Two OK Productions, One Stinker
J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 12/07/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This appears to be the second box by TDK that packages three opera DVDs together - Puccini's La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot. All six of the operas in the two box sets are available as single DVDs; the boxes offer a bit of a price break. The first box, which contained Carmen, Don Giovanni and Fidelio, I applauded. This one doesn't quite cut it. The stinker in this set is the production of Turandot from the Salzburg Festival. Fairly well sung (although there are better), the production itself is outré, one of those efforts that have earned the sneering designation of 'Eurotrash', where the director's 'vision' trumps the composer's and librettists' intentions. I would suggest you go read the reviews of the single DVD of this production of Turandot, which is still on sale here at Amazon Puccini - Turandot / Gabriele Schnaut, Johan Botha, Robert Tear, Paata Burchuladze, Valery Gergiev, Salzburg Opera and see what others have said about it. I frankly couldn't force myself to watch the whole thing and thus did not review it.
La Bohème, however, I did review; you can see that here: Puccini - La Boheme / Alvarez, Gallardo-Domas, Hong, Servile, de Carolis, Parodi, Bartoletti, La Scala Opera. It's a Zeffirelli production and I liked it, but there are also other productions that are just as good or better, including the Met's Zeffirelli production.Puccini - La Boheme / Pavarotti, Scotto, Niska, Wixell, Plishka, Levine, Metropolitan Opera conducted by James Levine.
I also reviewed Madama Butterfly in this set when it came out as a single. Puccini - Madama Butterfly / Fiorenza Cedolins, Marcello Giordani, Juan Pons, Francesca Franci, Carlo Bosi, Daniel Oren, Verona Opera. I gave it 4/5 stars.
I honestly cannot recommend this box unless you know you want the Salzburg Turandot. The price break is probably not enough to make is worthwhile otherwise. The other two opera DVDs are not quite at the top of their respective heaps.
Scott Morrison"