Benvenuto Cellini (Blu-ray)
Artists: John Osborn; Maurizio Muraro; Laurent Naouri; Mariangela Sicilia; Michele Losier; Orlin Anastassov; Chorus of the National Opera; Ching-Lien Wu; Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Language: French
Subtitles: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean
Dubbed: None
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Studio: Naxos DVD
Release Date: May 11, 2018
Run Time: 180 minutes

With his affinity for the 16th-century sculptor Benvenuto Cellini’s advocacy of artistic and personal freedom, Hector Berlioz went straight for the grand gesture with his first completed opera. Returning to it years after initial production debacles, Berlioz stated that he would ‘never again find such verve and Cellinian impetuosity, nor such a variety of ideas’. The plot revolves around Cellini’s wooing of Teresa, a match frustrated at every opportunity by his rival, the cowardly Fieramosca. Benvenuto Cellini is a pithy work combining romance, excitement, violence, comedy and spectacle; the perfect stage for Terry Gilliam’s stylishly colourful and larger-than-life directing.

Without any doubt Euryanthe is an absolute masterpiece, rich on unforgettable melodies and brilliantly orchestrated. While today only the overture is frequently performed, the entire production is worthy of renewal. Furthermore, it is the only opera by Weber without spoken dialogues, continuity being created by orchestral recitatives linking the “numbers“ in a very skillful way. This makes it an ideal opera for radio, as this production proves in no uncertain way. The interpretation is on a high level and we get a glimpse of the great talent of Kurt Masur, famed German conductor and “one of the last old-style maestros” at the beginning of his glorious career.

 

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