Genre:

Opera

Release Date:

Sep 2011

Recorded:

2010

Number of Discs:

1

Sound:

2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS

Subtitles:

EN, FR, DE, ES

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 Anamorphic

Display:

NTSC

Catalog Number:

OABD7092D

Verdi: Les vêpres siciliennes (De Nederlandse Opera)

Barbara Haveman (Hélène); Burkhard Fritz (Henri); Alejandro Marco-Buhrmester (Guy de Montfort); Balint Szabo (Jean Procida);

Les vêpres siciliennes, like the similarly epic Don Carlos, was conceived as a grand opéra for Paris and is driven by the tensions between private passions and public politics. Originally set during Sicily's 13th-century uprising against French rule, in Christof Loy's staging for the Netherlands Opera the action is transposed to a 1940s world of sudden violence and shadowy double-dealing. Imaginatively cast and idiomatically conducted, the performance presents this magnificent score in its entirety, including the allegorical ballet The Four Seasons.

Reviews

"Alejandro Marco-Buhrmeister succeeds in evoking our sympathy in 'Au sein de la puissance'. The lovers sing tenderly; but what stands out in their Act 2 duet is some exquisite phrasing in the strings...There are a few cuts, including the cabaletta of Procida's 'Et toi, Palerme', but it's a worthwhile addition to the modest number of French grand operas on DVD." (Gramophone)

"The Netherlands Opera Chorus ... remains one of the most musically and dramatically responsive among major companies." (International Record Review)

Extra features

Cast gallery. Introductory film.