Jaques Offenbach: La vie parisienne, DVD9
MPEG 7500Kbps | NTSC All Regions 16:9 (720x480) | DTS 5.0 , LPCM Stereo | 120 min | 6,85 GB
Classical | Label: ® Virgin | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian | Full Booklet | FServe
Actors:
Raoul de Gardefeu... Jean Sébastien Bou
Bobinet... Marc Callahan
Métella... Maria Riccarda Wesseling
Le Baron de Gondremark... Laurent Naouri
La Baronne... Michelle Canniccioni
Conductor: Sébastien Rouland
Stage Director: Laurent Pelly
Musically, the performance is irresistible. The orchestra fizzes as it should under the direction of Sébastien Rouland who keeps things moving and proves to be an excellent judge of tempo. He seldom achieves the tension afforded by metrical give and take within the bar that real masters can give to this music, but he is far from pedestrian, and the ensemble is always tight, which is no mean feat in this repertoire. The chorus is excellent, with a zesty sonority and pointed text, moving as one when required by Pelly in a delightful send up of countless old-fashioned opera productions.
All in all, this is a hugely enjoyable release with the entire cast entering into the spirit of the performance and looking like they are having a wail of a time with the madcap choreography. Staged opera can be heavy going on DVD but this has such an infectious joy and irreverence about it that I didn't want it to end. High quality sub-titles are available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, and the camera work is good, so that one never feels one is missing out on action elsewhere on stage as is often the case with filmed productions. The absence of any extras on the disc is a shame, particularly as the accompanying booklet is little more than a list of who was responsible for what, but these are minor concerns. Nietzsche, of all people, spoke of 'the moments of wanton perfection which this clown Offenbach achieves as many as five times, six times, in nearly every one of his buffooneries' and one can certainly relate to those sentiments after seeing this uplifting spectacle. www.musicalcriticism.com


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