Mozart - Il Re Pastore / Jerry Hadley, Sylvia McNair, Angela Maria Blasi, Iris Vermillion, Neville Marriner, Salzburg

Customer Reviews:

Kind of dated, but good........2007-07-23

Originally recorded in 1989 at Salzburg's Landestheater, this new release in digital format, while dated (mostly because of costumes that are a little "Bo Peepish" and set design that is curiously staged as inside and outside at the same time, an economical though lush staging that was widely popular with the Vienna court, referred to as a "serenade" production) manages to hold its own, principally because of the fine orchestration provided by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the conductorship of Neville Marriner, and superb performances from a Stella cast headed by Angela Maria Blasi in the trouser role of Aminta; Sylvia McNair in the role of Elisa, his (her) love; and Jerry Hadley as Alexander the Great. The castrato soprano trouser role aspect of this production somewhat dooms it for contemporary audiences and younger viewers, from this writer's perspective, but what can one say? it's a reproduction of an earlier taping that called for a trouser role - a decision that is wholly without justification today, although still widely used. In spite of the preceding trouser defect, the quality of this DVD won't disappoint and, as noted, the performances are truly striking. A review from OperaOnline.us.

Sumptuous staging of ravishing early Mozart.......2006-04-15

Following his successes with the previous three opera seria Mitridate (Milan 1770), Ascanio in Alba (Milan 1771) and Lucio Silla (Milan 1772), and especially his most recent comic opera La finta giardiniera (see the superb period instruments version conducted by Arnold Ostman, filmed in the tiny 18th century Drottningholm Theatre), Mozart had assimilated his operatic experiences with astonishing rapidity. This, along with his burgeoning talent, had deepened his dramatic and compositional skills with each new work so that by the time he accepted the 1775 commission from his employer in Salzburg, Archbishop Hieronymus Count Colloredo, to compose a new vocal composition based on a text by the master librettist Pietro Metastasio, Mozart was already a mature professional at the ripe old age of 19. He now had the ability to vary each aria so that in the entire score of Il re pastore there is not a single song which is formally like any other in its structural layout.

This is important because Mozart's two act Il re pastore is described as a serenata or 'serenade', referring to a tradition which was still flourishing at the court in Vienna in which the elements of staging were minimized or even done away with altogether. Reminiscent of the semi-staged oratorios Handel had recently created in England, the emphasis was on music and not on dramatic stagecraft. Less dependant upon rehearsal (hence cheaper), the serenata obviously appealed to the frugal Viennese court and (especially) the penny pinching Archbishop Hieronymus Count Colloredo. Without expensive, cleverly designed stagecraft to dazzle the eye, the variability with which Mozart was able to structure his arias enabled him to dazzle (and surprise) the ear instead. Il re pastore contains some of the most ravishing melodies found in early Mozart. Obviously, Mozart regarded each number as a compositional challenge. What he now felt confident enough to do was to combine the two great formal principles he had derived from differing stylistic musical traditions: the da capo aria which was the great, already ancient, typically Italian vocal form and the newly emergent (Germanic) sonata form which had become the basic instrumental structural pattern.

The resultant hybrid Mozart created was something fundamentally new and totally different. A new type of musical drama with greater emphasis on musical expressiveness to expand the composer's pallette. Il re pastore was Mozart's first work in this new synthesis and the last of his early theatrical compositions. Other than the fragment Zaide, there were no other operatic commissions for a long period until 1780-81. The next musical work for the theater was none other than the masterpiece Idomeneo. Mozart thought highly enough of Il re pastore to compose an extra final movement K213c to enlarge the overture into a symphony using as its slow movement Arminta's opening song "Intendo amico rio". Even more importantly, Mozart later expanded and adapted the aria "Aer tranquilo e di sereni" into the ravishingly beautiful violin concerto in G major K216. This is some of the youthful Mozart's finest music as he rapidly matured, often from work to work.

The plot is set in classical antiquity, during the fourth century B.C. and concerns the Macedonian conqueror Alexander (now in Sidon after liberating it from the tyrant and usurper, Strato), justice and wisdom as desirable traits in a ruler and love rather than power as the true conqueror of human hearts. To see these ancient figures dressed in their finest 18th century velvet knee length breeches and satin waist coats certainly underscores the inherent absurdity of Metastasio's libretto. We recognize Alessandro (superbly sung by Jerry Hadley) by the Macedonian helmet he carries. The shepherd Aminta (the rightful heir to the throne of Sidon and the innocent 'shepherd king' of the title, who is thwarted in love for the wellborn Elisa) is sung by the excellent Angela Maria Blasi. The shepherdess Elisa, Aminta's sweetheart, is sung by the lovely Sylvia McNair. Tamiri, the daughter of the deposed tyrant Strato who, falsely believing herself to be in jeopardy from Alessandro's wrath, has disguised herself as another shepherdess, is sung by the wonderful Iris Vermillion. Agenore, Alexander's wise adviser and in love with Tamiri, is sung by the fine Claes H. Ahnsjo. The opera ends happily, with Mozart providing a beautifully lyrical score. The 19 year old composer is right on the brink of his mature dramatic mastery. It is a lovely and entertaining opera.

Sir Neville Marriner conducts the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. They are superb, playing with grace and feeling. It is hard to imagine this score played better. This production was filmed in 1989 from Salzburg's Landestheater as part of the lengthy celebration of the Mozart bicentennial commemorating the 200th anniversary of his death in 1791. The production was staged and directed by John Cox. It looks beautiful, with sets and props evoking the 18th century. Brian Large does his typically wonderful job as video director.

The video aspect ratio is fullscreen 4:3. The region codes are NTSC 123456 with a disc format of DVD 9. The color picture appears digitally remastered and looks fine, with no video artifacts and just a hint of fuzziness due to the age of the film. Menus are in English. Subtitles are English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese. The sound is available in LPCM stereo and DTS Digital 5.1 Surround. It sounds great with the clarity of voices and instruments making it pleasurable to listen to. The duration of the film is 116 minutes with a Mozart chronology and picture gallery as extras.

A sumptuously staged and superbly performed example of Mozart's youthful operatic genius. Highly recommended for all who wish to enhance their lives with beauty.

Mike Birman

Average customer rating:

The Cradle of Mozart's Musical Talents
l'ennui a Salzburg
Marred by bad sound
Great Quality DVD
Great Concert

Mozart in Salzburg
Starring: Mozart , Graf , and Kallisch
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004STTG
Release Date: 2000-05-30

Amazon.com

The pieces selected for this 1990 concert form an admirably programmed cross-section of Mozart's accomplishment, from his youth to his final years, from stirring orchestral works to a pair of emotive arias. Would that the performances displayed this same range and variety. When rousing excitement is called for, Hans Graf's muscular readings deliver the goods, but unfortunately he never displays the slightest hint of subtlety or nuance. Every moment of every piece, however dancing or light it should be, is trampled through with the same cloddish, foursquare brusqueness. The famous andante of the Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K. 467, loses its tender wispiness; the adagio opening to the Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major is overdramatic, even bombastic, so the appearance of the subsequent allegro loses its delightful, surprising momentum. (The aural monotony is not helped by the venue, Salzburg's Mozarteum, an elegantly gilded but over-resonant hall.) The soloists, at least, tone it down a bit. In the concerto pianist Maria Tipo displays a welcome delicacy and attention to detail, and soprano Claudia Kallisch performs her two numbers with considerable feeling. The DVD is nicely packaged for the novice music lover. Included in its extras are a glossary of music terms and an optional series of music analysis subtitles that list the appearance of expositions, transitions, and so on. The last feature winds up being regrettably necessary, since for a concert designed to celebrate the multifaceted nature of Mozart's genius, Graf ends up making all the music sound pretty much the same. --Bruce Reid

Description

This all-Mozart concert of the world-renowned Mozarteum Orchestra conducted by Hans Graf was recorded in Salzburg at the Mozarteum. The program spans Mozart's career, including an early symphony, the D major, K 95 and of his last, the Symphony in E flat major, K 543. Also featured is the popular Piano Concerto in C major, K 467, with an inspired performance by pianist Maria Tipo, and two concert arias for soprano and orchestra sung by Claudia Kallisch. Kallisch is accompanied by the Mozarteum Orchestra in "Al desio di chi t'adora"K 577 from "Le nozze de Figaro" and "Basta, vincesti...Ah, non lasciarmi" K 486a. This DVD also includes the option of viewing running commentaries on the pieces as they are performed as well as liner notes, a glossary of music terms, historical markers for the pieces, and performer profiles. Audio playback options are 5.1 dolby digital and non-compressed stereo.

Customer Reviews:

The Cradle of Mozart's Musical Talents.......2004-04-02

People may know little about this orchestra (even though it has made a number of records with top performer like Geza Anda), this is the town where Mozart was borned and his musical talents were brought up. The orchestra can compare with the world's first rate orchestras with a lot of pride.

Other than Horowitz or Gulda, I have seen 4 other contemporary pianists performing Mozart concerto on video namely, Barebboim, Pollini, Maria Joao Pires and Justus Franz. They are all very good. Maria's performance is somewhere between Pollini and Justus Franz... With this video, we have a bonus of a most beautiful voice: Cludia Kallisch singing Figaro etc.Total running time is 87 minutes.

Both the sound and vision and above all the music of this video is of high quality that well deserve a place in any library. Recommended.

l'ennui a Salzburg.......2003-01-15

manque d'élégance, lourdeur et faible relief en rapport avec une direction peu précise ou le chef parait dirigé par son orchestre..dommage. On pense a ce que ce DVD aurait pu être avec un Harnoncourt..

Marred by bad sound.......2001-05-14

Through Ms. Tipo's performance of the Mozart concerto is very nice, and the idea of being able to view ongoing formal analysis is good, the sound quality was very poor, with distortion and levelled dynamics. Perhaps I had a faulty DVD, since others praised its sound? It was almost painful to listen to.

Great Quality DVD.......2001-04-24

Although Hans Graf conducting is on the consistant side, the DVD is worth having in your collection. The Audio and Video Quality is above average and Maria Tipo performs with precision and feeling. Enjoy!

Great Concert.......2001-02-11

This is a fun concert! The playing is light and lively, the way Mozart should be heard. The music analysis is unique and fun to watch. The views of the concert hall and the orchestra fit the music and add quite a bit the the enjoyment of watching this great DVD. One of my favorites!

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