Bizet: Carmen [Blu-ray]
by Antonio Pappano
![Bizet: Carmen [Blu-ray]](/images/Bizet-Carmen-Blu-ray-B001CZVVXW-L.jpg)
![Buy Bizet: Carmen [Blu-ray] at Amazon.com](/images/buy.gif)
(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Anna Caterina Antonacci, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Jonas KaufmannDirector: Antonio Pappano
Producer: Francesca Zambello
Writer: Henri Meilhac
Writer: Ludovic Hal?vy
Writer: Prosper M?rim?e
Audio: English (Original Language), DTS-HD High Res Audio; Chinese (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Classical, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 152 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-18
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Decca
DVD Reviews of Bizet: Carmen [Blu-ray]
DVD Review: Kauffman makes this worth seeing
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm fairly new to opera so take my review with a grain of salt. I have seen the wonderful Carlos Saura film, Carmen, which is based on the opera. That absolutely blew me away and I heartily recommend it. So I was set for some a high voltage performance here. Perhaps my expectations were too high as I found the first few acts of the opera a little slow. I kept thinking, "Is this the English version of a Frenchman's view of Spaniards?"
I loved the sets and cotumes and found the staging and lighting very lovely. The supporting cast was good. The gypsey group was particularly interesting in that they seemed to have been chosen for their good looks as well as their singing ability. This makes for an enjoyable viewing experience. The children were adorable!
I guess that, after a lifetime of seeing films I am expecting to see attractive people and good acting although I certainly realize that vocal ability is the first thing to consider in an opera star. It was for this reason that I was less than entranced by the performance of Anna Caterina Antonacci. When I was in acting school we were warned against playing one quality over and over. I wish someone would have given Ms. Antonacci this advice. She plays "lusty" over and over. We certainly get the idea especially with her very low cut blouses, but after a while I found her performance boring. I saw nothing of Carmen's real nature---Did she ever really love Don Jose? Why did she lose interest in him? Did she really love Escamillo? Was she capable of loving anyone? She is portrayed as such a one-dimensional stereotype that I really lost interest in her. Probably what annoyed me the most was her constant sneering expression. There were a few brief moments, mostly in the opening scene, in which she showed a full smile and she was truly beautiful then. She is not physically that beautiful; many of the other gypsey girls were a lot prettier, so it seems that she should have shown some sort of sparkle or charisma to get these men to risk their lives for her. I think that this type of "acting" is right for stage performances where projecting large emotions is necessary, but when one films it, we need to see the smaller, more subtle facial expressions. This is what Kauffman did so well and what Antonacci failed to do.
Kauffman was sensational! This is a performer who can act as well as sing. His facial expressions are wonderful, from the beginning when he discounts the antics of the wiley Carmen, throughout the opera as we see him descend into near madness at his passion for her. He was thorougly convincing as a real person, and won my heart so that at the final scene, when he kills Carmen, I wept for him. For her...good riddance. The final scene between the two of them is rivetting, due mostly to his performance.
I fell in love with Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro with Anna Netrebko, so I was pleased to see him here as Escamillo. This role suits his wonderful good looks and deep voice and he plays the part of the dashing toreodor to a tee.
The duel between Don Jose and Esmaillo was one of the best scenes in the opera for me.
The final two acts are when the plots thickens and things heat up so I have to say that I did enjoy it. If there had been a more sympathetic Carmen it would have been a total smash. Maybe Anna Netrebko?
DVD Review: Carmen :Nova Produ??o do The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Summary: 5 Stars
A obra prima de Bizet tem nova produ??o, do teatro londrino Covent Garden. Minha primeira Carmen em v?deo foi gravada naquele teatro. A "bocuda" Maria Ewing e Luis Lima fizeram o par rom?ntico naqueles tempos.
Produ??es envelhecem, e hoje temos uma nova leitura dessa ?pera. Digo de antem?o que vai ser dif?cil descrever a riqueza de detalhes desse v?deo. A produ??o opta por uma vers?o verista da ?pera, viol?ncia e amor, lado a lado, explodem nos personagens a cada segundo. Lilas Pastia transformado em uma taverneira; nas dan?as espanholas do segundo ato temos umas gordinhas sacanas que dan?am. Melhor que bailarinas magricelas. As cores evocam o laranja, escuras. A luz segue a mesma trilha, os figurinos acertados mostram a rudeza e a classe social dos personagens. A vers?o apresentada ? da Opera Comic, ou seja, com os di?logos falados. Bem amarrados e estruturados, d?o coer?ncia e flu?ncia ? ?pera. Os contrabandistas chegam a fazer piada dos ingleses.
O diretor faz uma leitura pessoal da obra. Don Jos? aparece no "xilindr? ", na abertura do primeiro ato, com cara de arrependido e tendo na m?o a flor que a Carmen lhe jogara: conta-se o fim no in?cio da ?pera. Movimenta os persongens, d? din?mica e os faz atuar. N?o entendo o porqu? de ter cortado a primeira cena do quarto ato. Concordo que ela n?o acrescenta nada ? trama, mas a m?sica ? de uma beleza incontest?vel.
Anna Caterina Antonacci ? um dos melhores mezzos-sopranos da atualidade. Conheci sua voz e sua atua??o em Les Troyens, de Berlioz, e foi amor ? primeira vista. Sua Carmen explode em fortes emo??es, sempre est? no limite. Apaixonada , vol?vel, violenta, independente e fogosa. Essas s?o algumas caracter?sticas que ela expressa com uma voz escura, graves generosos, volumosos e maravilhosa atua??o c?nica. Ao seu lado est? Jonas Kaufmann, tenor de voz potente: faz um Don Jos? violento, obcecado pela cigana, que larga tudo por amor a ela e quebra a cara. Como diz Escamilo, os amores da Carmen duram seis meses, no m?ximo.
Norah Ansellem faz uma Mic?ela esperta demais. Sempre vi essa personagem como inocente, no frescor da juventude e inoc?ncia. Sua voz ? demasiado escura e pesada para a pobre garota do interior que quer se casar. Ildebrando D'Arcangelo ? bar?tono das antigas, os graves predominam. Vozeir?o possante, m?sculo, vibrante. Seu Escamilo tem a cara do persongem. J? vi muitos escamilos gordinhos e passando da idade para um toureiro. Nesse papel, meu preferido ainda ? o bar?tono brasileiro Paulo Szot.
A reg?ncia de Antonio Pappano real?a as cores e os detalhes da partitura. Tempos corretos e uma orquestra experiente de m?sicos levam a uma audi??o agrad?vel. Som e imagens de grava??o digital sempre s?o muito bons, esse caso n?o foge ? regra. Faltaram os extras, como entrevistas com os cantores e diretores e como foi feita a produ??o. Se vc gosta da ?pera Carmen, tem que assistir a esse v?deo, vai virar refer?ncia.
Ali Hassan Ayache
DVD Review: Best Overall Production - So - Why Cut It?
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed this production from the first moment to the last and would have given it 5 stars if they hadn't cut the openning of the final scene. I love this opera, have heard it over and over and it never gets tired. How can anybody justify cutting the openning chorus of the final scene? DVD Review: A very, very good production rather than an outstanding one
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a difficult production to criticise as there is a lot of passion and fine acting and singing from Anna Antonacci as Carmen and Jonas Kaufmann as Don Jose BUT the balance between the vocalists and the orchestra is wrong.
The audio quality is fine with the orchestral sound excellent but it dominates the vocalists with their sound recessed and distant. Add in that Ildebrando D'Arcangelo is a less than compelling Escamilo making this production a limited success.
A pity because the vocal/orchestra unbalance is the fault of the engineers who by this bad audio mixing have depreciated the efforts of some very fine singing. My previous favourite Carmen was also a Covent Garden effort but 15 years earlier and on laserdisc. I put it on just to see if my memory was an illusion but no, Maria Ewing is a sensational Carmen AND the vocal/orchestral mix on this LD production is what it should have been on the latest BluRay. But the video quality on this old laserdisc is pretty ghastly with washed out colours so no real competition to the 2006 effort.
Many of the scenes are dark and this has not favoured otherwise clear picture quality. So I have only given this BluRay video 4/5 overall.
So there you are, glorious orchestral sound but the overall audio balance not good. That said it is a great, tuneful and dramatic opera. It is not a disaster, but a bit of a disappointment for me.
DVD Review: Passionate, vibrant performance, highly recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
"Carmen" is one of the most popular operas ever written. Its tunes are instantly recognizable even to people who have never heard any opera. Yet, be honest ... when was the last time you ever saw a good performance of Carmen? Partly it is because the title role of "Carmen" is so difficult (nearly damned well impossible, actually) to pull off successfully. It's hard to make her seem like a believable character rather than a caricature of a vampish femme fatale. Her two most famous arias ("Habanera" and "Seguidille") establish her character but little else. I think of the role as a great painting if one took away all the paint and color and was only left with the black-and-white outlines. The singer must fill in the color and vibrancy herself. Don Jose is also a difficult role -- if one thinks hard about it, his actions border on psychotic, yet he is given some of the most heart-rending music ever written.
This performance, filmed at the Royal Opera House, is finally a video of Carmen that I can call an unmitigated success. I am fond of the old film with Miguenes and Domingo but that film is lip-synched to a pre-recorded track and thus has a certain artificiality to it. This video has all the frisson of a live performance. Anna Caterina Antonacci is simply spellbinding in the title role of Carmen. Antonacci is a soprano rather than a mezzo, but her voice is dark and rich enough to sound right as Carmen. I wouldn't say that she blows anyone away with her "Habanera" or "Seguidille," but it's the overall impact of her performance that counts. She makes Carmen sexy, dangerous, cruel, beautiful, someone who uses her sexuality to manipulate men. Even when she's the most seductive, one can sense a hardness and cruelty.
Jonas Kaufmann gives a demented performance as Don Jose. He enters the opera with a permanent frown on his face. He is clearly a moody and disturbed young man from the start. What is most unique about Kaufman is his timbre. It's dark and almost baritonal sounding. "La fleur que tu m'avais jetee" is heartrending, and he's one of the few tenors to observe the marking and attack the climactic high B flat softly. As with Antonacci, his is a fully rounded portrait, never more so than in the final duet. Just the way he desperately sings "Carmen" as he pleads for her love will give you the chills.
Ildebrando D'Arcangelo is a name I had not heard before this performance but he makes a fine Escamillo -- his role is very brief but he is handsome and sings well. If the performance has a weakness it is Norah Ansellem's Micaela. She does nothing to make Micaela interesting and is often woefully under the pitch. To be honest every time I was onstage I just couldn't wait for her to leave.
The costumes of the production are colorful and evocative of the era. The only thing I did not like was the sets. It is one of those "box" productions that are so popular nowadays -- the same three-cornered box serves as Seville's town square, the tavern, the mountains, and then the final scene outside the bull ring. Changes of scenery are marked by changes in lighting and stage props. I can understand why directors like how convenient the "box" is but I wish they had been more imaginative.
But these are minor flaws. Antonacci and Kaufmann are both demented and they sing their hearts out. Highly recommended.
Description of Bizet: Carmen [Blu-ray]
Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Caterina Antonacci bring rare erotic intensity to the drama of Don Jos? and Carmen in this darkly passionate reading of one of the most popular operas. With an image up to six times sharper than conventional DVD and superior high-definition sound, Blu-Ray lets you watch opera and ballet performances from the front row of the theater. Experience every detail, no matter how small, in the highest quality possible. With five times the memory of standard DVDs, Blu-Ray is a completely new way to experience the theater at home.This Covent Garden production of Bizet's Carmen, makes a vivid musical and dramatic impression. Director Francesca Zambello creates a properly Spanish atmosphere, filling the stage with a profusion of detailed characters. In Act One's town square each of the many soldiers, strollers, cigarette factory girls, and children are individuals, so there's a bustle of continuous, realistic activity. That attention to detail carries over to the rest of the opera, involving viewers in the action. Tanya McCallin's sets are a perfect foil for the direction: simple, movable panels that serve as lightly sketched backdrops for the town square, a tavern, the smugglers' mountain hideaway, and the final scene in front of the bull ring. But what makes this Carmen special is the singing and acting of the principals. Carmen is Anna Caterina Antonacci, a soprano known for the intensity she brings to her performances. Without taking anything to excess, her Carmen is a fiery temptress, sexy, insistent on setting her own terms for love and personal freedom. She sings all the set pieces well and, with tenor Jonas Kaufmann as her besotted lover, Don Jos?, makes the final scene a hair-raising experience. If anything, Kaufmann trumps her with a beautifully sung, rounded portrait of the village boy turned soldier ensnared in a world beyond his experience. Kaufmann conveys the complexity of the character and etches his slow descent into obsessive madness. His rendition of the Flower Song is extraordinary for beauty of tone, phrasing and the soft singing essential to make this aria's full impact. The toreador, Escamilio, is finely sung and acted by Ildebrando D'Arcangelo. He makes his entrance on horseback, sings the Toreador Song with brash arrogance, and projects this haughty, self-absorbed figure to perfection. And Norah Amsellem, as the village girl who loves Don Jos?, uses her attractive soprano to depict her purity and innocence. Smaller roles are well done, with special mention due to bass Matthew Rose as Zuniga, the lieutenant of the guard. The vibrant conducting of Antonio Pappano is a big plus here; pacing is perfect, rhythms vibrantly precise, and melodies shaped with care. Under his baton, the Royal Opera House chorus and orchestra complete a rich, well-detailed performance of Bizet's masterpiece. Lighting designs of Paule Constable add to the atmosphere of each scene, while television director Jonathan Haswell's cameras always seem to be where they should be. --Dan Davis
Carmen is an all-regions disc in 16:9 ratio. Sound options include PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 Surrdound. Sung in French, subtitles include English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese.
General DVDs
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Bestsellers in General DVDs
Twilight (Two-Disc Special Edition)Universal; Release date: 2009-03-21; DVD
Best price: $15.88
Price in other shops:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Full-Screen Edition)Release date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Lost: The Complete Fifth SeasonRelease date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $36.99
Price in other shops:
The Proposal (Single Disc Widescreen)BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-10-13; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
![Angels & Demons [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Angels-Demons-Blu-ray-B002O5M4SU-X.jpg)
Angels & Demons [Blu-ray]SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2009-11-24; DVD
Best price: $18.90
Price in other shops:
Four ChristmasesNEW LINE HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-11-24; DVD
Best price: $12.66
Price in other shops:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Two-Disc Limited Special Edition + Digital Copy)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $19.99
Price in other shops:
Julie & JuliaRelease date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Angels & Demons (Single-Disc Theatrical Edition)SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2009-11-24; DVD
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Widescreen Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2009-12-08; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
![La Boheme: The Film [Blu-ray] Image](/images/La-Boheme-The-Film-Blu-ray-B002Q9MZHE-X.jpg)
La Boheme: The Film [Blu-ray]Release date: 2009-12-15; DVD
Best price: $25.99
Price in other shops:
![Rossini: La Cenerentola [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Rossini-La-Cenerentola-Blu-ray-B0017RRDPU-X.jpg)
Rossini: La Cenerentola [Blu-ray]Release date: 2008-06-24; DVD
Best price: $25.95
Price in other shops:
![Berlin Concert: Live From Waldbuhne [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Berlin-Concert-Live-From-Waldbuhne-Blu-ray-B001CZVVVO-X.jpg)
Berlin Concert: Live From Waldbuhne [Blu-ray]Release date: 2008-11-18; DVD
Best price: $18.93
Price in other shops:
![Puccini: La Boheme [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Puccini-La-Boheme-Blu-ray-B001B223TM-X.jpg)
Puccini: La Boheme [Blu-ray]Release date: 2008-08-26; DVD
Best price: $21.92
Price in other shops:
![La Traviata [Blu-ray] Image](/images/La-Traviata-Blu-ray-B001MRMRS8-X.jpg)
La Traviata [Blu-ray]VIENNA PHILHARMONIC; Release date: 2009-05-26; DVD
Best price: $22.98
Price in other shops:
![Mozart - Die Zauberflote [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Mozart-Die-Zauberflote-Blu-ray-B00142X56Y-X.jpg)
Mozart - Die Zauberflote [Blu-ray]Royal; Release date: 2008-04-29; DVD
Best price: $29.89
Price in other shops:
![Verdi: La Traviata [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Verdi-La-Traviata-Blu-ray-B001DELX08-X.jpg)
Verdi: La Traviata [Blu-ray]Release date: 2008-09-30; DVD
Best price: $21.43
Price in other shops:
![Verdi: Aida [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Verdi-Aida-Blu-ray-B001CZVVWS-X.jpg)
Verdi: Aida [Blu-ray]Release date: 2008-11-18; DVD
Best price: $18.93
Price in other shops:
![Rossini: Il Barbiere Di Siviglia [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Rossini-Il-Barbiere-Di-Siviglia-Blu-ray-B001CZVVWI-X.jpg)
Rossini: Il Barbiere Di Siviglia [Blu-ray]Release date: 2008-11-18; DVD
Best price: $18.93
Price in other shops:
![Verdi: Rigoletto [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Verdi-Rigoletto-Blu-ray-B001HBX8NC-X.jpg)
Verdi: Rigoletto [Blu-ray]Zurich Products; Release date: 2008-11-18; DVD
Best price: $27.68
Price in other shops: