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DVD : Verdi - AidaIn association with Amazon.com 
List Price: $39.98 Amazon.com's Price: $27.97 You Save: $12.01 (30%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD EAN: 0044007432099 Format: Classical, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Widescreen Label: Decca Manufacturer: Decca Number Of Items: 2 Publisher: Decca Release Date: February 19, 2008 Running Time: 158 minutes Studio: Decca Theatrical Release Date: 2007 Sales Rank: 60639 MPN: 001069209 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Description: This DVD features the high-profile new production from La Scala in Milan, filmed before Roberto Alagna's sensational departure! This is the operatic event of 2006, following Roberto Alagna's exit from the production during the second performance. Spectacular new production by veteran director/designer Franco Zeffirelli has all the luxury, theatricality and opulence one could wish for in this grandest of operas, keeping in tradition and shying away from the minimalist modern intrepretation. French tenor Roberto Alagna was filmed in early performances before his high-profile departure from the production. This alone makes it a must-have DVD for all opera fans! Lithuanian soprano Violeta Urmana takes on the title role, and the powerful Hungarian mezzo Ildiko Komlosi stars as her rival, Princess Amneris. Riccardo Chailly conducts this stellar cast at La Scala--The Home of Opera. Amazon.com: This December 2006 Aida from La Scala offers some fine singing but as often happens in a Franco Zeffirelli staging, the scenery and directing vie with its purely musical aspects. Little wonder, given the sumptuous sets, spectacular crowd scenes, and the masses of scenic and acting details more common to a movie than a stage performance. Zeffirelli populates the La Scala stage with enough statuary to fill the Egyptian wing of a large museum. Huge busts of Pharaonic figures loom above the singers, a wall covering the back of the stage is full of detailed relief figures drawn from ancient Egyptian relics, and when singers, dancers, chorus, and extras populate the stage during the Triumphal March, it seems like all of Thebes turned out for the celebration. The Nile scene is relatively pared down while neatly suggesting the mystery of the scene and focusing attention on the dramatic confrontations of the principal actors. By the time we arrive at the final tomb scene, the dying hero and heroine are seen through the darkness while above them, the priests and priestesses of the Pharoah’s court invoke their deity. But while the detailed stage direction and sets are important, any Aida requires four world-class singers to make its maximum impact. La Scala, as befits a season-opening performance, fields a worthy crew. Top honors go to the eponymous heroine, for Violeta Urmana demonstrates a soprano voice impressive in its evenness, her ease at the top of her range and her rich bottom notes. She won’t make you forget her famed predecessors in the role, but she’s definitely worth hearing. The same might be said of Roberto Alagna, the Radames. He left the production after the performances filmed here because of audience booing, but aside from a strained Celeste Aida his singing here is quite good, with sensitive phrasing and some lovely soft singing in the Tomb Scene. The Amneris, Ildiko Komlosi, dominates the stage in her scenes as the imperious Pharaoh’s daughter. Like her rival for Radames’ affections, Aida, she won’t erase memories of other fine Amneris’ but she’s a definite plus in this production. Less so is Carlo Guelphi, the Amonastro, rough of voice and generalized in his singing and acting. Smaller parts are capably done and the La Scala Orchestra is alertly led by Ricardo Chailly. He paces the opera with vigor, exposes details of the score often overlooked, and draws some ravishing playing from the strings.The ballet sequences are done with a Hollywoodish touch that fits the production, but the video direction of Patrizia Carmine will draw some boos from home viewers. There are frequent fades to swirling, out-of-focus details of stage décor, veils and materials, accelerating in later scenes to become annoying distractions, especially since they often occur in mid-aria, sabotaging the musical flow and diverting attention from the singers. Still, this is a worthy production of a great opera.--Dan Davis Aida is an all-regions 2-disc set in 16:9 ratio. Sound options include PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 Surround. Subtitles include English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Very distracting Video Direction!!!Beautiful Aida production by Zefferelli at La Scala Milan. This production is a little over done but beautifully set. The singers are amazing except that I found Alagna's infamous aria "Dolce Aida" to be sung in an almost forced and yelling voice. So far, I have just watched the Acts 1&2 first DVD, and so far I can tell you that you will be dissapointed by the anoying fading of pictures throught the video. This is done in a manner that you want to scream and say stop doing that!!!Just focus on the ... Read More Rating:  - La Scala production is marred by uneven performances and frustrating video directionThis La Scala production was promoted as the "new" version of the great 1989 Emmy-winning "Aida" from The Met. The La Scala production has much to recommend it: fine singing from Violeta Urmana as Aida and Ildiko Komlosi as Amneris; beautiful performances by the two featured dancers in the ballet (Verdi wrote great ballet music here); lively and nuanced conducting by Ricardo Chailly; and the full-bodied, spirited sound of the La Scala chorus. These are the five-star features of the production. Read More Rating:  - Wanted to see what the "controversy" was about.As a fan of tenor, Roberto Alagna, and having some knowledge of "hypogylcemia"( with which he was apparently struggling), I was interested in this production. Roberto is extraordinry in the lyric repertoire. This was a venture into new territory. The lyric repertoire serves his voice more ideally than "Celeste Aida" but the remainder of the opera was a beautiful and nuanced performance, with a very moving tomb scene. I remain a fan of his and appreciate the whole cast and performance. We have a ... Read More Rating: - illusions of grandeurIf it were not for the Triumphal Scene, this production could be forgotten. It was poorly filmed. You were distracted when scenes changed by flimsy material blowing in front of the cameras. The processional was truly fantastic, well orchestrated, and grand opera at its ultimate. Who said you need animals for this scene? All in all, the music is always grand, the set was very good, but the direction and filming leave a lot to be desired. I am surprised the La Scala audience was not ... Read More Rating: - Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!Alagna is superb . The rest of the cast stands tall with him in this magnificent production. The final scene leaves the audience fully satisfied and pleased that they have experienced something very special! Browse for similar items by category:
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