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Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Eschwe, Netrebko, Villazon, Wiener Staatsoper
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Starring: Rolando Villazon, Anna Netrebko, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo, Leo Nucci, Alfred Eschwe
Director: Otto Schenk
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Virgin Classics
Running Time: 130 minutes
Format: Classical, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 14117
Average Customer Rating: 
UPC: 094636335292
List price: $24.98
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Price Range: $15.97 - $24.99
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From Amazon.com:
Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore is one of the staples of the comic opera repertory. The plot hinges on whether earnest but dim-witted Nemorino will snag Adina, the flirtatious heroine. She's a tease who takes up with Belcore, an army sergeant, to make Nemorino jealous. After numerous (and humorous) plot twists that include a phony love potion, it all ends happily. Adina and Nemorino declare their love for each other, Belcore is dumped, and the fraudulent Dulcamara does a landslide business in love potions. It's all a fast-moving bundle of fun, especially with the star-filled cast of this 2005 Vienna State Opera performance. The leads are magnificent. Rolando Villazón as Nemorino exhibits a real gift for comic acting, manipulating his rubber face into dozens of hilarious poses, flawlessly turning stock comic gestures into laugh-out-loud moments, and even juggling apples with the panache of a circus performer. More important, he uses his lyric tenor to sing the part with impressive subtlety, suggesting Nemorino's desperation while singing of his love for Adina. His big show-stopper, "Una furtuva lagrima," features melting pianissimos and a breathtaking decrescendo in its final phrase. It literally stops the show, the audience forcing a welcome encore. Netrebko's Adina is every bit as good, with deft acting and a lovely lyric soprano voice that makes you understand why she's the only girl for Nemorino. Dulcamara is Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, whose ample bass joins a stage presence that puts him at the center of his scenes. His famous duet, "Venti scudi," with Villazón, is the highlight it should be. Veteran baritone Leo Nucci is Sergeant Belcore and while his singing tends to the dry and effortful, he's convincingly sleazy, adding to the laughs. Smaller parts and the chorus are fine and conductor Alfred Eschwé efficiently keeps the music bubbling along. Otto Schenk's production, with sets and costumes by Jürgen Rose, dates from 1980 but still looks fresh with a village square dominating the picture-postcard view of a provincial Italian village. The costumes are realistic, with predominantly pastel colors for the villagers, bright colors for Belcore and his soldiers, and relatively nondescript outfits for the others, though Netrebko can't help exuding glamour no matter what she wears. The video direction smoothly focuses on singers and the stage action, but the sound recording is overly resonant, with inconsistent dynamics and the chorus' words obscured. Still, this is the preferred L'Elisir d'Amore. --Dan Davis
Villazon Knocks Em Out - 
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Donizetti Review
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Astounding audience reception of Villazon's virtuosity! Netrebko was great! Characters were most believable and voices simply grand. A lot of fun to watch!
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L'Elisir D"Amore By Donizzetti -
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Donizetti Review
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The most thrilling, exilarating, touching warm and yet funny operatic presentation of any Operatic score I've ever seen in my Life!!!!!!!!!!!!! A+++++ Villazon is the most lyric spinto Tenor I have ever heard. He is in a cast by himself. Netrebko matches Rolando in every scene and that superb voice WOW A++++++++++++. I've seen the DVD four times already.Recomend anyone to buy and have a ball A++++++++++++
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An absolute Joy...... -
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Donizetti Review
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This is one of the finest opera DVDs it has ever been my pleasure to watch...now, that may be because I prefer laughing to crying, but I've given five stars to tear jerkers, too. This is Opera Buffa in all its glory...we come to have fun, not to ponder the meaning of life. Sometimes this can degenerate into slapstick, but these wonderful performers never did, even when Anna broke character to applaud Villazon's juggling act...yes, she broke character...look at her face....Villazon breaks character, too, but that was necessary to coordinate the encore of "una furtiva lagrima" with Maestro Eschwe. [And what an encore]!
Every one of the principals was perfectly cast, and in fine form. Rolando Villazon is all we have come to expect as the hapless Nemorino...we could almost believe he's the local fool. Anna Netrebko is absolutely delectable...she does everything well, and it's nice to see her live to the end of the show. Her comic by-play with all the other characters is flawless. Leo Nucci as the lustful Sgt. Belcore is an old pro...we've cried for Rigoletto, sympathized with Germont, and wanted to knife Scarpia ourselves; well, he can make us laugh, too....the old fool chasing the young girl has to be done just right, or he's not funny...Nucci is hilarious...and now.....
...a word about the REAL star; Ildebrando D'Archangelo as the quack Dr. Dulcamara carries the show. Perfect casting...flawlessly performed comedy. Nowhere is it written that the basso buffo has to be fat, and old. If Maestro D'Archangelo doesn't have quite the voice of the late, great, Salvatore Baccaloni, he still makes us believe, and makes us laugh. He has to move the plot line thru his interaction with the other characters, and he NEVER misses a beat...his dance scene with Anna is almost slapstick, but doesn't cross the line [nor does his sale of a bottle to the prompter].
This DVD is a treasure...great singing, and a rollicking good time. If you only go to the opera to be sad, forget it. But, if you like to laugh, don't miss this wonderful performance.
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be prepared -
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Donizetti Review
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Wonderful singers. Specially Rolando Villazon you cry of joy after listening to his interpretation of Una Furtiva Lagrima, he had a standing ovation...
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Great and all around fun production! -
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Donizetti Review
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I loved this production. Everyone was wonderful and so fun to watch. Staging and costumes all traditional. All wonderful voices, especially the beautiful Netrebko. It was so sweet to see the response that Villazon got with "Una Furtiva Lagrima" and sing it twice. I thought he was going to cry! :) He really made the show with his silliness and great acting. One gripe I have, is that I thought Nucci was too old for his part. But he did very well with it. But everything was fantastic and you definitely would not be disappointed in this production! One thing that I have to mention-- there is a feature on that DVD that I just LOVED and have never seen on an opera DVD before! There is a part where you can actually meet the characters. No I am not talking about a few words and a picture of each character. It is actually all the main characters that are filmed and chat for a few seconds about what their character is about.. while they are in character! How genius and entertaining! I hope to see this more on opera DVD's!
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