Puccini - Turandot / Franco Zeffirelli - Marton, Domingo, Mitchell, Plishka, Cuenod - James Levine, MET (1988)Rating:
Release Date: 12 August, 2003 Retail Price: $29.98 OUR Price: $21.99 You SAVE: $7.99! Cast: |
Puccini - Turandot / Franco Zeffirelli - Marton, Domingo, Mitchell, Plishka, Cuenod - James Levine, MET (1988) Reviews
I finally understand
I've seen Turandot performed live, the latest by the Kirov Opera at the Kennedy Center, and I've watched videos, but this is the very first Turandot where the majesty of the music matched what I was seeing on stage, and where I was able to really understand how Turandot came to her final acceptance of the love she feels for Calaf.
Marton's Turandot is minamalist, but more would not, I think, have been better. Her voice is glorious. When I think of Turandot, her performance is the one I'll remember.
Mitchell's Liu makes me cry every time.
And, of course, Domingo is Domingo. I think he was born to play Calaf.
Ping, Pang and Pong were, for once, not just slapstick figures. They were played not only with humor, but also with a depth of feeling that is lacking in some other performances.
And, yes, the parts that Alfano wrote are different, and yes, Liu's death scene is masterful, and the last "real" Puccini that ever was -- but even after multiple watchings of this DVD, my jaw still drops when I see the final scene of Act III. Zeffirelli, better than anyone else I've ever seen direct Turandot, has come close to matching the glory of the music that Alfano put together from Puccini's themes.
Even after multiple viewings, I still get a shiver down my spine when the chorus sings "Decimilla anni al nostro Imperatore!", and I still thrill at the final "Gloria!".
HIGHLY recommended.
I Never Liked This Opera, Until...
I had seen several productions of Turandot prior to this one and they all left me cold. The costumes weren't interesting, the sets tended to be stylized and even the music seemed to be rambling and pointless. I tried listening to the opera on CD, with much the same reaction. Then, one night I happened to see this production on PBS and the opera totally changed for me. Zeffirelli had somehow managed to pull this opera together and make it interesting to watch and to listen to. Suddenly the opera seemed to make sense and I was drawn into the production. The entire cast was excellent and I disagree with a previous reviewer who felt that Leona Mitchell wasn't effective as Liu. She was everything that one would expect an unnoticed slave strengthened by the power of her love to be.
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