User Reviews

With a gala consisting of such a great cast of singers Great Opera Arias - Concert With Domingo, Alagna, Gheorghiu(or Gold and Silver Gala with Placido Domingo) promised much, and it delivered even more. It is simply put a terrific gala that really glitters. The Royal Opera House auditorium is as inviting and opulent as ever, the picture quality and video directing not just being clear and skilled but also giving us the feeling that we are actually there. The sound quality is of a good amount of sharpness not undermining the music or the performers one bit, though occasionally in want of more resonance. With the music you don't need to convince anybody really how truly good it is, there are favourites like La Ci Darem La Mano and Presentation of the Rose as well as less well known items such as Muzica and the L'Amico Fritz Cherry duet(some may be familiar with it, it was new to me). The orchestral playing shows well-rehearsed and clean ensembles as well as beautiful playing throughout, the phrasing and textures to be admired. Asher Fisch conducts with solidity and style, his conducting not too aggressive nor leaden. Placido Domingo takes the baton also in Lehar's Gold and Silver Waltz and it is a stylish and understatedly elegant rendition, a perfect end. Nothing to complain about the performances either. Domingo is in great voice, his burnished baritonal tones never tiring, especially in O Souverain O Juge from Massenet's Le Cid. Though he blends with sympathy, alertness and dramatic conviction in his duets, and even in concerts he allows every character to come alive, testament to how good an actor he always has been. Roberto Alagna back in the days when he was taking on roles he was suited for looks ardent and sounds youthful, particularly good in Parle-Moi De Ma Mere while his Rachel, Quand Du Seigneur is very deeply felt. Angela Gheorghiu is also early in her career and shows a gleaming beauty to her voice(she looks stunning here as well) and a communicative presence. Like husband Alagna she is touching in Parle-Moi- you really do get the sense that the characters Micaela and Don Jose are lovers- but shines just as much in Muzica. Dwayne Croft sings warmly with no signs of pushing and is no blank as an actor either, his performance of Avant De Quitter Ces Lieux is a nuanced one, you just wish he had more to do. Susan Graham does adorable and amorous brilliantly in La Ci Darem La Mano and the Presentation of the Rose(her partner Lillian Watson singing with a sparkling bright soprano voice, showing little sign of being taxed and Sophie's tessitura is challenging), even less than twenty years ago her voice is every bit as smooth and firm as it is now. Verónica Villarroel more than holds her own against her more experienced colleague Domingo in the Cherry duet, her voice sizable and not ugly either. Leontina Vaduva's singing is agile and commanding, her passionate Quel Guando one of the best performances of the gala. Robert Lloyd is an imposing Mephistopheles in the Faust prologue, vocally, dramatically and physically. To conclusion, terrifically glittering, not to be missed if you like these singers and opera. 9/10 Bethany Cox