Rossini - II Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) / Abbado, Prey, Berganza, Alva

Rating:
Summary: Teresa Berganza is Not the Only Attraction Here
Review: For those who aren't too familiar with the opera singers, their attention is of course first drawn to Berganza especially at a time when Abbado was so young and had yet to become the permanent conductor of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as the successor of Karajan, a post which Abbado occupied for over ten years.

Bergonza left a very strong impression upon those who have heard her for: 1/ she sings not just from her heart but also from her soul-- in a way that excells Marian Anderson; 2/ she possesses a most powerful and yet velvet-like tone as when she sang Mozart's Figaro or La clemenza di Tito; 3/ when she sings, she really sings which is so effortless: not screaming to the notes as some modern opera singers are equating the two(!). Needless to say, her rhythm and musicality are superb.

Rossini doesn't require Berganza to sing full-throated as she did in Mozart, yet she was undoubtedly at her very prime when this was recorded and audience can't possibly be disappointed. Her acting was equally marvelous. She sort of outshone young Abbado. But she wasn't the only one, as we have such a strong teem here. The two love songs sang by the Count was most intriquing. Likewise, the dark and ringing voice of the barber or even the Doctor are all so impressing...

Abbado was not nervous at all neither was he as graceful as he has later become. Some would even say, when the Barber first sang the song figaro, the orchestra was too loud for the audience to enjoy his singing. Otherwise, the support he gave to the singers were as good as James Levine, if not better.

The acting or even the staging and director are all as good as one could expect. The singers faced the camera only when they are thinking to themselves (instead of commuicating to their counterpart) or talking to the audiece (as the narrator) and in any event this is rare and well justified. The other complaint for this DVD is it's recorded sound especially the orhcestra. Of course, one shouldn't compare the orchestra with a young conductor, however talented he might have been, with full-fledged Furtwangler with Vienna Philharmonic, otherwise, it would deserve a full five star.

For those who are not happy with this production, they may try the one by the Netherland Opera conducted by Alberto Zedda, which is 18 years younger. The approach and techniques especially of the staging are more modern. But if you're concerned with singing or music, this is a much better choice.

Rating:
Summary: I think this is the worst barber I've ever heard
Review: Herman Prey lacks of enthusiam an carisma for the role of Figaro. Alva is mediocre. Bergaza is the only perfomer that is worth while hearing. Abbado was disapointing.

Rating:
Summary: 160 bucks? You've got to be kidding....
Review: I haven't viewed this so take that into consideration. Why would anyone pay so much money for this DVD/VHS/whatever? I'd like to see one done by a lot of other Rosinas, not the least of which would be del Los Angeles (but forget about that). How about Bartoli since she's still with us and singing. I don't pretend to udnerstand the ins-and-outs of recording whether audios or videos, but the price of this pne has me gobsmacked.

Rating:
Summary: Great music but a poor production
Review: I was disappointed with this DVD!

As soon as I saw the overture with a young, stiff, seemingly terrified Claudio Addado at the conductors podium I got uneasy vibes. Then, the fact that the production was a movie did little to reassure me. Add to this, that the audio was lip-synced to the video (and rather poorly at that) further downgraded my enthusiasm for this production.
The characters had costumes that were overdone and seemed, to me, to add very little to the intended comic effect. The comedy, in fact, seemed to be almost slapstick at times: contrived, not to mention chaotic.
Annoyingly, the characters often looked directly into the camera while singing: instead of responding to each other.

So, were there no redeeming features to this production? Yes, the music of Rossini: wonderful tunes, good voices and the orchestrated aspect of the opera was well done despite the above mentioned distractions.
But surely there must be a better Barber of Seville on DVD out there somewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Divine music with magnificent performance
Review: Nobody will deny that this opera is the masterpiece of Rossini. Everything in this opera reflects his genius talent and is so enjoyable from the beautiful melodious music with so many belcanto techniques to the comical story itself. I have seen this opera performed in three versions and performances, and this DVD performance is the best of all the three.
In this performance we will be enchanted by the naughty acting and delicate singing of wellknown Teresa Berganza as the mutinous Rosina, in her rich soprano voice singing perfect belcanto techniques. She is matched by the comical performance of Luigi Alva as Count Almaviva alias Lindoro in his soft light tenor voice, his belcanto singing adding to the magnificence and beauty of the music. Herman Prey in his clear baritone voice as the mischievous Figaro and wellknown Bass Baritone singer Enzo Dara contributed to the excellent performance, so that the whole opera become a continuous joy to be watched and listened to.
We also liked the beautiful and matching background scenery and the harmonious choirs.
In short there is no such performance is as magnificent and excellent in singing or acting as this DVD version.

Rating:
Summary: Another artistic triumph from Ponnelle
Review: This is another stunning production from the French director Jean Pierre Ponnelle. Although the picture and sound are not definitive by modern standards, this production is one of the best from an artistic perspective. All the principals are excellent,although special mention should be made of the delightful Teresa Berganza,and the inimitable Enzo Dara and Paolo Montarsolo. Ponnelle's direction as always is impeccable with just the right camera angles and special effects. Filmed on a sound stage, the production is a joy to watch from beginning to end. The video quality is acceptable but is showing its age; the PCM audio is in better shape and is very well recorded.