Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Daniels, Domingo, Milnes, Croft, Laciura, Fitch, Slatkin, Metropolitan Opera

I first bought this disc from Amazon, that copy froze at the one hour twenty minute mark, and on more than one DVD player. I then tried purchasing a copy from one of the independent sellers on Amazon, whose policy was to replace the disc one time rather than give an immediate refund, therefore I received two copies from that seller, both defective at the exact same spot. Finally, I tried Barnes & Noble. The first copy had the same defect. I asked the manager to please check to see if any replacement they might send was defective or not, and to try to get it from another source. They did, and guess what, this new copy screwed up at exactly the same place as the others. Frustrated, I contacted Deutsche Grammophon. They offered to send me a German made copy if I sent my defective disc to them. I complied, and they mailed me a replacement(while still not admitting that the American made copy I sent them had any problems) and the German copy works...FINALLY!!!!!!! I had to go through five defective copies and two countries to get a copy that functions, over several months I might add...and you know what, it was actually worth all the headaches! Which is why I am giving you the details of my ordeal, to emphasize what a mandatory experience it is watching this DVD. At no point during all this did I consider giving up and just taking a refund. I had seen enough of the DVD before it malfunctioned to know that this was something I absolutely wanted to own. My advice, if you don't want to take your chances with Amazon or its various sellers...contact Deutsche Grammophon directly and explain the problem and try to get a German-made copy from them, or wait until the American producers figure out there is a problem and produce another run. Because passing this by for another version of La Fanciulla del West is simply not an option.You have to see the disc to understand why I am so enthusiastic, but I'll do my best to put it into words. This production is classic Met, with singers ideally suited for their parts, marvelous conducting and breathtaking sets that are realistic and consistent with the drama.Barbara Daniels, a singer whose career I have not followed(unfortunately, at least if her performance here is any indication), comes across as a great interpreter of Puccini, her Minnie is sweet and tender and girlish, a fully realized character who also happens to be terrifically sung. The voice is lovely, powerful, but it is her acting that really bowled me over. For instance, there is one moment in the second act(strangely enough, right before the disc jams up on the defective copies...maybe those DVDs were overcome to the point of speechlessness) where she puts her male houseguest to bed and blows out a candle and the camera closes in on her face and her expression is just priceless, full of the sweetness and girlishness I mentioned above, coy and flirty but also innocent. This is the kind of moment a person sitting in the theater would miss out on, but the camera memorializes it so that the TV viewer can bask in its charm. That, my friends, is acting above and beyond the call of duty, and this moment alone is worth the price of admission. Placido Domingo is the star tenor, singing what is reportedly one of his favorite roles, that of the unfortunately named Dick Johnson(and all you Beavis and Butthead types out there will kindly stop snickering, thank you). Domingo is no spring chicken at this point, there's a certain jowliness to his features starting to override his movie star looks, but his vocal prowess shows no indications of flagging, and the energy and passion he commands onstage are both at a zenith. His high notes are still piercing...does this guy ever have an off night? The always reliable Sherill Milnes is a great choice for the role of Jack Rance, his sinister expressions and deep, seductive baritone voice make him the ideal villain(although Rance is certainly no straight villain role in the mold of Baron Scarpia, even though the characters share certain similarities). Milnes is such a trooper that you almost wish a producer would alter the storyline just once so he could finally get the girl. Leonard Slatkin and his orchestra's interpretation of Puccini's music is breathy and evocative, masterfully capturing every ripple, every lilt, every curve of this supple score, one of the composer's best(I love this music!). Technically, this is a by-the-book presentation in that the conductor doesn't color the music with any personal indulgences(not always a bad thing), still the reading couldn't be any more ardent because, really, how can you improve on what Puccini himself wrote down? The sets are spectacular, combined with the acting they give the impression of watching a Hollywood western. Act two's multifaceted set is especially notable, featuring a two-leveled interior(Minnie's cabin) as well as the great outdoors, complete with a pine tree laden forest and a genuine snowstorm! Brian Large's video direction is top of the line as always...the closeup of Minnie I mentioned above and a long shot of the happy couple embracing in the snow are highlights.I've never understood the slams directed at this opera. Critics snipe at how unrealistic it seems having American prospectors singing in the language of Puccini. Is that any more unrealistic than ancient Egyptians(Aida) or Japanese peasants(Madama Butterfly) singing in Italian, or Celtic warriors and maidens singing in German(Tristan und Isolde)? This is opera, folks! I remember reading that Puccini considered this his favorite score, and the more I experience it the more I think he might have been right. It's more through-composed but no less melodic than many of his other scores. Dramatically, the story is a little corny and unbelievable, but it is also quite moving. The relationship between Minnie and the miners is endearing, and it leads to a conclusion that is satisfyingly bittersweet, a change of pace for the composer and a mood that is probably more difficult to pull off than a straight sad or happy ending. Besides, the story isn't so far removed from other Puccini operas...it has a strong romantic interest, a villain who tries to strike a deal for the hand of the woman he wants, using the life of her lover as collateral, eventually being outsmarted by the woman(a la Tosca), plus the card scene(three hands) foreshadows the three riddles in Turandot.I love La Fanciulla del West, and will continue to love it no matter how many critics try to devalue its rapturous beauty. Addio!

I rate the production and the opera 5 stars! The DVD is defective as others have reported and hangs up in the middle of Act II, so the product itself gets a big fat ZERO. I was able to repeatedly hit fast-forward and jump past the freeze, but DAMN it! I don't understand why Amazon continues to sell this item and can't manage to put pressure on Universal Music Group (which now owns Deutsche Grammophon and Decca) to make a corrective production run. Enough people have reported defective DVDs of this and also "Ernani" from the same company that you would think large sellers could amass some power on behalf of consumers!! Come on! The only reason I'm keeping this DVD is that I know it's almost impossible to get it replaced easily, as the entire production run produced faulty discs--and it appears to be hell to get anything out of Deutsche Grammophon directly.It irritates the crap out of me because I love, love, love this opera and particularly this production, in which Sherrill Milnes bestrides the earth as an obsessive and rather noble, menacing and cynical but not villainous lawman. The best of the best, even if he's not at his vocal peak, he brings out the character's vulnerability while not allowing him any charm. Nobody else has managed this. Domingo lacks a little stamina by his Act III aria, "Chel'a mi creda" (he grunts off some phrase ends) but still has the richness, legato and ring he had in earlier performances of this role--he may have been tired the night of this performance, is all. But his characterization is flawless. And so is Barbara Daniels' Minnie. Her persona is sunny and warm with the edge she needs to cheat at cards, fend off Rance's advances and play schoolmarm to a bunch of miners. The chorus is splendid (Anthony Laciura reliable as always), individualized, and characterful, and effort has been made to get them moving and milling about in small groups rather than standing around or moving in large blocs. Small roles, especially the guy singing Jake Wallace, are very well taken. The costuming and production atmosphere is unmatched--it looks like a bar in a gold rush mining town, people don't look all scrubbed like they just opened the costume box this morning; and the scena at Minnie's little shack leaves room on the giant Met stage for the snowy mountain scene just outside, where we actually get to SEE Milnes track down and shoot Domingo. Only production complaint: Act I is rather dimly lit because it's supposed to be twilight, but all the brown and sepia tone to the set and costuming absorbs most of the lighting, so the singers are a bit under-lit. But the whole thing just looks and sounds so right.But ARRGHHH this defective disc! Here's hoping UMG finally generates another production run of La Fanciulla and Ernani.

You can't go wrong with Domingo and Milnes. Milnes really got into his part as Rance and was totally believable. Domingo did a great job as well. Daniels was super. There have been complaints about her being chubby. I don't see this as an issue. It has only been in the last 50 years or so that people have demanded anorexic women. Daniels would have fit it perfectly in that time period. Her acting was spectacular. All the other characters were great as well. A good all around strong cast with great voices, great costumes, and great sets. Loved the horses, too, and the stage coach! Placido Domingo said recently that every performance is different, and people make mistakes. A singer does his/her best to sing the music and act the part they are playing, hoping that the audience will view the opera as a whole. Bearing that comment in mind, in opera, the music is a vehicle to tell a story. A vehicle, not the end in itself. So when an opera is evaluated, the entire opera should be taken into consideration, not just the technical expertise of the singer/s. In my view, even though there may be some lack in places with performance of the music, this production is exceptional because it truly captures the feel of the old West. It feels mostly right to me as an American whose heritage is represented here. It is certainly a more powerful production than the 2018 offering at the Met, even though that was enjoyable.

Il faut rendre grâce à Puccini d'avoir situé La Tosca à Rome, sinon on pourrait croire qu'il n'aimait pas beaucoup l'Italie : Turandot se passe en Chine, Butterfly au Japon, La Bohème et Manon Lescaut en France...et La Fanciulla au Far West!D'ailleurs, dans cette édition, le décor du 1er acte est si réaliste avec son saloon et ses cow-boys que l'on s'attend à tout moment à les voir s'exprimer en américain! Mais non, l'opéra est bien chanté en italien, et c'est ce qui en accentue encore l'exotisme.Domingo et Milnes, piliers du MET, ont l'attitude machiste qui convient à leur rôle, et Barbara Daniels joue parfaitement la fille au grand coeur qui semble être la seule femme au milieu de tous ces buveurs de whisky.Il y a beaucoup d'ambiance dans cette mise en scène, avec cigares et coups de feu, et même si on est loin de Pat Garrett ou de Jesse James, on se laisse facilement emporter par la musique et par cette intrigue ultra-conventionnelle dont le final arrache tout de même quelques larmes aux inconditionnels d'un Puccini toujours aussi sentimental.Dommage que, après avoir vu tant de chevaux passer et repasser, on n'ait pas droit à l'ultime arrivée de Minnie, venue sauver son bandit bien-aimé, sur un fougueux coursier!

Per i Melomani questa è un’edizione esemplare , ben diretta , ottimamente cantata e con scene e regia perfettamente aderenti alla vicenda.

ich bin ein sherill milnes fan und habe darum diese aufnahme gekauft.ich schätze auch domingo überaus. aber ich halte milnes für einen der attraktivsten männer mit einer der schönsten baritonstimmen, die je auf einer Opernbühne gesungen haben. so einfach ist das.mir gefällt aber die gesamte aufnahme. domingo singt und spielt überzeugend, wie fast immer. barbara daniels halte ich für eine perfekte besetzung der rolle. sie bringt alles mit, stimme, typ, herz.slatkin dirigiert temperament- und gefühlvoll, nimmt auf die sänger rücksicht und deckt sie nicht zu.die inszenierung halte ich für stimmig, obwohl sie total traditionell ist, bei diesem sujet finde ich das aber passend.eine aufnahme für fans schöner stimmen und schwelgerischer und auch dramatischer puccini musik! ich geniesse das ansehen und anhören jedes Mal!

Für alle, die sich schon immer gefragt haben; warum es kein Bonanza-Musical gibt... Puccini hat die Antwort.

Es ist bestimmt nicht Puccinis beste Oper, aber sie gehört ganz einfach in eine Opernsammlung. Diese Aufnahme hier lebt von den Sängern, besonders die beiden Kontrahenten Domingo und Milns tragen dazu bei, dass die Aufnahmen sehenswert ist.Im ersten Akt gibt es eine Unmasse männlicher Nebenrollen, richtig interessant wird es dann ab dem 2. Akt.Bis auf die eine Tenorarie, die man hin und wieder in einem Konzert zu hören bekommt, gibt es keinerlei "Puccini-Ohrwürmer".Aber trotz allem ist die Oper sehens- und hörenswert.