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1 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 The "exercise in reverse"...1 Dec 04, 2009
Amazingly, what we have here is an `exercise in reverse'...
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, we have quite a successful group of singers born bread and trained there, aspiring to take the world's centre operatic stage; those include in no particular order: Vesselina Kasarova (Mezzo-soprano/alto), Elina Garanca (Mezzo-soprano), Dimitri Hvosostovsky (Baritone), Anna Netrebko (Soprano), Angela Georgiou (Soprano), and not to forget the forerunners of those artists, the magnificent Elena Obraztsova (Mezzo-soprano), the superb Ghena Dimitrova (soprano), the great NIcolai Ghiaurov (Bass), and more.
All of these artists which initially were trained in the former Soviet Union schools of music, took to the Italian and French repertoire - and here was the `straight forward exercise' which they took upon themselves; to try (to various degree of success) to overcome their inherent Slavonic culture-of-the-voice, and without the hinder of the Slavonic trained singing voice to shine in the Italian and French repertoire...True, many of them got their voices trained farther with Italian and French singing teachers later on in their fledgling careers.
The `exercise in reverse' now, is, that two of the greatest western cultured operatic voices, born, bread and trained in the best of the Italian and French culture tradition of the voice, namely, Ramon Vargas (tenor) and Renee Fleming (lyric soprano) would dive nose down into the core of the Russian operatic repertoire - Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin...
Right from the start there is a magnificent sense of correctness in the way by which Renee Fleming
enters the scene as a the romantic teenager, expressing her lines in pure Russian diction and pure lyric-vocal-tone and with the right Russian syllables.
From there on, Tatiana becomes Renee Faming - and Renee flaming on stage becomes Tchaikovsky's and Pushkin's Tatiana...
Most rendering is the `letter aria': this is a complete encompassing scene that demands a command of the singing voice, expressiveness and an amazing ability to act - all of which is greatly fulfilled by Renee Fleming. (One might imagine that Tchaikovsky dedicated the vocal lines here to this singer, to her range of colors and registers - no piercing the stratosphere with high notes above the B flat...)
And mind you - the whole of Tatiana's roll the key to Tatian's character and reasoning hinge on this single impressive scene.
The voice here has a successful mixture of the lyricism, timbre, and correct Russian vowels pronunciation, and the degree of shading of the voice that goes into the lower register here, is correctly tinted with a Slavonic hue.
This scene is guaranteed to make your heart break, and give you a goose-bumps, this, along-side Fleming's (garden scene) where her the acting and facial expression are aimed at giving you a heartache when Onegin lectures her and returns her letter while rejecting her.
Onegin's roll sung by the Russian Baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky (the prime winner of Cardiff-singer-of the-world-competition of some years ago), comes to him naturally and without obvious effort, fitting his physique, stage presence, and his `cool' acting, to the teeth.
Still, there are moments in the last act where Onegin have a change of heart, which asks for just a tad more `remorse', passion, naked laying of emotions - in which Hvorostovsky is a tad too stingy.
One should compare this closing scene between Tatiana and Onegin, with the James Levine 25th anniversary DVD at the Metropolitan - where dramatic baritone Dwayne Croft practically stops the show with his full throat out-burst and breath-control in: "what humiliation, what anguish, what a tragic fate!" - to fully understand what is (slightly) missing here with the Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
Ramon Vargas, which we associate with Puccini and Verdi tenor rolls emerges here as a fine fit to the Russian roll of Lenski dealt to him. His soave tenor voice carries on into the Russian vocalizations and vowels very successfully. His pronunciation is clear and with no obvious hindrance. His acting abilities are equally satisfying in this roll.
The Russian alto/mezzo-soprano Larisa Shevchenko,- gives a specially impressive performance, in the roll of the old nanny; very believable, well sung and well acted and very reliable, specially so, in her duet with Tatians's mother at the very beginning of the opera and later on in the `letter scene' where her interaction with Renee Flemig/Tatiana, at the start of the scene end - when morning breaks in - gives her part a very special sad touch and a great meaning.
The stage set-up - sparsely decorated, clear and almost empty but colorful (the falling leaves that carpet the floor) has an extra edge: it makes the viewer concentrate on the action and draws the viewer into the plot and the mood more easily. It is extremely functional and gives the actors an `instrument' with which to interact (Tatiana playing with the leaves, using a leave in the embarrassing moments of her lake-side scene with Onegin. her letter-scene, and so forth). Everything on the sparsely decorated stage is functional and has its purpose (a rare phenomenon with modern staging).
The stage illumination too has a clear un-exaggerated function which greatly contributes to the filming and details that the cameras capture (this is no half shading `camera obscura' - the way some Blu-ray is made; in semi darkness...)
The sound recording is as perfect as it gets - it capture the orchestral sound and dynamics and the singers voices in a greatly focused proportional way and with a frequency range that is clear, extended - in the best of the Decca tradition.
The conducting, the tempi, the breath and pause, is a marvel:
What a great conductor we find here for the Metropolitan Orchestra and the Tchaikovsky score in the figure of Valery Gergiev...!
The Tchaikovsky musical theme are quite known and melodic - the lines are easy to memorize, but it might take the novice to Tchaikovsky's operas and the manner by which Tchaikovsky takes to the singing voice score and orchestra, a second hearing/viewing of this DVD - just to get it all to sink-in and enjoy.
No doubts that this is one of the very best (possibly THE VERY BEST) of the Blu-ray DVD opera as yet; One of a great stage production, singing, sound - all in all, a marriage of the best possible assemblage of artists which gives meaning to it all.
The `exercise in reverse' - courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera House, is a mile-stone.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky's Masterpiece in assembly Memorial MET Nov 22, 2009
One of my favorite Russian opera, Eugene Onegin, by Tchaikovsky, was recently presented in national cinemas. I do not have time to go to the movies, I was content with the DVD. Just like the one shown in the cinema.
The operas produced nowadays are thought and planned the theater for the video. Increasingly, we can see the aesthetic image of the presentations: sets, costumes, lighting, movements of the singers and chorus, it is thought that the recording be plastic. Time's up for a camera recording everything in the center. Now we have several cameras covering angles previously unimaginable.
The version of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York's stellar cast. The baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, exceptional as Onegin. The soprano Renée Fleming, lyrical voice, sweet, have great aria in the Charter, large Tatiana. Ramón Vargas is one of the great tenors of our time, and his aria of farewell is moving. Featured with praise for Sergei Aleksashkin as Prince Gremin, beautiful aria sung by a bass and portentous for me unknown Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, a Triquet hilarious. I can not say whether there was manipulation of the voices in the video, I heard bordering on perfection.
The sets designed by Michael Levine are almost nonexistent, has turned fashion shows with stage clean. It gives a modern air to function, and still saves a beautiful dough. The costumes are right, sin in the ballroom scene of Act II, rustic look to other participates of the party. The direction by Peter McClintock uses an idea manjada causes Onegin to the beginning of the show lamenting his fate. With Tatiana's letter in hand, he is recalling the events through the opera. The lighting is strong point of production, intelligent and creative, highlights the events clearly.
Presented by the nostalgic Beverly Sills, the DVD contains interviews with the actors and producers behind the scenes montage. The governing Gergiev is simple, direct, effective. Russian conductor who understands the subtlety and delicacy of the score and the orchestra is expressing this SENSITIVITIES. The image and sound recorded in HD are flawless, the direction of images and experienced veteran Brian Large is excellent. Finally! A DVD of Eugene Onegin must for lovers of Russian opera.
Uma de minhas óperas russas favoritas, Eugene Onegin, de Tchaikovsky, foi recentemente apresentada nos cinemas nacionais. Como não tenho tempo para ir ao cinema, me contentei com o DVD. Igualzinho ao apresentado no cinema.
As óperas produzidas nos dias atuais são pensadas e programadas do teatro para o vídeo. Cada vez mais, se nota a estética da imagem nas apresentações: cenários, figurinos, iluminação, movimentações dos cantores e coral, tudo é pensado para que a gravação fique plástica. Acabou o tempo de uma câmera no centro gravando tudo. Agora temos diversas câmeras, que cobrem ângulos antes inimagináveis.
A Versão do Metropolitan Opera House de New York tem elenco estrelar. O barítono Dmitri Hvorostovsky, excepcional como Onegin. O soprano Renée Fleming , voz lírica, adocicada,manda muito bem na Ária da Carta, grande Tatiana. Ramón Vargas é um dos grandes tenores da atualidade, e sua ária de despedida é comovente. Destaque com louvor para Sergei Aleksashkin como Príncipe Gremin, belíssima ária cantada por um baixo portentoso e o por mim desconhecido Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, um Triquet hilário. Não posso afirmar se houve manipulação das vozes no vídeo, o que ouvi beirava a perfeição.
Os cenários concebidos por Michael Levine são quase inexistentes, tem virado moda espetáculos com palcos limpos. Dá um ar de moderno à função, e ainda se economiza uma bela grana. Os figurinos são corretos, pecam na cena do baile do segundo ato, visual caipira demais aos participates da festa. A direção de Peter McClintock usa uma idéia manjada, faz com que Onegin apareça no começo do espetáculo lamentando seu destino. Com a carta de Tatiana na mão, ele vai relembrando os acontecimentos através da ópera. A iluminação é ponto forte da produção, inteligente e criativa, realça os acontecimentos com clareza.
Apresentado pela saudosa Beverly Sills, o DVD contém entrevistas com os protagonistas e produtores e mostra os bastidores da montagem. A regência de Gergiev é simples, direta, efetiva. Maestro russo que entende a sutileza e a delicadeza da partitura e faz a orquestra expressar essa sensibildade. A imagem e o som gravados em HD são impecáveis, a direção de imagens do veterano e experimentado Brian Large é excelente. Enfim! Um DVD de Eugene Onegin imperdível para quem gosta de ópera russa.
Ali Hassan Ayache
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
wanderful performances Sep 20, 2009
Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin / Fleming, Vargas, Hvorostovsky, Gergiev, Carsen [Metropolitan Opera 2007]
It is very nice to watch a DVD with beautiful scenery; but it is also true that you can get distracted, that is why even the scenography was very simple, I was more focused on the artist's performance, there singing, and acting, and also the drama, for those reasons I enjoyed so much, the performance of all were super.
I brought Sir Georg Solti's' version a couple of years ago and the scenery was very beautiful, this is an "advance" when you make it as a movie, beside, the actors and singers were not the same. I took a while to decide to buy this version, and I am glad I bought this one, I like to see a DVD that the acting and singing were done by the same artists.
An other thing that I enjoyed were the lights , to put an example of the effect of these was the duel scene with the use of claroscuro that made so dramatic, as well as in other passages of the drama . The costumes were very beautiful and the sound wonderful.
This DVD was the first that I bought from the HD Metropolitan Performance series and of course I can see the difference in the images quality compared to other DVD.
This is an outstanding production.
0 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Up and down May 17, 2009
A splendid production of a great work. But buy it elsewhere; my copy skips tracks.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Opera DVD Mar 21, 2009
This is an excellent production and recording. I purchased it after seeing the live performance of the same production with an also excellent but different cast. The staging is spare but evocative and effective, and the performances, especially by Renee Fleming are truly memorable. One of the best opera DVD's I've seen.
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