Giordano - Andrea Chenier / Rudel, Domingo, Tomowa-Sintov, Royal Opera Covent Garden

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One of the most unjustly underrated Italian operas receives a production that should help correct that attitude. Andrea Chenier is based on the true story of a poet who was caught up and destroyed by the blind fury of the French Revolution. Giordano's music captures the acrid flavor of that movement, the cynicism of some of its leaders, and Chenier's integrity and tragic fate. This production's value has probably increased since Plácido Domingo, the leading Chenier of his generation, has dropped the role from his repertoire.

All three principals sing eloquently and with a fine sense of the opera's structure and context. Anna Tomowa-Sintow is in even better voice than Domingo, and Giorgio Zancanaro heads an expert supporting cast. The Covent Garden Chorus, directed with distinction by Michael Hampe, gives a memorable impression of the revolutionary mob. Julius Rudel's conducting is totally idiomatic. --Joe McLellan

Description

One of the most unjustly underrated Italian operas receives a production that should help correct that attitude. Andrea Chenier is based on the true story of a poet who was caught up and destroyed by the blind fury of the French Revolution. Giordano's music captures the acrid flavor of that movement, the cynicism of some of its leaders, and Chenier's integrity and tragic fate. This production's value has probably increased since Placido Domingo, the leading Chenier of his generation, has dropped the role from his repertoire.

Customer Reviews:

captivating!.......2006-11-17

The pairing of Domingo and Sintov is most fitting, and I have great admiration of conductor Rudel--and this one is, I must say,
mesmerizing!

Already an historical performance.......2004-02-05

It is going to be a long, a very long time indeed, before we see another Chenier to rival this fabulous 1985 Covent Garden performance. Domingo was in excellent voice, and he meets every vocal challenge with virile, golden tone. Even if he lacks that brilliant spinto of Corelli, he has what it takes for this formidable role. Of recent tenors none comes near. The rest of the cast is if anything, better. Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Karajan's favourite soprano is a glorious Maddalena: full voiced, warm, compelling, she is quite simply extraordinary. Baritone Giorgio Zancanaro gives a master class on how to mould a phrase in the old Italian style. His big aria is delivered with the kind of musicianship not heard since the days of Amato and Battistini.
Sound and picture are good and you would be completely insane to pass this dvd.

A Brilliant Andrea Chénier.......2003-12-28

Umberto Giordano's most famous opera "Andrea Chénier" portrays the tragic fate of poet Andrea Chénier in the French Revolution. Setting the real-life figure as the lead character and with the poet singing his own verses, this verismo opera embraces the realism enthusiastically. Character Andrea Chénier is a romantic and idealistic poet, who loved his country ardently and faced his death heroically. It's a tenor's opera. You would think a lyric tenor would be most suitable for the character's poetry, if he could also bring off some great heroic moments in the big orchestration. In this 1985 production, Domingo rendered Andrea Chénier with a well-balanced poetry and heroism. He filled poet's big arias with rich lyricism, at times, intimate feelings, and yet, the big outbursts were all there. Domingo was well matched by the powerful-voiced Anna Tomawa-Sintov as Maddalena. In her dark and rounded voice, Anna Tomowa-Sintov sang the character strongly, although some delicacy and variety might make the role more interesting. Her "La mamma morta" was in no short of dramatic expressions in both the recitative-like passages and the emotional outbursts followed. Giorgio Zancanaro, who approached the revolutionary Gérard humanly, sang a wonderful "Nemico della patria", which won him a storm of applause from the audience.

The stage design of this Covent Garden production is conventional, straightforward, with a few moments quite affecting, one of them would be the haunting picture at the end of Act I, in which the shadows of the poor and the angry gradually appeared above the aristocrats who were in the center stage, singing and dancing, without the faintest idea of what was awaiting.

A Much Better Selection.......2003-11-30

Until recently (November 2003) the only DVD edition of Andrea Chenier was a 1975 film version with Franco Corelli in the title role. This one is much better. It is an excellent live production filmed at Covent Garden in 1985. It illustrates why the Royal Opera is one of the world's leading companies.

The three principals -- Placido Domingo as Chenier, Anna Tomowa-Sintow as Maddalena de Coigny, and Giorgio Zancanaro as Carlo Gerard -- are all in the prime of their careers at the time of this filming, and handle their roles superbly. They are backed up by a solid group of supporting singers. The orchestra does justice to Giordano's rich score without ever drowning out the singers. The sets and costumes are appropriate and never distracting. In short, this is exactly what one would expect to see in a first-rate production at a first-rate opera house.

Average customer rating:

An older (1981) recording with Domingo in his prime

Giordano - Andrea Chenier / Domingo, Benackova, Cappuccilli, Barbieri, Zednik, Santi, Vienna Opera
Starring: Placido Domingo , Piero Cappuccilli , Gabriela Benackova , Heinz Zednik , and Nello Santi
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009I8PH8
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Customer Reviews:

An older (1981) recording with Domingo in his prime.......2005-09-20

Musically, I would give this DVD 5 stars, but a few problems detract from the musical excellence. First, the applause after the major arias goes on much too long. Such applause may be acceptable in the theater, but on a DVD should have been edited so it was shorter. Second, I am given the impression that the director didn't bother to read the libretto, since Benackova (Maddalene de Coigny in the opera) had dark brown hair even though the libretto described her as a blond. I have to wonder how Gerard's spy was able to find her since he was told to look for a "blue eyed blond." It is minor details like this that can make what could have been an excellent performance into one that is just very good.

Average customer rating:

Bareopera

Andrea Chénier
Starring: Domingo , Benackova , Barbieri , and Umberto Giordano
Manufacturer: Bel Canto Society
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Verdi - Luisa Miller / Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Bonaldo Giaiotti, James Morris, James Levine, Metropolitan Opera

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Release Date: 2005-01-11

Customer Reviews:

Bareopera.......2007-05-07

Although the performance of this opera is quite good, the big drawback is there are no subtitles. Had I known this before purchasing this dvd I probably wouldn't have.

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DVD

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