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Anna Netrebko The Voice
Anna Netrebko: The Woman the Voice
Anna Netrebko is amazing!!!
Opera for the common folks
MTV meets Opera... with mixed results

Anna Netrebko - The Woman, The Voice
Starring: Anna Netrebko , Volker Michl , Ilona Holzbauer , Eric Assandri , and Ilkem Ulugün
Director: Vincent Paterson
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Gala Concert from St. Petersburg / Anna Netrebko, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Mischa Maisky, Victor Tretyakov, Elisso Virsaladze, Yuri Temirkanov, Nikolai Alekseev, St. Petersburg Philharmonic
Anna Netrebko: Opera Arias
Sempre Libera
Verdi - La Traviata
Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Eschwe, Netrebko, Villazon, Wiener Staatsoper

ASIN: B0001GH58S
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Customer Reviews:

Anna Netrebko The Voice.......2007-03-19

She is obviously a legendary voice in her own lifetime. The video was superb and I am passing it around for many friends to view. Her conversations in English showed her Russian roots.

Anna Netrebko: The Woman the Voice.......2007-03-10

This DVD displays such color and variety that it makes an excellent introduction to Opera format. This from a total novice to Opera.

Anna Netrebko is amazing!!!.......2007-01-10

Anna Netrebko has a sweet lyrical voice. Her voice isn't too deep and her vibrato isn't too fast. I don't like singers who sound like sheep. This is a really good DVD because it shows off her range and voice control.

Opera for the common folks.......2006-06-16

Opera, in general, is considered an elitist art form, targeting middle age and over and well heeled patrons. This DVD, thanks to the "Netrebko" phenomenal package and Paterson's intelligent directing, brought opera to the masses who knew nothing about opera. The more I watch it the more I like it for its intended purpose and artistic value. No wonder, in Europe, this DVD outsold Beyonce's and Spears'. Classical music, and especially opera, is going through hard times competing for the entertainment dollar. What Netrebko and Paterson did is unique, they deserve credit, and we need more of the same. This venue is the best marketing tool I've ever seen to generate interest in opera among common folks and especially youth breathing and living through music videos. This DVD of five choreographed-MTV style-popular arias deserves 5 stars. The single star on top was entered accidentally.

Constantine A. Papas
El Paso, TX

MTV meets Opera... with mixed results.......2006-05-17

I hesitated for the longest time in getting this DVD because of all the conflicting reviews. Fortunately I chanced upon a copy going at bargain-price and just had to see what the hoo-haa was about. Now I understand why so many viewers disliked it. It's a collection of "music videos," much like what you'd see on MTV. Personally, I thought the videos were on the whole quite well done. My complaint is that there is so little here. The main programme is barely 49 mins long and consists of a sum total of just 5 "music videos," each preceeded by Anna's introductions and interspersed with interviews with her on her life and career. Together with 19 minutes worth of bonus clips, the DVD lasts just over an hour. The 133min running time stated on the back cover needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt because it involves various permutations of watching the videos - without the introductions or without the interviews or just watching the interviews without the videos etc.
The five music videos in order of appearance are:
1. "Les grands seigneurs ont seuls des airs...Ah! je ris de me voir" (Jewel Song) from Gounod's "Faust"
2. "Quando me'n vo' (Musetta's Waltz)" from Puccini's "La Boheme"
3. "Crudele? - Ah no, mio bene! Non mi dir" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni"
4. "Care compagne, et voi, ternei amici" from Bellini's "La Sonnambula"
5. "Mesicku na nebli hlubokem" (Song to the Moon) from Dvorak's "Rusalka"
These are all taken from her debut CD "Opera Arias" and she lip-synchs to them in the videos. The DVD looks more like a promo for her CD than a full-fledged operatic DVD. Which brings us to the pricing. If you want to make a music video, than price it like other music videos, not as a premium-priced opera DVD.

The real treasures here are the 3 bonus clips - live recordings of Anna as she appears onstage. My favorite is the exerpt from Glinka's "Ruslan and Lyudmila" recorded in 1995 at the Mariinsky Theater in her home city of St. Petersburg (Act I aria "Grustno mne, roditel' dorogoy!"). Of the 2 Traviata exerpts, the "E strano! ... Delirio vano e questo!" & the "Sempre Libera" aria (Act I Finale) from her 2003 Vienna State Opera debut performance are exhilarating and fully deserving of the thunderous bravos from the usually sedate Viennese audience.

Throughout the disc, Anna's singing is superb. She has a gorgeous and very expressive voice. And she is without doubt one of the most beautiful sopranos to have ever graced the stage.

Much of the vitriol of critics center around the videos themselves which bear little relation to the operas although most are inspired by the text of the arias being sung. Several are just simple updates to more modern settings. The "Jewel Song" video could be easily mistaken for any modern pop music video. The "Non mi dir" is impressionistic and rather avant-garde. Personally I found them creative and quite enjoyable. I still don't get the significance of the dancers with tree branches for limbs in the "Don Giovanni" aria (much like the mutilated Lavinia in Julie Taymor's avant-garde production of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus) but it was visually arresting and quite unforgettable. My favorite piece here remains Rusalka's "Song to the Moon." It is beautifully sung, quiet and restrained yet so full of longing and heartache that it brings a tear to the eye. Unfortunately that doesn't extend to the accompaning video which was, strangely, rather disappointing. For once the video gives a very literal interpretation of the aria. Rusalka is a water spirit who asks to be made human so that she can be near the Prince that she loves. The video opens with a lovely shot of the moon, followed by a pan down to gently lapping waves. What spoils the illusion is the sight of Anna lounging or clinging on to a plastic inflatable as she floats in a darkened swimming pool. Tacky doesn't even begin to describe it. Still, she is a pleasure to watch, no matter how insipid the setting.

The main programme comes in a 16x9 anamorphic widescreen (enhanced for widescreen TV) with very good picture quality and excellent surround sound. Three sound tracks are provided: DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo (CD quality). The sound has more presence than most classical music DVDs I've come across. Of the 3 bonus clips, the 2 Traviata exerpts are in 4:3 fullscreen while the Ruslan is in letterbox widescreen (Non-anamorphic). The "Traviata" exerpt from Bavaria looks rather shabby due to overly bright stage lighting but the "Traviata" from Vienna and the "Ruslan" from the Mariinsky both look very good indeed.

Grouses aside, credit should be given to all involved for attempting something new. Opera audiences are shrinking by the day. If this endeavor has even minimal success in bringing the MTV generation to the sublime joys of opera, kudos to it. For the sake of us fuddy-duddy old folk who have enjoyed opera for years, I hope Ms Netrebko releases another DVD of more traditional performances soon. Live performances, even short exerpts like that shown in the bonus clips would find a ready and deeply appreciative audience.

Verdi - La Traviata / Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, Thomas Hampson, Helene Schneidermann, Salvatore Cordella, Carlo Rizzi, Salzburg Opera (Deluxe Edition)

Average customer rating:

Abandon All Pre-Conceived Notions And Watch It! It's Amazing!
A delight to watch and hear!
A "La Traviata" well done!!
Stunning Performance
new era for opera

Verdi - La Traviata / Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, Thomas Hampson, Helene Schneidermann, Salvatore Cordella, Carlo Rizzi, Salzburg Opera (Deluxe Edition)
Starring: Giuseppe Verdi , The Voice Netrebko The Woman , Rolando Villazon , Vienna Philharmonic , and Salzburger Festspiele
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

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Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Eschwe, Netrebko, Villazon, Wiener Staatsoper
Handel - Giulio Cesare / Connolly · Kirchschlager · De Niese · Dumaux · Bardon · Maltman · Ben Abdeslam · Ashworth · OAE · Christie · McVicar [Glyndebourne Opera 2005]
Verdi - Luisa Miller / Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Bonaldo Giaiotti, James Morris, James Levine, Metropolitan Opera
Russian Album
Donizetti - La Fille du Regiment / Frizza, Florez, Ciofi, Teatro Carlo Felice

ASIN: B000F39MAQ
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Amazon.com

La Traviata stands or falls on its lead singers and in Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon this 2005 Salzburg Festival performance has a pair whose electric interactions and brilliant singing are irresistible. If Netrebko can't quite provide the vocal bloom of the great Violettas of the past, hers is a lovely voice used with intelligence and dramatic intensity and she has the coloratura chops to deliver her Act I showpieces with flair. Villazon's tenor has ping on top, terrific color, and an impressive range of rubato, dynamic shadings, and interesting phrasing that makes Alfredo's music sound newly minted. The Germont is Thomas Hampson, no Verdi baritone but an astute singer and actor. Chorus and smaller roles are fine, the orchestra first-rate. Carlo Rizzi has odd notions about the music (usually too fast, sometimes way too slow) but this Traviata triumphs despite his conducting.

Willy Decker's controversial production features stark sets on a curved white stage, spare furnishings, and an overlay of symbolic devices: the figure of Death stalks Violetta in every act, a huge clock shows her time running out and becomes a focus for stage action, even turning into Act II's card table. The singers run, dance, and spend a lot of time on their knees or backs. Color schemes bathe Violetta's courtesan period in bold red, her idyll with Alfredo in flower prints. And there's more along those lines. Even those who usually prefer more conservative productions should find Willy Decker's staging absolutely riveting. Much of the action goes on inside the characters' heads, making this superficially extrovert opera an interior drama that sheds new light on its possibilities. Love or hate the production, you won't want to miss this Traviata for the leads and for staging that must be taken seriously. A bonus disc includes an interesting rehearsal. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Abandon All Pre-Conceived Notions And Watch It! It's Amazing!.......2007-02-04

When watching this starkly modern rendition of Verdi's all-too-familiar masterpiece "La Traviata" it is best to abandon all pre-conceived notions about how this work should look and feel and just watch it for what it is: A new reading of a well-known opera. Not only is the singing universally outstanding, but the conceptualizing is refreshing and very much exciting. I, too, had my misgivings during the opening act's party scene, but I was willing to give the staging some time and discovered myself drawn in. By the end I was just beginning to fathom the ideas behind the use of a large clock to mark the passing of time and the sinister figure who later became the doctor in act three. This work will either impress or depress, but I guarantee it will not fail to leave its mark.

A delight to watch and hear!.......2007-01-05

This is one of the most beautiful opera DVDs I have ever seen (I watched more than 100 in 2006). I will not repeat the raving comments other Amazon customers have written about the acting and singing of the three main characters, and Netrebko's electrifying presence on stage. I subscribe to them all. I wish to add however that the austere settings and the choreography are entirely to my taste, no matter how some viewers may suppose that Verdi would have reacted to them. (Verdi was no doubt a first rate musical genius but his overall artistic sensibility may have suffered from the fact that he was born in 1813 in a very small agricultural town of Northern Italy.) In my view, the often repeated complaint that Netrebko's show of physical prowess is incompatible with Violetta's health condition shows a poor understanding of truth in art (in general) and the conventions of opera (in particular): for surely someone about to die of a lung disease cannot sing Violetta's arias in the third act. I can understand that the too obvious representation of time by a large clock (which is the most salient piece of furniture on the scene), and of death by the silent old man (who in the end plays the part of Granvil) may hurt the feelings of conservative viewers. For my part, I found they were both striking theatrical ideas. Also the conversion of the clock into a roulette wheel and finally into a bed or pavement on which Violetta lies postrate while Alfredo rains euro bills on her. I agree that Netrebko's Violetta is more like an ordinary young woman of today than like a mid-19th Parisian courtisan. But isn't this the kind of interpretative freedom that stage directors must exercise if opera is to remain alive? Without it, the staging of opera would retain a purely antiquarian interest. My sole (mild) complaint about this production concerns the rather un-Italian explosive consonants with which Thomas Hampson expresses his indignation at Alfredo's treatment of Violetta ("DDi SSPPRRezzo degno, SSe SSTTesso RRende..."). It is a pity that the phoneticians who taught him (and so many other contemporary transalpine singers) to master Italian vowels, did not tell him that consonants too --especially initial consonants-- sound differently in Italian than in English or German. (Compare Hampson with Villazón).

A "La Traviata" well done!!.......2007-01-04

This is an excellent production of this opera. The stage design is dazzling, the music so beautiful, and the singing of Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon gorgeous. These are two of the greatest singers of our time and their singing together has a indescribeable magnetism. In addition, I believe Rolando Villazon to be the greatest operatic actor of this age and perhaps all other ages. His attraction to audiences is difficult to describe but he becomes the character he is portraying and the audience can relate to this. It is not enough to just hear him sing; one must see him visually to appreciate the hold he can have on an audience. And Ms. Netrebko, what can be said. She has beauty, acting ability, and a fine voice. In some roles (mainly of the bel canto style), she has been criticized for not being able to sing these as correctly as they should be sung, but her performance in "La Traviata" is superb. I highly recommend purchasing this dvd. The audio and video are both superb and the dvd is well worth the investment. There is also an additional dvd showing backstage highlights and commentary by Villazon which is really quite enjoyable.

Stunning Performance.......2006-11-30

I make great use of customer's reviews when purchasing DVDs from Amazon, and I confess I got no guidance from the reviews on this product. They seemed to be split between rabidly pro-Villazon supporters, and traditionalists who don't like change. I purchased anyway, since I was interested in seeing these two young performers, Netrebko and Villazon, both of whom I have heard on CD.

I am so glad I did. This is a stunning performance!

I have the ROH/Solti/Gheorgiu DVD and I love it. I have spent hours listening to both, and I am gradually coming down more in favour of this Salzburg recording, mainly because of the performance by the two leads. I say performance deliberately, because the acting is every bit as good as the singing. The big difference between Covent Garden and Salzburg is Alfredo. Netrebko can hold her own with Gheorgiu, but Villazon is special. Thomas Hampson is fine, but this is the youngsters' show.

The production is not my ideal, but it works. The criticisms raised by others have some validity, but are circumstantial. Why argue about the validity of Germont's motive for breaking up the relationship; it's the fact of the break-up, and the unfairness of it, that matters.

Changing the period is often problematical. The sets and costumes are there to remind our lazy brains of the circumstances in which the drama unfolds, and we do need to keep in mind the circumstances of life in the period in which the opera is set, to understand mythology, witchcraft, curses, religious persecution, and, of course, the concept of honour.

With this performance, you will be so enthralled with the drama and music, that criticism of the period setting becomes petty carping.

Buy, and enjoy!

new era for opera.......2006-10-26

This opera is so 'real'! I think that it is an astonishing achievement to be able to make opera so vivid. It is 'alive'. The formalities and stiffness are all melted into 'today's' world. No soul can watch it without loosing the line between imagination and reality. I would categorize it as an evolution in opera productions. Anna Netrebko is injecting a revolutionary approach to opera. It involves a genius to turn the opera into the new dimension. I am absolutely astonished by the 'realism'. 5 stars are not enough!
It takes a visionary to understand that this performance. When Tchaikovsky played his First concerto for the first time, he was laughed at. It is not for everybody to see through the eyes of the `establishment' how genius this production is.

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