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Donizetti - La Fille du Regiment

£13.60

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Label: Virgin

Cat No: 5190029

Barcode: 5099951900298

Format: DVD - NTSC

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Opera

Release Date: 14th April 2008

Works

Donizetti, Gaetano

La Fille du regiment

Artists

Natalie Dessay
Juan Diego Florez
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus & Orchestra

Conductor

Bruno Campanella

Works

Donizetti, Gaetano

La Fille du regiment

Artists

Natalie Dessay
Juan Diego Florez
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus & Orchestra

Conductor

Bruno Campanella

About

In January 2007, Natalie Dessay, joined on stage by acclaimed tenor Juan Diego Florez, dazzled British audiences in La Fille du régiment (“operatic coupling made in heaven” - Financial Times).

The rave reviews from the press and the audience's standing ovations clearly indicate how successfully Laurent Pelly (famous for his spectacular productions) staged this new production, and how the singers were perfectly cast. They gave Donizetti’s opera a new life at the Royal Opera House, 40 years after the opera was last staged there, and Virgin Classics delights in adding this DVD to its growing video catalogue.

Natalie received standing ovations and The Times wrote: "I have never seen a singer [Natalie Dessay] invest quite so much manic comic energy into a role as Dessay does, and certainly not while tossing out some of the most fiendish coloratura in the repertoire [...]. Simply mesmerising.”

Also enthralling the audience was Juan Diego Flórez, tackling the famous tenor’s aria "Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!", which has been called the "Mount Everest" for tenors as it features 9 high Cs.

The rest of the cast boasts renowned mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer as the Marquise de Berkenfeld, the versatile Italian bass-baritone Alessandro Corbelli, and the speaking-role of thr Duchesse de Crackentorp boasts popular British comedian Dawn French. The spoken dialogues were adapted by Agathe Mélinand, who regularly collaborates with Laurent Pelly.

“A must-see, must-hear [....]. It’s the operatic show of the season." - The Times

“When the Royal Opera presented Donizetti's La Fille du régiment last winter for the first time since the 1960s, it was champagne for the soul. At the centre of Laurent Pelly's glittering production was the trio of Natalie Dessay, Juan Diego Flórez and Alessandro Corbelli – and they were not merely three of the greatest voices on the planet.” - The Independent

Cast:
• Marie - Natalie Dessay (soprano)
• Tonio - Juan Diego Flórez (tenor)
• La Marquise de Berkenfeld - Felicity Palmer (mezzo soprano)
• Sulpice Pingot - Alessandro Corbelli (baritone)
• Hortensius - Donald Maxwell (baritone)
• La Duchesse de Crackentorp - Dawn French

Stage Director - Laurent Pelly
Costume designs - Laurent Pelly
Choreography - Laura Scozzi

Live from Covent Garden, Royal Opera House, London – January 2007
London Royal Opera co-production with the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, New York

Reviews

Natalie Dessay ... establishes her star quality from her very first entry and vivaciously dominates the opera throughout. She is deliciously funny, and often audacious in her various comic business – and she sings both brilliantly and movingly too. In short she is an unforgettably enchanting Marie, unlikely to be surpassed. ... Coupled with unexpectedly original sets, excellent costuming and splendidly alive musical direction from Bruno Campanella this version is for DVD what the famous Sutherland/Pavarotti version is for CD.

Penguin Guide 2010