Gail & Scott Finke wrote:
Boy, I would love to see some good Gilbert and Sullivan DVDs. I love the
operettas, but all the recordings are so... blah.
I can't understand why. I thought G & S was very popular, as
opera/operetta goes these days. But there is one really outstanding DVD
of "Patience" by the Australian Opera, 1995. The costumes, sets, and
acting are great Aesthetic satires, and the singing is lovely.
I have the 1983 Stratford Festival "Mikado" DVD. It's OK, but not great.
The acting is good, but I don't think the singing is top-notch.
Donizetti's comic operas are rather G & S in feel. There is a
delightful DVD of "The Daughter of the Regiment" with Beverly Sills,
sung in English.
(I
can't stand any by Richard Strauss, but that's another story!)
I can't stand Richard Strauss, either. It's like he constantly
interrupts every tune he starts.
Johann Strauss is a different matter. The 1883 Royal Opera Covent Garden
DVD of "Die Fledermaus," is pretty good, except for sticking some other
random performers into one act as a sort of variety show. There are
other well-reviewed versions.
As I said before, the San Francisco Opera's DVD of "The Merry Widow," is
excellent, with gorgeous Art Nouveau sets.
To return to
an actual question for the list -- 12 years ago I was lucky enough to get
tickets to an English National Opera production of "The Barber of Seville."
There is a nice 1987 Glyndebourne Festival Opera DVD of Rossini's
"Barber of Seville," and a nice 2001 Opéra National de Lyon DVD of
Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro."
The costumes were amazing (that's when I really "got" how dashing men's
1700s clothes could be) and I discovered the joys of listening to operas in
English. You get the jokes! The sad parts are sad when they're supposed to
be!
There is a DVD of the 18th century "Beggar's Opera," with superb acting,
although Roger Daltry (of the Who rock group) doesn't have quite the
voice for it. It's by the English Baroque Soloists, 1984. The opera is
witty and thoroughly cynical. One neat thing for those familiar with
the folk tunes Gay used is comparing the traditional lyrics with his
lyrics for the same tunes--there's some wit built in right there.
I could never get VHS tapes of any of the performances because English
VHS doesn't play here in the US. But DVDs do, right? Or are they like VHS
tapes? If they do play here, does anyone have any English National Opera
recommendations?
There are several DVDs for the English National opera on Amazon,
including their "Mikado," which is costumed in the 1920s. I'd rather
have it set in its own period; but what the heck, I'll give it a try.
Fran
Lavolta Press
http://www.lavoltapress.com
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