caroly's stats
- Review count8
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewOctober 12, 2008
- Last reviewDecember 4, 2011
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.6
caroly's Reviews
Overall rating
5
/
5
Wonderful Rodelinda!
PostedDecember 4, 2011
The performances were first-rate. So was the ingenious direction that kept some kind of action going on all the time so that the long arias didn't make the opera too static. I think the HD telecasts beat being in the Met opera house (and I have been, many times, even in the orchestra section) in every way. I did not at all have the complaint of one other viewer, namely that it was too dark. The lighting was fine, and very effective. loved the closeups.
The acting was very fine, with one reservation that Mr. Scholl, while very expressive, had a remote look in his eyes. The last countertenor aria, one of my favorites, he needed to sing more assertively than he did. But both countertenors had fine voices; Mr. Iest (sp.?) was absolutely marvelous--graceful, full-voiced, sincere, charming.
I admired the entire cast. Ms. Fleming gave her all, and then some. Mr. Keiser (sp.?) showed the full range of meaning in his arias very well. Stephanie Blythe was very wonderful, but please, she must lose a lot of weight. Sorry to have to say that..
The acting was very fine, with one reservation that Mr. Scholl, while very expressive, had a remote look in his eyes. The last countertenor aria, one of my favorites, he needed to sing more assertively than he did. But both countertenors had fine voices; Mr. Iest (sp.?) was absolutely marvelous--graceful, full-voiced, sincere, charming.
I admired the entire cast. Ms. Fleming gave her all, and then some. Mr. Keiser (sp.?) showed the full range of meaning in his arias very well. Stephanie Blythe was very wonderful, but please, she must lose a lot of weight. Sorry to have to say that..
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Very Fine Production
PostedJune 24, 2010
I was glad to see so many other people saying the intermissions should NOT have been edited out. I always enjoy the HD telecast intermission interviews, and also you need a break! Why were they gone? I was exhausted, literally.
The sets and costumes were wonderful, although I thought Romeo could have had more than one costume; Juliette did!
Everybody in this production acted and sang well. Roberto Alagna loves to show a lot of feeling, and he does it very well. One way it could have been better was that Ms. Netrebko needed to have more pianissimos, more subtlety and tenderness. Her performance seemed to have had a hard edge that kept her from having the truly thrilling effect she could have had.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Simon Boccanegra in HD Is Tops!
PostedFebruary 25, 2010
I was thrilled by the Encore telecast (had not bought ticket in time for live performance availability, which was months ago!). I came to the movie theater not feeling too well, but left invigorated. What a performance on everyone's part, and what sets and costumes! And I was so glad to get to know this opera. Obviously, I'll have to listen more to get the melodies. The acting and singing were heartfelt, 100%. I thought the soprano's singing was just a little tense-throated in places, but she was lovely.
HD telecasts beat being at the Met, for reasons others have already outlined. Plus, it's so democratic--everyone can feel at home.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
As Always, HD Was Wonderful
PostedFebruary 13, 2010
The HD telecasts are always better than in-house, no matter what the announcer for each broadcast is being told to say.
I thought the lead singer was very good. I felt the person who played Hoffman's muse was too aloof and not involved enough, although she sang well. Surprisingly, the very fine Anna Netrebko's singing seemed a bit hard-edged. Perhaps the staging was a little TOO decadent to be compelling.
But I enjoyed the production very much overall.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
La Cenerentola--Wonderful!
PostedMay 10, 2009
As usual (I've seen many Met telecasts), this was unforgettable. Ms. Galanca was irresistible as Cinderella. As for the Prince-- Mr. Brownlee was a fine singer, although he needed to relax and let-'er-rip with his acting--really show that Cinderella mattered (and this one was a wow!). Dandini was dandy, the father delightful, the stepsisters were a howl (but needed to show more variety in their interpretations).
I much prefer the telecasts to being "there" in the Met; I don't care what they say.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Truly Wonderful!
PostedMarch 9, 2009
Everybody was really fine. This production made it clear that every character had considerable complexity. Pinkerton, played by Marcello Giordani, was quite seized with a desire to possess Butterfly, caress her, even while he was expecting to leave her for an American wife. Butterfuly, played by Patricia Racette, makes a terrible mistake: she falls in love with somebody she thinks is Pinkerton, but it's really somebody else. Dwayne Croft as Sharpless was wonderful as the kindly Consul. Even the people who had small parts (like Pinkerton's American wife) were good.. Nobody realizes the intensity of Butterfly's feelings until it is too late. The beautiful music helps show the motivation.of each person.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
La Rondine
PostedJanuary 11, 2009
I admired the courage and artistry of Angela Gheorghiu, who had to sing over a bad cold (according to an announcement by Peter Gelb before the curtain went up). She acquitted herself handsomely, especially in the last act. The acting and singing of all the leads were very fine, and the chorus members who had small parts in the cafe during the second act were all vivid and individual--a rare achievement. The sets, along with the women's costumes, were lush, richly detailed and exquisite. It was very good to meet this little-known opera, full of philosophical observations about love.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
A Truly Splendid Performance by All
PostedOctober 12, 2008
While every main character has some evil and some are despicable, they are all played with depth and understanding. Everyone is believable. However, the modernization of costumes and props is a very tired device to have us see the timeless truths of a work. We will see them without such gimmicks. The irony is that John the Baptist is raised and lowered from his prison with an ancient-looking mechanical pulley system rather than the electricity you would expect in a scene that looks like the late 20th or early 21st century.
Strauss's music had Salome's playfulness, wilfulness, and allure, but also her pain.
Here was a care for justice--in people as well as a nation.
Strauss's music had Salome's playfulness, wilfulness, and allure, but also her pain.
Here was a care for justice--in people as well as a nation.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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