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Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lulu's Back in Town
Sep 21 2011
By Ronald E. Smith
- Published on Amazon.com
Lulu (The Metropolitan Opera DVD)
Having just returned from seeing the Met Opera's May 15, 2010 production of Berg's Lulu, I must say the 1977 sets of John Dexter hold up well... What a cast I saw that afternoon... returning home and playing this DVD, it was as if this was just an alternate cast of what I saw that afternoon in 2010. It mirrored what's on this DVD... the standouts here are the Lulu of Julia Mingenes; all the notes, her use of body language, and her eyes. Dr Schon/Jack the Ripper of Franz Mazur; what a voice, outstanding. Alwa of Kenneth Riegel, no milk-toast, but riveting as the dog following Lulu to his end. Countess Geschwitz; Evelyn Lear, outstanding in every way. The rest of the cast, outstanding as well. What's even better, all of Berg's instructions were followed... right down to the minute detail. IE: During Dr. Schon's manic faze in Act 2 before he's shot by Lulu, he's waving the gun around, he sees Lulu's pursuers around every corner. Berg coded those movements in the score, and they pop up as as they dart around the room.
I was so pleased to have seen the Met's live 2010 Lulu, back-to-back, with this DVD. That says how good the this DVD is...
Having just returned from seeing the Met Opera's May 15, 2010 production of Berg's Lulu, I must say the 1977 sets of John Dexter hold up well... What a cast I saw that afternoon... returning home and playing this DVD, it was as if this was just an alternate cast of what I saw that afternoon in 2010. It mirrored what's on this DVD... the standouts here are the Lulu of Julia Mingenes; all the notes, her use of body language, and her eyes. Dr Schon/Jack the Ripper of Franz Mazur; what a voice, outstanding. Alwa of Kenneth Riegel, no milk-toast, but riveting as the dog following Lulu to his end. Countess Geschwitz; Evelyn Lear, outstanding in every way. The rest of the cast, outstanding as well. What's even better, all of Berg's instructions were followed... right down to the minute detail. IE: During Dr. Schon's manic faze in Act 2 before he's shot by Lulu, he's waving the gun around, he sees Lulu's pursuers around every corner. Berg coded those movements in the score, and they pop up as as they dart around the room.
I was so pleased to have seen the Met's live 2010 Lulu, back-to-back, with this DVD. That says how good the this DVD is...
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb Lulu, at a sensible price.
Sep 1 2011
By Doug Urquhart
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
We saw this production last year at the Met, and thought that the performance was outstanding.
When I saw the DVD on Amazon, I assumed that it was the same performance. I was wrong.
This is, indeed, the same production, but the performance took place over thirty years ago, with a different cast, and James Levine at the helm. The only production difference that I could see (apart from the cast and conductor) was the slide show during the cinematic center of the opera. This was omitted from the 2010 version.
It's superb. A very young James Levine is positively bursting with enthusiasm, coaxing every ounce of melody out of Berg's potentially opaque score. It's clear from his expression that he's loving every minute of it.
The singers were outstanding - worthy of note were Julia Migenes, in the title role, portraying Lulu as a mixture of predator and victim; there's something about her portrayal which reminds me of Salome. Evelyn Lear brought a lovely mezzo voice to the tragic figure of Countess Geschwitz, and Franz Mazura as Doctor Schön/Jack the Ripper had immense stage presence.
For some reason, there seem to be some very expensive versions of this DVD out there. I'm not sure why, but this one was about the normal price for an opera.
Go on, buy it. You know you want to.
When I saw the DVD on Amazon, I assumed that it was the same performance. I was wrong.
This is, indeed, the same production, but the performance took place over thirty years ago, with a different cast, and James Levine at the helm. The only production difference that I could see (apart from the cast and conductor) was the slide show during the cinematic center of the opera. This was omitted from the 2010 version.
It's superb. A very young James Levine is positively bursting with enthusiasm, coaxing every ounce of melody out of Berg's potentially opaque score. It's clear from his expression that he's loving every minute of it.
The singers were outstanding - worthy of note were Julia Migenes, in the title role, portraying Lulu as a mixture of predator and victim; there's something about her portrayal which reminds me of Salome. Evelyn Lear brought a lovely mezzo voice to the tragic figure of Countess Geschwitz, and Franz Mazura as Doctor Schön/Jack the Ripper had immense stage presence.
For some reason, there seem to be some very expensive versions of this DVD out there. I'm not sure why, but this one was about the normal price for an opera.
Go on, buy it. You know you want to.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
LULU: Met performance DVD 1980
Dec 24 2011
By Alan M. Shearer
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
This version is a good value for the money. It features the amazing Julia Migenes early in her career, and she shines in this incredibly difficult role. I have long admired the gutsy way she tackles the big roles (such as Carmen in the Da Rosa movie of 1984).
James Levine is in top form with the orchestra and I really liked the video work in filming the orchestra.
The biggest minus, I think, is the video quality, which seems grainy and faded with age in color . This takes away from the quality of the costumes and the set design. Sound quality was good, though I've heard better in later digital DVDs of this work.
James Levine is in top form with the orchestra and I really liked the video work in filming the orchestra.
The biggest minus, I think, is the video quality, which seems grainy and faded with age in color . This takes away from the quality of the costumes and the set design. Sound quality was good, though I've heard better in later digital DVDs of this work.
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4.8 out of 5 stars
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