“Live” at last!
La Cieca is delighted to note that two of the best-remembered and most-coveted “Live from the Met” telecasts have at last been made available on DVD. Otello (25 September 1978) and Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci (5 April 1978) are now available at the Met Opera Shop and online at www.metoperashop.org, “as well as through other outlets.”
La Cieca’s cher public will be happy to know that both these releases may be purchased at amazon.com:
Otello really is a gem, with Jon Vickers in excellent form (a stray high note or two notwithstanding), a superb balance of passion and intelligence. The vocal and physical dignity he brings to the role firmly places the work on the plane of high tragedy. The Desdemona is (as you all know) Renata Scotto, in a part that is not a natural fit vocally — her timbre is narrow and steely where one would want a more plush sound. But to hear her phrasing a line like “Oh! come è dolce il mormorare insieme” or “Guarda le prime lagrime” is to remember just how specific and committed an artist she always was. (More, including previews, after the jump.)
Both she and Vickers are, it should go without saying, terrific singing actors. One standout moment is the third act confrontation, when Otello has thrown Desdemona to the floor. Scotto is of course Queen of the Cowerers, and Vickers, a man of at best medium height, contrives to tower over her like a giant. Even his shadow is enormous and menacing!
The Iago, Cornell MacNeil, is good in a more generalized “opera singer” sort of way, not helped particularly by the unflattering black Caesar cut wig and studded leather jerkins of the Franco Zeffirelli production. On the other hand, you compare even late-career MacNeil with what we mostly get singing Iago today, and, well, let’s just say the wig is forgiven.
Cav/Pag is another Zeffirelli staging. At the time of the telecasts, neither was a decade old yet, though the Otello is already starting to look a little dusty. Cavalleria in particular looks great on video, perhaps because it’s lit brightly as a Sicily midday. This set is a must-have primarily for the Santuzza of Tatiana Troyanos, a veritiable singing Magnani. No one ever did slow-burning torment like Troyanos, and here she’s in tip-top vocal shape too, with searing top notes and easy, rich chest tones.
The rest of the evening is all fine if not on the exalted level of the mezzo-soprano. Placido Domingo doubles the tenor roles, prey to nerves as Turiddu but back in his customary “demonic” form for Canio opposite the gold-standard late ’70s Met cast of Teresa Stratas and Sherrill Milnes.
James Levine takes the verismo double bill a little on the ponderous/Wagnerian side — except when his tenor wants to get off a pesky high note. The Otello, though, I think must be his conducting masterpiece: vital, thrilling and big-hearted, without even a hint of vulgarity.
The image and sound on the DVDs have been cleaned up nicely, though the occasional lapses of focus and off-mike singing remind us that these performances date from the infancy of televised live opera. For my taste, I’d rather have a rough edge here and there as a reality check that what we’re seeing and hearing is the real deal, not something created in post-production.
This is an interesting discussion, and hopefully I’m not going too far off topic to bring in the question of downloaded music vs CDs. I find I still want to acquire CDs of complete operas, recitals, symphonic music etc. because I really don’t enjoy the compressed sound of downloaded music over headphones connected to my computer. It’s just not a satisfying listening experience for me. Now, maybe downloading music onto a CD and playing *that* on a conventional stereo might be ok – does anyone have anything to say about the difference in sound quality between a CD you’ve burned yourself from downloaded music VS. a commercial CD. And…who has the time to download complete operas anyway??? It will be interesting to see how all this settles out from a technological point of view.
personally, i think to address these issues, technology will eventually come to the point where anything can be played anywhere seamlessly and without format/brand restriction through the use of some wireless hub i.e. the mp3s on your computer will play on your home speakers, the video files will play on your tv, etc.
I know things like this exist (like appleTV), but it is still very restrictive and rudimentary
ducadiposa: Depends on the file you’re burning onto a CD. If it’s an MP3 file, then the sound is still compressed. But, if you’re making a copy of a commercial CD, then the loss in quality of sound is minimal.
scifisci: I agree. We’re obviously at the infancy of this stuff. Pretty soon, video and audio files will be interchangeable between the computer and the TV.
Kashania, I have watched the same performances on DVD and MetPlayer on a 46″ LCD and MetPlayer looks better, hands down.
For the HD broadcasts there is, of course, no contest as DVD is incapable of HD picture and sound. For SD performances, the Scotto/Domingo Manon Lescault, for example, looks terrible on DVD. The picture is blurry and the colours are washed out. The same performance on Met Player has a much crisper and true picture.
I’m not familiar with the tech specs for Met Player, but the sound might be better as well. DVD sound is notoriously bad.
Of course, Met Player’s performance depends on your computer’s specs and your internet connection. If your connection is slower, the picture quality will degrade noticeably. However, if you have the right equipment, it’s totally worth it. I subscribed for one month in May and watched 10 videos for $15!!
kashania, as always we agree
and this time not on voices but on something technical. And Kirok is not entirely correct, and makes several queaitonable technical statements. The first “DVD sound is notoriously bad” is patently absurd. The sound of a DVD is carried on two separate tracks, the PCM track and the more jazzy DTS or 5.1 or whatever they are called. The PCM track is EXACTLY as good as a CD and hence the best possible sound you can get from a digital system, to get better you’d have to be a purist and go back to direct analog (not possible with video 
). Now the various digital formats (DTS/5.1, etc) are indeed compressed sound and then “manipulated” by the digital software of your player with results ranging from subtle to vile depending on the player and the amplifier. I personally do not even have connected the speakers to anything but just the PCM stereo track,
I would not go so far as to say ‘PCM 2 channel stereo’ sound on a SD (standard DVD)is as good as a stereo CD. I remember the bad old days with videotape when mono PCM sound made ‘audiences clapping’ sound like water pouring down a long narrow drain spout, even on high grade Hi Fi equipment.
Regarding Dolby Digital 5/1 sound on any standard DVD it is 11 to one compressed ‘to the medium’. DTS (‘dts’) is only compressed at the ratio of 5 to one, before final re-conversion. Just check the noted difference of both these ‘soundscapes’ on some standard DVD movie with both Dolby Digital & dts capcity. On HD DVD’s -the same multi channel sounds – totally fully uncompressed. As for anyone saying that ‘the sound being subtle to vile’ on DVDs: well if you use full range speakers all round ( a luxury- a couple of subs as well!) and the driving power amplification and proper decoding capacity ‘to deliver’……’you are there in the most ideal of seats’. A case of ‘F…k, dressing up and going to the Opera!’ If you find otherwise, blame the singers involved and / or the sound engineers. Also too many so called home theatre systems are ‘convenient made up ‘toys’ connected with door bell wire equivalent : and strangling the sound.
AS for sitting up up close watching opera on a computer screen (naturally too, in a bolt upright chair) with tinny midget speakers…. are people joking??!!
Kirok: That’s very promising. I’ll have to look into getting a cable long enough to attach my computer to my TV.
marshiemarkII: I have to say that I’ve generally found PCM sound to be wanting and not as high quality as a CD.
I’m watching the two new MET telecast issues of OTELLO and CAV/PAG on my 42″ SONY BRAVIA T.V. …. with my 5.1 surround system …….. and they SOUND and LOOK INCREDIBLE!!! The restoration is GREAT!! THANK YOU METROPOLITAN OPERA for releasing them. WE WANT MORE!!!!!
I have a cheap laptop about 1 1/2 years old and a new 40″ Samsung HD TV. The met player looks great but I found it better to hook up the sound to the speaker system directly rather than through the TV. The sound is much better.