Set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush, Puccini's 1910 opera has been called the world's first spaghetti western. In this 2009 mounting from De Nederlandse Opera, conductor Carlo Rizzi leads a solid reading of the score, which may not rank with the composer's best but is still engaging. Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek is a standout as Minnie, the saloonkeeper who rescues bandit lover Dick Johnson from Sheriff Jack Rance and the locals who threaten to hang him. Westbroek not only handles the considerable vocal demands of the part, but displays considerable dramatic skills as well. Unfortunately, neither Lucio Gallo as Rance nor Zoran Todorovich as Johnson are in the same league. What truly undoes this performance, however, is Nikolaus Lehnhoff's staging, which situates the action in some temporal neverland, with modernized outfits (many in black leather) and garish contemporary sets (including a neon pink room in Act II and what appears to be an auto junkyard in Act III). Added to this are periodic allusions to Wall Street trading—mostly via contemporary film footage screened against the rear of the stage—and an oddball moment at the close when Minnie appears decked out like Marilyn Monroe, striding down a staircase with the MGM logo projected behind her. Despite fine sound (DTS 5.1 and LPCM stereo on DVD; DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray), Lehnhoff's production choices fatally undermine this presentation. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and a cast gallery. Optional. (F. Swietek)
La Fanciulla del West
(2010) 159 min. In Italian w/English subtitles. DVD: $32.98, Blu-ray: $45.98. Opus Arte (dist. by Naxos of America). Volume 26, Issue 2
La Fanciulla del West
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