Rating: 
Summary: mind boggling singing
Review: It's just amazing to me that at age 55 dame Joan can sing like this, and the finali's fiendishly difficult coloratura aria was sung to absolute perfection...crowned with a perfect high E! Far better than even Caballe's Lucrecia. Sutherland was truely the phenomenal singer of our time.
Rating: 
Summary: An amazing pair!
Review: Of course both Kraus and Sutherland aren't in their youthful prime here but mature Sutherland delivers a Lucrezia that will haunt you with her magic and lovely mature sound. Lucrezia is a mature, colourful woman and Sutherland gives one of the best performances of her career on this DVD. Her darkened sound fits this role like a glove, of course Caballe sounds a little more involved and has a bigger middle but Joan created magic here. Her "Come e bello" is like cream and dark, delicious wine. Her high notes glitter like stars. Kraus might not look the young man but he sings Gennaro, one of his best roles, incredibly. The performance of a lifetime. For a young Lucrezia of our days listen to Renee Fleming who sang Lucrezia at La Scala.
Rating:
Summary: Sutherland hits all the high Es, Caballe didn't
Review: Sutherland is generally consider the greatest Lucretia Borgia of our time. That is on the review on the DVD box set. She is stupendous, a wonder here. She is 53, but she sounds like she's 33 here. She was on that evening, it was a command performance. And the opera stage was covered with a carpet of flowers at the curtain calls that covers the floor completely. This live recording is a total triumph. And the digital recording is as clear as my Titanic DVD that's how good the video and audio is.Caballe doesn't have a dvd of Borgia. And her coloratura in the final cabaletta is a mess. Caballe also never hit a note above the high C. There are E flats that Sutherland easily hits.
Also Caballe does not have the trill that this role has. Therefore she can't be compare to Sutherland in this fiendishly difficult role.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular DVD in all ways!
Review: This DVD is a must for all opera lovers. Not only does it capture the beauty of Joan Sutherland and Alfredo Kraus in their prime, but the costumes and sets are simply exquisite. Those of you who love "bel canto" and Donizetti, must experience the music of "Lucrezia Borgia".
Rating:
Summary: Unforgetabble performance
Review: This is review of the Kultur Film DVD copy, catalogue #D2070 of 1980 Covent Garden Opera performance. What we can say about old generation operatic stars, like Dame Joan Sutherland (born in 1926) and Alfredo Kraus (born in 1927). Both are in excellent shape. Kraus is so fine that in Gennaro's aria in the beginning of II act usually omitted from performance of the opera (even do not presented in his RCA 1965 studio recording with Montserrat Caballe!) he received loud applause from usually reserved British audience. His sound is still very clear and intensive in higher register and fantastic in top Cs. The other principal singers are well too. Please, listen how effective is Anne Howells in Orsini's II act aria 'Il segreto per esser felici". The profound deep bass of Stafford Dean (Alfonso) is very attractive. Beautiful design and costumes, excellent orchestra playing under the conduction of maestro Richard Bonynge. Fine staged and recorded, sound is clear with enough higher frequency. Only one complaint: there is unexpected persistent noise in the sound. Otherwise irremovable English subtitles do not bother you. By the way it is full version of the opera, as it is in 1974 DECCA studio recording. I suggest that this DVD-performance should be presented in all opera lovers library.
Rating:
Summary: To the detroit person who obviously never listen to this
Review: This is Sutherland's best performance of an complete opera available, and this includes her Lucia. I give it five stars. to the detroit person:
If this performance is so boring, and you watched this dvd, you'll see that Sutherland receive hundreds of flowers thrown on the stage after the performance. I've never seen so many bouquets thrown on an operatic stage before, ever. It was a complete triumph. The bravas are so loud you can't even hear the applause. So your opinion is in the vast minority. I myself was riveted by the great acting and equally great singing.
You know that you never listen to one note of this opera. I can tell by your reviews of all of Sutherland's great roles, you just put in a two sentence that you're disappointed and give it one star to slap Dame Joan in the face. Why are you so hateful? Did Sutherland do something bad to you in the past?
If you're disappointed, don't buy anymore, ok? Sutherland is consider the greatest bel canto soprano of our time, but if she continues to bore you, don't pretend that you actually go out to buy her recordings and listen to them over and over again. Because all these negative reviews are getting out of hand.
Rating:
Summary: God it was wonderful!
Review: This was a wonderful movie, not enough Sutherland but they had a story to tell, it was not a "star vehicle," the ending had me applauding in my living room, Sutherland was magnificent. Everyone was good, Kraus and the men too but I'm partial to sopranos so they impressed me less, but were wonderful too. The plot (except that Sutherland was Kraus' mother which you could have guessed the first moment "mother unknown" popped up!) made no sense to me at all. The subtitles stunk and I doubt I'll EVER buy another Kulture (or is it Covent Garden's doing?) DVD for that reason alone. I was bleeding to know what the hell they were saying to each other, but there just were no subtitles for 9/10ths of the opera. The same was true of Kulture's "Ballo" with Domingo. The music was spectacular. Donizetti can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned, and he outdid himself this time. He always does. I noticed something about Donizetti watching this show, it's not his music that's slight or negligible (as some dunderheads have said), it's his plots. Though this opera seemed to reek with subplots and skulduggery, it was basically a simplistic little story. It's all in the music. I recommend it 100% without reservations to anyone who likes coloratura singing. Bel canto. (Beautiful singing.)
Rating: 
Summary: sorry, I'm disappointed
Review: To completely disagree with everyone else who have submitted a review, I do not think this is great. Her voice just isn't what it used to be; every note she sings reminds me her star is falling and her sun is setting. Too depressing, and her acting is terrible. Unconvincing, boring.
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