First Verdi Alzira-No Costumes or Set

[lennygoran]

First Verdi Alzira-No Costumes or Set

Bought from Premiereopera DVD $3.49. I was so happy to see it had captions I forgot to notice it was a concert production. Anyway the singers sang and acted very well and the opera was for me a joy-such delightful music. Others who bought got it from Amazon had vary favorable thoughts about it. Regards, Len

1. John G. Gleeson Sr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done Early Verdi
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013
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In "Verdi With A Vengeance" (required reading!), author William Berger notes that second rate Verdi is better than most anything else and I agree. I have been a Verdiholic since late high school, which was a LONG time ago; it was a time when just a handful of the maestro's works were performed, and those were substantially cut (all those trashy cabalettas, don't ya know!).

Now, all of Verdi's works are available on CD, and C Major is making sure that all are availble on DVD as well, in this bicentennial of Verdi's birth year.

Alzira is widely regarded as Verdi's worst opera, not because of the music, which is full of melody and vitality, but because of the story, which Verdi never seemed to care much about ("Quella e proprio brutta" was his later comment).

But the music is a never ending cascade of melody, much of it very energetic, and a concert performance may well be its best venue, to avoid the negativity of faulty dramatics.

All of the singers do well, with special "Braavi!!" to soprano Junko Saito (Alzira),tenor Ferdinand Von Bothmer (Zamoro) and baritone Thomas Gazheli (Gusmano). Von Bothmer was particularly noteworthy with a vibrant tone and extended range. The orchestra and chorus under the baton of Gustav Kuhn did fine work wth the score, which appears to be uncut.

Picture and sound are first rate. When folks ask why I buy DVDs of operas we own on CD, I just fire up the system and let them hear the DTS version as opposed to the straight stereo one. Conversion follows.

So, gentle reader, buy this with confidence, especially if you like Verdi's music, because there is a lot to like in Alzira whether or not Verdi's "proprio brutta" comment is valid.

2. John F. Cahill
5.0 out of 5 stars A VERY GOOD CONCERT PERFORMANCE
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2013
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I totally disagree with the previous reviewer. This was a very good concert performance of the opera. All the singers were excellent in their respective roles. The chorus was excellent and the opera itself is most enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it and seeing it. The acting was quite good for a concert performance. I liked the introduction to the opera for its summary of the story and information on the opera itself. I recommend this Verdi rarity for all who enjoy the music of Verdi.

John Cahill


3. Keris Nine
5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive production of an underrated early Verdi
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2013
By the time Verdi came to compose Giovanna D'Arco in 1845, the composer was eager to take on more substantial works of literary merit with the kind of romantic scope and emotional range that suited and appealed to his musical sensibility. He had engaged the young poet Francisco Maria Piave to work on his Victor Hugo adaptation, Ernani, and he would soon come to tackle his first Shakespeare work with Macbeth the following year. For Giovanna D'Arco, Verdi found inspiration in Friedrich von Schiller's story of Joan of Arc, finding material for a true dramma lirico that was a match for his developing talent, but also clearly responding personally to the revolutionary sentiments that echoed with the contemporary reality of Risorgimento Italy.

The grand epic nature of the story and Verdi's responsiveness towards it is immediately evident in the composer's scoring for the overture and in his personal reworking of the material. Giovanna D'Arco deals with a classic high Romantic subject in the conflict between love and duty, caught up in a tense dramatic situation that involves war, revolution, family and religion - subjects that Verdi would often deal with, and there's a similarity between this work and something like La Forza del Destino. While later Verdi would be more refined in characterisation and dramatic development - neither Giovanna D'Arco nor Macbeth are matches for the later Schiller and Shakespeare adaptations of Don Carlos or Otello, nor indeed is the earlier Hugo Ernani comparable to his work on the later Rigoletto - but Verdi's earlier work has its attractions, principally here in the composer's beautiful melodic line and the consistency of his treatment of the opera's themes. Broken down into Grand Opéra-like scenes - the King's vision, the chorus of angels and demons in Act I alone - the construction may be conventional and not exactly inspired but it is exceptionally well crafted, pointing clearly towards the direction and the strengths of the later Verdi.

The quality of this rarely performed and underrated work is made evident here in this 2008 performance at the Teatro Regio di Parma's Verdi Festival through a handsome production that is sympathetic to the style and nature of the work, and it also benefits from some excellent singing performances. Other than a painted backdrop depicting a Risorgimento cavalry charge - nothing more than a hint of what might have been on Verdi's mind while composing - the production design and costumes are traditional and naturalistic to the Joan of Arc story itself. It's beautifully lit and staged, transforming smoothly from one scene to the next, finding an appropriate look and tone that brings out the full impact of each highly charged situation. The placing of the performers - the stage often filled with the huge choruses composed by Verdi - also works to the best dramatic purpose, with little in the way of stagy theatrics or operatic mannerisms.

The singing of all three lead roles is excellent. Svetla Vassileva's performance - as it ought to be for a figure like Joan of Arc - is powerful, impassioned, lively and precise in delivery, working fully in the spirit of the work itself. If there are any reservations about Evan Bowers' performance as Carlos, they are only in respect of the writing for the role itself. It is however a similarly committed performance, well sung and acted, that works marvellously in the context of the work. Renato Bruson sounded a little unsteady in his first scene, but is solid where it counts later in the opera, as vocal challenges rise correspondingly with the emotionally charged dramatic developments. The orchestra, conducted by Bruno Bartoletti, and the chorus are also in fine form here, the cast and production working in common accord to present about as good an account of this rare Verdi work as you could imagine. The Blu-ray quality is of a very high standard, the audio in particular giving a warm, clear rendering of the invigorating music, chorus and singing. The Blu-ray is all-region, with subtitles in Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.


Many others liked it too-less had bad reviews:

R. Kreutzer
1.0 out of 5 stars The surround track is just like stereo and I suggest you skip this one
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2014
Verified Purchase
I have over 150 classical DVD/BRs that I watch on a 106" screen and listen through a 7.1 loudspeaker setup where the front speakers are about 9' 6" apart and the surround speakers are on my sides. The room has sound treatments so I hear what's on the disc, not distorting reflections from the walls. My reviews concentrate on the surround audio, as you can pretty much judge the video and stereo for yourself on youtube and similar sites.

Picture is fine.

Sound is DTS-HD MA 5.1 or PCM Stereo. Sound stage of the surround track is just between the front corner speakers, i.e. it isn't really surround. I switched a few times between the surround and the stereo track and found no difference. The little that comes out of the surrounds has no bearing on the sound stage.
Balance favors the principals, which carry body mics. They seem to be about 2 dbs louder than the orchestra and come through the center only. Chorus is sometimes meant to be off-stage and even sung with the back to the audience. Does not help with the sound.
I had trouble finding a good loudness setting. When the orchestra is by itself, I would increase the loudness. When the principals started, I would reduce it 2 db.
Applause is also from the front and it seemed artificially and untimely added for the curtain calls. Bruson was already 5 seconds on center stage without much applause before the applause increased for him. Seemed edited in.

Overall, I can give only 1 star for surround audio, that isn't really surround.

As for the opera and the performance itself, it is Verdi's seventh, and it was not his lucky number. Besides one catchy tune when the demons dance, I could not find much melody nor harmony in it. There are parts where the 3 principals sing together without orchestra and it is just terrible. While I liked Vassileva's voice, the sound of her inhaling was a bit distracting as she was recorded too loud. She had some difficult passages, but just difficult is not enough if the music doesn't speak to me. I reserve judgment until I hear her singing something like Lucia di Lammermoor.
I could not warm up to Bowers nor Bruson, who's vibrato just sounded not natural. Other reviewers called it a wobble. He was a fine Giorgio Germont years ago but those days are gone. I was glad when the performance was over.
I listened to it partially again today, just to make sure my review is not too harsh and it isn't. It will not get another playing and I will return this one as it isn't surround.
Youtube might be an indicator of this opera's popularity: Giovanna 4,500 results, Aida 150,000. Sometimes the majority gets it right.
2 people found this helpful

jrodriguez
1.0 out of 5 stars in
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
Don't bother with this DVD. The only singer worth listening to is the tenor Evan Bowers. The soprano's voice is annoying, and her characterization of the role is laughable. Bruson's vibrato is so slow that it grates on the nerves, which was a great surprise. I had to fast forward past his singing. A far superior version is the one with Bruson, Susan Dun and La Scola. In this DVD Bruson is in fine voice as are the soprano, Susan Dun, and tenor, Vincenzo La Scola. This latter performance is from 1990, while the former is from 2012. This probably explains the change in Bruson's voice. I've observed that a slow vibrato accompanies a voice in decline.
One person found this helpful

DM
1.0 out of 5 stars Only average singing
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
I watched this complete on YouTube and in spite of the problems with the vocalists' singing decided to buy it for one reason.
I wanted to complete my Verdi opera collection on DVD and Bluray.
However I can't recommend it. The singing is just average. Moreover, Junko Saito, Alzira , is completely wild in her top notes.
Same for the baritone who plays Gusmano.On the promising side it is complete with both verses of cabalettas and though this is not great Verdi
it still is Verdi and the music is enjoyable

[maestrob]

Alzira is a fine opera from Verdi's galley years, with good music and much fine singing to recommend it. My first experience of it was when Vincent presented it in Central Park with full orchestra and staging, a quite memorable occasion in the 1990's. Believe it or not, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf sang the lead role at one point in her career. The recording I pull off my shelves occasionally is this one:

[lennygoran]

Alzira is a fine opera from Verdi's galley years, with good music and much fine singing to recommend it.

Brian so glad you found it fine-through most of the opera I couldn't stop tapping my toes to the music! Regards, Len