Orchestra and Chorus Città Lirica, Alberto Veronesi (conductor) & Ivan Stefanutti (director)
DVD Video
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Set and Costume Designer - Nall
The 51st Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago opened with a new production of an opera that is perhaps the composer‘s most underestimated work: “La Fanciulla del West” – often dismissed as a mere „western opera“. The musical director was Alberto Veronesi, artistic director of the festival. Ivan Stefanutti was the stage director, with spectacular sets by American painter Nall and an all-star cast including Daniela Dessì and Fabio Armiliato (the singers are regarded as two of the leading interpreters of Italian soprano and tenor roles) and the baritone Lucio Gallo.
On 27 March 1918 Anton Webern wrote from Prague to his friend and teacher Arnold Schoenberg after attending a performance of “La Fanciulla del West”: “A score with many original sounds. Magnifi cent. Every bar a surprise. Very special sounds. Not a trace of kitsch!“ There is little to add to that.
Sound Format: PCM STEREO, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1
DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC
Picture Format: 4:3 Letterbox
Running Time: 138 mins
FSK: 0
Subtitle Languages: IT, GB, DE, FR, ES, JP
May 2010
****
“...conducted with spirit by Veronesi, Lucio Gallo's dark-souled Rance is an asset, as are Daniela Dessì's feisty Minnie and Fabio Armiliato's bold bandit.”
December 2011
“The drawing card is Daniela Dessi: her big, warm, Italianate voice clearly arises from the same gene pool as Renata Tebaldi's - a significant plus - though Dessi's vocal mileage is evident in Act 1 when gear shifts are audible. In the following two acts, though, language production becomes paramount, allowing Dessi to make an excellent stab at revealing Minnie's inner life...Lucio Gallo's few rough edges feel perfectly right for sheriff Jack Rance.”
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