Product Description

In January 2007, superstar soprano Natalie Dessay, joined on stage by acclaimed tenor Juan Diego Florez dazzled British audiences in Laurent Pelly's new production of Donizetti's "LA FILLE DU REGIMENT". The perfectly staged & cast production became the operatic event of the year, receiving rave press reviews & rapturous audience ovations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6924 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-04-15
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Color, NTSC
• Original language: French, English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 132 minutes

Amazon.com
This DVD version of Donizetti’s comic opera zooms right to the top of any list of essential videos for opera fans. It may not be the composer’s best work, but given a top-notch production with world class singing actors, it brings vocal thrills and an abundance of laughs, a combination that’s hard to beat. The stars are Juan Diego Flórez and Natalie Dessay, both unbeatable in bel canto roles, and both in top form here. Flórez’s mellifluous tenor is flexible enough to make child's play of the terrifying (to other tenors) nine high C’s in Ah! mes amis," and supple enough to make his tender love arias moving. Dessay is equally comfortable in the stratospheric coloratura passages and poignant in such heart-tugging set-pieces as her farewell to her regimental "fathers" and her misery as the victim of the Marquise’s well-meaning attempts to teach her to be an aristocratic lady. She’s also a terrific comic actress. In her first appearance she’s doing the regiment’s laundry, and her antics with the iron and the ironing board while singing elaborately difficult coloratura passages induce belly laughs. But then, so do her comic acting in many other scenes, such as her Act II entry in a silk dress and full petticoat, her walk a wonderful parody of a "lady’s" heel-to-toe gait. That moment alone is worth the price of admission. Lesser roles too, are done to perfection. Felicity Palmer, a long-time Covent Garden favorite, is a delicious Marquise de Berkenfield, and Donald Maxwell, is her apt partner as Hortensius, her servant. Sergeant Sulpice, the heroine’s protector, is well-sung and acted by Alessandro Corbelli, and Dawn French almost steals the show as the overbearing Duchess. Conductor Bruno Campanella leads a spirited performance, enhanced by the fine playing by the Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House. Laurent Pelly’s stage direction is wonderful for its comic touches and Chantal Thomas’ simple but effective sets add to the delights. The video direction efficiently serves the staging, focusing on the action and the singers without adding extraneous shots that detract from the musical flow. All of which makes this DVD a can't-miss for opera fans. --Dan Davis La Fille du regiment is in 16:9 ratio. Sound options include PCM Stereo, Dolby 5.1 Surround and DTS 5.1 Surround. Subtitles include English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian.

Customer Reviews

From Covent Garden: The same production and cast that has come to The Met
It's hard to write about this Covent Garden production without comparing it to the Teatro Carlo Felice production from 2005 which is also on DVD and features Juan Diego Florez. (In fact, both productions are updated to one of our 20th Century "World Wars," this one to WWI, the Teatro Carlo Felice production to WWII.) So, I'll compare the two since some readers may just want to buy one of them. I gave the other five stars and this one four, but I wouldn't make the choice on that basis alone. If you want to see what played at The Met in the spring of 2008, or if Natalie Dessay is one of your favorite performers, this is the DVD to buy.

Juan Diego Florez sings spectacularly in both productions. In this production, he does not encore "Ah, mes amis," so you'll have to do with just nine of his thrillingly precise high C's. However, I think he's more relaxed at Covent Garden, having added two years to his onstage experience.

Patrizia Ciofi of the Teatro Carlo Felice production cannot compete with Natalie Dessay as a comic actress. Beverly Sills called the role of Marie, "Lucille Ball with high notes." That describes Dessay's performance perfectly. Her high notes are indeed the highlight of her singing and her comic antics are a delight to watch. As I wrote in my review of the Teatro Carlo Felice production, Ciofi is not a natural comedienne. But, in my opinion, Ciofi has the superior voice; it is fuller, more varied in tone and more textured. She creates a more operatic Marie.

The Teatro Carlo Felice production gives the relationship between Sulpice and the Marquise a flirtatious turn. It adds a lot to their otherwise rather dull roles (dull compared to other supporting roles in Donizetti comedies, such as Dr. Dulcamara and Giannetta in "L'Elisir d'Amore").

Finally, the Teatro Carlo Felice production comes with a second DVD devoted to behind-the-scenes material that is as good as it gets. (I describe it in detail in my review of the Teatro Carlo Felice production.)

There are several reasons you might prefer this production to the Teatro Carlo Felice of 2005 even though I think the other is of higher quality overall. First, the Covent Garden production is the same production and the same cast (except for the speaking role of the Duchess of Crackentorp) that played at The Met this spring and was shown in movie theaters around the world. So, if you want to see that Met production, this is the DVD to buy. (Of course, Covent Garden features a different chorus, orchestra, and conductor.) Secondly, if you love Natalie Dessay, I recommend this production over Teatro Carlo Felice.

I thought the Teatro Carlo Felice production had more to offer: the encored "Ah, mes amis," the superior singing of Patrizia Ciofi, the delightful relationship that develops between Sulpice and the Marquise, and finally, that bonus DVD. You can't go wrong with either production.

Bravo to Juan Diego!
This "Fille du Regiment" dvd is a video of the Laurent Pelly production, first debuted at Covent Garden. It was also used at the Metropolitan in a recent series of sold-out performances. This dvd is a welcome release for those who saw or heard the sensational performances, as it has much the same cast.

I was one of the lucky people who saw Florez sing Tonio at the Met this spring. It was an unforgettable experience. After a perfectly sung "Ah mes amis," the audience roared for so long that Florez encored the piece, thus singing 18 high C's in one evening. After the second "Ah mes amis," the entire audience gave him a standing ovation. Although in this dvd there is no encore, there are still 9 high C's, sung with such ease and beauty that he truly makes it look easy. In the second act he also sings a beautiful "Pour me rapprocher de Marie." If anyone was born to sing Tonio it was Florez, whose combination of boyish innocence and vocal agility fit the role like a glove. In 20 years, I dare say people will be bragging that they got to see Florez in Tonio, the same way they brag that they got to see Pavarotti in Elisir or Sutherland in Lucia.

Natalie Dessay's vocal brilliance once matched Florez's -- she was a famous Olympia, Lakme, Ophelia, Queen of the Night, and Zerbinetta (which I saw -- unforgettable). Now, after several surgeries on her nodes, her voice is considerably smaller-scaled and her top no longer always obedient (in her heyday she used to throw high G's into the Doll Song). To compensate, she engages in some frenetic stage business that some found hammy and others cute. I don't mind it, I like the Chaplinesque acting, and her take on Marie as a tomboy. But nevertheless, I was dismayed at how small and shrill her voice can sound. Her voice always had a Gallic edge to it that allowed it to carry to the very back of a huge opera house like the Metropolitan. But now the edge is stronger, and her voice no longer has the easy agility. She's better in the quieter moments of the opera, but in arias like "Chacun le Sait, Chacun le Dit" I had the feeling from the screamed high notes that she was using up her vocal capital quite rapidly.

Laurent Pelly's staging sets the scene in the WW1 era. The stage business and exaggerated dialogue and stage directions opera makes it more operetta than opera, and again, some in the audience the night I saw it found it charming while others found it overdone. Marie in his vision is a real tomboy, dressed in military-like pants and suspenders when we first see her. It's obviously based on the formidable comic gifts of Dessay. Alessandro Corbelli is a real charmer as Sulpice Pingot, as is Felicity Palmer as Marquise de Berkenfield.

The question among opera dvd collectors is, "Which Florez Fille do I get?" Because there's another Florez Fille already on the market, starring Patricia Ciofi as Marie. I think vocally, that dvd is better. Ciofi's is at this point a more substantial instrument than Dessay's, with more color and agility. Florez encores "Ah mes amis" in that video. However, that production has none of the operetta-like charm of the Pelly production. It's a rather serious, even drab affair, and the comic bits of the piece don't work as well. Ciofi is less gifted at comedy than Dessay.

So my reommendation? Get both dvd's. You really can't go wrong with either, as each has qualities the other lacks, but what they both have in common is the Tonio of Juan Diego Florez in all its magnificent glory.

Almost the Met
For those of you that saw this production with the Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD, this is the same show. Natalie Dessay's impecable comedic timing and sparkling coloratura, Juan Diego Florez's brilliant high C's, and Laurent Pelly's genius staging all make this the best version of this opera available on DVD (only the Sutherland/Pavarotti version surpasses on CD).

However, this taping does not match the performance given at the Met on April 26, 2008. Dessay was not in as good of condition (I assume) at Coven Garden, and thus a great deal of her vocal ornamentation heard at the Met is not present on this DVD. Nonetheless, she remains a wonderful singing actress, even if the vocal embelishments aren't quite what they were in New York.

It also seems that this production had a chance to iron out some minor flaws after touring in London and Vienna. If you did not see the production in New York, this will not affect you. I just felt the production was funnier, the singer's were more relaxed in their roles, and things just seemed to run smoother overall at the Met.

My last little complaint was that the lighting seems to be dimmer at Covent Garden. I don't know what it is, but a few scenes seemed lost in the shadows.

Don't get me wrong, this is a wonderful DVD that shouldn't be missed. My complaints are small. While the Met's production earned 5/5 stars, this one might earn 4.9/5. I highly recommend this DVD.