Great Stars of Opera - Telecasts from the Bell Telephone Hour 1959-1966 Rating: Release Date: 28 November, 2000 Retail Price: $34.95 OUR Price: $30.99 You SAVE: $3.96! Cast: Giuseppe Di Stefano Renata Tebaldi Leontyne Price Anna Moffo Complete Cast (7 total)

Great Stars of Opera - Telecasts from the Bell Telephone Hour 1959-1966 Reviews

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Treasures from some of the greatest singers of the early 60s
Here are two hours of treasures from the Bell Telephone Hour, aired from 1959 to 1966. These are complete scenes and arias, most staged with costumes and sets typical of 60's television. It contains a dazzling array of opera superstars, many performing scenes from their signature roles: Tebaldi (Butterfly), de los Angeles (Boheme), Richard Tucker (Pagliacci), Corelli and Crespin (Tosca and Ballo), Di Stefano (Manon), Simionato and Vickers (Aida), London (Boris Godunov), and Moffo and Gedda (Traviata).

Joan Sutherland gives a stunning performance of the mad scene from Lucia from the year of her Met debut. The scene is complete from Lucia's entrance to her death, and if there were nothing else on this DVD, this alone would be reason enough to run right out and buy it. Leontyne Price brings her rich, dark voice to D'amor sull'ali rosee (Trovatore) and Ritorna vincitor (Aida), reminding us why she owned these roles thoughout her career. Birgit Nilsson shines In questa reggia (Turandot) and the immolation scene (Gotterdammerung). What a thrill to see Sutherland, Price, and Nilsson in their prime, singing roles for which they set the standard. And what a thrill to see the under-recorded Eileen Farrell singing Isolde's Liebestod, though whoever thought to dress her somewhat like a nun in a pillbox hat and veil should be dealt with severely.

On the down side, some of the acting is of the silent movie variety, but that is easily forgiven given the quality of singing. Robert Merrill and Roberta Peters mar otherwise fine vocalism (Dunque io son from The Barber of Seville) with some pretty competitive mugging, playing more to the camera than to each other. And Rise Stevens sings a rather dull and very long scene from Victor Herbert's Natoma. Still there is a lot to love here. If this DVD is your cup of tea, take a look at Great Moments in Opera from the Ed Sullivan Show too.

Absolutely worth it!!
I love this DVD! The picture is not so great, but I don't care, the remastered sound is sooo much better than the VHS or when PBS shows this footage. Sutherland is amazing! Farrell's artistry is unsurpassed! Leontyne and Tebaldi are beautiful! Even Corelli does some of his best vocal moments. The only disappointment for me was Regine Crespin and that Rise Stevens didn't do a selection from Carmen, because she is one of my favorite mezzos along with Tatiana Troyanos (who is not on this DVD). Did I mention Birgit Nilsson? She makes it all look so easy, including a fabulous high C! I would buy this DVD just for Farrell and Sutherland! This is a great find! Most of the singers are in their prime. This is one of those worthy investments or splurges, however you like to think of it!!

More Customer Reviews (6 total)

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