Arts Movie Reviews

This DVD recording of the Alpine Symphony by Strauss is amazing. Having had his release on the Karajan Gold edition for a while, I thought it would be good to pick up yet another Karajan interpretation.

The Berlin Philharmonic play beautifully especially at the section following the storm. Karajan appears to be completely overcome by the passionate BPO strings. I would dare say Karajan gave this music his all to prove how valuable this piece is in the repetoir.

The storm sequence is wonderfully played. I wish the cameraman could have captured a shot of the wind machine...as i have never seen one before. Other than that though there are some fabulous shots of Karajan's conducting, strings, brass, woodwinds, ect. The only neglected section is the percussion section. The picture appears clear, and the sonics are great in my opinion.

The music itself really packs a wollop and deserves to be played on a quality surround sound system. This is my introduction to the Karajan Legacy Series and i am very impressed with this recording of the Alpine Symphony.

Just as relaxing as you'd think it would be. I bought this for my mom, who loves just sitting and staring at the waves when we go to the beach, and she enjoyed it very much. The scenery is gorgeous, and switches to show four different beaches.

This DVD is highly addictive! Whether trying to wind down at the end of the day, need help falling asleep, want to do some deep breathing or stretching excercises or you are simply folding laundry, you'll want the soothing sounds of the ocean and tropical breeze with you! Your virtual vacation starts with a comfortable beach side cove on the first day and changes scenery to other, more robust landscapes of waterfalls and coastline. Each scene fades in and out slowly and soothingly...never any startling voice overs or music. Excellent video footage and amazing audio makes this virtual vacation seem so real!! I'm ordering another Wave vacation today!

This wave series has it all.Lapping waves,large waves,waterfalls rainforest mountains and birds.Day one starts with a calm ocean and birds chirpping with waves in the distance.Every once in a while a wavelette occasionally goes around a rock.Day 1 ends with some very large waves the biggest I've seen in the waves series and a surfer riding them.Day 2 starts with a waterfall in the rainforest with birds chirpping.On shot 2it returns back to the ocean with lapping waves and mist.Day 3On shot 5 or 6 their's a beautiful night seen under the moonlight with waves lapping.Day 4 has huge waves toward sunset.And another night seen shows lapping waves on the beach under the moonlight toward the end.Day 5 has some huge waves on shot 3 and also some lapping waves on other shots.Day 6 starts with 5 very beautiful waterfalls running down a mountain and ends with the ocean again.This is a quiter zenlike vacation than the other 3 but because ofthe Waterfalls and occasinal large waves I love this one.The sound and beauty of these waterfalls is so peaceful and serene on dvd.Dvd features are chapter search,previews of the other vacation series,and loop play.If you like ocean waves,waterfalls,rainforest,birds and mountains this is the dvd for you.I highly recommend Hawaiian zen along with Hawaiian dreams,California dreams and California zen.

This is as fine an opera production as you will ever see--on film or in person. It is close to perfection. The music is glorious, the singers are brilliant, and the staging is outstanding. I've now seen this production at least ten times, first on VHS, and I never cease to marvel. The DVD is clearer than the VHS, and the sound is magnificent. Above all, buy this to see and hear Ann Murray. Bravo!

This is an unforgettable production of a beautiful operatic work that is worth watching over and over. As for many people, my desire to see the opera grew out of my love for the famous recitative and aria with which it begins, Ombra mai fù, which is a standard part of the repertory for those who study vocal music. It is only through Amazon.com, however, that I found out that Xerxes is considered one of Handel's best operas. The orchestration, under the masterful baton of Sir Charles Mackerras, is profoundly moving, and the singing by all the principals is out of this world -- even if the opening piece, in Ann Murray's hands and in English translation, lacks the emotive power it has been given by great baritones like Bryn Terfel and China's Liao Chang Yong.

I was a bit apprehensive when I saw this opera billed as a comedy, but it turned out to have all of the dramatic intensity and depth of character portrayal of a "serious" opera. It has its humor, indeed, but, as we would expect of Handel, it is humor of a subtle nature that never leans even slightly toward the vulgar or farcical. The work's classification as a comedy derives mainly from its non-serious subject matter -- a hopeless tangle of love triangles centering on a very unkingly king (played by Ann Murray) and his handsome brother -- and from the fact that the many conflicts and deceptions that move the plot to its near-tragic climax are all somehow resolved in the end in a happy ending.

Certainly, for a modern audience, to hear Handel writing the same sort of music that he later used to praise God in Messiah to tell a story about sexual lust and intersibling sexual rivalry also adds the sort of comic touch that arises from the unexpected juxtaposition of the realms of the sacred and the profane. This is truly a masterful opera, and I found myself thinking that Baroque opera, with all its elegance and its stylized acting and staging conventions, in a certain way occupies a higher artistic plane than the much more realistic and complex operas of romantic masters like Verdi and Puccini. And Handel was the unquestioned master of baroque opera.

This particular performance of the opera is remarkable not only for its musical perfection, but also for the unique and highly effective staging and sets, designed with a masterful sense of aesthetic contrast, balance, taste and symmetry that somehow combines a pre-modern (classical and aristocratic) spirit with a modern egalitarianism and a postmodern determination to break beyond the conventional. The sets throughout are gently dominated by the color green, echoing the theme of the first scene where King Xerxes' extols his passionate love for his plane tree in the garden. This passionate love seems to spread out to the whole world of vegetation that the tree represents, and then, with a seemless continuity, to the woman Xerxes falls in love with when he hears her singing outside the garden. Romilda also emerges from the surrounding vegetation into the garden and, like the plane tree, is also blossoming forth in the springtime of youth. "Ombra mai fù, di vegetabile, cara ed amabile, soave più" : Never was the shade of a growing thing more dear and charming, more sweet!).

The set designer, David Fielding, adds one of his subtle touches of humor in portraying the king's beloved plane tree as a rather scraggly little adolescent tree in a large pot, which, as yet at least, is not capable of giving any real shade even to the little patch of ground under its branches, let alone to the King of Persia. Perhaps this foreshadows the fact that Xerxes in the end never gets his longed-for Romilda, whose green nuptial shadow falls instead on the king's brother, the one she really loved.

The other use of color in the staging of the opera is one of the most striking effects I have even seen in a recorded stage production. The main characters are made to stand out from the supporting characters by appearing in full and natural color --both their faces and their elegant vestments. In contrast, there are two categories of supporting roles (obviously consisting of the members of the chorus), one dressed in black with their faces painted in pure white and their hair covered by white plastic so they appear bald. These figures stand or move elegantly but drolly around the stage performing the roles of servants, but with an air of dignity, individuality, and slight bemusement that immediately endears them to the audience.

Then there is another type of secondary actor who are literally "background characters," dressed and made-up totally in grey, so that at first, before they start moving, they appear almost like lifeless statues decorating the background of the king's garden. At times they play the role of dispassionate observers to the passionate events that are occurring among and between the protagonists, but they do engage themselves peripherally in the dramatic action at times by giving signals or words to the protagonists and by giving distinct facial expressions that capture various undercurrents of the emotional tone of the scenes being acted out. Truly a masterful piece of stage work, and it is no wonder that this production won the Laurence Olivier Opera Award.

If I were asked to choose the best production of a Handel opera that I have seen on DVD, I would still choose Julius Caesar, also performed by the English National Opera and Sir Charles Mackerras (I have yet to see the double DVD of Tamerlano, released by ArtHaus in August 2002). This production of Xerxes, however, graced with Handel's most famous aria, stands in a category of its own.

...This performance is by a top cast of English performers at the English National Opera in London. This purchase is worth it only for the fact that Ann Murray sings a superlative Serse (Xerxes). The title role of Serse which Handel composed for the great castrato Gaetano Majorano (who also trained with Farrinelli's teacher Nicola Porpora) is plainly put a terrifying part. Ann Murray (in probably Handel's most testing role for a castrato) offers a clarion and creamy voice which meets every obstacle with her excellent technique. The fact that every aria is stylishly and stylistically decorated according to the competencies of the specific singer are breathtaking: especially in Serse's big set pieces of every Act where MacKerras went to town making the decoration as difficult and intricate as possible. Needles to say these decorations do not seem to trouble Murray at all as she whizzes through them with unbelievable ease. Her colleagues Valerie Masterson (Romilda), Leslie Garrett (Atalanta) and Christopher Robson (Arsamene), to name but a few, excel in this clever production. Leslie Garrett especially seems to have been born to sing Atalanta. The conducting of MacKerras is not very interesting, but his tempi are very well-chosen - although one wishes that they had Minkowski or Jacobs in the pit! Forget other performances of this opera...The English translation (and please note I generally prefer operas to be sung in their original language) fits the music like a glove. The costumes are not modern - mostly 18th century flavoured (around the time of George III). The Genie... of Act two is one of the many demi-gods which were revered in Xerxes's Ancient Persia where this story is set by Handel. This is a clever, nostalgic, funny at times, and a true updating - unlike the Bondy "Don Carlos" - of an opera with a very complicated plot.

Okay, I am in the camp of the people who thinks Rollins has had it. His best years, before, and right after 1992, they're gone, they're done. I heard Hank tell some of these stories before, and he has now changed them. I saw this piece of flotsam for free, I think perhaps Comedy Central. Hank is a very desperate man. His self indulgent narcissistic, survival of the fittest brand of garbage really appealed to me back when I needed medication, badly, but it's over for me. Hank, just drop the mike and leave. Don't go away mad, just go away.

I was very nervous, when i wrapped out the dvd, and i was very happy to see the master in an absolut perfect sound & vision, but after a few minutes, something pisses me of. ... I WANT TO SEE THE HOT ANIMAL MACHINE FROM THE FRONT, like i did in severall spoken word shows, i cried out and my wife came to see if i was going nuts at least. The problem is: too many cameras. Why are there camera positions from the back, from the floor and from a football field away ? And somewhat like clicked the cut in ever the same time code ? The performance is great, no doubt. But i must say that i prefer the London dvd's, because they make me feel like sitting in the audience and not be tortured by an ... director, who cuts the perspectives in pieces. Sorry

I disagree with Scott Woods almost completely. Improvisation from someone who doesn't improvise much? Obviously Scott hasn't paid too much attention to Rollins' previous offerings or indeed, where he and his whole 'talking show' act came from.

No, Rollins doesn't walk on stage and simply make up the show from scratch every night. Importantly though, nor are his shows scripted performances that are the same every night of the week. I think this distinction needs to me made, as the reviews so far seem to say that this DVD falls short when (depending what you're after) it certainly does not.

This is a comedic performance. The fact that Henry has proven himself capable of offering deeper, more poignant food-for-thought-type material and elected not to include it here should not count against it. Almost all of the material in this show is of a high standard, with only a few exceptions that tend to drag on a little bit (See: "Klan Chaos Distruption Team). The pace is moderate - more short, funny stories than long tales such as The Kiss Army (on Talk Is Cheap) rather than long tales with humour throughout. The direction isnt as bad as some have said, but it could have been better; crowd shots generally contribute nothing to stage show DVDs. This disc also features an interview with Henry that fans will enjoy as some of the questions/subjects are rather good and provoke some interesting answers.

Prospective purchasers beware: the people who attend (and review..) Rollins shows generally comprise two types of people. The Not-As-Good-As-He-Used-To-Be brigade, who appear to miss the more serious side of Rollins earlier shows and consequently mark down anything he releases that doesnt have talk of depression-inducing (if thoughtful and insightful) observations, and the rest of us who simply enjoy the man's sense of humour, storytelling skills and all-round take on life.

Don't be put off by the naysayers, this is a good DVD whether you're a fan of Rollins or not.

This release by Art Haus Musik is not a ballet, but a concert preformance. Haydn wrote this as an oratorio, Sometimes such a work is reworked as something else. But this DVD is a concert preformance. See "Sound&Video"Magazine October 2000 for a review.

This fine performance conducted by Peter Schreier, who in his other life as a tenor has no doubt sung this work dozens of times, is certainly very enjoyable. Tempi in this most joyful of all concert works are brisk without feeling hurried, and all three soloists are truly outstanding stylistically even if now and then Pregardien pushes a little in his more heroic music. The chorus seem to fall just short of this high level of achievement, the men seemingly overpowered by the women, but the brilliant playing of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra certainly makes up for any short fall on this account. The sound and picture quality are both excellent, with the camera direction at times inspired. Ultimately, however, this is not a hugely memorable performance, for that you will have to find the Bernstein performance on DG with Bavarian forces. It's not even close to being as stylish as this one, but when the overall effect is so overwhelming, who cares?

This is a very fine performance, and the sound and picture come across well by DVD standards. I would rather watch this than the Riccardo Muti laserdisc from Salzburg, or the Hogwood laserdisc from Gloucester. (However, I agree with the previous reviewer that the Bernstein laserdisc from Ottobeuren in Bavaria is the very best version on video.)
This program is great, but the packagers have failed to tell us the where and the when of the program. I would like to know where this beautiful church is, and exactly when the performance took place. I have surfed the internet in search of an answer and found none. Does anyone know?

Don't buy it. I have wonderful memories of seeing this film at the movies when I was a child. I loved it so much that I even had the record album. I couldn't wait to get it on DVD to share with my children. What a disapointment! It looks like the same print they showed in the theaters back in the early 1970s. The colors are washed out and faded. Even worse, the image looks soft. I knew this was an old film and I wasn't expecting a "Snow White" quality restoration, but this was so bad that my family and I couldn't even finish watching it.
The dismal quality becomes even more apparent when you watch the "Making Of" promo included on the disc. Filmed in Black & White back in 1953, it looks crisper and sharper than the film itself.
I knew I was in trouble, though, when I opened the DVD case and there wasn't a chapter list inside. I sensed that if View Video (the distributor) didn't care enough about their product to include a chapter list, they wouldn't care about getting the best possible print (let alone striking a new one). And I was right.
Again, despite whatever fond memories you might have of this film, save your money. Don't buy it.

Purchasers who are looking for the "real" Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck should NOT by this video. This video is an adaptation which uses MOST of the music from the original but not all of it; and what IS used is not always used in the original order. This results in some sections being recast in different keys; unexpected cuts; and other anomalies (including some new vocal lines where there was previously just orchestra).

The text is sung in English and the translation is very good (almost word for word); but the concept is all wrong. Very little is actually sung: Hansel and Gretel sing about 50% of their material; the Mother sings none of it. Major set pieces like the "Children's Prayer" are spoken through with words that have nothing to do with the original.

The casting and scripting suffer from their 1950s/60s style. The worst offender in this is Constance Brigham's dual role as Hansel and Gretel. Gretel is portrayed as an airheaded giggler who is prissy, reacts to all adversity by crying, and has no control over her emotions. Hansel is rude, treats adults with disdain and his sister with contempt. (Just watch any of the classic TV sitcoms produced around this time and you'll see the same thing). The fact that the father sings all of his lines (and sings them well) and the mother speaks hers (when she isn't gasping or crying out "oh") only further adds to the incongruity.

The only thing that saves this performance from total disaster is the performance of Anna Russell as the Witch. Even with all of the impediments previously mentioned, this is the best performance of this role I have ever heard. I almost hate to say this, but the film is worth watching for her performance alone.

But for those looking for an introduction to opera or those familiar with it, be aware that this is a good film of its genre, but opera it is NOT.

I can remember seeing usually in December at the local movie theater in my hometown with my older sisters It was a big hit with us then and still is a big hit around our house. Anna Russell's performance is a classic and the way the original opera is presented makes it a little bit easier for the young ones to enjoy it. Sure this is not the sort of thing you would see at the Metropolitan Opera House, but it is a lot of fun. And this Video brings back a number of good memories!