EDIZIONI BONGIOVANNI DVD & LP

Donizetti - La Fille Du Regiment (The Daughter Of The Regiment) Sung In English

Marie - Beverly Sills
Tonio - William McDonald
Sulplice - Spiro Malas
La Maquise - Muriel Costa-Greenspon
Hortensius - Stanley Wexler
Caporale - Raeder Anderson
La Duchesse - Evelyn Freyman

Wolf Trap Festival 

Charles Wendelken Wilson

118 minutes, color

***

"At the center, of course, is Miss Sills, in supremely confident form, vocally and histrionically... (Her) zest and vivacity prove infectious with the other performers and the entire audience." (New York Times)

"In a brief interview, Sills describes Daughter of the Regiment as “a silly little story, one long episode of Lucille Ball. I play [Marie] as Lucille Ball with high notes.” That may tell you what to expect here. Except for one or two unavoidably poignant moments, the opera is milked for laughs. The characters ham it up shamelessly the acting is often cartoonish–an effect emphasized by the flat, painted sets and the colorful costumes. Sourpuss that I am, I would prefer the comedy to be less broad; but maybe it didn’t seem so overdone in the theater. The characters’ heavy makeup and exaggerated facial expressions need also to be seen at a greater distance.

The performance is in English, a great advantage in the spoken dialog, but the level of clarity is remarkable even in the sung passages. The supporting players act well, especially Costa-Greenspon, who has the vocal strength to back up her more frenzied effusions. Malas made something of a specialty of Sulpice (he recorded it for Decca with Sutherland and Pavarotti and sang a couple of performances at the Met), and he moves comfortably on stage. McDonald is a stiffer actor, though amiable enough. His voice is bright and keenly focussed, with the timbre we associate with the typical Irish tenor. He sings his high Cs without breaking a sweat, articulating the words cleanly even in the stratosphere. He lacks something in tonal variety and strength, sounding too feeble in the final scene when the regiment rushes in to rescue Mane.

The heroine herself is sometimes fluttery and pallid, but the trills are wonderful, the coloratura is dazzling, the high notes are in place, and the acting is enthusiastic. I can imagine better orchestral playing and more dynamic conducting, but you won’t notice all that much: it’s the singers’ show, and everyone is having a great time.

The sound is not perfect. The voices are recorded at too low a level; when you boost the volume to bring them closer, the thumping stage noises become deafening. No subtitles–you probably won’t miss them." (Ralph V. Lucano, American Record Guide)

LADY GAGA - Chromatica (Vinile ufficiale) (Trasparent Vinyl)

BALDASSARRE GALUPPI
IL FILOSOFO DI CAMPAGNA

Eugenia - Ilaria Zanetti
Rinaldo - Max Baldan
Nardo - Cüneyt Ünsal
Lesbina - Giorgia Cinciripi
Don Tritemio - Carlo Torriani
Lena - Camilla Antonini
Capocchio - Matteo Mezzaro

Ensemble Barocco Della Filarmonica Del Veneto
Fabrizio Da Ros

Registrazione dal vivo, Belluno 2012
110 minuti, colori // subtitles: IT, EN

GIUSEPPE GAZZANIGA - Don Giovanni

Roberto Iuliano, Linda Campanella, Maurizio Leoni, Cristina Mantese, Dario Giorgelè, Alberto Rota, Luca Tamani

Fondazione Orchestra Stabile Gaetano Donizetti
Pier Angelo Pelucchi

Registrazione dal vivo, Bergamo 2005
130 minuti, colori // subtitles IT, EN

1. Intervista / Interview Bianca Stagno Bellincioni (figlia di / daughter of G.B.)
   
2. FEDORA O grandi occhi
   
3. MEFISTOFELE L'altra notte
   
4. CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA Voi lo sapete, o mamma
5. LA TRAVIATA Ah forse lui
   
6. TOSCA Vissi d'arte
   
7. MEFISTOFELE L'altra notte
   
8. CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA Voi lo sapete, o mamma
9. MIGNON Non conosci bene il suol
10. CARMEN Habanera
    
11. CARMEN Aria delle carte
    
12. LA TRAVIATA Ah forse lui
13. OTELLO Ave Maria
14. LA BOHÈME Mi chiamano Mimì
15. FAUST Ballata del Re di Thulé 
16. excerpts from the movie ANIMALI PAZZI with Bianca Stagno Bellincioni

Contiene tutte le registrazioni effettuate per la Gramophone nel 1903 e per la Pathé nel 1905. 

Contains all known recordings made for Gramophone in 1903 and for Pathé in 1905. 

Nuovo da vecchio stock / New old stock

Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Der fliegende Holländer, Lohengrin, Der Waffenschmied, Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Die verkaufte Braut, Falstaff

Hann, Fehenberger, Rother, Hollreiser, Eichhorn, Knör

Registrazioni 1942-1949

La Traviata, Rigoletto, Pagliacci, Der fliegende Holländer, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Forza del Destino, Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, canzoni

Oeggl, Dermota, Demmer, Moralt, Lutze, Baltzer, Otto, Stolz

Gerhard Hüsch IV

Schubert - Die Winterreise (completa)

con Hanns Udo Müller, pianoforte

Registrazioni del 1933

Ghedini: Concerto dell'Albatro —

Pratella: Trio op. 28

Trio Brahms (P. Maurizzi, G. Raspanti, M. Ballarini)

Haydn Philarmonia, E. Rojatti

MENOTTI - THE CONSUL

John Sorel - Eberhard Wächter
Magda Sorel - Melitta Muszely
Mother - Res Fischer
Police Agent - Willy Ferenz
Vera Boronel - Hilde Konetzni
Magician - László Szemére
Secretary - Gloria Lane

Orchestra of The Wiener Volksoper
Franz Bauer-Theussl 

"Directed by Rudolph Cartier, it's shot in relentless close-ups that give neither the performers nor the viewers anywhere to hide. Melitta Muszely charts Magda's progress from desperation to hope to suicidal despair with uncompromising veracity. There are equally impressive performances from Eberhard Waechter as her husband and Gloria Lane as the consular secretary." (The Guardian)

"Gian Carlo Menotti was one of the most important 20th-century composers of opera working in the United States. For his opera The Consul he won the Pulitzer Prize for Music and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. This unique studio recording from the early years of television is performed by an extraordinary cast featuring Melitta Muszely, Eberhard Waechter, Res Fischer and Hilde Konetzni. The plot of the politically charged drama takes place in Europe of the 1950s. The Orchestra of the Wiener Volksoper is conducted by Franz Bauer-Theussl. An important document of operatic and film history, this restored recording is available on DVD for the first time." (Art Haus)