The Berlin Concert - Live from Waldbuhne
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend Sparks fly in this video of the all-star concert from Berlin's equivalent of the Hollywood Bowl in July 2006, part of the World Cup festivities. The electricity is generated by the all-star trio of tenors Placido Domingo and Rolando Villazon and soprano Anna Netrebko in a program of operatic and vocal favorites. The crowd estimated at 20,000 eats it all up, and so will home viewers who'll relish the prospect of great singers performing great… Product details and pricing info |
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39 Customer Reviews Posted
- Another magic night with the stars in Berlin
- The dream couple of opera along with Placido Domingo provide many highlights in this well filmed concert from Berlin to celebrate the closing of the Soccer World Cup. I do agree with many of the reviewers that Domingo's diction is exemplary, compared with the new kids on the block. However, I must confess slight disappointment that none of the reviewers make mention that Domingo transposes most of his solo arias than what is originally written, which I am sure is to be expected, given the fact that he was 65 at the time of the recording.
However, Anna and Rolando's performances are incredible. Each aria or duet is sung with such passion and fervour. Highlights are definitely Rolando's 'La Danza' which gets the audience clapping and up on their feet and Anna's 'Quando m'en vo', where she also surprises the audience. Watch the DVD and see what I mean. Reservations aside, this is a classy concert, excellently filmed and the enormous audience of over 12 000 people enjoy every minute. Conductor Marco Armiliato and the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper provide warm and sympathetic accompaniment to the star singers. - 2007-05-05, 16 of 19 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Opera Is Great Fun
- These concerts with excerpts from the great opera compositions make for a fun , light evening of great music. My whole generation, somehow, grew up thinking that opera was "square". The sad thing is my generation is now, practically, culturally underpriveledged, like so many peasants from vast, barren desert lands. Some of the most gorgeous music ever written was produced by the likes of Rossini, Puccini, et. al. during a time when classical painting was also achieving the highest levels of expertise ever in the entire history of man. Why should this music be systematically passed over then? It should not. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the greatest tenor in the past generation, our beloved "Iron Man of Opera", Placido Domingo - who also happens to be the most genuinely likeable person on any stage, this great music IS being brought center stage; and is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds.
The new kids on the block, Anna Netrebko, and Rolando Villazon do shine nicely in this extravaganza. They bring a wonderful , and spontaneous joy to the works. Exactly what the doctor ordered. Yet it is interesting to "shop and compare" these artists, and their unique personal styles they bring to the stage..especially when compared to the inimitable maestro, Sr. Domingo. One would think, "Oh..65...old, shot, worn out, poor thing"....well,that's what you get for thinking! Au Contrare, mon frer. Just for fun, select Italian subtitles, and listen carefully who sings Italian correctly! Although Rolando ought to be able to do a good job with Italian, he falls well short of the mark.( Albeit he does do a very Italian job of Rossini's " La Danza" - close coaching from Placido perhaps?) Rolando's arrows sort of land all over the straw bull's eye...then listen to Placido doing a duet with him and see for yourself how he nails it- Placido's are perfect bull's eyes- every syllable, every note...and much, much more than that....the expression, the 'spinto' it is called; the many subtle nuances of timbre and emotive expression that causes the composition to soar, and majestically so. Once again, we all get a free lesson in how to sing by the greatest tenor of our age. Anna also pronounces the Italian "e" as a short "i", rather than "eh" as it should. But that is a small thing compared to the brightness and sweetness she brings to all of her beautifully done pieces. This DVD is worth the price if you selected only the Domingo tracks alone! I adjure you all not to miss this one. There are five encores, each one more tumultous and joyous than the last. Also,it is wonderful to see an audience so animated. So often the audience makes you want to ask, "Are you an audience or an oil painting?" Thank you, Placido for helping us all to understand and to appreciate this great music...for getting an audience on its feet. Also I would be remiss if I did not praise the orchestra and its young conductor...absolute shining brightness. - 2007-04-15, 18 of 22 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Everybody is having a good time. C'mon and join the party!
- If you love good operaric singing but you're not in the mood for an entire opera, play this festive and informal DVD from the 2006 outdoors Berlin concert. Everybody-the singers,the conductor, the orchestra, the audience-is happy and having a good time. The informality of the concert does not diminish or affect the quality of singing or the orchestra playing. Domingo's almost exclusive involvement with the dramatic/heroic tenor roles has not affected the legato and timbre of his voice, and its expressiveness and lyricism are so beautiful in "Federico's" aria from L'Arlesiana. Villazon's clarion and top ring are glorious. Netrebko's voice is bigger, darker and sweeter. In the last encore from Lehar's "Merry Widow," Netrebko overpowers both Doomingo and Villazon in the last high note the three are singing together! The video is sharp and first rate. The audio is well-balanced, and thanks to Armiliato's conducting and fine acoustics engineering, it produces a studio quality sound. This DVD deserves, unquestionably, 5 stars for entertainment and artistic value.
Constantine A. Papas
El Paso, Texas - 2007-04-14, 12 of 13 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- superstars of opera
- This concert is a treat for all opera lovers. The selections are wonderful, the singers deliver as hoped and the sound is glorious. I admit that I am a huge fan of Netrebko and what more can anyone say about Domingo. Villazon is in good voice as well. I certainly didnt know about this when it took place but what a wonderful gift to us from DG. Pick up a copy of the Netrebko-Villazon duet cd as well
- 2007-04-13, 10 of 11 people found this review helpful, Rated:
