Amahl & the Night Visitors

This video is better than nothing, but it is hard to hear and understand the words; I've had my 3 kids (ages 8, 11, 14) see the video, and they are confused by the hard to hear score. I hope that Hallmark releases the video of the original 1951 Hallmark Hall of Fame production of this Menotti TV opera; I remember it as very great. Check out the original score on CD, which I also got thru Amazon.com; it is well worth it!

It is unfortunate that the only video presentation of Amahl is so generously flawed in stagecraft and sound production. It is not necessary to enumerate specifics here since some were cited in Ms. Lynch's review. True, Ms. Stratas' voice was often subjugated by the orchestra, but there were also moments when her diction was less than perfect, during times which the orchestra had, gratefully, been relegated to a less prominent decibel level. Here, sound production staff must share blame. Menotti knew what he was writing. A brilliant orchestrator, he etched clearly, the differences between orchestral dialogue and accompaniment figures. Staging, at times, appears to have little to do with the music. When one thinks of Menotti and opera (almost synonymous), the marriage of music AND theatre is considered a perfect union. Sadly, Menotti's obvious musical intentions were overlooked. It is heartening to read that a new video of this opera may be produced. I would disagree with Ms. Lynch that it is a good introduction to this operatic work. The beginning, the introduction makes the strongest impression. It is lasting. This is one indelibility I would not welcome.

This is one of the most beautiful and moving opera videos ever made The utter commitment and sincerity of all the principals make it a lesson in opera performing, and of course the music is exquisite I recommend it without reservation.

And as a side note to Ms. Lynch below, who claims "not to be an opera snob", the Kaspar that she dismisses as "awful" is played by Nico Castel, the thirty-year veteran of the Metropolitan Opera and the man who literally, WROTE THE BOOK on style and performance practices in opera. Many people, myself included, would disagree with her opinion of Maestro Castel as "awful".