DVD 9983 I MASNADIERI (Verdi)

A stupid ugly production, a mish-mash of costumes,idiotic staging...and yet...I will probably return to this,one of Verdis most interesting works.My dvd was slightly out of sync at times, a maddening distraction.Musically its quite superior,excellently conducted by Luisotti-Machado has done mainly very lyric roles...how does he manage the heavy spinto of Carlo-he is miked, and you can see the microphone clearly.The Polish Rucinski is a very good Francesco,lurching around the stage like a demented Richard III. The Venezuela soprano Garcia has a fresh,easy Verdian sound, and sounds great in the super-difficult role of Amalia...though she would look much better if she lost a couple of dozen kilos.Better than all the competition,except of course the landmark CDs with Caballe and Bergonzi.

I was very happy with this DVD. It contains a first rate performance of a neglected Verdi opera which contains some quite outstanding, exciting music. All of the performers give good performances. The tenor, Aquiles Macado isn't perfect but he gives a persuasive portrayal. Giacometti Prestia, bass, is solid. The baritone villain, Artur Rucinski, should have a brilliant future if he continues to sing as he does here. He sounds like "the real deal" to me. I also like the Amalia of Lucrecia Garcia who has a solid, beautiful voice albeit lacking a trill. Nicola Luisotti leads an exciting performance. Production is modern but not unattractive. Some nice views of the San Carlo Theatre in Naples. Picture and sound are first class. This is a winner.