Three Tenors: In Concert
by Brian Large
from Decca
The Three Tenors Christmas
by Jose Carreras
from Sony
No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: CARRERAS/DOMINGO/PAVAROTTI
Title: THREE TENORS CHRISTMAS
Street Release Date: 11/07/2000
Genre: XMAS VIDEO
The 3 Tenors in Concert 1994 / William Cosel
by William Cosel
from Atlantic
The three greatest operatic tenors of the day - Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti - reunite for this 1994 concert commemorating soccer's World Cup Championships. Features the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orche stra, directed by Zubin Mehta. Certified over 5 million units by the RIAA.
A Gala Christmas in Vienna
by Humphrey Burton
from Sony
Maria Callas - La Callas... Toujours
from EMI Classics
The career of Maria Callas was just a bit too early and too brief to receive full and satisfying video documentation like that now being accorded to such singers as Renée Fleming and Luciano Pavarotti. This black-and-white televised recital (Callas's Paris debut) took place at the Paris Opera on December 19, 1958 when television was still in its infancy. We might wish that it had happened earlier, when her voice was in better condition, or later, when video recording technology was more advanced--so that, for example, we would not have to take the narrator's word that Callas is wearing a red dress. But this is probably the best available Callas video recording, and her fans will welcome it warmly. Visual elements were as important as the vocal dimensions in her art.
The material, carefully chosen to show Callas at her best and most versatile, includes "Casta Diva" from Bellini's Norma (a Callas specialty), the haunting "Miserere" scene from Verdi's Il trovatore, and the mischievous "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's Barber of Seville, a fine series of stylistic contrasts in which the essential point is not pure tonal beauty but characterization and subtle expressive nuances. Others have made this music sound prettier; nobody has presented it with more impact.
But the climax of this program is its second half, a staged performance of Act II of Puccini's Tosca. This is a study in police brutality, sexual harassment, and sheer violence, psychological and physical, that has some of opera's most extreme moments--including the great aria "Vissi d'arte," the murder of the villain Scarpia, and the contemptuous dismissal flung at his corpse--"and all Rome trembled before him!" In this segment, Callas goes mano a mano with Tito Gobbi, her only equal as a singing actor during her career. They savor this material in a virtuoso performance. --Joe McLellan
Maria Callas is the quintessential diva who changed the face of the opera in the 20th century. The repertoire in this performance shows Callas at her best, both in recital and as an operatic actress. Verdi, Rossini, and Bellini were three composers at the heart of Maria Callas's career. Her personal life was of tragic operatic dimensions and perhaps no role comes closer to the essence of Callas than Floria Tosca. The second half to the program comprises the complete Act 2 of this opera, with a brilliant performance by Tito Gobbi in the role of Scarpia. A genuine collector's item, this live recording documents Callas's Paris debut at the peak of her career. Also included is documentary footage about the performance and the opera house. 91 minutes.
Andrea Bocelli - Sacred Arias: The Home Video
from Philips
Critics may remain divided over Andrea Bocelli's operatic credentials, but the popular verdict long ago crowned the sightless tenor as a crossover champion, a victory that will only be reinforced by this handsomely produced video companion to Sacred Arias, his well-timed 1999 album of devotional pieces. That collection mingled sacred classics with a handful of venerable Christmas songs to combine seasonal appeal with a broader spiritual fervor, providing a sturdy platform for Bocelli's unfailingly earnest style. For its video incarnation, Bocelli, performing with the Orchestra e coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung, reprises the album with three additional works, with Chung and the orchestra and chorus contributing a fourth bonus track, Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus."
As first aired on PBS, Sacred Arias dovetails comfortably with Bocelli's hugely popular, preceding broadcast and video, A Night in Tuscany, again adding color to its often solemn musical performances with glimpses of Italy. The performances were shot in Rome's Cathedral of Sopra Miverva, employing wide-angle lenses and graceful camera movement to supply energy to the otherwise static performers: Bocelli's own lack of body movement is offset by Chung's more expressive conducting, but the program's most striking visuals are achieved through long shots that pan down onto the group from high in the cathedral's nave, and cutaways that show us the rich frescoes that adorn the walls and vaulted ceilings. The pacing also makes good use of contrasts between Bocelli's solo performances and those pieces that rely more on the sweep of the chorus and orchestra.
Brief interview segments with the singer and conductor allow the camera to move outdoors for romantic vistas of the Italian countryside, shot in golden light complementing the darker sepias and grays seen in the cathedral. A slightly wider screen aspect ratio gives the concert a cinematic flavor while imposing discreet black bars on standard sets that won't trouble viewers who prefer full-frame videos. --Sam Sutherland
The Irish Tenors - The Essential Collection
from Music Matters
Television producers seeking to combine the twin phenomena of the original Three Tenors (Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, José Carreras) and Irish music (an international sensation fueled by Riverdance) came up with the Irish Tenors. The Essential Collection includes both their televised concerts from Dublin and Belfast, the first of which establishes the format: John McDermott, Anthony Kearns, and Ronan Tynan appearing on a small, plain stage and singing mostly traditional songs ("She Moved Through the Fair," "Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?") in both solos and trios with a full orchestra in front of an appreciative audience. These classically trained performers have strong voices, enthusiasm, and more than a bit of whimsy. The second concert provides more of the same, but is most notable for the debut of new tenor Finbar Wright after McDermott had taken leave from the group following the death of his mother. McDermott does make a brief but dramatic appearance, however, to sing "The Last Rose of Summer," as a tribute to his parents, then rejoins Kearns and Tynan for "Red Is the Rose." And of course both shows include "Danny Boy"--as inevitable a closer as "Nessun dorma" was for that other trio of tenors.
In generous bonus DVD segments (13 to 19 minutes each), Tynan, Kearns, and Wright (but not McDermott) each discuss their musical upbringing and a bit of background on some of the songs they sing. Tynan talks about the emotion of the plight of the disabled child in "Scorn Not His Simplicity" without bringing up his own disability (which is mentioned in the text biographies), and Wright, the newest tenor, admits the advantages and disadvantages of performing with the group and also cites influences as wide-ranging as Mario Lanza and Queen. This DVD is excellent value for the Irish tenor fan. --David Horiuchi
The Complete Irish Tenors on DVD features both of the spectacular PBS broadcast concerts (Dublin and Belfast) in their entirety, including performances not available on any video release. With in-depth bios on each artist, specially recorded studio interviews, rare backstage footage, and much, much more, this DVD represents the complete Irish tenors experience.
Cecilia Bartoli - Live in Italy
by Brian Large
from Decca
Charlotte Church - Voice of an Angel in Concert
by David Mallet
from Sony
Among the more charming--and improbable--of pre-millennial success stories is the left-field crossover triumph for this Welsh soprano, 12 years old at the time of her debut, and still on the near side of her teens in this concert video derived from a hit PBS special. At a time when "teeny pop" reigns over MTV and radio playlists, Church's serene program of Welsh and Irish folk airs, devotional hymns, and generally tranquil classical melodies gives alternative music an entirely new meaning.
Then again, it's just possible that Church's very appeal rests on the delicate balance between the unapologetic sweetness of her music and the unforced girlishness she flashes between songs, rare qualities indeed against the harsher foil of sexualized pop culture. Given the degree to which various predecessors, from Brenda Lee to Tanya Tucker to LeAnn Rimes, have been groomed to transmit a precocious "maturity," Church's virginal typecasting may be methodically anachronistic, but at least it offers a calming refuge from the mixed messages and soft-core spin offered by Britney Spears.
Director David Mallet, who's become the DeMille of up-market music videos and a staple for PBS fund drive specials, applies a familiar balance of sure technical craft and slick sentimentality. He dresses the Brixton Academy concert site with a faux stained glass window, flickering candle light, and delicate laser lighting units that imbue Church with a backlit radiance, just so we won't miss the angel connection. Skeptics will also note her Andrew Lloyd Webber connection (the signature Pie Jesu), as well as canny nods to Celtic chic in the inclusion of such warhorse choices as "Danny Boy" and "My Lagan Love." Still, whether or not the young star achieves her dream of singing Tosca at La Scala, for the moment Church achieves a poised lyricism that's no mean feat. --Sam Sutherland
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