# It *really* doesn't get any better than this!



## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

OK, where is my hyperbole, over-the-top, superlative dictionary? I'll need it!

Today I've watched the ABSOLUTELY BEST operatic production I've ever seen in my 54 years of life.

No, please, believe me. Once in a century, once in a lifetime, you get the exactly right combination of talents to completely blow you away.

First, you get an astounding operatic masterpiece, with the most exquisitely literary libretto based upon a historically classy source, to which you add incredibly competent orchestration that precisely sets the colors and tones and moods. Then you add absolutely perfect vocal writing, aided and abetted by the most uncanny sense of pace and dramatic impact, with everything in the right place: not too fast, not too slow, not too long, not too short, never boring, always eventful, always varied and moving, with emotional, tear-jerking, sublime climactic ending.

Throw in some touches of heart-wrenching human drama, ambivalence, lust, guilt, naivete, pure evil - basically, the human condition, the very source and core of opera.

Then, to this absolutely PERFECT work, you add a maestro with 40 years of experience in the operatic field, heading one of the best (if not *the best*) operatic orchestras in the world. Forget about the Wiener Philharmoniker performing at Salzburg, the London Philharmonic performing at Glyndebourne, and so on and so forth. This orchestra has reached maturity and can pull off the perfect balance between instruments and voice, and it raises to the occasion in this performance, delivering rich, resonant, lively, thrilling sounds.

Get three world-class, accomplished, mature singers who know what they are doing for the main roles: a mezzo, a tenor, and a bass, and help them with a finely tuned chorus.

Finally, add to the mix an absolutely genial stage director, capable of achieving the most incredible visual effects with advanced video technology and striking staging, but still, as stunning as these visuals are, they never distract from the music, and only ENHANCE the experience and augment the impact of this spectacular score, without the need to appeal to any distortions, any ego trips, any Eurotrash. Make sure the genial director has a sense of musicality and does understand the various nuances of the score, focusing his powers exactly on the right places and at the right times (such as suddenly shifting the colors and the lighting when the music shifts in mood).

OK, guys, get all these elements together, and you get to THE BEST OPERATIC VIDEO I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

It's not been released on DVD yet, but it is available (for free with the 7-day trial membership) on MetPlayer.

Highly recommended. A+++++++.

Your life won't be complete until you see it. Oh well, I know that when someone praises a work too much and raises expectations up the roof, others go in too eager and get disappointed. But I don't think that this will be the case, if you come equipped with a pair of ears and a pair of eyes, and a brain that appreciates competent work. I don't know, this work has an effect on me that also has to do with my francophilia, the fact that I speak French, and that I've known and listened to this for many years, so I can get some details of the score and the libretto that others may not get at first. I'm not implying that I'm any better than any of you; just, I'm saying that I have a special relationship with this work, therefore my enthusiasm may be a little over-the-top. But even if you don't share the same history of loving this work, like I said, just approach it with a pair of ears, a pair of eyes, and a sensitive musical brain, and you'll love it.

I'm talking about the November 22, 2008 production of Berlioz's _La Damnation de Faust _at the Metropolitan Opera with the Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus, conducted by James Levine and staged by Robert Lepage, sung by Marcello Giordani as Faust, John Relyea as Méphistophélès, and Susan Graham as Marguerite. Oh yeah, there is a weak link: Patrick Carfizzi as Brander displays awful French articulation, and Giordani is good enough but could have been better (on the other hand, Relyea and Graham are outstanding).

Granted, Berlioz is one of my top five favorite opera composers (together with Wagner, Verdi, Mozart, and Handel), and _La Damnation de Faust_ is one of my favorite operas (forget the silly controversy about it being a concert piece or an opera; just watch this, and you'll see that it's an opera, period, end of the controversy!).

So, like I've indicated above, I'm a little biased. But it's been years since my jaw has dropped so low that I had to use my index finger to push it back up, so stunned I was!

This is sublime music with sublime performers and sublime stage direction.

Like I said, IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS. Yes, there are a couple of weak links, but no other production that I've seen has packed this much quality, and if these weak links were patched, something else would give, because perfection is an elusive property.

Poor Berlioz, he was maligned during his lifetime by the stupid, incompetent, tacky contemporaries who preferred mediocre Meyerbeer to his divine talents.

I'd love to have a time machine and bring Berlioz back to life, fish him out of his era and bring him to the present times, right here at home. I'd seat with him on my family room, get my computer linked to my TV, and tell him - "Sir, relax, sit back, don't be too surprised about having been brought to the 21st century; yes, science and technology have leaped forward, I'll explain it all to you later, and as weird as this machine called TV may seem to you, now I just want you to sit back and watch these images, and listen to this music."

I'm sure that Berlioz would be moved to tears. This poorly recognized genius who had so much trouble to have his works staged during his lifetime, would then see that in the 21st century his legacy endures, and a team of extremely talented people get together to stage this masterpiece that he has composed.

Thank you, Berlioz, Levine, the Met Orchestra, Lepage, Graham, Relyea, and Giordani for *the* most rewarding opera video I've ever seen in my life.

PS - I just wonder why Lepage did so well here, and so poorly in the Met's recent Rheingold.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

It is really an excellent production, and as you say Lepage's staging works so well with the music.

So, O Met, WHY IS IT NOT ON DVD? The only other staged production is rubbish, and this urgently deserves a release.

Meanwhile they trot out mediocre Aidas and Turandots.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> It is really an excellent production, and as you say Lepage's staging works so well with the music.
> 
> So, O Met, WHY IS IT NOT ON DVD? The only other staged production is rubbish, and this urgently deserves a release.
> 
> Meanwhile they trot out mediocre Aidas and Turandots.


I believe that it's because Gounod's Faust is so vastly more popular (and vastly inferior); therefore the Met executives are afraid that this will not sell well - and it probably won't.

If I were a dictator, I'd declare a ban on Gounod's Faust (except for a couple of arias) and make it illegal to watch.:lol: Even Boito's is better than Gounod's!

But Berlioz's version of the story is so immensely superior that it is a low dirty shame that it is not the most highly regarded version.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

So you say theres a free met 7-day trial?

Im going to check it out right now.
Thanks


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Almaviva said:


> I believe that it's because Gounod's Faust is so vastly more popular (and vastly inferior); therefore the Met executives are afraid that this will not sell well - and it probably won't.
> 
> If I were a dictator, I'd declare a ban on Gounod's Faust (except for a couple of arias) and make it illegal to watch.:lol: Even Boito's is better than Gounod's!
> 
> But Berlioz's version of the story is so immensely superior that it is a low dirty shame that it is not the most highly regarded version.


I agree that the Berlioz Faust is superior, and that Met production is amazing. Having said that, the Gounod version can be very good as well, but you need a close to ideal cast to make it work. I would recommend the Cluytens/Gedda/de Los Angeles/Christoff cd recording which is much better than any of the other three or four cd recordings or productions I've seen and heard of this opera over the years.

As for that Met Berlioz Faust - yes, it's unbelievable that they don't release that one on DVD.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> If I were a dictator, I'd declare a ban on Gounod's Faust (except for a couple of arias) and make it illegal to watch. :lol: Even Boito's is better than Gounod's!


I quite like this one










and will try for a ticket at ROH (AG?, Grigolo, Hvorostovsky) if 2011/12 season rumours are true


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

emiellucifuge said:


> So you say theres a free met 7-day trial?
> 
> Im going to check it out right now.
> Thanks


emiel make sure if you don't want to continue to the pay subscription that you cancel well in time - they are pretty quick off the mark to take your money on day 7.


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## Der Fliegende Amerikaner (Feb 26, 2011)

Met Player is well worth the price of $15/month.

Here's my favorite Met Player performance:

Le Nozze di Figaro 
(Nov. 11, 1998) 
Levine; Fleming, Bartoli, Mentzer, Croft, Terfel

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 3 hrs. 3 min.

The Met assembled a vocal dream team for Jonathan Miller's stylish production of the eternal Mozart masterpiece: Renée Fleming as the Countess, Cecilia Bartoli as Susanna, and Bryn Terfel as Figaro. With James Levine-one of the world's great conductors of Mozart-in the pit, *Bartoli interpolating two rarely heard alternate arias*, and Dwayne Croft as the Count and Susanne Mentzer as Cherubino, this is a performance for the record books.

http://www.metoperafamily.org/met_player/catalog/detail.aspx?upc=811357011430

And in honor of La Stupenda:

Lucia di Lammermoor 
(Nov. 13, 1982) 
Bonynge; Sutherland, Kraus, Elvira, Plishka

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 16 min.

This telecast offers a rare opportunity to see the legendary Joan Sutherland in the role that first catapulted her to international stardom. She drove audiences wild by the way her opulent voice caressed the music's long phrases and sprinted effortlessly through the fiendish runs, trills, embellishments and stratospheric high notes. One of the glories of the operatic world, her portrayal of Donizetti's hapless heroine is a multifaceted and moving characterization. The incomparable tenor Alfredo Kraus is Edgardo, the man Lucia loves but cannot have.

http://www.metoperafamily.org/met_player/catalog/detail.aspx?upc=811357011478


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

My only problem with MetPlayer is the fact that the selection isn't vast, so at one point one will run out of new things to explore.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Almaviva said:


> My only problem with MetPlayer is the fact that the selection isn't vast, so at one point one will run out of new things to explore.


So you do a month by month subscription, and cancel for a while. That's what I did when I was going on holiday for 3 weeks, but I'm ready to start up again soon for Boris and Don Pasquale and to rewatch some favourite stuff.


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## Herkku (Apr 18, 2010)

Oh, my! Almaviva did really got carried away by Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust. I have a single experience that could be compared to that. It was Die Götterdämmerung in the Finnish National Opera, after which I couldn't even sleep the night - I was soaring in some higher spheres. And we didn't even have any world class singers (there hasn't been a Finnish Brünnhilde since Anita Välkki and even she only got to sing a Norn on Solti's Ring).

As for DVDs, my strongest reaction was caused by Anna's La Traviata, which rekindled my passion for opera after so many years. I have seen many fabulous performances after that, but that was something special for me.

Let me add that I like Gounod's Faust very much, given the right singers - not necessarily Bianca Castafiore. Gabriela Beňačková was a delightful surprise, but I happen to like the Freni/Domingo audio version, also. Anyway, it's full of glorious melodies.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Good boy! Anybody who loves Anna's La Traviata plays for my team!
Yep, maybe I went a bit OTT for this Damnation. But I did find it brilliant!


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