Opera on Video A Personal Review The accessibility of opera has increased markedly in the decades since video recorders became available in the home. It seems appropriate to essay this highly personal review of the materials to which I have access. My definition of “opera” has been broadened to include any work generally so classified whether staged or not, and any classical vocal work presented in a staged performance. I have included concert performances of operas and stagings of oratorios. The reviews reflect my personal opinions and should not be taken as more. I hope that they provide you with enough information to select among performances or to seek out items of interest. The intent of the Evaluation entry is to provide a one-word summary opinion of the recording. Excellent Solid representation of the work in all significant respects; flaws may be noted in the text. Very Good Recording adequate for appreciation of the opera by one not familiar with it. Good Fundamentally valid reading lacking significant elements; not recommended for novices. Fair/Adequate Tolerable performance with elements worth seeing but not satisfying overall. Inadequate Although unacceptable overall, acceptable if no alternative is available. Poor Unacceptable performance overall; elements may be worth seeing. Other terms such as Unique and Idiosyncratic apply to performances of particular value in specific senses but which should not be regarded as generally representative of the opera. Those recordings should be sampled before purchase; traditionalists may find them unacceptable, but those new to opera in general or to the particular work may find them revelatory. © 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 Michael Richter [email protected] http://mrichter.simplenet.com Nixon in China PRODUCTION Adams World premiere live staging. Sets are literal and natural in size. Costumes and makeup are slight exaggerations of literal form and color. As usual with Sellars’ stage work, the totality is more effective than its components; less common is elaborate (though Conductor: DeMain fitting) production. Enunciation is clear. Company: Houston PERFORMANCES Nixon: Maddalena DeMain propels the neo-classical score with clarity and dynamism. Chorus and Pat: Page orchestra seem comfortable with the idiom and effective in presenting it. Maddalena and Mao: Doykers Sylvan shine vocally and dramatically. Duykers and Hammons seem accurate and act well, Chou: Sylvan but their voices do not project effectively and their vocal portrayals seem artificial and Mme. Mao: Craney effortful. Page looks and acts well but could use more voice to carry the part. Craney’s Kissinger: Hammons shrill style and tone may be desired but clash painfully with the mood of the work. Broadcast TECHNICAL COMMENTS English Video is brilliant and without flaw. Sound is clear throughout but presents little Director: Large imaging of orchestra or stage. Video direction is superb, of course. If Adams’ music or the idea of the opera is appealing, this performance is to be sought out. Date: 1988 Evaluation: Definitive © Michael Richter 1997 Aspern Papers PRODUCTION Argento World premiere production of a very live performance. Sets are literal and appropriate, with substantial variation induced by lighting. Costumes are unimaginative: effective in the real world, purified in the dream world, and helpful throughout. Stage Conductor: Rescigno direction is superb and the performers appear to satisfy the director’s intentions comfort- Company: Dallas ably. Juliana: Söderström PERFORMANCES Tina: von Stade Evaluation must be done in a vacuum, lacking both comparative performance and Lodger: Stilwell score. Nevertheless, Rescigno clearly leads well-drilled orchestra and soloists in a Sonia: Ciesinski committed reading. Söderström is magnificent—comfortable in voice and riveting as an Aspern: Rosenshein actress. Von Stade is close behind, handling a relatively easy vocal line comfortably and Barelli: Halfvarson portraying a colorless character well. The other soloists play their parts easily despite awkward vocal lines. The integration of the performance is remarkable under Söderström’s Broadcast lead, so even the term “soloist” seems inappropriate. English / English subtitles Director: Browning TECHNICAL COMMENTS Video is excellent, though somewhat less sharp in longer shots (even those Date: 1989 representing real time) than the best modern work. Audio is impeccable. The camera is an Evaluation: Very Good active participant in the show, providing a made-for-television experience rather than one in the opera house. Some of the staging is clearly aimed at the house so that one frequently wishes either a wider shot or tighter staging. However, those criticisms are minor in an outstanding overall experience—depending only on one’s affection for the musical idiom. © Michael Richter 1997 Johannes-Passion PRODUCTION Bach Fully and dramatically staged live performance. The single set provides a framework which is church, intimate gathering place and Golgotha. Costumes are traditional for the biblical era. The performers’ commitment and passion cannot be Conductor: Hacker questioned; they make of this normally static work a dramatic and dynamic experience — Company: Fenice presumably the result of the care of designer/director Pier Luigi Pizzi. Jesus: Prey/F PERFORMANCES Evangelist: Vandersteene Hacker’s rich, romantic concept falls to his lack of mechanical skill on the podium. Mary: Zimmermann The orchestras offer warm tones, but sloppy execution; the chorus is on pitch but ragged. As singers, none of the soloists is of the first rank; Vandersteene would be such except for LaserDisc numerous, noticeable near-disasters and a few which go across the line. This is a Italian / Japanese subtitles sumptuous, romantic reading which fails its musical objectives due to sheer lack of Director: Cavassilas performing ability. Date: 21 December 1984 TECHNICAL COMMENTS Evaluation: Unique Video is clear and well focussed. The warm sound balance fits the dramatic concept and well-balanced in maintaining the sense of reality. Direction is fluid, though camera angles seem constrained by the audience and some shots are awkward. Overall, the technical accomplishments are more than adequate to preserve and to communicate this extraordinary dramatic experience. Those seeking authenticity or refined musicianship should look elsewhere. © Michael Richter 1997 Abduction of Figaro PRODUCTION Bach, PDQ Live production before an audience ill-prepared to respond rationally. A minimal set does not do justice to the opulent - nay, grandiloquent - concept. Costumes are traditional for the era. Acting is simultaneously natural in the modern style and conven- Conductor: Schickele tionally operatic; the result is, again, a unique expression not unlike that achieved by one Company: Minnesota drinking milk when finally appreciating a punch line. Dofonso/Pasha/Papa: Lehr PERFORMANCES Susanna/Mama: Krueger It seems unfair even to assess Schickele as a conductor since the eminent Pecadillo: Ford musicologist and discoverer of the composer is deservedly ignored for those skills. The D2: Brustadt orchestra, chorus and corpse de ballet set new standards for provincial opera. The soloists Blondie: Lloyd should be discussed in detail, but that pleasure must be reserved for the viewer, not the Opec: Ferrante critic. Suffice it to say that fans of Bruce Ford and John Ferrante, the only ones who have had major careers, will find them in suitable company. LaserDisc English (mostly) TECHNICAL COMMENTS Director: Lavine Clean, clear video and audio permit each nuance of this subtle interpretation to shine through. It may be necessary to attribute some directorial and technical lapses to the Date: 1984 difficulty of doing a serious job while rolling on the floor, laughing. The only serious Evaluation: Incomparable criticism to be made of this unique recording is that it goes on rather too long. Well before the two and three-quarter hours are over, the joke has worn thin and only the gags survive. Still, it must be recommended for its unique achievements. © Michael Richter 1997 Antony and PRODUCTION Cleopatra Simplified staging of a simplified score. Setting is established by rear projection and a few token props before it. Costumes are colorful but not specific to the era; the Barber modified contemporary dress of the chorus clashes inexplicably. Stage direction is Conductor: Buckley generally convincing, except for Malfitano’s posturing and exaggeration (though that Company: Chicago Lyric might well have been fitting in the house). Cleopatra: Malfitano PERFORMANCES Antony: Cowan Buckley leads an abridged score in a brighter, more comfortable reading than that Cæsar: Trussel of the Met premiere. Both orchestra and chorus come close to the score without settling Charmian: White into it. Malfitano sings reasonably well, but overacts and frequently pushes her instrument. Enobarbus: Halfvarson Cowan excels both vocally and dramatically; he conveys the relative barbarism of Rome in Egypt. Halfvarson’s Enobarbus is another substantial asset, singing well as he portrays Broadcast a valid character. The lesser rôles are well covered. English / English subtitles Director: Browning TECHNICAL COMMENTS Video and audio achieve the highest objectives. Browning’s camera work is Date: 1991 unobtrusive and unhampered by the presence of the audience. Lighting is ample. This Evaluation: Very Good performance is a strong argument for the work in its reduced form. If the libretto