Cheap Rossini - La Cenerentola / Renzetti, Kuhlmann, Taddei, Zannini, Dale, Rinaldi, Glyndebourne (DVD) Price

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Customer Reviews of Rossini - La Cenerentola / Renzetti, Kuhlmann, Taddei, Zannini, Dale, Rinaldi, Glyndebourne

Good effort, a bit lacking in the vocal department
This Glyndebourne performance unfortunately suffers from having very stiff competition on DVD. It does rank below the Houston production featuring Bartoli's vocal fireworks, and the delightful Salzburg performance starring Ann Murray. I suspect devout Rossinians like myself will still want to check it out.
Kathleen Kuhlmann as Angelina displays a warm and attractive mezzo in the middle and bottom of her voice. The top, however, almost always thins out, losing color. The same problem afflicts tenor Laurence Dale. Claudio Desderi, the best actor, provides a funny and well-sung Magnifico, though he has a tendency to bark out his highest notes. The best singing comes from Alberto Rinaldi as Dandini and Roderick Kennedy as Alidoro. The coloratura from all involved is above reproach but it certainly doesn't reach the level we're used to today from the likes of Bartoli, Kasarova, Florez, and others. I think the word "provincial" is over-used but it's the first one that comes to mind when trying to describe the conducting of Donato Renzetti and the playing of his orchestra. I've heard provincial and this is not quite it, but it dangerously approaches it.
The production is quite entertaining and amusing. Staging and costumes are traditional, no tinkering with time and place. I found the sets quite lovely. Just what you'd want to see in a small creative theater like this one. I particularly liked the garden labyrith set at the end of Act I, and the "storm scene" in Act II (which they move up a bit from its original place in the score).
The early-eighties boxed audio sounds more dated than usual, and distortion is likely to occur if you turn the volume up. Video quality is what you'd expect from the time: as good as it gets on DVD considering the source.
All in all, an enjoyable performance in spite of its short-comings. Not a first-choice Cenerentola, true, but not one to be ignored either.