DVD Videos

“The Fanciulla del West offers a large contingent of good Italian comprimarii, a marvellous leading lady… competent support from Plácido Domingo and Juan Pons… decent, rather laid-back Jonathan Miller productions.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2004 ***

“This DVD of La fanciulla del West presents Jonathan Miller's atmospheric production for La Scala, with sets by Stefanos Lazaridis and costumes by Sue Blane. The cast is strong, and Lorin Maazel proves a warmer, more idiomatic Puccinian here than he generally was in his audio recordings for CBS/Sony. His direction makes one marvel afresh at the imagination and colour in this score, distinct from other Puccini operas in its obsession with the whole-tone scale.
Miller's production takes the melodrama seriously, with realistic sets and period costumes. It even manages to bring off the improbable scene in Act 2 when Sherriff Rance finds Dick Johnson's blood dripping down from the loft of Minnie's cabin, leading to the game of poker when Minnie blatantly cheats. Though at the end Dick and Minnie get no further than the back of the stage instead of riding off into the sunset, the authentic gulp of emotion is well caught in this rare Puccini happy ending.
Plácido Domingo is in superb voice, and wins ovations for each of his big solos. Juan Pons is wonderfully firm and dark of tone as Jack Rance.
Though Mara Zampieri as Minnie sings with clear focus and no suspicion of a wobble, the result is often near to hooting – a strong performance, nonetheless.
Camerawork is a little fussy but not too distracting.
Not only is the documentation fuller than usual in DVD booklets, with a facsimile of the opera-house's cast-list on the back, it also contains a complete (if minuscule) libretto and translation.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“What matters is that the singing cast is strong, and Lorin Maazel's conducting is persuasive...Domingo is in superb voice and rightly wins ovations for each of his big solos...Pons is wonderfully firm and dark of tone as Jack Rance, and Mara Zampieri as Minnie sings with fine, clear focus with no suspicion of a wobble.” Penguin Guide, 2010 edition ***

“This Warner DVD offers idiomatic performances from La Scala of Puccini's trilogy. The productions are broadly traditional, with an ultra-realistic set for the grand guignol of Iltabarro and rather more stylised settings for SuorAngelica and Gianni Schicchi.
Casting is strong in Il tabarro, with Piero Cappuccilli in his prime as Michele, the cuckolded bargemaster. His appeal to Giorgetta, his estranged wife, is so passionate and tender that his climactic solo has your total sympathy. Sylvia Sass as Giorgetta tends to overact; the steely edge in her voice helps keep your sympathies with Michele. As Luigi, Nicola Martinucci is powerful and unstrained. Outstanding among the others is Eleonora Jankovic as La Frugola, firm of voice and characterful without overacting.
The staging of the murder and Michele's revealing of the body under his cloak, always tricky to bring off, is neatly managed.
The stylised set for Suor Angelica is unobjectionable.
What dominates, as it should, is Rosalind Plowright's moving performance of the title role.
Next to her, Dunja Vejzovic is disappointing, not so much vocally as in appearance and personality; she seems too young and lightweight; hardly the unforgiving Princess. The nuns are nicely touched in, and the chorus is impressive. Brian Large's direction sidesteps the final and sentimental vision of Angelica's dead child.
Gianni Schicchi is placed in an enormous apartment with a panoramic view over Florence. The claustrophobia that can add point to the comic story is entirely absent, but the set is undistracting.
Eleonora Jankovic again stands out among the incidental characters as the old woman, Zita, and Yuri Marusin as Rinuccio copes well with his big aria. Lauretta, his lover, is strongly cast, with Cecilia Gasdia luxuriantly drawing out 'O mio babbino caro' in finely shaded phrases, to the delight of the Scala audience. Juan Pons is a firm and commanding Schicchi, taking centrestage from his first entry.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010