|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
Opera for the Couch Potato
| Article
# : |
13789 |
|
|
Section : |
THE ARTS
|
| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1988 |
2,143 Words |
| Author
: |
Robert Levine
Robert Levine is a travel writer who lives in New York. |
Opera, ballet, concert performances on videocassette—it's the latest thing for the lover of high culture. One may argue that opera, the art form that defines itself as larger than life, is not appropriate for a nineteen-inch screen. What happens to all the pageantry, the grandeur? Can that small speaker of dubious quality in our television fulfill the vast needs of a Wagnerian orchestra or bring out the clarity of a solo soprano voice?
Problems of sound aside—stereo has after all been introduced—opera on video is nevertheless working, mainly because it is being treated, and rightly so, as a new art form. A new breed has cropped up, that of "produced for video-gram" or "director for television." We see what they want us to see, from whatever angle they choose. They must work hand in hand with (or around) the stage director and they can make or break a moment or a scene. In reviewing videocassettes of operatic performances, attention must be paid not only to the performance itself—which is, of course, the most important thing—but to the way it is presented for the small screen. Following are reviews of a selection of fine opera videotapes.
Nabucco
Nabucco (HBO Video, color, 132 minutes) was Verdi's third work for the stage and the one that catapulted him to fame. Part of the reason for the success was extra-musical: It was presented at a time when Italy was tightly in the grip of Austria, and since the opera takes place during the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, there were many parallels to be drawn. The great third-act chorus, "Va, pensiero," is a prayer by the Hebrews for their lost homeland, and besides being memorable for its
... (1993 of 12376 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
