Francesco Cilea – Adriana Lecouvreur: Teatro Regio Torino (2009/ArtHaus Musik Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B     Extras: C     Opera: C+

 

 

First introduced back in 1902, Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur has been issued by the ArtHaus label on Blu-ray from a 2009 Teatro Regio Torino performance that is interesting at best, uneven overall and has fine singing despite not delivering the twisted tale of murder and class division that helps it endure over a century later.  Told in four acts, the title actress (Micaela Carosi) is killed and the rest of the story is about how this will and will not be dealt with.

 

In fairness to the production, it turns out that the original written work is considered all over the place and some variances also exist, including some that have been lost leaving the actors with more of a burden in pulling the show off than usual.  Fans will want to see it, but this production just did not work for me.  However, it is a complete one, so it is not inherently flawed either.

 

The 1080i 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image was shot in HD and has its share of motion blur and detail issues, but they are not awful and color is usually more consistent.  Some shots look really good too, but it is not as good as some Operas I have seen on Blu-ray of late.  The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 7.1 mix fares better, surviving the soundmaster being stretched out two extra channels.  This is better than the PCM 2.0 Stereo also included, but I wonder if a DTS-MA 5.1 would have been a richer choice.  Extras include an illustrated booklet on the classic opera and this production with technical information and some text in several languages.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo