The low voices!
This MET HD production really deserves to be seen on blu-ray. The sets are fabulous and the acting by the cast very fine indeed.
In the titlerole as the trovatore is Alvarez, with a suave tenor that really is more aptly deployed in more lyrical roles. The voice is very good but on the whole lacking in the requisite squillo. Otherwise, a very fine Manrico.
As his lady Leonora, Sondra Radvanovsky displays a wonderfully large tone: bright and shimmering most of the time, cutting through the thick orchestration with ease. That said, her control over her voice is however not complete, and the high light aria d'amor sull'ali rosee is less than ideal. Otherwise, her summptuous tone is a real joy to listen, but she does demonstrate a tendency to go out of character during applauses, which is distracting to viewers on screen, if not in the operahouse.
The real gems of this performance, and hence making it a four-star DVD, are the lower voices - Fernando, Azucena and Count...
The Best in Sixty Years....
It is truly a pleasure to review this Met disc of the old favorite opera, Il Trovatore. I saw it as a live from the Met and so hoped it would be released on Blu-ray. The adage that Caruso said "to put on Trovatore you need the four greatest singers in the world" is certainly close in this recording. As the Count, Hvorostovsky all but steals the show. He is in this disc more suave than in his first recorded di Luna done at the Royal Opera House in 2002. He now has the right squillo of a real Verdi baritone. It brings to mind the greatest person I've seen in that role, Leonard Warren. Dmitri is wonderful; much more satisfying performer than the dozen or so stiff Counts I've seen of Sherrill Milnes that I've witnessed over the years. Dmitri now owns this role as far as I'm concerned.
The Azucena of Delora Zajick is legendary. When she does "Stride la vampa" you can see the flames. She looks the disheveled, weird old gypsy that has lived barefoot all her life. A new Azucena on the...
Another own goal by the Met
I have seen more own goals by the Met than any other Blu-ray disc producer and here is another. With some minor reservations this is beautifully sung and the sound recording is excellent. The production is unlikely to upset traditionalists in its concept but the whole thing is ruined by the gloomy colours and low lighting that pervades everything. Met broadcasts and in-cinema showings have a tendancy to be far too dark and I no longer follow them because of this. I hoped that Blu-ray might get a better showing but sadly no. The picture quality is not even as good as a regular DVD. It is lamentable and the poor camera men have no chance to deliver a sharp and colourful image. There is no excuse for this and I fear very much that the forthcoming new Ring will be ruined in the same way. I have often wondered if the Met do it deliberately to discourage pirating but surely not. On the other hand why can they so rarely if ever offer sharp clear images to go with the drama and the music...
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