“My Greatest Roles” the front cover of the box, and this is
no mere hype – as long as we cautiously add “in French repertoire”.
No one, not even Placido Domingo, humble as always, can possibly
exclude Otello and Cavaradossi from his greatest moments and
among his 130+ roles there may be others as well that come to
mind. But these three performances, filmed when Domingo was
at the height of his powers some thirty years ago, are marvellous
documents and what makes them so attractive is that they are
far from one-man-shows. In all three cases the casts are generally
on the highest possible level.
The Zeffirelli production of Carmen from the Vienna State
Opera is quite possibly the most lavish version ever. I reviewed
it enthusiastically in another box a couple of years ago and
refer readers to that review,
where I concluded that this ‘phenomenal Carmen should
be in every opera collection’.
The San Francisco production of Samson et Dalila is also
well worth anyone’s money. Sets and costumes are traditional
but beautiful and inoffensive and my only complaint is that
I would have liked to see more of the full stage picture. Close-ups
are essential to get under the skin of the actors but one also
needs to get the atmosphere surrounding them. Julius Rudel’s
conducting is a bit hard-driven, which may be due to his wish
to heighten the tension. This opera has sometimes been regarded
more as an oratorio than an opera. But speeding things up does
not necessarily make it more dramatic and one loses some of
the beauty of the music. There is also some less than first-class
choral singing – and the choruses are important in Samson
et Dalila.
But the solo singing is a different matter. Shirley Verrett’s
assumption of the role of Dalila can stand comparison with all
the great mezzo-sopranos who have sung it in the past. Maybe
it was at this phase of her career a mite too low for her. She
was then also singing soprano roles. But this is a glorious
reading and, being an excellent actress as well, she creates
a fascinating, seductive portrait that corresponds to her Italian
nick-name ‘La Nera Callas’ (The Black Callas). Among her many
successful recordings – notably the Giulini-conducted Don
Carlo (EMI) and Abbado’s Macbeth (DG) – this Dalila
now occupies a revered place alongside those in my collection.
In both those mentioned recordings the leading tenor role was
sung by Placido Domingo. His Samson was rightly praised and
he recorded it twice on LP/CD; there is also a much later DVD
available. His is as strong and potent a reading as his Don
José: glowing tone and lively acting. His French has sometimes
been criticised but to my ears it is fully acceptable. Wolfgang
Brendel’s high priest is dramatic and sonorous and the supporting
cast is good.
The Covent Garden production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann
is another treat for both eyes and ears. It is lavish - almost
over the top. Very realistic sets also here and anyone with
a liking for the spectacular will find it irresistible. The
star-studded cast with great names down to even the tiniest
roles is on top form and Georges Prêtre, who can be uneven in
opera, is inspired. A lifelike Jacques Offenbach is present
from the beginning in the shape of Robert Lloyd as Lindorf,
magnificent and black-voiced.
Domingo is excellent in the title role and few tenors have surpassed
him in the Kleinzack aria. This is another role that has followed
him through the years. One of his first complete recordings
– and his first for Decca – was with Joan Sutherland in the
female roles and Gabriel Bacquier taking all the villains, Bonynge
conducting. This is still the most recommendable set on CD.
His later attempt, for DG under Ozawa, is less of a treat. Domingo
is still magnificent though in slightly less sappy voice, and
Edita Gruberova sings the soprano characters with flair, but
some of the supporting roles are less than first class. Here,
though, everything is in order. Geraint Evans, Siegmund Nimsgern
and Nicola Ghiuselev are impressive evil characters, Luciana
Serra is a stunning Olympia, Agnes Baltsa’s Giulietta superb
and, most touching of all, Ileana Cotrubas’s vulnerable Antonia.
And with such superb singing actors as Robert Tear as Spalanzani,
John Rawnsley as Hermann, Gwynne Howell as Crespel and Claire
Powell as Nicklaus, to mention just a few others, the standard
is continuously high throughout. This Hoffmann is no
doubt in the same class as Zeffirelli’s Carmen and with
a Samson to match – in spite of some reservations – this
box should be an obligatory purchase for all lovers of French
opera.
The bonus disc with interviews with Domingo is a valuable addition,
giving us an opportunity to get closer to the person
Placido Domingo, as opposed to the artist.
Göran Forsling
Contents
Georges BIZET (1838 – 1875)
Carmen
Elena Obraztsova (mezzo) – Carmen; Placido Domingo (tenor) –
Don José; Yuri Mazurok (baritone) – Escamillo; Isobel Buchanan
(soprano) – Micaëla; Cheryl Kanfoush (soprano) – Frasquita;
Axelle Gall (soprano) – Mercédès; Kurt Rydl (bass) – Zuniga;
Hans Helm (baritone) – Morales; Heinz Zednik (tenor) – Remendado;
Paul Wolfram (baritone) – Dancaïre
Orchestra and Choir of the Vienna State Opera/Carlos Kleiber
Director for stage and TV: Franco Zeffirelli
Set Designer: Franco Zeffirelli
Costume Designer: Leo Bei
Lighting Designer: Robert Stangl
rec. Vienna State Opera, December 1978
NTSC 4:3; Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo [153:00]
Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835 –
1921)
Samson et Dalila
Placido Domingo (tenor) – Samson; Shirley Verrett (mezzo) –
Dalila; Wolfgang Brendel (baritone) – High Priest of Dagon;
Arnold Voketatis (bass) – Abimelech; Kevin Langan (bass) – Old
Hebrew; Michael Ballam (tenor) – First Philistine; Stanley Wexler
(bass) – Second Philistine; Robert Tate (tenor) – Messenger;
Christian Holder (dancer)
Chorus and Orchestra of the San Francisco Opera/Julius Rudel
Director: Nicolas Joel
Set Designer: Douglas Schmidt
Costume Designer: Carrie Robbins
Directed for video by Kirk Browning
rec. San Francisco Opera, 1981
NTSC 4:3; L-PCM Stereo [116:00]
Jacques OFFENBACH (1819 – 1880)
Les Contes d’Hoffmann
Robert Lloyd (bass) – Lindorf; Paul Crook (tenor) – Andrès;
Cochenille; Eric Garrett (bass) – Luther; John Rawnsley (baritone)
– Hermann; Robin Leggate (tenor) – Nathanael; Placido Domingo
(tenor) – Hoffmann; Claire Powell (mezzo) – Nicklaus; The Muse
of Poetry; Robert Tear (tenor) – Spalanzani; Luciana Serra (soprano)
– Olympia; Geraint Evans (baritone) – Coppélius; Agnes Baltsa
(mezzo) – Giulietta; Francis Egerton (tenor) – Pittichinaccio;
Philip Gelling (bass) – Schlemil; Siegmund Nimsbern (bass-baritone)
– Dapertutto; Ileana Cotrubas (soprano) – Antonia; Gwynne Howell
(bass) – Crespel; Bernard Dickerson (tenor) – Frantz; Nicola
Ghiuselev (bass) – Miracle; Phyllis Cannan (soprano) – Spirit
of Antonia’s Mother; Deanne Bergsma (soprano) – Stella
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House/Georges Prêtre
Producer: John Schlesinger
Scenery: William Dudley
Costumes: Maria Björnson
Stage Lighting: David Hersey
Directed for video by Brian Large
rec. Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, December 1980
NTSC 4:3; Dolby 2.0 Stereo [150:00]
Bonus Interviews
NTSC 16:9; L-PCM Stereo [59:00]
WARNER CLASSICS 50-52498-1411-2-8 
[4 DVDs: 153:00 + 116:00 + 150:00 + 59:00] 
