Delicious!!
Le Comte Ory was Rossini's next to last opera, and was and is considered by many (Berlioz, Gossett, Osborne)as his comedic masterpiece. It is French, not only in language, but in wit and style, not at all like Il Barbiere or L'Italiana. Much of its impact as music drama necessarily derives from how it is staged.
This performance was a Met HD simulcast last spring, just about one year ago. It has been available on Metplayer and YouTube (in its entirety, with subtitles) for some time, and that is where I became addicted to it. I have watched that little screen for months and am eagerly awaiting its "debut" here on the big screen TV, in surround sound. Here's why:
IT'S WELL SUNG. While every member of the cast sings well, the three principle singers, Juan Diego Florez (JDF), Diana Damrau and Joyce DiDonato are simply superb. This is an opera that requires true coloratura singing from its leads, and it is difficult to assess which of the three turns in the most...
A singing nun at the MET... and "she's" a tenor!
I actually saw Rossini's French comedy Le Comte Ory at the MET when the production was new. The staging is by Bartlett Sher and as in his previous two productions for the MET (Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Les Contes d'Hoffmann) he has a knack for capturing the essence of the pieces he produces. Needless to say, this production has more in common with his streamlined and clean-cut production of Il Barbiere as opposed to the more plush and spacious staging of Hoffmann. Fortunately the camera work of the video version accurately represents the aura of the production even if in quite a diverse manner compared to seeing the piece in the theater.
The basic concept, which I thought might be somewhat gimmicky, is a stage within a stage where the audience is seeing the prompter and various stagehands manipulating the various stage effects and scenery as would have been done in 1828, the year of the opera's composition. While such a conception could ultimately prove to be overly...
Great Looking DVD
I preordered this dvd and got it today...............watching it was a real treat. This probably is the best looking standard dvd of a Met in HD telecast I have seen..............the video quality far surpasses the recent dvds of Turandot, Carmen, Don Pasquale, Armida, Lucia, The Sleepwalker, and Aida. The color balance, contrast, definition and sharpness are very impressive for a standard dvd. So many Met videos look washed out as though a brown filter was put on the camera lens.................not this one...........this is truly impressive.
Equally impressive is the dts 5.1 sound track...................it is so clear and well balanced.............the bass is very well defined and pronounced as it should be when playing and reproducing Rossini's music. Great job by the sound engineers on this disc.
The staging was OK, but not nearly as fluid as the 2005 Glyndebourne dvd of this opera.............the small stage on a stage cramped it........that was really...
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