Puccini - Tosca / Kabaivanska, Domingo, Milnes, Luccardi, Mariotti, Bartoletti
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend Opera is an inherently theatrical medium that does not lend itself readily to the realism of film treatment. The shining exception is Puccini's Tosca, an action-packed melodrama that unfolds in three taut and gripping acts like the meatiest of Hollywood films noir. And unlike most operas, these three acts are set in three very specific Roman locales. Thus this 1976 film takes place in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle (Act… Product details and pricing info |
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25 Customer Reviews Posted
- Epic!
- Needless to say that the star is Raina Kabaivanska, a beautiful, graceful Tosca, whose soprano is very expressive - a voice that can be glorious and tender as well. She sings high pianissimo beautifully and her trills are brilliant in "Vissi d'arte". In contrast to other's acting, her acting is full of details and subtleties, dramatizing a proud, fiery, and willing-to-die-for-love Tosca wonderfully. Domingo's approach to Cavaradossi is heroic, poetic, and quite attentive. His voice is silvery; he looks virile, although a bit too wide his girth for a young Cavaradossi. "Recondita armonia" is sung with passion and graceful turns. In "E lucevan le stelle" he conveys the farewell to life with deep emotions and climaxes the aria in a wonderful outburst of "E non ho amato mai tanto la vita". Sherrill Milnes sings Scarpia with a powerful baritone, only if he could add some varieties in reflecting the character's human side, other than just evil. Also, did he really need that ugly unnatural-looking nose?
The film was exquisitely made, from the interior of the grand chapel to the crystals on Scarpia's dining table, everything was carefully chosen. Adding the effect of performing on locations where the story actually took place, this surely is an epic production of Tosca. - 2002-12-11, 10 of 11 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Splendid
- Great singing, acting, and, especially, beautiful filming, on location. In this "political" opera, that counts. I can't imagine a better version.
- 2002-10-12, 6 of 7 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- A Great Performance Ruined By Bad Mixing
- This was beautifully filmed and wonderfully performed. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this to anyone because when they mixed it, the orchestra came out much, much louder than the singers. Consequently, to hear the singers clearly, you have to play it back at a volume level that I found almost deafening. Compared to the playback settings for all my other opera DVDs, I must make major volume adjustments in order to play this one back. And I never do find a satisfying level. With regret, I would not recommend this DVD solely for that reason. Otherwise, like I say, it was great.
- 2002-07-11, 12 of 17 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Excellent performances, DVD transfer could be better
- I agree with the other reviewers here who have praised the performances of Kabaivanska, Domingo, and Milnes. All three sing well and are convincing as actors. Shooting the opera on location is effective and adds to the dramatic power.
The DVD transfer, however, is not the best I have seen. There are frequent white spots and "dirt", as well as places where the picture seems to skip a frame or two. Considering the relatively recent date of the original filming, it is hard to believe that the DVD transfer came from the best source available. I have a DVD of Furtwangler's "Don Giovanni" which was filmed in 1954, and the transfer is much cleaner than this.
However, the sound is excellent, with the wide dynamic range one would expect from a DVD, and the slightly substandard video quality is not enough to give this anything less than a full 5-star rating.
- 2002-04-06, 25 of 26 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Superb opera for TV
- I think I have seen Tosca more than 10 times, including a performanece by the ultimate Scarpia Tito Gobbi. However, no performance carries the absolute dramatic experience of this production in the actual scenery where the opera scenes are taking place. From the barroque interior of the the Barberini Chapel in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, to the ornate room of Scarpia at the Palazzo Farnese, to Hadrian's mausoleum (Castel Sant'Angelo), this film follows the action all over Rome. A magnificent performance by a young and expressive Domingo, a dramatic and powerful Kabaibanska and the forceful ultra-evil portrayal of Scarpia by Milnes, and the magnificent prodution, make this my favorite opera in film.
A must in any serious opera collection.
- 2002-01-29, 15 of 16 people found this review helpful, Rated:
