Rating: 
Summary: A Baroque Nightmare
Review: "Ariodante" can easily be regarded as Handel's most romantic opera - "Flavio" is a close second. It does not deal with the fate of nations/kingdoms but rather focusses on the individual and his/her romantic desires. Many scenes are set in the outdoors: the countryside, the royal gardens, or a forest; and a lot of the drama takes place at night. These different locations afford Handel the opportunity to 'indulge' his fertile imagination to compose the most sensual and programmatic music of his or any other time - like the rising of the moon at the beginning of Act 2. To go into the musical and dramatic 'architecture' of "Ariodante" and Handel's breaking with the Baroque tradition would take too much time here. (Please see Winton Dean's "Handel and the Opera Seria" for more information on this and Handel's other operas.) The director clearly had a (weird) personal agenda. And to expect the performers to be at their best in a production like this is not realistic: Ginevra and Ariodante (respectively the future Queen and King of Scotland) look like they receive EST treatment very regularly; the King of Scotland looks like a dirty old man who has not bathed for months. And Dalinda (the Lady-in-waiting to Ginevra, the future Queen of Scotland) looks off like an Italian widow. The scheming Polinesso, Duke of Albany, who is an elegant courtier (who can insinuate himself into the crown princess's private chambers!) ... just does not look like he could/should be allowed into polite society. One should always try to be objective when reviewing a product and this is one of the few DVD's I would not recommend you to buy. It is a dark, ugly, unintelligent and sexually explicit production. The characters are not believably portrayed as indicated in the libretto as Handel set it. Finally, if I can be abstract, Ariodante should remind one of a Renaissance garden (at night) saturated with the scent of jasmine and other summer flowers. Instead here we get stuck in a stinking bog. A great pity as the ENO's 'Serse' was a beautiful, imaginative yet truthful reading as this one is unattractive and uninspired.
Rating:
Summary: Fine singing, horrible direction
Review: ...that Handel was an extraordinary opera writer, here's your chance to clear this up once and for all. In fact, try this: get both this beautiful work and his Julius Caesar, which has also been released on DVD, featuring excellent performances by Janet Baker (Julius Caesar) and Valerie Masterson (Cleopatra). Yes, the composer of the most beautiful oratorios, of perfect fugues and inspired organ concertos was also an accomplished opera writer. I found this a very good rendition of this masterwork. Ann Murray's performance has been praised by other reviewers - I can only add my voice to the chorus. In fact all performers do justice to the work. What a crying shame that Baroque opera is virtually unknown to larger audiences. Vivaldi alone wrote about 50 operas, only one of which (his very inspired Orlando Furioso which feautures some absolutely beautiful arias) has been made available on DVD as far as I know. I sure hope more works from Handel and other Baroque masters will become available and receive the praise they so rightly deserve in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: If ever there was any doubt...
Review: ...that Handel was an extraordinary opera writer, here's your chance to clear this up once and for all. In fact, try this: get both this beautiful work and his Julius Caesar, which has also been released on DVD, featuring excellent performances by Janet Baker (Julius Caesar) and Valerie Masterson (Cleopatra). Yes, the composer of the most beautiful oratorios, of perfect fugues and inspired organ concertos was also an accomplished opera writer. I found this a very good rendition of this masterwork. Ann Murray's performance has been praised by other reviewers - I can only add my voice to the chorus. In fact all performers do justice to the work. What a crying shame that Baroque opera is virtually unknown to larger audiences. Vivaldi alone wrote about 50 operas, only one of which (his very inspired Orlando Furioso which feautures some absolutely beautiful arias) has been made available on DVD as far as I know. I sure hope more works from Handel and other Baroque masters will become available and receive the praise they so rightly deserve in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Exciting Handel!
Review: For those of your operaphiles out there who have yet to venture into the operatic world of Handel, this is the performance for you! The production is stunningly modern--crisp, clean, sharp--and yet, at the same time, takes you back to share in the visceral excitement of that first opening night. Ann Murray is a wonder! I was forced to repeat her first act aria three times before I could move on. I could list a number of "hidden joys" to watch for: how the chorus "changes" throughout the performance, the dramatic force of the work, etc. but, honestly, I would rather that you discover them for yourselves. To put it simply: I thought that I would "test the waters" and watch only a bit of it when it arrived. Wrong!!! I watched the entire performance--all 177 minutes of it. And, in the past week, I have reviewed sections, repeatedly, which particularly enthrall me. And who would have thought it from Handel?
Rating:
Summary: Totally Exciting Handel!
Review: For those of your operaphiles out there who have yet to venture into the operatic world of Handel, this is the performance for you! The production is stunningly modern--crisp, clean, sharp--and yet, at the same time, takes you back to share in the visceral excitement of that first opening night. Ann Murray is a wonder! I was forced to repeat her first act aria three times before I could move on. I could list a number of "hidden joys" to watch for: how the chorus "changes" throughout the performance, the dramatic force of the work, etc. but, honestly, I would rather that you discover them for yourselves. To put it simply: I thought that I would "test the waters" and watch only a bit of it when it arrived. Wrong!!! I watched the entire performance--all 177 minutes of it. And, in the past week, I have reviewed sections, repeatedly, which particularly enthrall me. And who would have thought it from Handel?
Rating: 
Summary: Time to join the 20th Century (then we'll talk about the 21s
Review: I read the other online reviews with much amusement (i.e. liberal homosexuals have destroyed opera?? Aren't we the ones who have kept opera alive?) and I decided to write my own reactions in hope someone with a little actual knowledge about art of the 20th Century might find it useful. Yes, the production is "post-modern". (If you don't know what that means, look it up. It might save you grief later.) The director has obviously tried to both produce the opera and comment on it at the same time. Some things work; some things don't. But it is not "boring" to me and it is not something to be despised or shunned. Most of the singing is very characterful, emotionally true, varied, and accomplished. If Ann Murray does look at her hands too much, she is still very alive to the words and the emotions. (She also has a tendency to harden on higher notes. Voice fanciers--you know who you are--should take note.) Most of the motivations of the characters are perfectly clear to anyone with a modicum of intelligence who is willing to think about them. But you have to actively participate in the performance. That is the point of much 20th Century art: to get the audience to mentally participate. The director does not want you to sit back and let it all wash over you. He probably does not want you to forget you are at a performance and just immerse yourself in the story. It is not the only way to produce this opera but it is not invalid just because it flirts with being "degenerate." Whoever said that a good performance only brings a mindless emotional response? And no traditional stage performance is "realistic" either. Art is not realistic. Some art avoids all pretense of "realism." "Realism" is not the point of art to some people. Neither is "tradition". Their "radical" views are just as valid as anyone else's. (I would say more valuable than our homophobe reviewer from south of the US, but I digress.) If you can't stand anything that isn't "realistic" go buy a CD. For others, what you'll get if you take a chance on this DVD is some passionate accomplished singing of a very literate translation that makes the emotions of the music quite clear as a counterpoint to a production that tries to complicate your relationship to the story. The 20th Century happened. Sorry. You can't go backward. (Both the Russian communists and the Nazis tried really hard to do just that, of course. They couldn't stop "modernism" either. Their thinking is not something I, for one, want to emulate, ever!) I personally think only small minds and ignorant ears want to. Luckily, the MET is museuming most of the works for all you that only like it like they used to do it...I advise most of my fellow online reviewers to save your money for a plane ticket.
Rating:
Summary: Time to join the 20th Century (then we'll talk about the 21s
Review: I read the other online reviews with much amusement (i.e. liberal homosexuals have destroyed opera?? Aren't we the ones who have kept opera alive?) and I decided to write my own reactions in hope someone with a little actual knowledge about art of the 20th Century might find it useful. Yes, the production is "post-modern". (If you don't know what that means, look it up. It might save you grief later.) The director has obviously tried to both produce the opera and comment on it at the same time. Some things work; some things don't. But it is not "boring" to me and it is not something to be despised or shunned. Most of the singing is very characterful, emotionally true, varied, and accomplished. If Ann Murray does look at her hands too much, she is still very alive to the words and the emotions. (She also has a tendency to harden on higher notes. Voice fanciers--you know who you are--should take note.) Most of the motivations of the characters are perfectly clear to anyone with a modicum of intelligence who is willing to think about them. But you have to actively participate in the performance. That is the point of much 20th Century art: to get the audience to mentally participate. The director does not want you to sit back and let it all wash over you. He probably does not want you to forget you are at a performance and just immerse yourself in the story. It is not the only way to produce this opera but it is not invalid just because it flirts with being "degenerate." Whoever said that a good performance only brings a mindless emotional response? And no traditional stage performance is "realistic" either. Art is not realistic. Some art avoids all pretense of "realism." "Realism" is not the point of art to some people. Neither is "tradition". Their "radical" views are just as valid as anyone else's. (I would say more valuable than our homophobe reviewer from south of the US, but I digress.) If you can't stand anything that isn't "realistic" go buy a CD. For others, what you'll get if you take a chance on this DVD is some passionate accomplished singing of a very literate translation that makes the emotions of the music quite clear as a counterpoint to a production that tries to complicate your relationship to the story. The 20th Century happened. Sorry. You can't go backward. (Both the Russian communists and the Nazis tried really hard to do just that, of course. They couldn't stop "modernism" either. Their thinking is not something I, for one, want to emulate, ever!) I personally think only small minds and ignorant ears want to. Luckily, the MET is museuming most of the works for all you that only like it like they used to do it...I advise most of my fellow online reviewers to save your money for a plane ticket.
Rating: 
Summary: A dissaster
Review: I saw this performance on tv a few weeks ago, and since I never saw it before (eventhough I own the Minkowski CD and is one of my favorites) I looked forward to the broadcast. I can't stress enough my dissapointment, after years of having in mind a fantasy of how this divine music should come to life on stage, when I saw the horrible Ann Murray shatter this fantasy to pieces. She has the most dreadful voice I have ever heard and her acting skills are resemble those of a wooden log, as she keeps talking to her hands while singing every damn aria in this magnificant opera.
The other singers are also not the best you can find on the market but have certain qualities - Christopher Robson (Polinesso) acts as a true villain with his snake-like behavoir, and Lesley Garrett as Dalinda which is pretty AND has a nice voice.
But the most important thing - what's the deal with the translation from Italian to English?! I hate it when they do that! Opera should be sung in it's original language, and what language would be more suited for this lovely music than the most beautiful language in the world - Italian - the language of music.
I still keep this performance on tape just to show everybody who visits me how a perfect piece could be crashed under the harsh hands and voices of untalented performers.
This recording should be bought only to serve as a testament of how NOT to perform music!
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous work and performance of a Masterpiece
Review: In 1996 I was lucky enough to attend this live performance at ENO's and by chance found a copy in VHS some months ago. This is a terrific performance that any music lover will love and treasure in DVD. Murray/Garret/Rodgers's voices are in pretty good shape but Robson is something else!. Listen to "Dover, justicia, amore" to find a countertenor in the league of Bowman/Popken. Worth mentioning are "Doppo notte, atra e funesta" sung bautifully by Murray.
Rating:
Summary: Ridiculous production
Review: My husband and I saw this production when it was revived at the ENO in 2002. We are fervent Handelians, experienced music and opera listeners, and no strangers to postmodern productions of baroque works. Sometimes they work well. For example, the po mo production of Purcell's Faerie Queene done at the ENO in 1998 was delightful. ENO's modernist production of Handel's Semele in 2000 was fabulous. We saw a production of Handel's Radamisto at the St. Louis Opera which, despite some problems with the singers, was one of the most beautiful and meaningful set designs I've ever seen (the designers won a Tony shortly after that for another production). I say all this to let readers know that we are not closed-minded attendees who only respond to period-correct-in-every-way productions.
That said, I have to say that this production of Ariodante, one of Handel's most beautiful operas, was one of the most ridiculous and disappointing experiences we've ever had with an opera, and has made us really wary of crossing the pond to go to anything else at the ENO. The design is preposterous, ugly, has no purpose except to shock the audience and absolutely torture the singers who have to negotiate it. The singers have apparently been instructed to at times act as if their words mean the exact opposite of what they are actually singing, for some reason. It's impossible to watch the production for long without having an impulse to laugh.
Don't waste your money on this DVD unless you're looking for an example of how best to ruin an opera.
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