A
John Williams Celebration/Dudamel
(2015/C Major)/Handel:
Rinaldo/Katschner (2014,
2015 w/marionettes/ArtHaus w/CD set)/An
Evening With Jiri Kylian & Nederlands Dans Theater
(1980 - 1984/ArtHaus)/Gustav
Mahler's Symp. Nos. 9 & 10/Jarvi
(2008 - 2015/Unitel Classica/C Major)/Ennio
Porrino: I Shardana/Bramall
(2015 aka The Sheridan/Dynamic)/Franz
Schubert: Fierrabras/Stein
(2014, 2015/Unitel Classica/C Major)/Show
Boat/San Francisco Opera
(2013 - 2015/EuroArts)/Richard
Strauss: Feuersnot/Ferro
(2014, 2015/ArtHaus/Unitel Classica)/Vivaldi:
Il Farnace
(2015/Dynamic/all Naxos Blu-rays)
Picture:
B- (Jiri:
C+) Sound: B (Jiri:
B-) Extras: C+/B/C+/C+/C/C+/B-/C+/C Main Programs:
B-/B-/C+/B-/B-/B-/B-/B-/B-
Here's
a new set of good, solid releases by the Naxos company that fans of
classical music and the arts should be aware of...
We
start with the most mainstream of the releases, A
John Williams Celebration
(2015) is a salute the the composer/conductor now know for his
Lucas/Spielberg movie music from the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Gustavo Dudamel conducts with Williams in attendance in a program (a
short 90 minutes here, though I wondered if this was longer for those
in the audience and we are not getting some of the music) including
Itzhak Perlman on selections from Schindler's
List,
a non-film piece called Soundings, his Olympic Fanfare & Theme
and music from Fiddler
On The Roof,
Catch
Me If You Can,
Amistad,
Star
Wars,
Jaws
and The
Empire Strikes Back.
This
means rare or more challenging works (like his music for De Palma's
The
Fury,
for example) are once again ignored. People rave about Williams and
he is good, but his talents did not just start in 1977 and several of
these programs of not do his legacy justice, just his more commercial
period, save a few films. This was also a mixed show, too short for
its own good and worth a look, yet I expected more. Now, see for
yourself.
Handel's
Rinaldo
is a unique entry in any of the operas we have covered because this
tale of love and war during the crusades is done with marionettes and
could be shot three ways: show the opera singers all the time with
hardly or no marionettes, show only the marionettes or the option
here: show the marionettes while you keep showing the singers. The
singers are seen too often, killing the whole purpose of doing this
that ay to begin with. That's a shame because this is a good opera.
Especially
in the interactive age and with Blu-ray's capacities, this is a time
where they should have employed the multi-angle feature, showed the
marionettes at all times, then relegate what we get here and any
other alternate views (including maybe one only showing the
puppeteers) to alternate angles. No one was thinking that ahead and
that makes viewing what we get choppy.
Oh
well.
An
Evening With Jiri Kylian & Nederlands Dans Theater
offers three programs we already covered as part of a big Kylian
Blu-ray box we reviewed at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13177/The+Boy+Friend+(1971/MGM/Warner+Archive+DV
The
three ballet works here are Sinfonietta,
Symphony
In D
and Stamping
Ground,
all part of his answer to modern dance and if you do not want to take
on the entire box set, this too is a good single to start with to see
what you think of his work.
Gustav
Mahler's Symp. Nos. 9 & 10
are presented in separate tapings here by Conductor Paavo Jarvi that
run about two hours total and are a pretty good representations of
the works. Shot with the usual back and fourth between conductor
orchestra with that sometimes focus on certain musicians plays key
parts at key moments, this is just fine and worth getting if you like
Mahler.
Ennio
Porrino: I Shardana
aka The
Sheridan
takes place in a more likely version of prehistoric times in Sardinia
imagining how that place and part of the world was dramatically
formed. It is very imaginative and that something different that
makes opera more exciting than the stereotype of people singing in
loud, long parts, but will well-developed characters saying and doing
something. Anthony Bramall conducts and this one runs 114 minutes.
Franz
Schubert's Fierrabras
is a long, epic opera about Christians
battling Moors during the time of Charlemagne that is rich, nuanced
and the most challenging work on the list running 164 minutes. Peter
Stein directs it on stage and manages to keep it going smoothly and
effectively throughout, but it can be a trying work at times and if
you are not interested in the subject matter, you will not make it.
The staging, set design and performances are also top rate and I can
see why it is rarely performed. Most people could not pull it off!
Next
we have the classic, yet ever controversial musical Show
Boat
from Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, performer by The San
Francisco Opera a few years ago in a well-staged production with a
cast that can definitely sing. Of course, there are some classic
songs here like ''Can't Help Lovin' That Man'' and ''Old Man River'',
but the surprise here was the liberal use of the N-word so casually
that it made it hard to watch this one. MGM made several movies out
of this and I don't remember that in any of the films.
At
least they can claim they were faithful to the original material, but
the results are once again mixed and problematic for me as they have
been in all versions. Can anyone do this one with ironic distance
and something new to say?
Richard
Strauss: Feuersnot may have an odd name, but this visit to a Bavaria
of the past, especially at night, has its moments and is a complex
work that he created as a response to his first opera not succeeding.
Gabriele Ferro conducts this well made, well thought out production
that runs about two hours and is not bad, though it can be uneven and
hard for some to get into. However, it is surprising it is not more
well known or performed due to the author's reputation and is worth a
serious look for all interested.
And
finally we have Vivaldi's
Il Farnace
in a gender-twisting variant of this tale of three royal figures,
including the title character and the gender morphing was in some of
the several rewrites as we are told this is the most rewritten opera
of all time. Running 151 minutes, it is a 'real trip' that more
hardcore opera fans might be able to handle than novices. The cast
is strong and Conductor Federico Maria Sardelli is able to pull it
off, but it is not an easy sit. Still, recommended for those with
the commitment to it.
All
these releases offer 1080i 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image
transfers from their HD shoots, all have good color, but also some
motion blur and minor flaws typical of the format save Jiri
in upscaled 1.33 X 1 analog/standard definition shooting not
completely explaining itself on the back of the package. It is the
poorest performer here easily.
All
nine releases have PCM 2.0 Stereo, the only track on Jiri
and in 16/44.1 form, the sound on the Rinaldo
CDs, all pretty much on an even, equal basis with each other. The
rest of the Blu-rays also offer DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless
mixes, but the bog surprise is not just how some of the menus do not
offer a switching option (you have to find it with your remote
only!), but that not all are
5.1 mixes. Instead, more than a few are 5.0 only! Thus, the 5.1
mixes are on Williams,
Mahler,
Feuersnot
and Show
Boat,
while the 5.0 mixes are on Rinaldo,
Shardana,
Fierrabras
and Farnace.
Though you'd think the 5.1s would have the edge, they do not and the
5.0s sound just as good, so no standouts this time and the Williams
was a little more metallic and tin-sounding than I would have liked.
Extras
in all nine releases includes a multilingual, illustrated booklet on
their respective programs as expected, several of the outright
classical releases offer previews for similar releases, Williams
adds interviews with the composer, Dudamel & Perlman at 11
minutes, Rinaldo
adds a 2 CD set of the show & Making Of featurette, Jiri
and Mahler
add an Introduction and Behind The Scenes featurette, Fierrabras
adds a Behind The Scenes featurette, Feuersnot
adds a Making Of featurette and Show
Boat
adds a 33-minutes long interviews featurette.
-
Nicholas Sheffo