Search - Puccini - Gianni Schicchi / Corbelli, Palmer, Giordano, Matthews, McLaughlin, Jurowski, Glyndebourne Opera on DVD

"A Comic Gem, At Last Coming Into Its Own"

Stanley H. Nemeth | Garden Grove, CA United States | 06/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Gianni Schicchi" is an opera perhaps best known for one or two arias taken out of context, but recent productions, like this one here from Glyndebourne or the more recent one at the Met, have made it clear that the opera itself is nothing less than a comic masterpiece. A sort of operatic version of Ben Jonson's gimlet-eyed "Volpone," it presents various forces of greed in conflict with one another in pursuit of a dead man's legacy. Older "blocking" characters, too, have to be outwitted here so young lovers, as classic comedy requires, may finally be united.

It's hard to imagine a better ensemble, conductor, or production than the forces at Glyndebourne have brought together. "Gianni Schicchi" deserves to be more frequently staged, joining its older brother, the long neglected Donizetti work "Don Pasquale," in being more widely recognized as the work of musical and comic genius it is."

Crazy, but it works.

amateur historian | Miami, Florida | 11/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't think of a worse concept than moving an opera that turns on a point of Medieval law to the early 20th century. Nevertheless, this production is so well sung and acted that the legal absurdity is completely forgotten. Even on the third viewing, this video is a hilarious hour of entertainment."

Absolute must-have

libriarsque | Texas | 05/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a truly brilliant production of Puccini's comic masterpiece. Although this one-acter, the third in Puccini's "Il Trittico" (trilogy) of one-act operas dealing with the subject of death, is less than an hour long, it packs a more than satisfying punch in the way of great music, well-drawn characters, and entertaining plot.



Annabel Arden has done a marvelous job in drawing out the dark side of humanity in the story, which keeps this production from veering into caricature and slapstick; yet humor is still here in abundance. Vladimir Jurowski leads the London Philharmonic in a brilliant, well-paced reading of Puccini's motif-packed score.



In the title role, Alessandro Corbelli once more shows us why he is considered one of today's most sought-after singing artists. His expressive face, a marvel of muscular mobility, mirrors every fleeting thought and emotion his character is experiencing, and his every gesture is real and telling; yet one never feels that any of this is manipulated or contrived, but is simply a natural outcome of Corbelli's total identification with his character. He uses his considerable abundance of vocal resources intelligently, always in service of the music and dramatic situation, and never for the sake of pure "vocalism". Corbelli is a Schicchi for the ages.



The supporting cast are all top drawer. One could not ask for a better Zita than Felicity Palmer; Sally Matthews and Massimo Giordano (not to be confused with another tenor, Marcello Giordani!) are touching and ardent-voiced as the young lovers.



Included on the disc is an interesting interview with conductor, director, and Corbelli.



This DVD is an excellent introduction for those who are thinking of taking the plunge into the glorious and complex artform that is opera. For those of us already in the deep end, it is an absolute must-have."