Arts Movie Reviews

This excellent DVD preserves a recent Glyndebourne concert which was nothing short of sensational. Both Cecilia Bartoli and Bryn Terfel are here in their absolute vocal primes, sing material admirably chosen to show their beautiful voices to full advantage, and reveal in their engaging, spirited interplay considerable comic acting skill. The burly, gruff-looking Terfel is the greater surprise in this regard not only because of his unexpectedly witty, highly apt facial expressions but owing to his wonderfully funny, though always consistently graceful, movement on stage. Bartoli is already widely known for her skill in acting opera's comic minxes, and happily she matches Terfel in their duets, also bringing each of her beautifully sung characters to telling dramatic life. Yet Bartoli herself too is ultimately something of a revelation. Though technically a mezzo, her extraordinary skills in negotiating the perilous fioritura demands of 18th and early 19th century roles show us, I suspect, the reason why her illustrious predecessor, Maria Malibran, a mezzo always praised for rousing audiences to the wildest excitement by the brilliance of her ornamentation, was deemed second to nobody when compared with those presumably-to- be-preferred, great high sopranos of the bel canto period.

Once again Cecilia Bartoli displays why she is the best of the contemporary classical vocalists. While shunning the trend of many modern artists to seek out a larger audience via recordings of "pop" standards and the like, Ms. Bartoli has continually committed to deeping her skills within the classical genre and bringing us many otherwise neglected masterpieces; one goes to her for knowledge, not the other way around.

This performane is unusual for a number of different reasons, two in paticular. First is that it opens with a long, beautiful performance by the Concentus Musicus Wien. How many other top-billed artists would give over this much time to the oft forgotten ensemble?

Second is the mezzo herself. No longer the slender young colt of earlier recordings, she is now considerably larger. While some may be sightly taken aback when the huge, full-figured diva takes the stage, once she begins to sing, the listener is struck by the parallel growth of her vocal prowness as well. By all means, keep it up. This is an altogether wonderful performance. We can only hope that the future brings both bigger and better achievements from Ms. Bartoli.

Gorgeous setting, lovely music, expert conducting, flawless singing. It's nice to see a Bartoli slightly more spirited than in her "Live in Italy" DVD but less frenetic than in "Viva Vivaldi".

Here's another fine installment from the Broadway Theatre Archive. As usual, there are no extras on the disc, but in this case, the feature more than makes up for it.

"The Ceremony of Innocence," originally a play by Ronald Ribman, is presented here in a 1972 recording. There are a few liberties taken to adjust to the medium of television (such as red-tinted snippets edited in for effect), but nothing that takes away from the incredible drama protrayed by the cast and production crew.

Richard Kiley plays King Ethelred of England, circa the 11th Century. Ethelred is a surprisingly progressive king. He wants to bring education, law, medicine, and science to his kingdom. He even commissions a famous explorer who has plans to sail the great "Western Ocean" (the Atlantic) in search of distant lands. Ethelred knows that only peace can bring prosperity to England, but no one else seems to agree with his point of view. Even his most trusted advisor quails at the idea of giving up war for peace.

Surrounded by enemies and bitter, scheming advisors, the king's plan to make peace with the fearsome King of Denmark (appearing briefly, played by Ernest Graves), is constantly imperiled. Ultimately confining himself to a monastery seeking some kind of solace, Ethelred is haunted by the visions of violence and bloodshed that surrounds him, his family, and his kingdom. Meanwhile, the enraged Danish king is about to attack, while Ethelred's frustrated advisors demand action. Ethelred is obviously paying the price for being born centuries before his time, as one by one his dreams are sabotaged by the overwhelming and painful tide of events he is forced to face.

The photography is first class for videotape, the medium used to record the play. The lighting is excellent, as are the rough, spartan sets. Even some location footage, used where appropriate, raises the quality of the play far above a standard presentation.

Excellent drama for historical study, and to introduce younger students to this period in English history. There are a sprinkling of curse words in the play, and some minor television bloodshed, but nothing too objectionable for today's teen viewers to see.

When all is said and done, you'll be keeping this disc.

This L'Etoile is thoroughly enjoyable after a slow start, and very well sung & acted. If you enjoy Gilbert & Sullivan or Offenbach operettas, I would highly recommend this DVD.