Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35227 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-02-17
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 160 minutes

Album Description
Three one-act operas by Giacomo Puccini: Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi. Recorded at the legendary Teatro alla Scala and starring Piero Cappuccilli, Rosalind Plowright, and Juan Pons.

Amazon.com
Puccini's trio of one-act operas is carefully balanced to contrast three moods: dark, violent jealousy in Il Tabarro, tearful sentimentality in Suor Angelica, and satirical wit in Gianni Schicchi. All three flavors are precisely conveyed by La Scala's carefully chosen cast, with finely nuanced conducting by Gianandrea Gavazzeni.

This production is particularly treasurable because most companies today avoid presenting all three pieces together, and the interaction of contrasting motifs is part of what Puccini had in mind. Gianni Schicchi is deservedly the most popular, and La Scala fills the stage with vivid character performers to convey its full flavor. Juan Pons sings the title role with fine comic flair and rich, flexibly used tone. Sylvia Sass heads a small, expert cast in Il Tabarro, which could, however, have been more convincing in the murder scene. Suor Angelica is sweetly distraught, as it should be. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews

Great acting, singing, production...
This is a beautiful production of Puccini's trio of short, one-act operas. Most underrated, and most impressive here, is the first piece, IL TABARRO, starring Piero Cappuccilli and legendary soprano/actress Sylvia Sass, both of whom perform with a high level of intensity, passion, tenderness and complexity. The music is gorgeous and fascinating, with some wonderful duets that come organically out of the story. Watch how the light gradually gets dimmer and dimmer as the opera progresses and as the story gets darker and darker.

YES and NO
I have always loved this threesome, though I also consider Schicchi the weakest of all Puccini works. It is great to have it available to see as well as to listen to. After many years of singing opera for a living, I know that I may tend to be a little "jaded". So, as brief as possible: the singing in these performances is really quite good and I will not try to compare with so many better on audio only! That said: The real drawback of this is the staging and acting - did I say act and opera in the same sentence? Tabarro goes along fine until the "murder and revelation". It makes "opera" look as stilted as we know it can be. I know only too well how difficult it is to sing high C and attempt to act, but this was filmed. Sour Angelica - beautifully sung, even if Plowright has a "different" voice for this role and lacks the top notes requied. I simply do not know what that visual ending was suppose to be. I watched this DVD, for the first time, with a novice who had gotten the full build-up from me: only to be befuddled at the end. Sometimes I think that the old fashioned ,statue turns revealing "live" Madonna and a child, is better, not high tech, but effective. This DVD is worth buying because it is the only way to hear and see these works that no longer seem to be in favor and to show others that there is more to the Trittico than just "O mia Babino caro"!

Bravi!
Il Trittico di Puccini is a delight! IL TABARRO, though not a favorite of this opera devotee, is very well done here. I'm sure Puccini would be pleased with the acting and singing, especially of Cappuccilli and Sass. If there is a disappointment with the trio of little operas, it is Rosalind Plowright as SUOR ANGELICA. This is not a role for the usually splendid Plowright. It was quite a surprise to hear her take alternative low notes to the scored high ones, especially following the dramatic "Senza Mama, Bimbo." One expects to hear high Cs and D flats to be sung as written. The costumer is also faulted for a very sloppy headdress! That is inexculable! The compensation might be that the on-screen translation is quite good. GIANNI SCHICCHI is great fun! Juan Pons shone in the title role as the conniving Gianni! Surprising was the clever performance of dramatic mezzo-soprano Eleanora Jankovic Always to be counted on is the fine musicianship and understanding of Maestro Gianandrea Gavazzeni. Superior performances are part and parcel of the Chorus and Orchestrs of La Scala, Milano. They did not let any of us down with these three. Directing opera for Video requires an extraordinary talent! Brian Large has learned that craft well! For those who rate these three so low, the same who have given bad reviews to other great performances, I cannot help but wonder if theirs is a faulty piece of equipment. No reviewer worth his salt expects to gain total agreement. However, no one wants his artistic tastes to be demeaned. G.K. Brown, DMA Prof. of Music (Ret.)