<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
Review: IS THE BEST... ***** STARS
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting moments, but not a reference video
Review: This Barbiere di Siviglia was filmed in 1988 in Cologne. The raison d'etre for this performance is of course Cecilia Bartoli's Rosina. David Kuebler, Gino Quilico, Carlos Feller, and Robert Lloyd also star. I think this Barber has some interesting features but isn't in any way a reference video. The theater seems to be absolutely pint-sized, which is fine. Strangely though, the production is rather austere, serious, spartan, and remote. Clowning is kept to a minimum, and Rosina is locked up with what look like prison bars. The edition has the usual stage cuts, including Almaviva's Act II aria "Cessa ...".
David Kuebler doesnt have a bad voice, but with a long craggly face and a stern dull stage presence this Almaviva is pretty charmless. (I've seen Juan Diego Florez and needless to say Kuebler is nowhere near Florez's league.) Kuebler is also so mature looking that the Figaro, Gino Quilico, looks considerably younger and studlier than the Almaviva. In fact, there's more sexual tension between Figaro and Rosina than Rosina and Almaviva. Quilico is an unexpected bright spot in this video. The horror is Carlos Feller (Bartolo), who butchers "A un dottor." He acts well enough (alternately lachrymose and pathetic) but his voice is so hollow, especially in the lower ranges, that at some points he seems to just drop out of singing altogether. He also needed to practice the fast patter more, as somewhere in the middle of "A un dottor" he seems to forget what the words are supposed to be, and decides to sing a weird combo of "blahblahughugh" gibberish.
As for Bartoli, I dont think that in 1988 her voice was fully formed. There are a lot of plusses to her performance -- her voice is of course very rich and warm, almost contralto-like. Her pointed phrasing and diction is a joy to hear, and her arias are creatively and musically ornamented. And she already has a very earthy, intense stage presence which is fun to watch. (She also has her trademark curly long hair.) But strangely she seems to have some major register breaks. Her voice is rich and resonant in the lower ranges and secure and bright above the staff, but in between she occasionally becomes pretty inaudible. Her scales are riddled with so many aspirates that it becomes distracting ("Si, Lindo-ho-ho-ho-ro"). But while Bartoli's Rosina shows a lot of "promise" I've heard much better, more mature work from her in later years.
Overall a pretty disappointing dvd. It has some interesting moments but unlike some recent opera dvd releases (the wonderful Glyndebourne Nozze di Figaro from 1973, a Lucie di Lammermoor from Lyon) it didn't satisfy my wishes for an all-around good cast and good production.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent Barber of Seville
Review: This DVD contains some great singers, but sadly few are widly known. Cecilia Bartoli is a young, beautiful Rosina. Her highlight was "Una voce poco fa". One of my favorites was Count Almaviva, played by David Kuebler. His acting was as good as his singing. "Ecco ridente in cielo" is a must hear aria. My other favorite was Gino Quilico as Figaro. His comic acting was outstanding, espically in Act II. His best piece was, of course, "Largo al factotum". As Doctor Bartolo, Carlos Feller was excellent, espically toward the end in Act II. Robert Lloyd was a deep, powerful Don Basilio. The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra was conducted by a great conductor in Gabriele Ferro. I highly reccomended this DVD to anyone who likes The Barber of Seville.
Rating:
Summary: A Virtually Perfect 'Barbiere di Siviglia'
Review: This DVD preserves the justly famous production of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' done in the jewel-box theater of the Schwetzingen Festival in 1988. It features the adorable Rosina of Cecilia Bartoli at the beginning of her soon-to-be-huge international career. It is conducted sympathetically by the Sicilian Gabriele Ferro; he leads the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart and the chorus of the Cologne City Opera. The staging by Michael Hampe, sets by Ezio Frigerio and costumes by Mauro Pagano are traditional and do not get in the way of a straightforward presentation of Rossini's still-funny farce. David Kuebler's Almaviva is beautifully sung and his comic acting as the drunken soldier in Act I and as the false Don Alonso in Act II is expertly done. The lecherous but clueless Don Bartolo is sung and acted by the veteran Carlos Feller. His downfall in the finale is done with grace and good humor, unlike some Bartolos who huff and puff rather too much about it all. Don Basilio is taken by the wonderful Robert Lloyd whose cavernous black bass is perfect for 'La Calunnia' which is both sinister and funny. He has a comic bit that he does with making the sign of the cross that has the audience in stitches. Gino Quilico deserves especial praise for his scheming charmer, the barber Figaro. Not only is his singing wonderful, his comic acting is spot on. I laughed out loud several times--as when he is shaving Don Bartolo in the second act. This production follows hard on the heels of the wonderful Arthaus/Naxos DVD of the 1990 Schwetzingen production of Britten's 'The Turn of the Screw.' If these two productions are any indication of the level of artistry at Schwetzingen, one can certainly hope that we'll be getting more of these productions on DVD. Recommended. Scott Morrison
<< 1 >>
|
