La Traviata

More of a spectacle than an opera performance
It's good within the limitations of an outdoor event.

I didn't like the very prominent microphones or the frequent panning of the camera to what were presumably sponsors names on city buildings

La Traviata - Brilliant performance and audio
Operas should be revitalised by new inspiration to make them relevant to today's new audiences rather than preserved in camphor. Opera Australia's new venture of a once-a-year opera performance on Sydney Harbour is a way of doing this as it challenges even the most basic tenets of putting on an opera. Directed by Francesca Zambello this La Traviata is a triumph of technical ingenuity in every aspect from the floating mirrored stage, to the suspension of the giant chandelier, to the amazing audio.

The stage props are necessarily sparse as there is minimal space for storage and no convenient curtain to effect scene changes behind. Yet, the props used are stunningly oversized and have impact, seamlessly moved into place, or removed, as part of the show. The stage itself conceals the orchestra `pit' below, so that performers and conductor can only see each other via video screens, and it is this, plus the challenges of recording anything out of doors that makes the quality of...

OPERA AUSTRALIA SCORES A GRAND SLAM !!!
This an easy review. Four new releases from OPERA AUSTRALIA and are all SPECTACULAR, CREATIVE, and among the best new stagings I have recently viewed. They are not perfect; but, DO THEY WORK !!!
They are LAKME, RIGOLETTO, DON GIOVANNI, and this new TRAVIATA. I will be reviewing each in the next few days. Do yourself a favor and try all four. They are bold new and creative settings with mostly excellent musical values and fine detailed stage directorial touches.
1) Emma Matthews is the real thing a great coloratura VIOLETTA with a stunning high Eflat. She is also an accomplished actress. Her embellishments are great, runs, staccatti, every thing is easy and natural for her. She has it all and it's really her show all the way!
2) The production is updated to Sydney Harbor on a wonderful all flexible theatrical barge with the Opera House and Sydney Harbor for a back drop... it works.
3) Modern setting and colorful dress costumes that work and are "eye...

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Love & Valor: The Intimate Civil War Letters

Love & Valor: The Intimate Civil War Letters
For those of us interested in the Civil War, whenever such private letters and/or diaries are made accessible to we all benefit from the added information and personal perspective that they contain. I have not yet read the book, and after watching this video it is something that I intend to do. The video can only provide snippets of the entire correspondence, and since it consists of day-to-day matters, in this medium it may seem a little dry to some. One incidental thing about this video: about halfway through I clued into the soft background music. For some reason it had piqued my interest and seemed familiar - but could figure out what it was for about 30 seconds... when I realized that it was "Deutschland über alles" (now the German national anthem). I guess being in a Civil War context it wouldn't register in my mind, but I knew what it was, I thought it a nice touch. Many, many Germans left central Europe in the war of the 1848/49 revolution, many were "liberal" and...

Civil war
This was very good! I Highly Recommend watching this DVD! This was a very well made DVD and would purchase it again as a gift!

Fascinating
I enjoyed the family history given. The interviews and the trips to the places where incidents happened. Anyone who collects Civil War movies must see this. There is information here on little known conflicts as well.

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Mystery Trooper

Subtract a few stars if you expect a good serial
"The Mystery Trooper" is a 10 chapter serial produced in 1931 by Harry S. Webb, under the "Wonder Serials" name, directed by Stuart Paton and released by Syndicate Pictures. The story is by Flora E. Douglas, with continuity and dialogue by Carl Krusada. While it has been called the worst serial ever made, such an honour depends on how "worst" is defined, and while certainly a top contender it helps illustrate how the "Poverty Row" producers dealt with making early sound films. My "4-star" rating is mostly from finding that Grapevine's DVD was from the original version, and not an indication of the merits of the serial or of the transfer quality.

The story has Jack Logan (Robert Frazer) inheriting half a map from his uncle, who years earlier had quarreled with his partner over discovery of a lost Indian gold mine near Moosehead, somewhere in Canada. Jack goes to Moosehead, but is followed by a gangster, Mack (Charles King) who plots with Jean Gregg (Al Ferguson), trading...

"The King of Serials...VCI Entertainment ~ "The Mystery Trooper (1931)"
VCI Entertainment and Guaranteed Pictures Co Inc present "The Mystery Trooper" (1931) (Dolby digitally remastered), (a.k.a."Trail of the Royal Mounted") with 10 Chapters of vintage serial episodes jam packed with thrilling action sequences and stunts that will keep you on the edge of your seat...our story opens with this all talkie serial with a map that leads to a rich mysterious Indian mine hidden up in the hills...our hero Jack Logan (Robert Frazer) has in his possession half of the map that Mack (Charles King) is bent on stealing during all 10 episodes...is the heroine Helen (Blanche Mehaffey) and her brother Billy (Buzz Barton) in danger because they too have another part of the map...will our story get anymore exciting with the help of the evil French trader Jean Gregg (Al Ferguson) who is behind most of the skullduggery...can the identity of the cloaked Northwest Mounted Police Constable (The Mystery Trooper) be the answer to clear up all the mysteries that lie ahead... ...but...



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Complete Piano Sonatas Nos 1-32 [Blu-ray]

It's very, very good...
...if your expectations are not out of line with what is being presented.

These performances were recorded in ca. 1984 on 35mm film then much later transferred to BD format, with some recordings presenting better than others as he moves from room to room in notable Vienna palaces/living spaces, changing the available light and acoustics with each passing piece. The sound quality and image quality are commensurate with a 35mm film process: if you are expecting surround DTS-HD and 4000+ pixel digital images at high frame rates from a Red Epic or an ARRI Alexa, you're probably going to be disappointed. These videos are very good 35mm quality overall, except perhaps the Appassionata in F minor, no. 23, which suffers from low-light shallow depth-of-field focus issues. The sound is in stereo format, not 5.1 or 7.1, etc.

In terms of the performance itself, Barenboim has an amazingly disarming command of these compositions, once you realize that all 32 sonatas are...

Third of Four
OVERVIEW:
Daniel Barenboim memorized the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas when he was only 17 years of age, and has performed them for half a century. During that time he has recorded at least four complete cycles:
(1) His first recording for Westminster is excerpted in the 3-LP set "Prodigy and Genius: Barenboim and Beethoven." One copy is currently available on eBay.
(2) At the age of 24 he signed a contract with EMI to record his second cycle (1966/69), and it appeared on quality vinyl in a 1970 boxed set, used copies of which can still be found by those who seek to do so. Earlier this year, EMI re-released the cycle on CD, in a significantly better mastering than the previous 1998 CD release.
(3) Metropolitan Video produced and Jean-Pierre Ponnelle directed a third cycle in various acoustically excellent and photogenic settings from 1981 to 1984, and DGG released the soundtrack on audio cassette, "digital LP" and CD (the cover photograph shows Barenboim in the same...

Excellent, but I prefer the live set from Berlin
This set was recorded in 1983 and 1984 in four different "palaces" and castles, showing Barenboim at what one might call his middle period. His first recording of the Beethoven sonatas on disc, in his mid-twenties, bore the impetuousness of youth. His later interpretations, such as the mid-1980s cycle for DG, show wisdom acquired through experience. These films are from that period, and catch Barenboim at a stage where he had been playing these works for decades. His performances here are polished and refined, though lacking the sparkle of the 2005 live recordings. Barenboim is generally expressionless as he performs, and, while he gets a bit animated at times, his face betrays very little.

The filming is unadventurous. Edits are conservative, there are lots of long shots, and not many showing Barenboim's dazzling finger-work. There is much attention to the surroundings; the buildings are merely the setting for the music, however, and shouldn't be more than that. There are...

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Tutto Verdi Highlights [Blu-ray]

Excellent Way to Preview New Verdi Series
This is a sampler; it contains one selection each from most,, but not all, of the complete Verdi operas being released by C Major/Unitel Classica between now and next Spring. Since buying the entire series involves a substantial cash outlay over time, the disc gives the potential buyer a limited opportunity to evaluate performances because most excerpts feature one performer. On the plus side, disc quality in this series seems to be first rate, with all operas being made from an HD master, with very fine surround sound, and subtitles in "E, F, Sp, I, Chin, Kor, Jap". Some operas will be first time DVDs while others face varying levels of competition from existing discs.

All operas are performed by the Teatro Regio di Parma, a tough venue for singers, since the Parmigiani are a very demanding bunch in the audience. Some performances are done in the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi in Busetto, a venue I like a lot since it seats only 300 and the stage is about 30 m deep. Orchestral work...

you get what you pay for....or maybe just a little bit more
I have a considerably lower opinion of this disk than John Gleason in another review, but am deeply indebted to him for his careful and detailed analysis, which was the reason for my purchase. I paid around 9 dollars from a reseller, and feel it was worth it, but if this disk had been much more expensive, I'd have felt cheated and would say to others to hold off. I found five or six of the excerpts at "Met level" or thereabouts, but the others considerably less strong. Beyond that something Mr. Gleason doesn't comment on is the production value of the video (not the staging, but the sound and photography). (By the way, all of my references are to the Blu-Ray version, which is the one I bought.) It was a real disappointment to me. E.g., the quartet at the end of Rigoletto did not utilize the potential of modern individual miking technology to bring out individual voices/harmonies/vocal interactions. I have no idea how it was miked (radio or whatever), but I have heard many Blu-Ray...

Well Worth Buying
This is a pretty nice intro to the Box set and it gives you some idea of the production and vocal values of some of the operas. I wish we could have seen more of the lesser known opera like Alzira, I Masnadieri etc. instead of the old war horses which have many different DVD's available.

Just from seeing this single DVD I can honestly say that the box set is NOT worth buying - some of the individual operas are - especially ones like Alzira - but most of the War Horses are available in better productions with famous singers.

These operas are all set in small provincial opera houses and some of the staging is minimalist at best. The Il Trovatore staging was not only awful but so was the singing. I didn't got for the White Bed, Candles and Red Moon for Di Quella Pira. I suggest if you want that opera get either the Met version with Pavarotti or the TDK with Domingo. Both are better sung, and the Domingo is the well stages - the Met is pretty poor staging...

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Coming Home: Israel Philharmonic 75th Anniversary [Blu-ray]

An exhilarating concert with everyone on absolutely top form
This 75th Anniversary concert, recorded in 2011 at Tel Aviv in Hanger 11, is a spectacular success on every level.Clearly this anniversary meant a great deal to the players and audience and the whole event rises to the occasion in a way that is really quite special.

The concert starts with an assured and exciting performance of Saint Saens' Introduction and Rondo played by Julian Rachlin who adds a thoughtfully satisfying Sarabande from Bach's second Partita as an encore. Expectations were high therefore as Kissin settled down to deliver as fine a performance of Chopin's fist piano concerto as I have heard. This was full of detail and nuance without, for a single moment, losing the wonderful effect of spontaneous music making. The number of meltingly beautiful moments throughout this concerto were almost beyond number. Interestingly it was not a brilliant performance in terms of virtuoso speed. Those characteristics, which he demonstrated at Warsaw on a previous anniversary...

More than just a concert
This is a fascinating Blu-ray in many ways. First and foremost, it marks the 75th anniversary of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Curiously, as good as the concert is, I didn't really detect extra emotion from the players or audience related to this major occasion. But the accompanying documentary (nearly an hour long) fills this gap nicely.

The documentary effectively charts the history of the orchestra, hitting all the highlights. Benefiting from a large number of interviews with orchestra members past and present, it shows how the orchestra has attracted stellar musicians from around the world, originally largely from Germany and Austria, and more recently from Russia. It also touches on Arturo Toscanini's early championing, Leonard Bernstein's injections of excitement, and the five-decade relationship with Zubin Mehta, who has helped the orchestra maintain its Central European sound through all these years. I found it very interesting, and as you might expect, moving...

Great performance by Kissin
The Israel Philharmonic does its usual superb job, especially when under the direction of Mehta. Kissin gives a spectacular performance of Chopin. And the DVD has an fantastic added bonus about the Israel Philharmonic with commentaries by Mehta, Barenboim, Zuckerman and many others connected with the Orchestra

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Carnivale: The Complete Seasons 1-2

"To each generation...born a creature of light and a creature of darkness"..
Easily as eliptic, complex and mysterious as "Twin Peaks" with more magic in its soul "Carnivale" only lasted two seasons on HBO because the witless suits didn't have the imagination to see the value the series added to their schedule. Keep in mind these are the same folks that also cancelled their second most watched series "Deadwood" after having already renewed if for a third.

Set during the 1934 dustbowl we first meet the ragtag members of the Carnivale as they pass through Oklahoma. Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl) mother has just died. His home is about to be bulldozed and the dust storms that struck the midwest rage incessantly. Jonesy (Tim DeKay)the head roustabout stands up to those about to destroy Hawkins home and helps him bury his mom as do the other members of the carnival. Suddenly their family whether Hawkins likes it or not.

It seems Hawkins has the ability to heal others and perform miracles. He's a lost soul in denial of his abilities and focused on...

Stands in testimony to the stupidity of the folks at HBO.
To me this was the absolute finest production ever made for television/cable and because "only" several million totally devoted viewers could not get HBO to finish the four or five year series, we are left with two and will never know where this journey could have taken us all. It is magnificent but it is painful to watch because you know that it is unfinished "business." I for one have never watched HBO again because to make the time and emotional investment in Carnivale that so many of us made only to hear we didn't count, says to me that they can and most likely will do the same thing again.

HBO seems to thrive on super violent material that is laced with meaningless four letter words. The actors on _The Sopranos_ certainly have a payroll that out does the production costs of Carnivale yet maybe there is no room even on cable for works of complexity that demand that viewers think.

So buy it and yes, HBO owns it and will profit - but just this one last time...

One of THEE best HBO Series!!!!!!
Why HBO didn't renew this series, I'll never know. It's based back in the "dust bowl" era of America with a boy in a traveling circus and a preacher gone evil. It deals with the power to heal, good vs evil, and more. Carnivable was based in a time of nobility. However man created wonder for reason. And the show takes you back to that time of wonder and after each episode you think back to that time of nobility.

A very well made series! But why didn't HBO keep going with it????

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