The Bartered Bride (Prodana Nevesta) 1981

The Bartered Bride

1981 Czech
Supraphon; 138 minutes
Featuring Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky

I know it has been ages since I posted on here. Time just seems to have been flying! For this post, I decided to feature the 1981 Czech TV film of Smetana's "Prodana Nevesta", which features Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky in the starring roles of Marenka and Jenik. This is a filmed-for-TV movie, traditional staging an costumes. The soundtrack was prerecorded and the sets are full studio sets (no orchestra is seen). If you are not a fan of Smetana, "The Bartered Bride", and/or the stars, then this would probably drag on a bit. It is very stagy, and and Smetana does tend to repeat lines in this opera. However, the singing is simply fantastic! Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky are hailed as two of the leading Czech opera interpreters and this certainly shows why. There arias and duet in Act 1 are simply gorgeous. Their acting is subtle, somewhat stage-like, but very good. They never make you feel like they are not the characters that they are playing. The supporting cast is very good and well sung. The costumes are colourful and very traditional. The cinematography is very stiff feeling and adds to the stagy look. However, Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky make this worth viewing.

La Forza del Destino (1958)

La Forza del Destino
Featuring Renata Tebaldi, Franco Corelli, and Boris Christoff
1958 Teatro San Carlo, Naples performance
160 minutes; Hardy Classics DVD

This is simply fantastic viewing. You listen to the records and imagine these famous people singing, but it is so great to be able to actually see them perform on stage at the peaks of their careers. Gives you a much better feeling when you listen to a disc, knowing how they actually sing.

The quality is a little old, but so much better than I thought it would be when I ordered this DVD. The sound is absolutely wonderful, especially considering they had to remaster old TV film. I took the disc upstairs onto our 42" plasma TV and it looked and sounded great! The end scene is fabulous, worth watching twice in a row.

The staging and costumes are traditional and the acting is great (although modern viewers would consider it old-fashioned). Corelli is always convincing and, actually, this is his debut in the role of Alvaro. You would never know it, he is so natural. Tebaldi is simply breathtaking as Leonora, an opera treasure. You can really appreciate her fame and the power of her voice. You can't help but notice her. She really must have been something to hear live!

The disc has subtitles (in several languages, but I can't remember which other than English and Italian) which can be turned on or off as well as an interview with Renata Tebladi that is very fun. All in all, it is so worth the viewing time. A must for any Tebaldi or Corelli fan.

Madame Butterfly (1974) Film

Madame Butterfly (1974)
Featuring Mirella Freni, Placido Domingo, and Christa Ludwig
145 minutes; Deutsche Grammophone DVD

Good singing, poor staging. The director filmed this like a movie and the finished product is somewhat odd to watch, with Placido Domingo chewing gum through much of the first half(even while singing) and voices singing while the characters are doing something else. An interesting note, though. It started out as a plain recording with the same people except Pavarotti instead of Domingo. When they decided to make a film out of it, they recorded Placido Domingo’s part and spliced it into the recording, replacing Pavarotti, then the performers lip-synced to the recording during filming. This is a phenomenal recording of “Madame Butterfly” and Mirella Freni shines in one of her greatest roles. Well worth listening to, just turn the television screen off.

La Fanciulla del West (1991)

La Fanciulla del West
1991 La Scala performance
142 Minutes; Image Entertainment DVD

Featuring Placido Domingo, Mara Zampieri, and Juan Pons
The two stars turn in great performances. Mara Zampieri is wonderful as "Minnie", and Domingo is always great as the bandit "Ramirez". Well worth watching if you like this opera. The downfall to this is that the subtitles are stationary.

La Forza del Destino (1984)

La Forza del Destino
1984 Metropolitan Opera performance
featuring Leontyne Price and Giacomo Giacomini
180 Minutes; Deutsche Grammophon DVD

The incomparable Leontyne Price! What more is there to say? Every note she sings is well worth your time, beginning to end. The last act alone is worth watching, even if you aren’t interested in the whole opera. Her phenomenal rendition of "Pace, Pace, Mio Dio" is an absolute MUST! The remastered DVD is GREAT!

La Boheme (1982) with Teresa Stratas (1999 Pioneer DVD)

This is another of one of my favorite opera DVDs. Stratas and Carreras are wonderful. I listen to this all the time. However, this does not sound like a studio recording, as it was filmed live at the Met. I will embed a few of my favorite arias/duets from this recording in another post.

La Boheme
1982 Metropolitan Opera performance
featuring Teresa Stratas, Renata Scotto, and Jose Carreras
141 minutes; 1991 release, Paramount VHS, Geneon [Pioneer] DVD

Teresa Stratas and Jose Carreras turn in well-acted, grand performances of "Mimi", and "Rodolfo". Renata Scotto is a little shaky and seems a little stretched, especially the high range. The entire production is well staged, acted and beautifully sung. Definitely well worth the time, one of the best versions of Puccini’s masterwork. The only con is that the subtitles cannot be removed.

Fidelio (1991) with Gabriela Benackova

For my first review, I may as well start with the best. This is one of my very favorite opera recordings!

Fidelio
1991 Royal Opera House, Covent Garden performance
featuring Gabriela Benackova and Josef Protschka
124 Minutes; Image Entertainment DVD (also available on VHS)

When you combine Beethoven’s superb music with the remarkable voice of Gabriela Benackova, there’s only one thing wrong: it’s over too soon. In my opinion, this is simply the BEST “Fidelio” out there, film or recording. Gabriela Benackova shines as Leonore. Her “Abscheulicher!” is so thrilling that it’s over before you know it. Monte Pederson’s “Ha welch ein augenblick” and Marie McLaughlin’s “O war ich schon” are only a couple of the highlights of this performance.
Definitely worth the time!



Here is a sample video from this film.