Reviews (4)

Released under a differnt lable in the UK
If you are a serious Rossini fan, then this UNcut Gugliemo Tell broadcast is a must have. Although this DVD has been out of print for at least a year... and very hard to find... (and yet not worth the $239 or such price tag I saw here on amazon) well simply go to amazon.co.uk and see that Opus Arte is releasing old LaScala broadcasts. I bought it and to my suprise.. they had gone back to the original source from RAI so its actually a nicer quality then the old Image DVDs. It is NTSC not the PAL as listed so it will play in the US. Hope that you enjoy its a great performance.

Stunning production, superbly conducted
This video is a wonderful document of a beautifully conceived production of this monumental opera. The use of enormous screens to project scenes from the mountains of Switzerland is superbly handled, frequently breathtaking, and the visuals always complement the mood of what is taking place on stage. (I am contrasting this to a dreadfully silly production at the San Francisco Opera that put the performers on a spinning turntable for no discernible reason at the end of the opera.) Musically the performance is very exciting, and competes well with the variously available studio recordings for overall quality, especially due to Muti's sensational conducting. All the singing is good, but the complex choral passages are particularly thrilling, and obviously thoroughly rehearsed. You'll finish this one hoping you can get a chance to see the same production on stage someday.

At Last! An Uncut William Tell!
Finally, to be able to see a full-length production of Rossini's final opera is a must for any full-fledged operaphile. The principals are equally wonderful and sing with a true dedication to the work. The production is modern and traditional at the same time using, as it does, motion pictures of the Swiss countryside rather than painted scenery. Even the ballets are included and they are charming, especially the one in the First Act. As with all La Scala DVDs, we get the quality of the original videotape with its somewhat fuzzy focus, yet the sound is much improved.

Poor picture quality
The picture quality is very poor. At times the scenes are so dark you can hardly see anything. The singing and music are very good, but this is a waste of the DVD format. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Buy this opera for the singing alone
This 3 hour opera purports to be 100% Pergolesi. I wouldn't want to have to swear to that, but certainly the music is quite nice and is baroque with a few classical touches. R. Muti conducts a portion of the La Scala orchestra along with arch lutes, theorbos, and harpsichord. The playing is very good, though the string sound is more what I expect of a more modern period. I won't list all the singers, none of whom I recognize except for the Marcaniello (Alessandro Corbelli). There are 6 almost equally important soprano roles and each is sung extremely well. Several of the sopranos are so good that you can only wish the opera were longer so that you could here more. The male roles are well sung and the Marcaniello is excellent for the comic old codger role. While the plot is inconsequential, the comedy is very well done.

Italian baroque opera treat....lose a star for dvd transfer
The sound is excellent, the menu is good, the performance is delightful. I turned up the "sharpness" on my Sony 7000 player to compensate for softness. Fortunately, the lighting is great which helps. I think that the softness is the result of a less than premium conversion from the European video system. Nevertheless this kind of thing must be enormously expensive to produce. We should be thankfull to IMAGE for it. I love the disk. I look forward to some "DDD" (all digital) opera dvds of 1998 performances. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good Don Carlo.
I still prefer The Met production with Domingo, however, I bought this for Sam Ramey's performance as King and certainly wasn't disappointed! He was great! Dessi was a pleasant surprise as Elizabetta! Enjoyed her performance very much! Pav is much better than usual, thinner and more animated. It was well known that his voice cracked on a high note during one of the performances of this run without anyone mentioning the thousands he has hit and, of course, the audience booed. If it was during this one, they fixed with dubbing. Why any major stars put up with the audience behavior at La Scala and Muti's tantrums is still a mystery. The only weak voice was Cano's as Rodrigo - too much vibrato for my taste but his acting was acceptable. Sets were grand if somewhat lifeless. The costumes were beautiful but somewhat colorless which gave the whole effect a dark and somber look. The minor characters were well sung and the orchestra sometimes too loud but colored nicely and chorus sounded just fine. Enjoyed it as a different version when I'm tire of watching The Met and the French verson from the Chatelet in Paris. Both of which I rank above this one. A definite good buy if Pav and Dessi fan and a "must have" if you love Ramey! I look forward to sharing it with friends who haven't seen it and consider it a worth addition to the collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com

No, this is not the Broadwayhit, but the original Verdi masterpiece, staged and performed to a fare-thee-well by an extraordinary cast in this 1994 Royal Opera production. CherylStuder shows why she was one of America's leading sopranos in the late 1980s andearly '90s before bowing out because of overwork and strain. Her Aida istouching, proud, defiant--in short, the quintessential Verdi heroine. HerRadames, Dennis O'Neill, is only adequate, which puts both Aida and her rivalAmneris (Luciana d'Intino in a forceful portrayal) at odds over seeminglynothing. The Royal Opera Chorus performs Verdi's glorious choral momentsbrilliantly, and the Royal Opera House Orchestra, under Edward Downes, gives asolid, vigorous account of one of Verdi's most shimmering scores. ElijahMoshinsky's staging abounds in many clever touches, and the sets and costumesare evocative without being too elaborately overwhelming. --KevinFilipski ... Read more