Rossini: Zelmira

Too bad about the production
Here's another example of excellent music undermined by idiotic direction.

First the kudos:

Juan Diego Florez dashes off the stratospheric part of the Trojan hero, Ilo, with his usual aplomb: the coloratura brilliant, the acuti accurate and the acting intelligent. And, I'll say the same of Kate Aldrich in the title role and of Marianna Pizzolata as her confidant, Emma. Ms. Aldrich is one of the finest singing actresses I've seen in a long time. Her voice is beautiful and even through the registers, the coloratura is dazzling and her emotional involvement intense. Despite my reservations about the production, the DVD is worth hearing simply for her performance. Ms Pizzolata is good throughout the opera, particularly in the first act duet (Perche mi guardi e piangi -- the loveliest number in the opera, soprano and mezzo accompanied by harp and cor anglais) -- and in her second act preghiera. Gregrory Kunde sings well and appears to relish playing the...

Vocally Stunning -- Staging Less So
When Zelmira premiered in Naples on 16 February 1822, Rossini had three of the best singers in Italy to sing the lead roles: Isabella Colbran, Giovanni David and Andrea Nozzari. I doubt that even that legendary trio brought off the vocal excellence of this performance. While the plot has been termed "tedious and dully written" and "absurd and complicated" by Charles Osborne in "The Bel Canto Operas", as far as operas go, it isn't all that bad. Staging and camera work prove a major distraction through much of it, but to me, the sheer splendor of the vocalism trumps the troublesome staging, much as was the case with Mary Zimmerman's notorious approach to La Sonnambula at the Met.

So let me start with the singers:

Juan Diego Florez (JDF to fans) is, for me, a near force of nature. He is, I believe, the finest tenor interpreter of Rossini in the last 150 years, and one (but not the only) reason for the rebirth of interest in Rossini's opera seria. Simply put, he...

Amazing Performance of a Beautiful Opera
I was so much in agreement with the review provided by John G. Gleeson Sr., that I haven't considered submitting my own for a while. However, it seems that a fair assertion of the production as a typical Regiatheater rubbish proves to be a turn-off for many opera lovers. There are several comments to the effect that people rather stick to audio CD than buy this set. It's wrong! Yes, the staging doesn't work, but all the performances are amazing, unparalleled vocally and fully developed and passionate dramatically. You simply have to watch Juan Diego Florez singing `Terra Amica', you won't get the whole range of emotions just by listening to him! I guarantee you would rewind and watch it over and over again in awe that such perfection can be achieved in a live performance. And Kate Aldrich was a total revelation for me too. Beauty of timbre, agility, legato line, intelligence of interpretation and she is a very good actress! I hope to see a lot more of her in bel canto roles in the...

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