Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23340 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-03-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Classical, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: German, Dutch, French, Italian, English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 139 minutes

Customer Reviews

The Absolute Ultimate ¨Turandot
It is very difficult to put into words how I feel every time I see this absolutely beautiful version of Puccini's masterpiece. The cast is so wonderful; the singing and the acting are superb. Eva Marton, cast as the title character, is the definitive Turandot of our time. Her singing carries us to higher dimensions ever experienced in this most demanding and emotion-wrenching role. José Carreras, at his finest, is the ultimate Prince Calaf. With all due respect to Pavarotti, who touts ¨Nessun dorma¨as one of his finest arias, there is no comparison when Carreras delivers this wondrous gem in all his vocal prowess, with a depth and emotion that I have not heard equalled in recent times. Katia Ricciarelli is also a treasure in her interpretation of Liu.

I definitely recommend this magnificent opera to everyone!! A definite five stars and then some!!

For the Fans
This Harold Prince production of Turandot, recorded in 1983 from the Vienna State Opera, is a welcome addition to the DVD catalogue. With little already available on DVD featuring the three protagonists (Marton, Ricciarelli and Carreras), fans will not be disappointed. This performance marked Eva Marton's debut as Turandot and she is secure vocally, soaring over the orchestra and chorus when required, making it an easy sing, compared with other sopranos essaying the role. I prefer her MET Opera performance from 1987 featuring Placido Domingo as she had developed a greater understanding of the part. Jose Carreras and Katia Ricciarelli hold their own as Calaf and Liu respectively, with Carreras overshadowing Domingo vocally, even though the role stretches him a bit. Lorin Maazel expands the opening chords severely, but the VSO Orchestra and Chorus shine under his baton. The sound could be improved in a few places, but this recording is a welcome addition to the DVD catalogue.

the real deal
For my money this is the finest filmed Turandot available and easily one of, if not the, best singing performances Eva Marton ever committed, in or out of this role. Hal Prince and maestro Maazel are on form in Vienna; a beautifully fluid stasis to the stage design lets the music reign, and Marton and Carerras make the most of it. Marton's singing in the Riddle scene is just hair-raising! Her first "Straniero!..." is like hearing God! I keenly prefer this Turandot to the 1987 Met film. Marton may or may not have by then accessed a greater understanding of the role, but the voice in '87 is inferior to what we find here; singing began to cost increasingly for her by that time. Carerras leaves little for Domingo to improve on. Carerras sings Calaf unforgettably in the recorded version with Caballe and reaches for that here, with some lost lustre, but the singing remains first rate. Waldemar Kmentt an exquisitely spectral Son of Heaven, his singing is a pungent manifestation of the heart of this opera. It's an astonishing rendition. The look of this Turandot is strong and sleek without unbuttoned modernism, which ennobles both stage and story; the Vienna orchestra play as they play only for Maazel. It could be argued in an appealing way that Maazel's concentrate of intellectualist musicianship serves rather to pull Puccini beyond itself by diving straight to the vigorous, accomplished core missed by lesser conductors. You won't regret owning THIS Turandot. Slow to appear on dvd, who knows how long it might be available? Mine is an older VHS version.