Rating: 
Summary: Fall In Love with Cinderella All Over Again!
Review: Cecilia Bartoli doesn't just play Cinderella, she is Cinderella, and the Music of Rossini is as natural for her as breathing! This beautiful and important moment in the world of Opera, and particularly American Opera is a must own. This Cinderella story is not the one you're familiar with - it tells the story with a beautiful tribute to the human spirit and love. There are no pumpkins turning into carriages here!
Ms. Bartoli's talent and gift is evident throughout, along with the rest of this extraordinary cast. But it is Ms. Bartoli's final aria, "Nacqui all'affanno...Non più mesta" that will amaze you. It must be heard (seen), to be believed.
I was fortunate to see this performance live in Houston...Ms. Bartoli's American premiere performance. This DVD will be a wonderful memory captured in time.
See this DVD and fall in love with Cinderella again!
Rating:
Summary: Fall In Love with Cinderella All Over Again!
Review: Cecilia Bartoli doesn't just play Cinderella, she is Cinderella, and the Music of Rossini is as natural for her as breathing! This beautiful and important moment in the world of Opera, and particularly American Opera is a must own. This Cinderella story is not the one you're familiar with - it tells the story with a beautiful tribute to the human spirit and love. There are no pumpkins turning into carriages here!
Ms. Bartoli's talent and gift is evident throughout, along with the rest of this extraordinary cast. But it is Ms. Bartoli's final aria, "Nacqui all'affanno...Non più mesta" that will amaze you. It must be heard (seen), to be believed.
I was fortunate to see this performance live in Houston...Ms. Bartoli's American premiere performance. This DVD will be a wonderful memory captured in time.
See this DVD and fall in love with Cinderella again!
Rating:
Summary: enchanting music in excellent performance.
Review: I have seen other performances of this La Cenerentola, but this performance is the best.
The cheerful and melodious music of Rossini, although not as wellknown as Barbiere de Sevilla, is still so enchanting and beautiful, and comes out as magnificent by the excellent performance and singing of Cecilia Bartoli in her specific deep rich soprano voice which is matched by the clear soft tenor voice of Raul Gimenez and clear baritone Enzo Dara. The combination of singers made this opera buffa so magnificent and enchanting while the costume and background decor represent the comical and funny situation.
We are so enthralled watching and listening to this performance from the beginning to the end of the opera.
Rating: 
Summary: Bartoli not the greatest Cenerentola
Review: I really love this video for the singing. As a matter of fact, I would recommend it over Bartoli's Decca cd recording because the best principal singers are the same, except in this video, you get Raul Giminez as the Prince, instead of William Matteuzzi on the cd, and although Giminez' voice is a bit lighter, it's a prettier voice, and his fioratura is much more smooth and lovely. I would definitely give 5 stars for the singing on this video, but the acting really bothered me. Bartoli is just not funny to me, plus she does alot of odd twitching and jerking that really disturbs me. Corbelli is great both vocally and as an actor. Giminez is fine. Dara gives me the same feeling as Bartoli - they act so silly and that I don't find them funny, and what's more, there is a serious message to this opera that doesn't come across because of the ridiculousness of some of the acting, and also because of the ridiculousness of the costumes of the two step sisters. The message is that 'goodness triumphs', which is the alternate title of this opera, and I personally feel this opera needs a handful of elegance and subtley (which is lacking in this video) to convey that message in a witty way. For watching, I personally prefer the much more elegant Salzburg video with Ann Murray, where the singing is fine, and only the appropriate characters act completely silly.
Rating:
Summary: Bartoli not the greatest Cenerentola
Review: I really love this video for the singing. As a matter of fact, I would recommend it over Bartoli's Decca cd recording because the best principal singers are the same, except in this video, you get Raul Giminez as the Prince, instead of William Matteuzzi on the cd, and although Giminez' voice is a bit lighter, it's a prettier voice, and his fioratura is much more smooth and lovely. I would definitely give 5 stars for the singing on this video, but the acting really bothered me. Bartoli is just not funny to me, plus she does alot of odd twitching and jerking that really disturbs me. Corbelli is great both vocally and as an actor. Giminez is fine. Dara gives me the same feeling as Bartoli - they act so silly and that I don't find them funny, and what's more, there is a serious message to this opera that doesn't come across because of the ridiculousness of some of the acting, and also because of the ridiculousness of the costumes of the two step sisters. The message is that 'goodness triumphs', which is the alternate title of this opera, and I personally feel this opera needs a handful of elegance and subtley (which is lacking in this video) to convey that message in a witty way. For watching, I personally prefer the much more elegant Salzburg video with Ann Murray, where the singing is fine, and only the appropriate characters act completely silly.
Rating:
Summary: Dandy Do!
Review: Quick and energetic, fun and fantastic. And all this in Texas?!
Rating:
Summary: Dandy Do!
Review: Quick and energetic, fun and fantastic. And all this in Texas?!
Rating:
Summary: Charming Cinderella tale, great Opera Introduction
Review: This is a super film of a really charming opera. Funny, and totally appealing tale with a horrid stepfather instead of stepmother, and the two customary stepsisters. Cecilia Bartoli was born to play the role, singing to perfection the difficult and beautiful Rossini music.Great sets and stage production, and a prince to bring about the happy ending, this is a great film to introduce newbies to opera!
Rating:
Summary: Charming Cinderella tale, great Opera Introduction
Review: This is a super film of a really charming opera. Funny, and totally appealing tale with a horrid stepfather instead of stepmother, and the two customary stepsisters. Cecilia Bartoli was born to play the role, singing to perfection the difficult and beautiful Rossini music. Great sets and stage production, and a prince to bring about the happy ending, this is a great film to introduce newbies to opera!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: This performance of LA CENERENTOLA was taped at Houston Grand Opera in 1995. The performances marked Cecilia Bartoli's American debut, and as Angelina she completely justified all the "hype" that surrounded her at that time. She sings beautifully and acts nicely, creating a put-upon yet spunky "Cinderella." Opposite Bartoli, Raul Gimenez gives a sincere and sensationally sung Prince Ramiro. His love duet with Bartoli in Act I ("Un soave non so che") is an oasis of calm in a witty Rossinian fairy tale. The supporting cast includes Enzo Dara (Don Magnifico), Alessandro Corbelli (Dandini), and Michele Pertusi (Alidoro, the "fairy godfather"). Corbelli's Dandini has since become famous (a British critic called it one of the finest operatic characterizations of our day), and here one can see why: it is subtle, humorous, and richly sung. (Corbelli was also Dandini in 1997 Metropolitan Opera performances, one of which was telecast in 1998. His Met portrayal was very different but every bit as masterful; it's too bad that telecast is not yet commercially available.) Dara, who sings the stepfather, Magnifico, looks like Ed Wynn (of MARY POPPINS and "I Love to Laugh" fame). Although Dara's acting is very funny, he is clearly past his vocal prime -- in fact, I think I'd rather hear Ed Wynn sing the role. Young bass Pertusi, however, provides plenty of vocal freshness in his lengthy, wonderful aria, "La del ciel." The production is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen of an opera; the sets and costumes look like fanciful children's book illustrations. This is a marvelous performance that one can watch again and again -- as I certainly have!
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