Title: Best for newbies
Review: I showed this at my opera club, and only the newbie was happy with it. Yes, the sets are gorgeous and evocative, and the singing was very good. But this DVD suffers from the choice of the director to do so many closeups. Pavarotti's voice can still make you want to close your eyes in ecstasy -- but he plays a blustery, overbearing Duke, making it hard to see why Gilda falls for him. (There's already precious little in the libretto to make the Duke sympathetic, and Pavarotti doesn't use what's there.) He has a disconcerting way of opening his eyes VERY wide and not blinking. It would be easier for the viewer to maintain an illusion of young lovers if the camera were moved back a bit from *both* romantic leads... Gruberova's voice is accurate, but after hearing the rich, plush young tone of Desiree Rancatore in the recent San Francisco Opera production, it's just not the same. Overall, well sung and well set, but ultimately unsatisfying.
Is this product review negative?