{"product_id":"monteverdi-lorfeo-4","title":"Monteverdi: L'Orfeo","description":"This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003ca class=\"links\" href=\"album.jsp?album_id=551036\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlso available on standard DVD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003ctitle\u003e3513870.az_MONTEVERDI_L_Orfeo_Rinaldo.html\u003c\/title\u003e  \u003cmeta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003e MONTEVERDI \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eL’Orfeo \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Rinaldo Alessandrini, cond; Georg Nigl (\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eOrfeo\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Roberta Invernizzi (\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eEuridice\/Musica\/Eco\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Sara Mingardo (\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eMessagerra\/Speranza\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Luigi de Donato (\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eCaronte\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Raffaelaa Milanesi (\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eProserpina\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Giovanni Battista Parodi (\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003ePlutone\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Furio Zanasi (\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eApollo\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e); Nicola Strada (dancer); La Scala O \u0026amp; Ch \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e OPUS ARTE OA BD7080D (Blu-ray: 121:35) Live: La Scala 9\/21, 23\/2009 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThis La Scala production of what the booklet notes rightly call “the first great opera” seems in most respects an attempt to evoke the work’s 1607 premiere, in terms of music and staging. According to Tim Carter’s fine notes, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eL’Orfeo\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e was apparently meant to be performed by a small cast of singers, doubling roles and participating in the choral numbers. The pit orchestra, although it featured cornets, trombones, other wind instruments, and a large continuo contingent, employed a limited string ensemble, and so it goes here. Of course, we can’t know what the original staging was really like, but even in this department La Scala is nodding toward the work’s origins, with the singers dressed in costumes of Monteverdi’s time (rather than the garb of ancient Greece), and stage director (and set and lighting director) Robert Wilson creating a ceremonial, even static atmosphere. Frankly, this looks exactly like a typical Wilson production rather than some evocation of the early 17th-century stage. Wilson, here and in the past, has been more interested in tableaux and the purity of motion than in character- or plot-motivated action. This works reasonably well initially, but the second half of \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eL’Orfeo\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e devolves into face-the-audience, stand-and-deliver tedium, each character in physical isolation from the others. There may be some psychological justification for this, but the concept is far more effective in the abstract than in practice. One other detail that may strike contemporary viewers as odd: With the heavy, pale greasepaint on their faces, Orfeo and his shepherd friends from a distance all look distractingly like the android Data on \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eStar Trek: The Next Generation. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eMusically, though, this production can hardly be faulted. Start with the opening Toccata; conductor Rinaldo Alessandrini draws a real snarl from the orchestra, making the music sound primitive and ritualistic, more ancient Greek than Italian Baroque. Later, his \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eritornelli\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e can be quite fast, but they’re treated as transitions between vocal segments; nobody is trying to dance to them. (There is one dancer on stage, strutting about in feathers and a Venetian bird mask, but his purpose beyond linking to the art and culture of Monteverdi’s time is inscrutable.) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eGerman baritone Georg Nigl takes the title role, with only a few ardent outbursts interrupting his sweet, disconsolate, and quite lovely singing. He is well partnered by Roberta Invernizzi and Sara Mingardo in their multiple roles, and by the secondary vocalists. The singing is, for the most part, period-appropriate but never dry. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe DTS-HD 5.1 audio track brings clarity, tonal beauty, and precise imaging to the orchestra, and serves the singers well, too, although with little sense of depth. Video director Emanuele Garofalo does a good job of offering enough well-chosen shots to overcome stage director Wilson’s stasis without negating Wilson’s intentions. The Blu-ray picture quality is fine, maintaining clarity in a production that, in terms of color, is intentionally drab. Note that the disc’s total time includes seven minutes of curtain calls and end credits; there’s also a four-minute illustrated synopsis, but aside from cast information, no other extra features. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: James Reel \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Claudio Monteverdi\u003cbr\u003e  L'ORFEO\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Orfeo – Georg Nigl\u003cbr\u003e  Euridice \/ Eco – Roberta Invernizzi\u003cbr\u003e  Messaggera \/ Speranza – Sara Mingardo\u003cbr\u003e  Caronte – Luigi De Donato\u003cbr\u003e  Proserpina – Raffaella Milanesi\u003cbr\u003e  Plutone – Giovanni Battista Parodi\u003cbr\u003e  Apollo – Furio Zanasi\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Concerto Italiano\u003cbr\u003e  Milan La Scala Orchestra\u003cbr\u003e  Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Robert Wilson, stage director\u003cbr\u003e  Jacques Reynaud, costume designer\u003cbr\u003e  A J Weissbard, lighting designer\u003cbr\u003e  Recorded live at La Teatro alla Scala, 21 and 23 December 2009.\u003cbr\u003e  Bonus:\u003cbr\u003e  - Cast gallery\u003cbr\u003e  - Illustrated Synopsis\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Picture format: 1080i High Definition\u003cbr\u003e  Sound format: PCM 2.0 \/ DTS 5.1\u003cbr\u003e  Region code: 0 (worldwide)\u003cbr\u003e  Menu language: English\u003cbr\u003e  Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian\u003cbr\u003e  Running time: 116 mins\u003cbr\u003e  No. of Discs: 1 (Blu-ray)\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Opus Arte","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":49607848853784,"sku":"809478070801","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1813566.jpg?v=1747168393","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/monteverdi-lorfeo-4","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}