Product Description

Teatro Real's majestic production of Handel's vivid tragedy, Tamerlano, stars a Lear-like Plácido Domingo as the Turkish Sultan Bajazet, caught between pride, love and loyalty. Displaying the uniquely heroic quality of his voice, Domingo heads a superb cast, including Sara Mingardo, Monica Bacelli and Ingela Bohlin, all magnificently responsive to Paul McCreesh's authentic and luminous interpretation of the score. The stunning theatrical staging by Graham Vick provides a splendid setting for the characters and for designer Richard Hudson's extravagant Baroque-Islamic costumes, emphasising the brilliance of one of Handel's finest dramatic achievements.

Press Reviews
"Here Domingo, with his superb diction, his great declamatory power and eloquent phrasing…brings a towering presence and bags of vocal charisma to Bajazet...This is surely one of Vick's finest achievements in the opera house." (The Sunday Times)

"The grandly tragic figure of the enslaved Turkish sultan Bajazet in Handel's 1724 opera is a recent departure for Plácido Domingo, and one that could be supposed to lie outside his comfort zone. So it says much for his artistry and intelligence that he makes such a significant success of it in this filming of Graham Vick's 2008 Madrid production." (BBC Music Magazine)

"If Handel's two other great operas, Giulio Cesare and Rodelinda, are well known then this third of the trio of ‘greats’ should certainly join them. This production will do much to underline that. " (Musicweb International)

Cast
Plácido Domingo (Bajazet)
Monica Bacelli (Tamerlano)
Ingela Bohlin (Asteria)
Sara Mingardo (Andronico)
Jennifer Holloway (Irene)
Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Real; Paul McCreesh

Production
Company: Teatro Real
Stage Director: Graham Vick

Disc Information
Catalogue Number: OABD7022D
Date of Performance: 2008
Running Time: 241 minutes
Sound: 2.0 & 5.0 PCM
Aspect Ratio: 1080i High Definition / 16:9
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ES, IT
Label: Opus Arte

Review

ACT I

The Ottoman Empire has collapsed. Emperor Bajazet (Placido Domingo) has been captured by the powerful autocrat Tamerlano (Monica Bacelli). Devastated, Bajazet contemplates committing a suicide. His daughter, Asteria (Ingela Bohlin), appears and changes his mind.

Andronico (Sara Mingardo), a Greek dignitary and ally of Tamerlano, who has fallen in love with Asteria, arrives. Tamerlano grants him the Byzantian Empire but Andronico rejects his gift, realizing that if he accepts it, he would have to part ways with Asteria. Unaware of his feelings for Asteria, Tamerlano announces that Princess Irene (Jennifer Halloway), a beautiful woman he has been eying, would marry Andronico. In return for his generosity, he expects Andronico to help him win Asteria's heart.

Bajazet appears and immediately dismisses Tamerlano's plan. Meanwhile, Princess Irene arrives. She exchanges clothes with her maid and sets out to meet Tamerlano.

ACT II Tamerlano announces that Asteria has accepted his marriage proposal and that their wedding will take place soon. He also declares that Princess Irene will marry Andronico.

Leone (Luigi De Donato) escorts the disguised Princess Irene to Tamerlano where she begs him to change his decision, but he rejects her.

Meanwhile, Bajazet vows to prevent Tamerlano from marrying his daughter. Andronico also vows to never give up his beloved Asteria.

Tamerlano and Asteria are married. Bajazet appears and announces that now only death can calm his anger. Disturbed by her father's words, Asteria runs back to him. Enraged, Tamerlano immediately declares that Bajazet and Asteria will be executed.

ACT III

Bajazet and Asteria have decided to poison themselves. Tamerlano appears and announces that he will spare Bajazet's life if Asteria comes back to him. Andronico arrives and shocks everyone by revealing his feelings for Asteria. Tamerlano goes berserk.

Princes Irene reveals herself and pledges her love to Tamerlano. However, determined to revenge Asteria's betrayal, Tamerlano orders that Bajazet is punished in front of his daughter. Terrified, Andronico attempts to change Tamerlano's mind.

Tamerlano also announces that Asteria will become his slave. Devastated, Asteria sips the poison she and her father have been planning to take in a cup of wine and hands it to Tamerlano. But Princess Irene, who has been observing from afar, warns Tamerlano about the poison and he orders Asteria to choose between her father and Andronico. Asteria prepares to drink the poison herself, but Andronico takes the cup away from her. Barely able to contain his anger, Tamerlano orders his slaves to have their way with Asteria in front of Bajazit. Disgusted and hurt, Bajazit drinks the poison and then tells Tamerlano that his spirit will haunt him forever. Then, he collapses and dies. Realizing what he has done, Tamerlano pardons Asteria.

Composed by Georg Frideric Handel, on a libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym, after Agostino Piovene's Il Tamerlano (1711) and Il Bajazet (1719), both set by Gasparini, based on the play by Jacques Pradon, Tamerlan, au La Mort de Bajazet, Tamerlano is an Italian opera seria in three acts. It was first performed at the King's Theatre, Haymarket, London, on October 31, 1724.

This Blu-ray disc contains a production of Tamerlano courtesy of Orchestra of the Teatro Real, led by Maestro Paul McCreesh, and Stage Director Graham Vick, which was recorded live on March 29, 2008 at Teatro Real, Madrid. The first performance of the production was at Teatro della Pergola, Florence on May 17, 2001.

Like most baroque operas, Tamerlano has appeared in a number of different versions. Handel repeatedly edited the score until he finally settled on a version that reflected his vision. This specific rendition of Tamerlano is more or less representative of Handel's first version of the opera. It is notably long and with a number of sequences that did not make it into later versions.

The opera itself is quite unusual - it is incredibly intense and with a surprisingly rich score. Maestro McCreesh and Orchestra of the Teatro Real do not use period instruments, but their treatment of the musical text - particularly in regard to vibrato, dynamics, and sound transparency - is stylistically convincing.

The cast is fantastic. This rendition of Tamerlano marked Placido Domingo's first ever involvement with Baroque opera. Nonetheless, he sings with relentless passion and vigor. Sara Mingardo, Jennifer Halloway, Ingela Bohlin and specifically Monica Bacelli, as Tamerlano, are every bit as impressive.

Video

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer, Handel's Tamerlano arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Opus Arte.

This is only the second 2BD release the distributors have released on the North American market. As expected, it is a terrific package - contrast is top-notch, clarity fantastic and detail very pleasing. The color-scheme is also quite strong. Light blues, greens, whites and blacks are all colors of importance that look rich and well-saturated. Furthermore, there are no lighting issues to report, though there are a few very awkward shots that I noticed (mostly due to the operator's desire to capture the stage and the orchestra at the same time). Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not an issue of concern. Mild motion-judder, however, occasionally pops up. This being said, there is no artificial sharpening that I could detect. I did not see any serious image distortions to report either. To sum it all up, this is a strong and very convincing presentation of Handel's Tamerlano which I am convinced opera aficionados will enjoy tremendously. (Note: This is Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Audio

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Italian LPCM 5.0 and Italian LPCM 2.0. I opted for the Italian LPCM 2.0 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the Italian LPCM 5.0 track for the purpose of this review.

I tested this Blu-ray disc the day I received it. I picked one of Placido Domingo's arias and quickly experimented with the two LPCM tracks. I liked the Italian LPCM 2.0 track better (I will explain why) and decided to watch Tamerlano in its entirety with it. The key reason why I picked the Italian LPCM 2.0 track over the Italian LPCM 5.0 track was balance. As I noted in my analysis of the opera, Maestro McCreesh and Orchestra of the Teatro Real did not use period instruments. Therefore, they were forced to introduce all sorts of adjustments in order to achieve the type of period sound Tamerlano necessitates. As a result, I felt that the Italian LPCM 2.0 track reflected better what Maestro McCreesh and the orchestra musicians were looking for (particularly as far as string section is concerned). The singing was practically identical on both tracks. This being said, the Italian LPCM 5.0 track is also quite good. However, I do believe that the more sensitive amongst you will notice that the track tends to reveal quite a few acoustic issues. For example, there are a few echo effects that pop up here and there that are far more difficult to her on the Italian LPCM 2.0 track. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing dropouts, pops, cracks, or hissings. For the records, Opus Arte have provided optional English, French, German, Italian and Spanish subtitles.

Supplements

This Blu-ray disc arrives with a stylish 32-page booklet containing the informative essay "The Shadows of Hell" by Juan Jose Carreras, which focuses on the rich history of Handel's opera as well as its fascinating characters. The essay is available in English, French and German.

On the actual Blu-ray disc, there is an illustrated synopsis for the opera, cast gallery, and an interview with Maestro McCreesh where he dissects Tamerlano and offers his thoughts on why it is considered one of the best operas from the Baroque repertoire. The interview arrives with optional French, German, Italian and Spanish subtitles.

Final Words

Opus Arte continue to add terrific titles to their already very impressive catalog of opera releases. This time around, they have put together a strong package for Handel's beloved Tamerlano. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed looks and sounds great. This said, I must warn you that Tamerlano is a very long opera. So, plan your time accordingly! Highly Recommended! -- Blu-ray.com, Dr. Svet Atanasov, May 19, 2009