Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore / Esposito, Machado, Marrucci, Canzian, Schrott, Muus, Macerata Opera

Slowly the camera roams through the narrow streets of Macerata, past the cathedral, the monuments, the library and the university, until it reaches the Arena Sferisterio. In the 1820s this was a competition venue for handball. At the beginning of the twentieth century the ?neo-classical monster?, as the stadium is disrespectfully called, was also discovered as an opera venue and a dazzling backdrop for the Macerata Opera Festival. In July 2002, An audience of 5000 had gathered to listen to the new production of Elixir of love under the direction Saverio Marconi, conducted by Niels Muus. Using a trick the director succeeded in preserving the open-air atmosphere while at the same time eliminating the echo of the voices and instruments. Donizetti?s operas had for a long time been dismissed as frivolities, as repertoire works, "which can be staged anywhere", as W.H.L Riehl sarcastically remarked in his ?Musikalische Charakterbilder? (Musical Character Studies), "whether in Paris or Butzbach, with a good or a bad cast, complete or in part, rehearsed as a showpiece or as a stopgap, not too long and not too short, not too difficult and not too easy,comprehensible to all and stimulating the senses of many". This prejudice is perhaps due to the fact that composing came easily to Donizetti; he even boasted that he could compose a symphony within one and a quarter hour. The comedy The Elixir of Love is said to have taken him all of a fortnight to write. The premiere in the Teatro della Canobbiana in Milan in 1832, was an unqualified success; it resulted in a series of 32 sold-out houses for the composer and even inspired Richard Wagner in 1840 to produce a piano score of the work. Donizetti based his work on a French fable by Eugene Scribe, which Felice Romani turned into a multifaceted libretto of two acts. more

Price Range:$25.66 to $29.99 | 4 stores
Product Rating:

6 Reviews
Info:
Set Price Alert Save to Wish List
Tags:
Mariella Lotti, Dina Sassoli, Giulio Tomasini, Mario Ferrari, Amedeo Nazzari, DVD, Buy.com, Amazon, J&R, Best Buy

ComparePrices

title,desc	merchant	price	seeit
Smarter Choice L'elisir D'amore L'elisir D'amore	Buy.com 23,982 reviews *smarter certified	$25.66 Free Shipping Coupon 1 coupon available Code: Detail: Take $5 OFF the purchase of $100 or more at Buy.com Expires:Nov-30-2009 Restriction:New Customers Only. Coupons are not valid on Marketplace items	See it
Donizetti - L'Elisir d'Amore /... Slowly the camera roams through the narrow streets of Macerata, past the cathedral, the monuments, the library and...	Amazon 11,406 reviews	$26.99 Coupon 1 coupon available Code:No Code Required Detail: FREE Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Some restrictions apply. See site for details.	See it
Format: DVD, Donizetti - L'Elisir...	11,777 reviews *smarter certified	$26.99	See it
L'Elisir d'Amore - This performance of Gaetano Donizetti's opera, L'Elisir d'Amore was recorded in 2002 at the Arena Sferisterio in...	Best Buy 14,835 reviews *smarter certified	$29.99	See it

*Shipping costs are based on an estimate of the lowest shipping rate available within the contiguous US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Only merchants with this product in stock are listed (Merchants with this product back ordered have been removed from this list).

Do you see a pricing error? Please let us know by filling out a simple form: Click here

MoreStores

Write a review

ProductReviews87/100 (6 Reviews)

Recent Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-23-2007; Esposito is virtuoso!!!; This is one of my favorite operas and I have five productions of it. Valeria Esposito is without question, the best Adina. I have actually compared her singing from the point where she tells Nemorino to "Take it," the enlistment she...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jan-23-2007; An L'Elisir as sparkling and bubbly as a glass of champagne; There is no shortage on DVD of famous opera performers pairing up to play Adina and Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore: Kathleen Battle and Luciano Pavarotti; the Alagnas (Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto), Anna Netrebko and her favorite onstage...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-04-2006; Unsurpassed & unsurpassable; I am in almost wholehearted agreement with the 2 reviewers who praise this DVD, and in wholehearted DISagreement with Scott Morrison. I've been an avid opera lover for years and think I know my stuff, so have no qualms in saying that...; read full review | report as inappropriate

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-04-2006; Great singing; The singing is superb in this video and I have listened to it numerous times as an audio recording. The Adina has a lovely bell-like tone, secure high notes, and a solid coloratura technique. Machado, as Nemorino, sings beautifully....; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-23-2007; Esposito is virtuoso!!!; This is one of my favorite operas and I have five productions of it. Valeria Esposito is without question, the best Adina. I have actually compared her singing from the point where she tells Nemorino to "Take it," the enlistment she...; read full review | report as inappropriate

2/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-27-2003; Avoid This Second-Rate Production; It pains me to say that this DVD of a recent production of Donizetti's 'L'Elisir d'Amore,' done at the Sfisterio Arena in Macerata, Italy is bush-league. It is amazing that the recording of this open-air production is in as sharp sound...; read full review | report as inappropriate