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DVD : Boito - Mefistofele / Arena, Ramey, Benackova, San Francisco OperaIn association with Amazon.comstarring: Samuel Ramey, Gabriela Benacková, Dennis O'Neill (II), Emily Manhart, Daniel Harper directed by: Brian Large  List Price: $29.99 Amazon.com's Price: $26.99 You Save: $3.00 (10%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD EAN: 9780769700243 Format: Classical, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC ISBN: 0769700241 Label: Kultur Video Manufacturer: Kultur Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Kultur Video Region Code: 1 Release Date: July 31, 2001 Running Time: 159 minutes Studio: Kultur Video Theatrical Release Date: 1989 Sales Rank: 25453 MPN: 24 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Description: Samuel Ramey won overwhelming critical acclaim for his performance in the San Francisco Opera's production of Boito's adaptation of Goethe's classic conflict of good versus evil, under the baton of Maurizio Arena. Samuel Ramey: Mefistofele Dennis O'Neill: Faust Daniel Harper: Wagner Emily Manhart: Pantalis Douglas Wunsch: Nereo Gabriela Benacková: Margherita/Elena Judith Christin: Marta Amazon.com: Arrigo Boito's treatment of the Faust legend has never been as popular as Gounod's, but Boito was an imaginative composer and a great librettist (he wrote the words for Verdi's Otello and Falstaff, the two finest librettos in Italian opera). As the title suggests, his Mefistofele puts the spotlight on the diabolical villain of the story at least as much as its hapless hero. It is a role ideally suited to Samuel Ramey, requiring a rich, deep voice, a striking stage presence, and only elementary acting skills. He has taken it to most of the world's great opera houses with spectacular success, and it is good to have it in a first-class video recording. The libretto stands out, among operatic treatments of Faust, for its effort to capture the full, epic scope of Goethe's drama, including its moments of unearthly sublimity. The prologue and the conclusion are among opera's most memorable moments of choral grandeur, as this production makes clear. Elsewhere, Boito is witty, colorful, and, sometimes, philosophically dry. --Joe McLellan Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The Definitive Staging of an Ethereal Opera!We should all be grateful for the tenacity of Arrigo Boito.After a disasterous debut,he reworked "Mefistofele" into the masterpiece we enjoy today.I own 2 copies of the opera on cd.The Rudel production with Treigle,Domingo& Caballe as the principles.The Gavazzeni production with Ghiaurov,Bergonzi& Kabaivanska as the principals "Mefistofele" is grand opera at its grandest.From prologue to epilogue,it is a feast for the eyes and ears.The antics at the Easter celebration may raise an ... Read More Rating: - Sam Ramey is superb!Sam Ramey is one of the greatest bass-baritones and Boito's Mefistofele is one of the roles which is rightfully associated with him by most opera enthusiasts. His performance is reason enough to purchase this DVD. The music is stunningly beautiful and this production from The San Francisco Opera is original and theatrical with a good cast. It has deservedly enjoyed broad acclaim from both audiences and critics. Rating:  - A must-buy for admirers of Samuel RameyI have to agree with all the superlatives in the earlier reviews. One has to ask oneself WHY the opera is so compelling. The music is, well pedestrian would be a kind description. Still, I have to confess I went to the New York City opera's production of this (with Mr. Ramey in the title role) three times in a month. The opera seems to be close to Mr. Ramey's heart. In many other operas he comes across as "wooden". In this one his acting matches his voice. He is totally involved in his ... Read More Rating: - Not QuiteI had previously seen a Samuel Ramey Mefistofele video, but apparently it was not the one I purchased. The lengthy overture is a boring panning of the cherubs hanging in the opera house, not the one I had originally seen, which showed the living spirits on stage. Rating: - WondrousIn voice, physique, and bearing, Ramey is simply the perfect Mefistofele. After him, it's the chorus that stars, and when Ramey and the chorus get together in the amazing Witches' Sabbath, with the devil in a tailcoat furiously conducting the revellers, it's unforgettable. This is simply a beautiful production, well worth owning even if some of Boito's music is not first-rate. I subtract a star for an unconvincing Faust and a mediocre image with an unacceptable level of motion blur. Browse for similar items by category:
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