Rossini - La Cenerentola (Abbado) (2005)
Rossini - La Cenerentola (Abbado) (2005), DVD9
MPEG2 7500Kbps | NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | LinearPCM, 2 ch; DTS, 6 ch | 152 min | 6,76 Gb
Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon | Subtitles: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese
MPEG2 7500Kbps | NTSC 4:3 (720x480) | LinearPCM, 2 ch; DTS, 6 ch | 152 min | 6,76 Gb
Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon | Subtitles: Italiano, English, Deutsch, Francais, Espanol, Chinese
Ah Rossini…! The real inventor of the assembly line. That Ford fellow was just a copycat. One-size-fits-all overtures. Arias you swear you've heard before (you did). Plots that are reused more often than a sandlot league baseball. Why do we love him so much? Because his music is so infectious that it gets under your skin faster than a splinter from a bamboo shade.
This production of Rossini's take on Cinderella, another filmed Opera from Director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, is beautiful. A joy from beginning to end. Frederica von Stade is luminous in the role of Cenerentola. Literally luminous. Ponnelle illuminates her for much of this film as if he were a graduate of the Spielberg school of backlighting. In fact he backlights just about everything and everyone, sooner or later. Filmed in 1981, (Spielberg had made that technique ubiquitous back then), La Cenerentola had me searching for ET in the long shots. Yet, oddly enough it works. It is a fairy tale, after all.
The Overture has the camera weaving through the empty lobby of La Scala, fixing on the marble statues of famous Italian composers. From there it meanders into the theater and finally the stage. The film records a virtual "La Scala" (it isn't, though) staged performance without an audience. Yet it seems larger, and occasionally it does open up to a larger location. The sets are stunning. Every visual element has been carefully chosen to emphasize beauty. This is a lovely film, thoroughly enjoyable just for it's aesthetic excellence!
But there's a beautifully performed Opera here, as well. The youthful Von Stade is a lovely heroine. Her singing is wonderful, her voice lighter than Cecilia Bartoli's smokey mezzo found on her DVD of Cenerentola; now that I have both singers, it is fascinating to compare the two.
Francisco Araiza is Don Ramiro and Claudio Desderi is Dandini. Paulo Montarsolo sings Don Magnifico. Margherita Guglielmi sings Clorinda. Paul Plishka is Alidoro. The entire cast is superb. The Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, under the direction of the Conductor Claudio Abbado, live and breath this music. They have that authentic Rossini sound unique to native Italians. Nevertheless, they often perform with manic energy; as if this were the first time they were inhabiting Rossini's sound world.
The DTS 5.1 sound is crystalline and full. The picture is well-nigh perfect, as befits a film that's been digitally remastered.
As usual, Ponnelle recorded the music first in January 1981, then had the singers lip sync for the filmed performance in Vienna during August & September that same year. Thus, the singers can focus on their acting; not where the next note is coming from. This works for me, for what it's worth, but purists may not like it. I think the film's beauty and lofty production values can overcome any obstacle. My strongest possible recommendation for this superbly performed and beautifully filmed La Cenerentola from Director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and a great cast and Orchestra under Claudio Abbado! (Amazon.com; Mike Birman)
Rossini - La Cenerentola (Abbado) (2005)
Rossini - La Cenerentola (Abbado) (2005)
Rossini - La Cenerentola (Abbado) (2005)
RGLCCA