Previn: A Streetcar Named Desire

2010

“Perhaps the most convincing portrayal is that of Rodney Gilfrey as the rough worker Stanley, perpetually chewing, smoking or drinking, periodically exploding into violence, but with beefy baritone always beautifully produced. Anthony Dean Griffey is almost equally good as the naive, mother-loving Mitch, so cruelly deceived by Blanche; while Elizabeth Futral does quite wonderfully well as the tender Stella. For all the beauty of her arias and her high notes throughout, perhaps the least convincing is Renée Fleming herself.
Partly, this is because Previn too often pushes the voice into its higher reaches irrespective of natural speech patterns. It's almost as though he was determined to emphasise that this is opera, not musical theatre. In addition, though, Fleming's starry presence requires some suspension of belief to accept the full extent of Blanche's mental deterioration. But overall the work makes gripping listening and viewing, and the DVD is a marvellous memento of what was surely a significant landmark in operatic history.”