Christobal Colomb
- TV Movie
- 1992
YOUR RATING
Photos
Storyline
Featured review
Darius Milhaud comes to Theatre Imperial De Compiegne
Theatre Imperial De Compiegne have been responsible for some very interesting revival productions of relatively obscure French opera, and all of them personally seen so far have ranged from good to outstanding, even when not being particularly well-served on DVD.
Here is a very good performance of Darius Milhaud's very interesting opera Christophe Colomb, which is something of a hidden treasure with a compelling if slightly complicated story(for those unfamiliar with it) and Milhaud's great music which was surprisingly easy to get into. The DVD doesn't quite do it justice, the picture quality is less grainy than some other releases of Theatre Imperial De Compiegne's productions and the video directing is both intimate and expansive, but the sound does sound underpowered and balance between orchestra and singers is not always quite right (sometimes favouring the orchestra). The lack of subtitles is likely to alienate those not familiar with the French language and for first time viewers it is also likely to make the story not so easy to follow.
On the other hand, visually the production itself is very handsome and nicely lit, making good use of the theatre's very grand building. The stage direction succeeds in making the storytelling clear, and is never static or tries to do anything too complicated or distasteful. The music is performed with plenty of drama, energy, lively style and nuanced dynamic range, and is authoritatively and sympathetically conducted, allowing the music to have space but it also gives it life and accommodates the stage drama very well indeed.
Laurent Naouri is excellent in the title role, he has a lovely sonorous voice, very good musicality with good sense of the beauty of the line and he is a compelling actor. Likewise, Michel Hermon and Mary Saint-Palais are strong support. In conclusion, a very good production and worth tracking down if you can find it. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Here is a very good performance of Darius Milhaud's very interesting opera Christophe Colomb, which is something of a hidden treasure with a compelling if slightly complicated story(for those unfamiliar with it) and Milhaud's great music which was surprisingly easy to get into. The DVD doesn't quite do it justice, the picture quality is less grainy than some other releases of Theatre Imperial De Compiegne's productions and the video directing is both intimate and expansive, but the sound does sound underpowered and balance between orchestra and singers is not always quite right (sometimes favouring the orchestra). The lack of subtitles is likely to alienate those not familiar with the French language and for first time viewers it is also likely to make the story not so easy to follow.
On the other hand, visually the production itself is very handsome and nicely lit, making good use of the theatre's very grand building. The stage direction succeeds in making the storytelling clear, and is never static or tries to do anything too complicated or distasteful. The music is performed with plenty of drama, energy, lively style and nuanced dynamic range, and is authoritatively and sympathetically conducted, allowing the music to have space but it also gives it life and accommodates the stage drama very well indeed.
Laurent Naouri is excellent in the title role, he has a lovely sonorous voice, very good musicality with good sense of the beauty of the line and he is a compelling actor. Likewise, Michel Hermon and Mary Saint-Palais are strong support. In conclusion, a very good production and worth tracking down if you can find it. 8/10 Bethany Cox
helpful•00
- TheLittleSongbird
- Sep 20, 2015
Details
- Country of origin
- Language
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Color
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content