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Monday, December 28, 2009

Zefferelli's "La Traviata" with Teresa Stratas

La Traviata (1982)
Featuring Teresa Stratas, Placido Domingo, and Cornell MacNeil. Directed by Franco Zefferelli
105 minutes; Universal Studios

This is an “Opera Film”. Actually filmed like a movie, elaborate sets (maybe too elaborate?). More acting from the performers than in a stage production and about twenty minutes of the score was trimmed to make the movie a better length (I have never listened to a complete recording of “Traviata” so I don’t know it as well as some, but I didn’t notice any abrupt sounding cuts or anything). Teresa Stratas gives a wonderful acting performance of the dying Violetta. The scene in Act II where Germont asks Violetta to leave is very well done and vocally pleasing. The lip syncing is sometimes noticeable to a watchful eye but generally all right. The dresses tend to be rather low-cut and a bit immodest. Widescreen, it does have removable subtitles.



Here is a clip from the film of Teresa Stratas as Violetta singing "Addio, del passato".


Thursday, December 17, 2009

La Boheme - The Dream Cast

La Boheme - The Dream Cast [Highlights]
Decca
Featuring Carlo Bergonzi, Andrea Bocelli, Kiri Te Kanawa, Renata Tebaldi, Renee Fleming, Mirella Freni, Jose Carreras, Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Gianni Maffeo, Luciano Pavarotti and Nicolai Ghiaurov.

All the famous arias from La Boheme, interesting mix of people. If you like the opera, it is worth listening to so that you can see how many different styles can sing the same music. Interesting, but lacks flow.


Thursday, December 10, 2009

The Golden Age of Opera

The Golden Age of Opera
by Robert Tuggle
What makes this book REALLY exciting is that it features the photographs of Herman Mishkin, Met photographer from 1910 to 1932. Wonderful stories (and photographs) about some of the legendary performers during the “golden age”, including Caruso, Claudio Muzio, Ponselle, Farrar, Jeritza, and Frances Alda, just to name a few.