Reviews (12)

Kabaivanska is good, but not the greatest Tosca of all time
This is a beautiful, spectacular film which uses the real locations in Rome where the opera takes place. Domingo and Milnes give wonderful performances. As for Kabaivanska, I thought she was very good, but certainly not the greatest Tosca of all time. To the reviewers who said Kabaivanska was the greatest of all time: have you seen Maria Callas? For me, Callas is the greatest ever. But Kabaivanska is a good actress and gives a moving performance.

Epic!
Needless to say that the star is Raina Kabaivanska, a beautiful, graceful Tosca, whose soprano is very expressive - a voice that can be glorious and tender as well. She sings high pianissimo beautifully and her trills are brilliant in "Vissi d'arte". In contrast to other's acting, her acting is full of details and subtleties, dramatizing a proud, fiery, and willing-to-die-for-love Tosca wonderfully. Domingo's approach to Cavaradossi is heroic, poetic, and quite attentive. His voice is silvery; he looks virile, although a bit too wide his girth for a young Cavaradossi. "Recondita armonia" is sung with passion and graceful turns. In "E lucevan le stelle" he conveys the farewell to life with deep emotions and climaxes the aria in a wonderful outburst of "E non ho amato mai tanto la vita". Sherrill Milnes sings Scarpia with a powerful baritone, only if he could add some varieties in reflecting the character's human side, other than just evil. Also, did he really need that ugly unnatural-looking nose?
The film was exquisitely made, from the interior of the grand chapel to the crystals on Scarpia's dining table, everything was carefully chosen. Adding the effect of performing on locations where the story actually took place, this surely is an epic production of Tosca.

VIVA RAINA DIVINA !!!
She is the most beautiful Tosca on video and her voice is simpley glorious! If you want to know much about her: www.rainafan.tk

A successful and compelling interpretation of Tosca
This production will seize you and not let you go; it is so powerful. The inate dramatic intensity that is "Tosca" is successfully transferred into this actual full-fledged film. I think this is achieved in part through its filming at the actual sites in Rome where the story takes place, using costumes and props as the people would actually have had in Rome around 1800. There is little, if any, fledgling experimental interpretation here. Everything has been carefully crafted, as if the audience member watching the production were thrown into exactly how Puccini would have imagined it, if one could make such a claim.
Placido Domingo's performance is as to be expected. We find him here at the very height of his career, full of youthful splendor: a seemingly effortless, yet brilliant delivery. Kabaivanska commands a quite compelling role of Tosca, as well. Although I've watched this production a countless number of times, I still say "wow" every time she finishes the very much underrated withing operatic criticism, in my opinion, aria "Vissi d'arte" in the second act. Stronger performances of Tosca's vocal part can be heard on other recordings, though. Try anything with Kiri Tekanawa, for instance, who sings with much more of the dark resonance that is Tosca. However, the real catcher is that of Scarpia with Milnes performing. Scarpia actually is a very demanding role, especially for a baritone, a fact not really widely accepted. But Milnes really shines in his role and, I think, makes the most striking impression of the three leads.
Flaws with this production include the relatively poor video quality. Yes, it's true that there are constant white spots that show up on the screen throughout the piece. The final scene also can be a little disappointing. The soldiers do not march in step, although they try to, and this clutter can distract from the ultimate emotional climax that Puccini achieves here. The orchestra also does not play together in the final echo of the flagship theme of the opera, which makes the whole opera come to an unsteady close. These are nevertheless details, and probably wouldn't be noticed the during the first few viewings.
All in all, I would definitely recommend buying this production because overall it very much achieves the quintessential dramatic splendor of Tosca and is thus worth owning your own copy to view over and over again.

Splendid
Great singing, acting, and, especially, beautiful filming, on location. In this "political" opera, that counts. I can't imagine a better version. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

MAGNIFICENT! BEST BUTTERFLY EVER!
Dear fellow music lover! I am so happy Amazon is bringing this title to us!

This video is filmed in the Arena di Verona, with the MAGNIFICENT singer and actress Raina Kabaivanska!

This Madama Butterfly has everything you could ask for: Excelent singers (Kabaivanska and Nazzareno Antinori as Pinkerton plus the cast), it is wonderfully directed by Maurizio Arena, and the film is so well done, that you can actually appreciate all the "flavors" of the orquestration, while at the same time, hear very clearly every detail of the what's being sung...

The regie is FANTASTIC! Costumes and sets are impecable, and EVERY movement has a reason for being there... it is SO wonderful (I hope my enthusiasm can inspire you to see it!),

If you are someone who enjoys opera, you will be flabergasted with this version...

If you are into opera, the close ups are so wonderful that, let me tell you, it is like getting your own private lesson from Kabaivanska and Antinori!

This version is by far my favourite of all the Butterfly's that I have seen. Will delight very knowleageable people, opera amateurs, as well as people who know nothing about opera (but this one will "hook them up"! :-)

I do not get tired of watching it... every note, every movement is rich and deeply full of meaning.

Hope you enjoy it (and learn from it) as much as I do!

Ire

Una version de gran belleza
Esta es una muy bella version de la opera de Puccini. Primero por la bella puesta en escena que plantea la Arena de Verona, con ese jardin natural omnipresente. Luego, por la grandisima creacion (en lo vocal y en lo fisico) que hace del papel principal RAINA KABAIVANSKA, de vision obligada. Ademas aparece muy bien secundada por JANKOVIC (Suzuki) y FERRARA (Sharpless), que estan muy interesantes en sus personajes, y por el mas discreto, aunque suficiente, ANTINORI (B.F. Pinkerton) La orquesta y el coro responden a gran nivel, y solo un cierto sonido enlatado (provocado seguramente por el hecho de que el espectáculo sea en un gran recinto al aire libre) parece ser e unico punto discutible de este dvd. Muy recomendable desde cualquier punto de vista.

This is a good butterfly.
Okay, so although there are a few DVD recordings of butterfly, none of them are all that great. According to me, this one is one of the better picks.

Big kudos to Kabaivanska... she sings and acts a tremendous butterfly. She doesn't quite pull of some of the high notes, especially at the end of butterfly's entrance and the first act duet, but for the most part she sings really well, and she's in character more than any other butterfly I have seen on screen. Un bel di is her best moment.... she's wonderfully emotive and sings her heart out.

Antinori can sing Pinkerton well enough, but his stage presence is wooden, and he keeps looking at the camera nervously which is terribly annoying, especially during the first act duet, when kabaivanska is doing a wonderful job of it. Both suzuki and sharpless are good.

Although this recording cannot even come close to the CD recordings by Scotto/Barbirolli (what a magnificent butterfly she was!!) or Callas/Karajan, I consider it the best we have so far on DVD.

THE GREAT RAINA KABAIVANSKA
You could not imagine more beautiful and attractif Butterfly than Raina Kabaivanska! If you want to know more about this phenomenal performer you are welcome: www.rainafan.tk

What were you watching, you guys?
This Butterfly got me completely dissapointed when I watched on video some years ago. The only thing I really liked (and I mean really) was the orchestral sound. An open-air stage like Arena de Verona needs a bigger orchestra than usual and the sound of that big mass of sound was really well and carefully carried out by Maurizio Arena.

For the rest, the only thing I can say is that I don't understand how italian audiences have so little respect for Puccini and his masterwork, 'Butterfly'. Not only in this DVD recording, but also in the equally horrible 'Butterfly' in La Scala by Hayashi/Maazel, you have to deal with a noisy public and the feeling that no one is listening to the music. Nor I understand their satisfaction applauses at the end (did they really enjoy?).

Raina Kavaibanska can probably be a great soprano, despite her harsh tone, but always looks arrogant, unsensitive, overacted and disagreeable on stage. The only place I liked her was in a 'Trovatore' in a Domingo/Karajan production in Vienna, but in general she tends to act like an old-fashioned prima donna who wants to gain prominence everywhere. And that attitude is specially unfortunate in a role like Butterfly, so a delicate woman. It's really horrible to watch Kabaivanska behaving like a sergeant in Act I .

The other singers can do nothing to better it up, but in most cases they even don't seem to want to do it. Antinori has nothing of a romantic character and does his acting job plainly and unexpressively. Saccomani is also plain and dull.

I love this opera and do not want to watch it acted like this, so I ask to the other reviewers: Did you really think that a better 'Butterfly' couldn't be done when you gave it FIVE stars?

Rafael, Madrid. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

BRAVI!!!
An excellent performance.Pavarotti is brilliant.Kabaivanska
isn't in her best vocal form,but nevertheless she is a great master.Bravissimo!!!

Pavarotti and orchestra are wonderful!!
If you love Pavarotti, you will love this video. This is HIS role, and he does a masterful job. His cries of "Vittoria!" gets an ovation. "E leuceven le stelle" goes so well that it's encored (!!) . He sounds like he's just warming up in "Recondita Armonia", but otherwise, this is Pavarotti in one of his best evenings with the beautiful diction, and the rich color that he's always been known for. it is pure enjoyment to listen to him.

Unfortunately, he stands out in a cast that is uneven, and not even close to his level. Kavaibanska, as Tosca, has terrible diction, and is weak on some notes, especially the high ones, but her acting skills compensated. Her "Vissi d'arte" is the highlight of the performance, and gets a prolonged ovation from the audience (but no encore). Wixell is downright terrible as Scarpia. His intonation is just dreadful, and his voice is pretty weak for this role. His diction is only so-so. Like Kavaibanska, his acting skills made up for things. But vocally, there are much better performances than Wixell's (Gobbi's, Taddei's, Milnes's, or Raimondi's). Daniel Oren and the orchestra produce one of the finest orchestral performances of this opera; they toss off the Scarpia chords as if it were second nature to them. Chorus and supporting roles are excellent (Alfredo Mariotti, as the Sacristan, is the best). Production is only so-so (the scaffold is not there, due to Pavarotti's limited mobility to ascend/descend the staircase), but still acceptable. The camera work is excellent, and also includes flashes of the orchestra and conductor during the key points in the music.

The Tosca and Scarpia choices are not the best, but if you are a Pavarotti buff, this is a must. Buy it and enjoy. ... Read more