Reviews (15)

sublime Norma
This is a wonderful Norma - Caballe is sublime in the title
role - she moves well on stage and her grand gestures suit
this great classical drama - vocally she is in superb form
coping with the taxing tessitura with remarquable ease -
from celestial high pianissimi to gutsy chest notes convey-
ing the tenderness and fury ot the role and the more praise
she deserves for this is attained in less than perfect con-
ditions - in an open antique roman theatre in Orange in the
south of France on a night when the notorious mistral was
blowing ferociously. The rest of the cast is good - Vickers
is an heroic Pollione - Veasey a sensitive Adalgisa and
Ferrin a solid Oroveso. The sound is inevitably not perfect
given the circumstances - there is some distortions - but
more than listenable. All in all a rousing evening at the
opera and a fine representation of Bellini's masterpiece.

Caballe IS Norma
Norma was the very first opera I fell in love with, hearing the unparallelled Sutherland/Horne pairing. On recordings, I have enjoyed Sills, Verrett, and sutherland, but something was always lacking. Inthis historic DVD, Caballe IS Norma. I had seen Caballe in Semiramide, paired with Horne in San Francisco, and was impressed at her coloratura, which I was unaware was so good. I have always thought of Caballe as the "plant me near a column, and I'll sing" type of singer. Her dramatic intensity in thids Norma was stunning - other reviews note the effecs of the wind on performance night - I just had the feeling that in the "Casta diva", I WAS in the sacred grove of the Druids. The other singers were very good, not earth-shaking; however, Jon Vickers' beautiful Wagnerian tenor is a bit un-Bellini here. I never saw Callas sing Norma, but I am sure she did not do much better dramatically, and certainly not vocally, as Caballe. Buy this recording - it is essential for the serious fan of Bellini. Larry Katz

Well
She never actually said it but the gesture with the earrings was clear. A gesture Caballe describes lovingly in a preface to a Callas-Bio. She said that Maria was the kindest friend and advisor she ever had. And as for the guy from the audience who won't even give his name: What good are "reviews" like that?

Callas' actual words...
Callas never said she loved Caballe's Norma... Caballe says that Callas told her that she made Norma look so Beautifull...
I never doubted Caballe's ability to make even Salome sound Beautiful... But I am afraid guys this is not the point in opera you know...

I wonder why I even bother to answer to such a bunch of ignorants in here...

Please, please stop!
I think this is the best Norma-video we have with Caballe in breathtaking form. One can accuse her of being non dramatic but not here IMHO. She sounds and acts fabulous. Veasy is absolutely lovely as Adalgisa and Vickers quite good as Pollione. I love the wind caressing the beautiful costumes and the flowing hair of Caballe. Callas saw this video and loved it so much that she sent Caballe the earrings she was wearing when she opened the La Scala season as Norma in 1955. Please stop fighting! Lets have peace! This is SO hurtful. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For its 1973 production of Wagner's intense romantic tragedy Tristan und Isolde, the Theatre Antiqued'Orange assembled the best cast and conductor then available, but left theengineering in less gifted hands. Despite abstract staging that Wagner wouldhave hated and serious technical shortcomings, many Wagnerians will find theresult indispensable. This is the only video Tristan we have in which Birgit Nilsson and Jon Vickers--bothnear-legendary figures and ideally suited to their roles--can be seen together.For many, that will be enough said, and they can expect many hours ofenjoyment. Added attractions are the fine performance of Walter Berry andKarl Bohm's excellent conducting. But the sound is poor even by the standards of1973, and the cameras are sometimes misdirected, the images blurred.Whether you choose it or not depends on whether you value performanceover technical quality. The performance is excellent, particularly in theLiebestod and Tristan's mad scene. --Joe McLellan ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Yes, but....
Truth-in-advertising time: The sound is poor (which is surprising, since a CD recording of this performance in clear, vivid sound has long been available on a French import label), and the camera work is unsteady and amateurish, with washed-out colors. Still, this is the only known video of Nilsson and Vickers together in this opera, which they performed as a team only a handful of times (though there's a bootleg black-and-white videocassette of Nilsson in "Tristan" with Wolfgang Windgassen under Pierre Boulez). Vickers does "Tristan" excerpts in a Canadian videocassette, but with nothing like the intensity we see in this French show. Together, Vickers and Nilsson are the Tristan and Isolde of one's dreams, and even in this subpar DVD set their brilliance leaps out at you. The love duet and Tristan's third-act delirium are all you could ask for vocally. Until the Met releases its Eaglen/Heppner "Tristan" on DVD, this is the one to get, for all its flaws.

Quibble, but don't complain!
Frankly, I'm ecstatic that a visual document of such a landmark performance of Tristan und Isolde even exists. Negative comments by other reviewers regarding sound, image, and camerawork are not necessarily inaccurate. Still, the overall impact of this performance not diminished. This is the DVD Tristan to own even after the MET's version becomes available.

The production itself borders on the semi-staged. The ancient outdoor Roman amphitheater in Orange offers a stage vastly different from what one would see at the MET or Covent Garden. There is no proscenium, no curtain to rise or fall, and, for example, no exiting stage left or right. Consequently, what staging and scenery there is appears sparse and elemental (though Wagner himself, with his penchant for the all-encompassing art of Greek drama, may not have entirely disapproved). Indeed, I found the billowing of the cloth backdrops to be very atmospheric at times, eg. the Act 1 sailing ship on the Irish Sea. Additionally, the breeze whipping Nilsson's gown helps raise her Liebestod ("...are they waves of refreshing breezes? Are they billows of heavenly fragrance?") to the magnificent status.

To hear Birgit Nilsson sing Isolde is one thing. But, to have a Tristan matching her vocally was a rare occurance during her many--at least, 200--essays of the role. Yet, that is what we have with Jon Vickers' Tristan: a virile, intense, thrilling portrayal. He, alone, is worth the price of this DVD. The supporting singers perform their parts well especially the expressive Kurvenal of Walter Berry, the noble King Marke of Bengt Rundgren and Ruth Hesse's faithful Brangane. All, including Nilsson and Vickers, however, seem to suffer at times from poor microphone placements.

I'm not a big fan of Karl Bohm as a great Wagner conductor. I think he tends to gloss over some of the subtle, deep psychological nature of the score.

Though the l'ORTF orchestra appears to respond to Bohm, the quality of its performance is difficult to judge. The sound itself on my copy seems almost mono. And very uneven. There are times when the orchestra begins to show some sonority and clarity. But at other times the musicians seem to be playing in a bathroom down the hall. The synchronization between the vocalists and their words is also imperfect providing an effect similar to watching an overdubbed foreign film.

The biggest problem is the camera work/film direction. The early 70s were certainly not a technologically deficient era. Unfortunately, one might not realize this from this production. For example, the arts of focusing a camera and framing subjects seem to be still in their infancy. A common highschool TV Tech class could have done a superior job to what we see on the DVD.

The director certainly makes some questionable decisions. For example, the Liebestod begins not with the camera on Nilsson, but rather on the statically posing King Marke (with Brangane's bust in the foreground!). The final bars find the camera cutting from the brilliant white of the stage lights (a fitting ending if left alone) to a grainy image of the conductor wiggling his fingers.

Throughout all 3 acts, the stage lighting appears to change from one camera angle to the next. Performers' body positions change disconcertingly also. Early on in the Liebestod Nilsson appears to be on her knees or even reclining over Tristan's body, but with the space of a cut (.1 sec?), she is standing with her arms outstretched (and when did she take off the black cape?). It appears the camera crew (along with the director) had no rehearsal and little advance knowledge of the score. They apparently just showed up on the night of the performance and winged it.

I'll take away one star for the technical deficiencies. Nonetheless, this DVD of what is perhaps the greatest work ever penned for the stage (Shakepeare included) is a grand historical document. No Wagnerian or opera lover should be without it! If only we had something similar of Birgit singing the Brunhildes, Salome, or the Dyer's Wife.

...

A disappointment
The great performances of these wonderful singers are NOT capture on this DVD. The sound quality if extremely poor, even by 1973 standards. The camera work is dreadful. It's actually painful to watch and listen to this DVD because you can't help imagining what was lost by the terrible production. Don't waste your money on this, or if you must have it, do as one reviewer advised and get the cheap Brazilian version on ebay.

No recommanding!
I don't understand why the Rodolphe-CD-Version AND also the VHS-Version I know has a MUCH better HiFi-Stereo-sound-quality (this has just a very poor Mono-Sound) and the DVD has not. If you really wants to have the DVD of this buy the cheap brasilian-version you sometimes get at ebay below 10 $. Even that ist to much money for that. I tried to listen to the CD while watching the DVD, but there iss no syncronity. It was a very big mistake to buy this, especially because of the high shipping and additional tax.

Criminally bad...
That Nilsson and Vickers, the greatest Wagnerian singers of their generation, should have been subjected to a realisation as appalling as this one, is truly criminal. The sound is muffled, fuzzy, distorted and plagued by low-frequency backround noise: about as good as that delivered by an analogue phone line. The video is grainy and has the crude contrast of early fifties westerns. For much of the time, the sound and video are not even synched correctly. Part of the problem is a cavernous, circus-like staging, but primarily it is a matter of sheer engineering incompetence. By far, this is the worst video recording of an opera I know. And yet by far this is the greatest opera ever written. Hence the crime. If you care about Wagner, if Tristan is the ultimate statement beyond which lies nothing but oblivion, spare yourself the pain of mere incompetence. Listen to Nilssons' audio recording under Solti, or Flagstad's under Furtwangler. And if you need the visual stimulus, then the Mehta Munich production, despite its... staging, is still preferable to this ... At least you can close your eyes... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Verdi's Otello is a larger-than-life role, calling for a tenor ofWagnerian vocal power and stage presence. In the late 20th century, two singersfully met its specifications--Jon Vickers and Placido Domingo. Both were filmedin video productions of unusual quality, and a choice between them boils down,ultimately, to a question of personal taste. In this 1973 production, Vickers isgiven an effective context to set off his powerful, carefully consideredcharacterization. Mirella Freni is an appealing Desdemona, Peter Glossop is acredibly vicious Iago, and the cast is solid right down to the very young futurestar Jose van Dam in a small supporting role. The chorus and orchestra rank withthe world's best.

Herbert von Karajan's direction, musical and theatrical, is a source of bothstrength and shortcomings. His power and prestige allowed him to assemblestellar casts and to scoff at budget limitations. He was also able to take theproduction beyond the opera house's visual limitations with on-location filming,an opportunity that is exploited with powerful impact in the storm-at-sea scenethat opens this Otello. His personal musical taste sometimes tended tofavor polish at the expense of expressive intensity. But he does present Verdi'sscore intact, without the cuts made in the 1986 cinematic production directed byFranco Zeffirelli and starring Domingo. Personally, I find the ZeffirelliOtello dramatically compelling, but Von Karajan's--or Georg Solti's 1992 version withDomingo and Kiri Te Kanawa--is closer to what Verdi had in mind. --JoeMcLellan ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A filmed document to cherish
The lip-synching distractions that mar most opera films isn't too bad here. I found it tolerable and didn't prevent me from enjoying most of this DVD.
The acting isn't top-notch, as is regrettably the case with many opera movies. Best of the bunch in this department is Glossop, and what some may find as a lack of emphasis sometimes could simply be interpretative choices. Freni's acting I'm afraid could be best be described as stodgy, with occasional inspired moments that are very moving. Vickers adopts extremely operatic gestures that seem incongruent with the direction of the rest of the performers. Strangely enough, while Vickers manages to remain masculine throughout, these operatic gestures are those of sopranos... many Aidas and Giocondas of yesteryear have lamented their fate with the same movements. It doesn't help that he has to wear Caballe (Adriana or Lucrezia) sized rings, or that he looks like Liberace relaxing at home in his house robe. (And did he borrow those platform flip flops from Cio-Cio-San?).
Vocally, Freni's rendition is glorious. Seldom has she sounded so angelic. For a great Vickers Otello I'd listen to his earlier classic recording with Serafin. His performance here is less nuanced (interesting, since it's some years later) and there are a couple of problematic spots. Yet his "Dio, mi potevi scagliar" is magnificent. Glossop's performance is quite good, but many Iagos before and after have been much better.
Typically, Karajan's majestic direction favors the orchestra over the singers and may be too slow at times for many listeners. The bit on the Amazon editorial review regarding cuts must be wrong. It states that Karajan does "present Verdi's score intact". I didn't follow it with the score or bothered to check it out, but there is definitely music missing in Act II (when the chorus is greeting Desdemona). The sets and the whole feel (colors, lighting) is very seventies. On DVD it looks and sounds fantastic, they did a great job with the transfer, as they did with the subtitles in several languages.
All in all, this isn't my favorite Otello. Still, I believe it is essential viewing for any opera lover as it features three important figures of the 20th century (Vickers, Freni, Karajan). No point in comparing it to other versions because it is in a class of its own. I believe Otello to be Verdi's greatest dramatic achievement, and there is much to gain from any performance. In the opera as film field, of which I am not the biggest fan (I prefer live staged versions), this one certainly ranks high.

Listen to it with your eyes closed
While there is no question that Vickers is one of the greatest interpreters of Otello since Ramon Vinay, this DVD is an absolute disgrace. Musically, it is exellent in every aspect, all voices are strong throughout. But I prefer a far more dramatic presentation of what in my opinion is Verdi's masterpiece, AND THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT IT!!!! The Acting is deplorable. Glossop as Iago is the only one who really saves this entire farce. Vickers hobbles around like one clumsy log from one set to another. His interpretation, though vocally powerful is nonetheless too stoic, remote, and unapproachable and his makeup is laughable beyond belief. Mirella Freni, although in exellent voice is a terrible actress and does not convey Desdemona's sorrow and anguish enough to even tolerate this performance. She sings as if she were a statue with little to no emotion. The sets look like cheap cardboard cutouts, as do the costumes. Call me crazy, but my absolute favorite is the lavishly authentic and dramatically compelling Zeffirelli DVD which everyone else seems to despise. The music may be cut, but Otello is about dramatic intensity more so than beauty. If you insist on Having a complete version of this opera on DVD, get the Domingo/Kanawa/Covent Garden production, but leave this Vicker's joke alone!!!!!

A MAGNIFICENT OTELLO AND SUPERLATIVE KARAJAN
Verdi's Otello is the finest tragic opera ever written. The genial poet Boito wrote a beautifully compressed libretto that inspired Verdi to compose intensely dramatic, dynamic and complex music for great arias, duets and choral singing. Otello' s triumph over the Turks "Esultate!", the sweet and ethereal duet between Otello and his bride Desdemona "Già nella notte densa", Jago's cynical view on life "Credo in un Dio crudel", the revengeful oath-taking duet "Sì, pel Ciel marmoreo giuro!", Otello's regret for lost happiness "Dio, mi potevi scagliare", the andante then frenetic pezzo concertato of acclaims "Viva! Evviva!" (Venetian dignitaries, heralds, soldiers, Ladies and Gentlemen) ingrained with brooding soliloquies and utterances "...Emilia, una gran nube turba il senno d"Otello..." (Lodovico, Otello, Desdemona, Emilia, Jago), Desdemona's soulful prayer "Ave Maria", Otello's dishevelled suicide "Niun mi tema" and last heroic whisper "un altro bacio", the opera ending with two soft but solemn orchestral bars.

On 5 February 1887 at the Teatro alla Scala, Milano, Verdi staged the world premiere of Otello after 16 years of silence. During that period, he reflected for a long time on his experience and the musical evolution of opera. He felt he had to conceive successfully something new to stay abreast of times. Otello was born. Boito became a decisive collaborator. He wrote the libretto "a struttura continua" which allowed the great master to break the old scheme of arias, duets, recitatives and develop a completely continuous discourse.

Jon Vickers - The great Canadian tenor was born in 1926 at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. After studying under George Lampert in Toronto, he made his debut in 1954 as the Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto) with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. During an illustrious career spanning over 28 years, he sang a variety of roles excelling in Beethoven's Fidelio as Florestan, the Wagnerians Siegmund, Parsifal and Tristan, the Italians Canio and Otello, the French Don José and the English Peter Grimes, in most of the major theatres of the world. His debut as Otello dates back to 1970 during the Salzburg Festival where he sang the role for the ensuing two years.

In this 1974 rendition of Otello, one senses Vickers' mastery of the role and profound identification with the character throughout. When called upon to put on show the arduous vocality of Otello, some mediocrity creeps in. "Esultate" is not in the Lauri-Volpi or Del Monaco's glorious Italian tradition, the key words "Vien" and "un bacio" in the ethereal, amorous duet "Già nella notte densa" are whispered although some redemption is restored with a well sustained mezza voce in "...Venere splende", the ferocious and solemn oath-taking duet with Jago is a bit disappointing at the end, where "Dio vendicator" is a surprisingly short and colourless squillo, "Dio, mi potevi scagliare" is good in the piano monotone but colourless in the squillo "...Oh, gioia!" but "Niun mi tema" is quite a remarkable fraseggio. His Italian diction is fair.

Mirella Freni - She belongs to the cream of Italian sopranos who made singing history from Storchio, Pandolfini, Favero, Pampanini, Olivero and recently to Scotto. Her Mimì was the most celebrated, perhaps the greatest of all Puccini's frail seamstresses. For vocal, expressive and scenic qualities, she became household name at Salzburg as Zerlina, Susanna, Elisabetta di Valois, last but not least Desdemona in the repertoire of the Austrian city' supreme son, Herbert von Karajan. Freni never performed better with any other conductor than with Karajan.

In this 1974 edition of Otello, her Desdemona is cajoled, inspired, advised, even pushed by Karajan to use colours, refinements and sfumature to which she was not used. Her amorous canto in the love duet, the passionate, pure-hearted and exhilarating lament "A terra...si...nel livido fango..." prostrate on the floor of the castle hall of ceremonies in front of the stupefied Venetian dignitaries, the meditative, sad recollections in the Willow song and soulful prayer "Ave Maria" in her bed chamber are striking proof of an exceptional voice-orchestra fusion.

Peter Glossop - A distinguished English baritone born in Sheffield and an excellent interpreter of the Italian Romantic Opera at Covent Garden and the major theatres of the world. His repertoire included Rigoletto, Count di Luna, Scarpia, Simon Boccanegra, Guy de Montfort (I Vespri Siciliani) and Jago. He had voice for sale, warm, expressive accents and great acting ability. His Rigoletto in particular was a voice of decades gone by.

In this 1974 edition of Otello, his Jago is almost unmatched. His scenic presence is imposing, gestures and facial expressions, supported by a good mezza voce, weave a diabolical cynicism of nearly Tito Gobbi's dimensions while his "Credo in un Dio crudel" crowns him as the Mephistophelean villain so much aspired by Verdi, who found the monologue "most beautiful and wholly Shakespearean!"

Herbert von Karajan - A native of Salzburg, he was only nineteen when he became permanent conductor at the Opera of Ulm in 1927, of Aquisgraine from 1935 to 1942, took the place of the great Wilhelm Furtwangler as conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1954 and became the Salzburg Festival director in 1956. He conducted in Italy frequently by interpreting Wagner and Mozart but also the Italian masters' operas, including Lucia, Falstaff, Traviata, Boheme and Cavalleria rusticana. He interpreted Tosca in Berlin, Trovatore in Vienna and Don Carlos at Salzburg. He was admired for a vast symphonic and operatic repertoire, conducting authority, live, incisive and dramatic style, great plasticity and constant pursuit of sound, vocal and orchestral beauty.

In this 1974 edition of Otello, Karajan is the orchestra conductor, artistic and stage director. Known for his unsurpassable analytical ability, he leads the orchestra to a dismembering of each detail of the score with the best timbre possible. The tempi and sound of this Otello as interpreted and executed by Karajan are majestic, glorious, solemn, totally innovative and mesmerising.

The staging is outdoors and not on the theatre platform. It is confined, done exquisitely and gives the impression of a stage production despite that the act I tempest scene is real and shot on the screen. The picture quality is excellent. The sound is superb stereo. Beautifully illustrated, the booklet is in English, German and French, contains a synopsis of the opera, no libretto but a partition of each act into the salient arias, duets, ensembles each accompanied by a very informative sequence of the plot and corresponding DVD track number.

The best video "Otello"
This film by Hebert von Karajan is the best rendition of Verdi's "Otello" available in any video format. The conducting and singing are superb and the drama is expressed with the utmost intensity. Jon Vickers is the best Otello in recent memory, superior even to Placido Domingo in vocal and dramatic power. Mirella Freni is a bit light-voiced for Desdemona, but she sings beautifully and looks like an angel. Peter Glossop sings the role of Iago with beauty and power, and sets just the right tone of evil playfulness. Picture and sound quality are both just fine. The supporting cast is wonderful, too, and includes Jose van Dam (Lodovico) and Michel Senechal (Roderigo).

Karajan's cinematography is not as polished as Zeffirelli's, but it does present the essentials of the drama honestly and straightforwardly. The Zeffirelli film, although it has an excellent cast and looks beautiful, is an abomination. Starting with a perfectly good soundtrack, Zeffirelli proceeded to destroy Verdi's dramatic and musical conception by cutting out little snippets of the score (seemingly almost at random) to bring his movie to a length of less than two hours. As far as I know, his film has never been issued on DVD. I hope nobody bothers with it. Karajan's film is more stagebound and the lip synch isn't perfect, but his version is complete and dramatically compelling.

There are two other good renditions of this opera on DVD: a London (Royal Opera) performance with Placido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Sergei Leiferkus and a 1958 RAI telecast with Mario del Monaco, Rosanna Carteri, and Renato Capecchi, conducted by Tullio Serafin. The London performance is beautifully played and sung, but it's dramatically less intense than Karajan's film. The Italian telecast is a wonderful historical document, but it is better to hear than it is to see. The monaural sound is good and the black and white picture is clear enough, but the singers don't always appear comfortable lip-synching to a prerecorded sound track. Nevertheless, I recommend that you get it for the remarkable performances of del Monaco and Capecchi. But if you're looking for the one best "Otello" video, Karajan's is it.

Not what I expected
I rate this DVD as 3 stars, because I really got dissapointed with it. The main weekness of this production is Jago, what a bad choice by Karajan. I mean, Glosop's voice is too soft for Jago. He never sounds convincing. Vickers Otello is pretty good but not as impressive as Del Monaco's. Mirella Freni is superb Desdemona, maybe the best I've ever heard. This is her role. Karajan's conduction sometimes is little bit strange. I do not agree on some tempos. I think that Drinking scene ("Roderigo, beviam") from the first act could be played little bit faster. It is so slow that it looses all the beauty and horror of Jago's character. Also in the second act, in Jago's and Otello's duet some part of it could be played faster.
In total, one should see this production once. As far as I am concerned, I am not going to watch it second time. Why should I? I have Del Monaco's and Gobbi's unforgatable recording. ... Read more