Verdi - I Due Foscari / Bruson, Roark-Strummer, Cupido, Roni, Gavazzeni, La Scala Opera

Verdi - I Due Foscari / Bruson, Roark-Strummer, Cupido, Roni, Gavazzeni, La Scala Opera | Linda Roark-Strummer, Renato Bruson | Milan does Justice to former enemy Venice

DVDs:

Verdi - I Due Fosc...

	Verdi - I Due Foscari / Bruson, Roark-Strummer, Cupido, Roni, Gavazzeni, La Scala Opera Linda Roark-Strummer, Renato Bruson BBC / Opus Arte, 2004 average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Early Verdi Masterpiece

I have had a poor VHS from PAL transfer of this superb production for several years. What a thrill to find it restored on DVD. And what a restoration. The production is stunningly simple, yet utterly dramatic. Linda Roark-Strummer is a ferocious Lucrezia Contarini, the daughter-in-law of the opera's central character, the ill-fated Doge. Renato Bruson, who literally owns this role, gives a heart breaking reading of this great Verdi baritone role.No composer wrote better father/daughter duettos than Verdi, and the ones here rank among his very best.

The mercurial Gavazzeni commands the La Scala orchestra with a style that many younger conductors would do well to emulate. This opera is one gorgeous melody after another. For all fans of beautiful singing. A must.

Patrick C. Byrne

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Milan does Justice to former enemy Venice

The DVD of 'I Due Foscari' comes from La Scala Milan. In the period of the opera's setting Milan And Venice were deadly enemies. Indeed the tenor character Jacopo is accused of 'trafficking with a foreign power' namely Milan as well as of murder. The opera deals with the dilemma of Jacopo's father, the doge of Venice in having to preside over his condemnation. This conflict between love and duty is a hallmark of Verdi operas and provides the pretext for some heartrending music. Renato Bruson as the doge is majestic as doge and portrays to perfection the father forced to condemn his son to exile and as ever,proves a true 'baritono nobile'. As his son Jacopo, Alberto Cupido sings beautifully but hardly sets the world on fire with his acting . Linda Roark-Strummer as Lucrezia,Jacopo's wife with more balls than her husband or father-in-law sings very strongly and establishes herself as a force in the drama. The other roles are well taken and the Chorus sings strongly. The sets and direction are more than adequate.

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I enjoyed it more than Boccanegra

Bruson is dependably great and did his magic here. But the tenor, Alberto Cupido was also remarkably good. True, the opera is a slow starter and there isn't a lot of action in it, but it contains some great music. This recording is my first exposure to this opera. It's clearly not Verdi's greatest work, but even so it is a very fine opera.

A great performance!

This was a great performance of Verdi's seldom seen opera, I due Foscari. Linda Roark-Strummer's passionate portrayal of Lucrezia Conarini was a marvel. I'd call her the star of this production. But Renato Bruson as Francesco Foscari, the aging Doge, was equally wonderful. The sets, costumes and supporting cast were quite splendid also. It's too bad the story is such a downer.

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A very good performance of one of Verdi's lesser known operas

This is not a litle known masterpiece of Verdi. It is a very enjoyable opera but is not in the same class as his better known works. Conducting and singing is very good, but only Bruson can be called excellent. Costumes are very good, scenery is adequate, sound is Dolby stereo (no surround). If you want to add some lesser known operas to your collection, this is worth considering.

reviews: page 1, 2

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