Ax/Haitink:
Beethoven/Bruckner
(2019/Unitel)/Cendrillon/Massenet:
Wilson (2019*)/Dvorak:
Rusalka/Ticcati (2020)/Le
Postillon De Lonjumeau/Rouland
(2019)/Placido Domingo
Opera Gala: 50 Years At The Arena di Verona
(2019/C Major/Unitel)/Royal
Ballet/Sorokin: Concerto Enigma Variations Raymonda Act III
(2019/*all Opus Arte/all Naxos Blu-rays)
Picture:
B/B/B-/B/B/B- Sound: B Extras: C/C+/C+/C/C/C+ Main
Programs: B-/B-/B-/B/B/B
Our
latest classical releases include a legend and works we may not have
seen enough over the years....
We
start with a solid concert from pianist Emanuel Ax and the farewell
concert from conductor Bernard Haitink. Running a smooth 116
minutes, it is a remarkable show featuring the works of Beethoven
and Bruckner.
From 2019, the Beethoven work is Piano Concerto No. 4 and the
Bruckner work is Symphony No. 7. I've heard them before and fans
have certainly heard them over the years and the thing that struck me
here is how simply definitive they were, by masters of music who
understand the works of giants and have been playing them and loving
them all their lives. The orchestra is great and though there were a
few points that did not work, I liked this one for the most part and
recommend this.
Massenet's
Cendrillon
(2019) is the first of two Glyndebourne releases in a row here, a
148-minutes-long operatic version of Cinderella
that is more about the nuances and basics of the book, but that does
not mean it is not for children or too dark (it is no darker than the
recent Disney live-action version), so it is nice to see it for the
first time with Conductor John Wilson on board, a great cast
(Danielle de Niese in the title role) and fine chorus that makes for
a very consistent show. It may be a bit long for some, including
this writer, but it is beautiful in its own form and worth a good
look. Especially if you like the classic tale.
Next
up is what is only our second-ever version of Dvorak's
Rusalka
(2020) to review and this time, (as noted) it is Glyndebourne with
Conductor Robin Ticciati and the London Philharmonic Orchestra,
telling another classic fairy tale. You can read more about that in
our first review of the English National Opera with Conductor David
Pountnoy:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13844/Hank+Williams:+I+Saw+The+Light+-+The+Unrele
This
one did not play so much like a Horror genre entry as just
straight-out fantasy with a cast that includes Sally Matthews, Evan
Leroy Johnson, Alexander Roslavets and Patricia Bardon,m but that
does not take away from the earlier version. If anything, it makes
for some very interesting comparisons, more than usual when we have
covered more than one stage show of the same work. It can still be
odd, but that is a good thing here.
The
most colorful release on our list is Adolphe Adam's opera Le
Postillon De Lonjumeau
(2019) conducted by Sebastien Rouland, stage directed by Michael Fau
and featuring extraordinary costumes by French fashion designer
Christian Lacroix. A real event, you cannot stop watching the tale
of a marriage not necessarily made in heaven, though the glamour here
would suggest they might have half a chance.
The
singing is great, directing energetic and three of the actors play
dual roles well. They include Michael Spyres, Florie Valiquette and
Laurent Kubla, plus Franck Leguerinel, Yannis Ezziadi, Julien Clement
and Fau himself. The case does not say if this was hot in regular HD
or Ultra HD, but it sure would look good in 4K. Recommended.
Next
up is Placido
Domingo Opera Gala: 50 Years At The Arena di Verona
(2019) celebrates the talent of one of the greatest, most important
opera vocalists of the last two centuries, if not all time. The fine
outdoor venue has the icon performing in segments of three classic
operas: Nabucco,
MacBeth
and Simon
Boccanegra,
all of which we have covered in other versions elsewhere on this
site. Running 154 minutes, it is nearly a half-hour before Domingo
shows up for the first program, but he is in fine form and only gets
better as the evening progresses.
A
survivor of the industry as well, you can tell the audience is
increasingly impressed and the energy just keeps slowly growing for
this true event. I thought this would be good, but it was even
better than expected and as good as any of the top rate releases
here.
For
more Domingo, try our coverage of Cyrano
de Bergerac
at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10976/Alfano:+Cyrano+de+Bergerac/Placido+Domingo+(
Finally
we have another great Royal
Ballet
release, this time featuring three full, separate programs with
Conductor Pavel Sorokin: Shostakovich's Concerto,
Elgar's
Enigma Variations
and Glazunov's
Raymonda Act III
(2019). Running about 100 minutes each, Concerto
(choreographed by Kenneth MacMillian) is basic-but effective, Enigma
Variations
(choreographed by Frederick Ashton) is more elaborate and Raymonda
Act III
(choreographed
by Rudolph Nureyev after Marius Pepita)
strategically placed to be the topper in this great set. Glad these
fit so nicely onto one Blu-ray disc.
Thus,
this is not some sampler, but three full programs and really good
ones at that. A very pleasant surprise, especially for ballet fans.
For
more on all involved, you can also read about Elgar in this
underrated drama with James Fox:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6036/Elgar%E2%80%99s+Tenth+Muse+(1996)+++The+
More
about Ashton's work here:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12451/Oliver!+(1968/Sony/Columbia/Twilight+Time+Limit
This
great version of Raymonda
in its
entirety from the Teatro Alla Scala:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11580/Le+Coq+d%E2%80%99Or+(aka+The+Golden+Coc
and
more about Pepita in this documentary:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15731/Idomeneo+(2019/Mozart/Opus+Arte*)/King+Arthu
Now
for playback performance. Though Ax and Domingo were
shot in 2160p Ultra HD (no 4K discs on either as we posted), they and
the other four releases here are in 1080i 1.78 X 1 digital High
Definition and that is because they are all European productions.
Rusalka and Royal Ballet have more motion blur than the
rest (unavoidable when you go from progressive scan interlaced), but
color is pretty good to very impressive in all cases and were fine to
watch.
The
sound is excellent on all six release featuring DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes (save Ax
with a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.0 lossless mix) that deliver fine
soundfields with few if any flaws and good depth and detail. Each
disc also comes with PCM 2.0 Stereo on for older systems or those who
do not like surround sound for some reason, but the DTS sounds better
in each case to me.
Extras
include multi-lingual booklets on each respective release, while
Cendrillon,
Rusalka
and Royal
Ballet
add Cast Galleries, Rusulka
also adds a Making Of featurette Rusulka
- Flying Through Water
and Royal
Ballet
adds three brief Behind The Scenes pieces why the makers and
performers love doing the shows presented there.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
