DVD Videos

“The singing is first rate and the acting good, and Slack's production brings out the fun of the piece. The conductor, Sir John Pritchard, is at his most animated and magnetic...The youthful Thomas Allen is a superb Guglielmo, and the American tenor Anson Austin is a handsome, open-toned Ferrando” Penguin Guide, 2010 ***

“Pier' Alli, the producer-designer explores a poetically Romanticised view of decaying, mist-ringed Scottish castles which in its consciously old-fashioned way chimes well with the gently singer-supportive conducting of Stefano Ranzani. The principals are all Italian and while on paper this may not be a dream cast, in practice the blend and stylistic know-how of the voices turn out extremely well. After a chilly start Mariella Devia lavishes on the title role the long-lined bel canto phrases for which she has become renowned, matched by the superb bass Carlo Colombara (Bidebent) and the warm-spirited tenor Vincenzo La Scola (Edgardo)...” BBC Music Magazine, September 2004 ****

“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 ***

“José Antonio Gutiérrez's production is, by definition, ultra-traditional, but everything looks beautiful thanks to Cabanes's feeling for colour - ochres and blues dominate - and perspective. Cabanes… achieved breathtaking atmosphere through trompe-l'oeil effects painted on paper. It's for his designs that this DVD is really worth having, though they house a fine performance under the secure baton of Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez. Daniela Dessì is strong if occasionally strident in the title role, and Elisabetta Fiorillo is a commanding Amneris.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2004 ****

“…Vecchi's 1597 madrigal cycle… mixes slapstick scenes from the commedia dell'arte with lofty lovers' laments. …I Fagiolini… sing and act the cycle in a little stage such as 16th-century Venetians might have crowded round. …guffawing at the miserly merchant Pantalone, the caddish Captain Cardon, assorted servants and trollops, I simply didn't care - as I would have, listening without pictures - than canons of vocal decorum were being gleefully guyed. The singing's superb, anyway, as is the five-channel sound.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2004 ****

“If you want the edition of the work revised in Italian by Verdi, first performed in 1884, this is your only choice to date on DVD – and it proves, as it did on VHS, a satisfying experience.
The work in this form is tauter and more direct than the five-act French original caught on the DVD of the Chatêlet production conducted by Pappano. Those who know Zeffirelli's style won't be surprised by the conventionally lavish production, but it effectively evokes the atmosphere of religious oppression and personal antagonisms Verdi so unerringly depicts.
The dark-hued, threatening setting fits Muti's energetic, rhythmically vital conception. He quickens the emotions in a peculiarly Italianate way, and throughout evinces a feeling for the colouring of the score. His reading is in turn a good background for some thoughtful and idiomatic singing.
Pavarotti delivers Carlo's music in a typically fervent manner, words ideally placed on the voice and his tone consistently firm and pliable.
His girth makes him unconvincing as the small, lean, nervous Carlo of history, but his simple, sincere acting is its own advocate. Daniella Dessì looks the very image of the wronged, sympathetic Elisabetta and sings with feeling and good phrasing. Paolo Coni offers a concerned, upright Rodrigo, sung in warm tones though he sometimes loses focus under pressure.
Zeffirelli's video direction is well fashioned and the sound picture catches the aural ambience of La Scala. As a whole, this is a vivid experience.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Muti conducts with real assurance. Pacing the drama magnificently, it is on performances like these that the controversial Maestro has made his well-deserved musical reputation. Tell emerges as a masterpiece from first to last... Ensembles are a consistent joy – just try the finale of Act 1 – thanks to Muti's clear direction and the superb choral forces. This is a superb DVD...Do try to experience this treat.” MusicWeb International

“The cast...is excellent...The hero of the occasion is the conductor. Once again William Christie justifies the florid metaphors he used when naming Les Arts Florissants” New Statesman