MASCAGNI: Cavalleria Rusticana & LEONCAVALLO: Pagliacci, Blu-ray (2009)

by | Apr 17, 2009 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews | 0 comments

MASCAGNI: Cavalleria Rusticana & LEONCAVALLO: Pagliacci, Blu-ray (2009)


Director: Angel Luis Ramirez

Starring: Cavalleria Rusticana: Violeta Urmana, Vincenzo LaScola, Dragana Jugovic, Viorica Cortez; Pagliacci: Vladimir Galouzine, Maria Bayo, Carlo Guelfi, Antonio Gandia

Conducted by: Jesus Lopez Cobos, with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Real Madrid

Studio: Opus Arte OA BD7018 D [Release date: Feb. 24, 09] [Distr. by Naxos]

Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 color 1080p HD

Audio: Uncompressed PCM 5.0, Uncompressed PCM Stereo

Extras: Cast Galleries, Interviews

Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish

Feature Length: 199 minutes

Rating: *****


The two operettas presented here, Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci share a remarkable symbiosis; both were written for competitions, and though such works rarely fare well commercially, these two enjoyed such success that they’ve been programmed together now for well over a century! The two works seem to fit particularly well together; in fact, Pagliacci’s Prologue (as is employed here) is frequently used as a preface to both works. Cavalleria Rusticana marked the birth of the last great phase of Italian opera – operatic verismo – in which tales of Italian provincial life became vehicles for stories of earthy vitality and passions that truly tugged at the heart-strings of opera audiences. And Pagliacci came essentially from the headlines of the day – Leoncavallo’s father had been a magistrate judging the factual case on which the opera was based. Both works proved that everyday life can powerfully affect audiences as only elitist opera was previously thought capable of.

 

Cavalleria Rusticana takes place in a Sicilian village on Easter Sunday. Turiddu is engaged to Santuzza, but brazenly carries on his affair with Lola, a former lover. Santuzza approaches Turiddu’s mother, Mamma Lucia, concerning her son’s indiscretion, and she also tries to persuade Turiddu to leave Lola and be solely faithful to her. Turridu is enraged, and rejects Santuzza’s request. Santuzza then tells Alfio, Lola’s husband, about his wife’s affair, and Alfio subsequently kills Turridu in a knife fight.

 

Pagliacci involves a company of traveling performers, Tonio, Beppe, Canio and his wife Nedda. The troupe arrives in a new village, and prior to the evening’s show, Tonio tells Canio that Nedda is having an affair with Silvio, a local fellow, and that they plan to leave together that night. The troupe’s play is a farce about infidelity and jealousy, and Canio uses the action to try to get Nedda to reveal the name of her lover. Her contempt for him, and the audience’s laughter at what they think is only part of the show infuriates Canio such that he stabs her with a knife. Silvio, who’s also in the audience, rushes to her aid and is killed as well.

 

This magnificent disc from Opus Arte serves as a serious reminder what heady times these are for opera lovers – the image clarity and powerful soundtrack employed here are miles beyond anything that was previously available on DVD! The color palette employed is superb, with crisp, detailed images and excellent contrast. Grain is virtually nonexistent. The uncompressed PCM 5.0 soundtrack is also superb, offering a truly enveloping surround experience and presenting Jesus Lopez Cobos and the forces of the Teatro Real Madrid in the finest possible light. I’ve heard a few complaints regarding the clarity of the voices in this soundtrack, but I personally didn’t find anything troubling here. 

 

As a visual spectacle, this performance is also quite interesting; Cavalleria Rusticana has taken on quite an abstract staging, with most of the sets on a diagonal slant, which requires a bit of an adjustment to fully appreciate the onstage action. Pagliacci returns to a more traditional, but no less visually striking presentation. The performances are uniformly superb; especially Violeta Urmana’s Santuzza and Vladimir Galouzine’s Canio, especially in the aria Vesti La Giubba, where he almost brings down the house. Very highly recommended!

 

— Tom Gibbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

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