On 2010-03-18 OZ, WA wrote: This is a very decent production, I wish I saw it on stage. I am not sure if it is worth adding to one´s collection though, because as great a singer and actress Anna Netrebko may be, she does not have a coloratura voice that is critical for this role. She pulled off a great Violetta in 2005 La Traviata, but in La Traviata less coloratura is required by all means. To sing Bellini though the soprano should ideally be a specialist in bel canto, which Ms. Netrebko is not (and she doesn´t have to be! She can be perfect in lyric and even dramatic roles).
In this particular production, Ms. Netrebko´s acting is wonderful and her singing is decent, but it cannot be compared to that of Joan Sutherland or even Edita Gruberova. There is no video recording with Dame Sutherland (to my knowledge), but there are at least two with Ms. Gruberova, so I certainly would recommend that rather than this one. The tenor there will be much better, too. Here the tenor has a suitable type of voice, but he is not singing well.. And summed up by saying Netrebko is a great singer, but not a coloratura!. Currently Bellini: I Puritani has an overall rating of 8 over 10.
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Deutsche Grammophon claimed Live from The Metropolitan Opera, international sensation Anna Netrebko sings Elvira Walton (and her famous mad scene) in I Puritani, a spectacular production revived especially for Ms. Netrebko. The stellar cast includes tenor Eric Cutler as Arturo, Franco Vassallo as Riccardo, and John Relyea as Giorgio. The Music Director of the Houston Grand Opera, Patrick Summers, conducts the magnificent Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Included is a bonus DVD containing revealing conversations between Anna Netrebko and Renée Fleming, as well as the late Beverly Sills. The stunning performance on this DVD has been adored by millions of people already through its live transmission in high-definition to movie theatres in the US, Canada and Europe, and broadcasted live on Metropolitan Opera Radio and on Sirius Satellite radio channel 85.
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