances (local live performance is typically more enjoyable than Pavarotti/Levine/MET on plastic, so to speak) but enjoyed watching this as much as I would at the theater. Particularly overall acting to the last chorus girl is very engaging. I sometimes watch operas at home one act or scene at a time, but not this. I couldn't turn it off until the end. Beside the story itself and real-life newlyweds, that filming was an integral part of this production must be a factor as well to create such a compelling recording. My favorite is Alagna. I know little about his other roles, but he is Nemorino incarnated in his singing and acting here. If you felt puzzled, like I did, by his "Una furtiva lagrima," watch the extra "Making of" ("Love Potion" from the menu) then watch/listen to the aria again (Act 2, track 22). Doesn't it sound and look whole a lot different? The CD (non-live) by the same cast contains two versions of the aria. Gheorghiu is lovely as ever. If I had to criticize, she could have worked on her facial expressions a wee bit here and there. As she comments herself, she is not a tragic heroine fated to die in the end this time. Alaimo (Dulcamara) is another critical element in this performance, commanding such a presence despite sweaty face. Scaltriti's caricatured army officer (Belcore) is not too silly nor wet and, I think, nicely complements the light-hearted atmosphere which is consistently palpable throughout the performance. I just wondered why his face was pulled to one side when singing... Picture is very clear throughout, and the sound is good at least with my humble stereo system. There are technical issues (subtitles, unfriendly menu, etc.) and perhaps some other gripes, but, hey, do you want to simply enjoy a well-done opera at home? This is it.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor
Review: Perhaps I am spoiled because I saw a world class performance of this opera in the Teatro Colón. This performance however doesn't come close. While it is professional, it is not world class. The recording mix is poor, and it wouldn't surprise me if it weren't mixed at all. The result is that the symphony often drowns out the vocalists. The camera work is poor too, but overall it is just a poor production. As to the technical aspects, the format cuts out the right and left sides so as to fit on a tv screen. I was also extremely disappointed that though the opera is sung in Italian, there are no Italian subtitles. The fact that it was filmed in Lyon and not somewhere like Milan should say it all. You go to Lyon for a gourmet meal - not for the opera.
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