Cheap Donizetti - Anna Bolena / Bonynge, Sutherland, Morris, Canadian Opera Company (DVD) (Camillo Mastrocinque) Price
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Lotfi Mansouri spared no effort or expense in making this production special. He personally directed the staging, and handpicked an outstanding cast (right down to the very young and then-unknown Ben Heppner in the small role of Hervey). The visual elements--sets, costumes, and camera work--are also handled with great care, and Sutherland's positive response to this dedication can be sensed in her performance as the unfortunate wife of King Henry VIII. James Morris is best-known as a Wagnerian singer--perhaps the leading Wotan of our time--but he is equally at home in many of the villainous roles that are the fate of bass- baritones (Iago, Scarpia, Don Giovanni). In this sinister tale of an innocent woman ruthlessly destroyed, he shows a surprising knack for the bel canto style. Judith Forst is also excellent in the role of Jane Seymour. --Joe McLellan
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | Camillo Mastrocinque |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 23 April, 1952 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Vai (Video Artists Inter.) |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Color |
| TYPE: | Performing Arts - Opera |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| UPC: | 089948420392 |
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Customer Reviews of Donizetti - Anna Bolena / Bonynge, Sutherland, Morris, Canadian Opera Company
Bland and boring I've only watched/listened to the 1st 2 acts and the 1st scene of the 3rd (because I can't use my DVD player right now), and after listening (dozens of times) to the glorious 1984 CD of this with Sutherland, Ramey and Hadley, I was expectiving, anticipating something absolutely wonderful. But I was disappointed. The duets and ensemble numbers in the 2 acts I have gotten to see/hear so far are really great. But everything else makes me wonder which Donizetti wrote it. Actually I think this was his first hit and his coloratura writing really improved with time. Sutherland's voice was just fine, but there are more of her signature leaps at the ends of arias on the CDs than there are in this movie. In fact, I suppose the lesser number in the flick is more customary, and she just showed off on the CDs, but I loved it because I love her and love hearing her do it. My only (ONLY) objection to this DVD (and why is it so different from the CDs???) is the music. It is flat and bland. It is dull. There is very little in it I would call coloratura-style singing. That of course turned out to be Donizetti's stock in trade, but there's very little in this to foreshadow what was to come. The singers all did wonderful jobs. The sets were skeletal. The costumes lush. Henry was skinny and Percy was plump. (There's a switch in history!) And whose stupid idea was it to pluck Henry's eyebrows and make him look like Mr. Spock without the ears?
Sutherland still absolutely breathtaking, BUT...
After obtaining a copy of Sutherland's DVD performance of Lucrezia Borgia (I gorgeous rendition-a must!) I just had to get this Anna Bolena. Of course there's a four year difference between performances, and I heard so many rumours and opinions regarding the decline in voice, and yes, inevitably you can notice the difference. But as far as I'm concerned she can still surprise today's singers who are in their prime. Her coloratura, runs, trills, everything...are still clean, tasteful, absolutely beautiful! Whats more, her Jane Seymour, Judith Frost, is fantastic, first in her scena duet with Henry, then with Anna Bolena herself in Act 3 scene 1. The costumes, sets great!
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>Now the disappointments-a simply miscast Henry-James Morris. He sounds as if he were choking in some of the emballishments. Yes, he can sing Wagner, I've heard him, but certainly NOT bel canto! Others in the cast are more than adequate. Also the sound is pathetic!!! I can understand if its mono sound but sometimes the voices are too far back, the orchestra sounds muchy in places. I disappointment after the top quality of Lucrezia Borgia.
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>Still, a DVD I would not want to be without!!!
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>Bravo!
SUTHERLAND IS STILL SUTHERLAND
In a perfect world, there would have been a video "Anna Bolena" with Maria Callas, but with that out of the question, I find this Sutherland version quite good. True --- her voice is not what it would have been ten years earlier ------ but it's still an impressive instrument quite capable of commanding the role. Secondly, she sounds considerably better here than she does on the London studio recording of 1987 (recorded three years after this performance). The supporting cast here is excellent, the orchestra plays well for Bonynge, and the picture is pretty good. I'm a great Callas admirer, but I truly find Sutherland's contribution to the art of bel canto to be as basic and fundamental as was Callas'. This is an excellent "Anna Bolena" , and if there are those who have a problem with Sutherland's downward transposition of the final scene by a whole step, they should simply give this performance a pass. Personally, I'm glad that Sutherland took this role into her repertoire, even at this late stage of her career. Is there any soprano out there today who could duplicate her accomplishment? If so, where are they??