La campana sommersa

First, the visuals--sets, costumes and scenography are totally pleasing to the eye. The music itself is a welcome discovery, it is both lyrical and contemporary. Not a bad singer in the batch--but I want to single out the phenomenal Valentina Farcas and the tenor, Angelo Villari, whom I also have performing in I Shardana and La Donna Serpente.Il Teatro Lirico di Cagliari has some of the most adventurous repertory in Europe, and their productions are solidly comfortable to the eye and the ear.

Everything Mr. Villanueva said in his review is spot on. This is an excellent performance from every angle. I admit, I wasn’t familiar with this opera prior to viewing the Blu-ray, or with Respighi’s music in general, and I’ve only seen it once, so bear that in mind when you read this evaluation. For those who do know the composer, and the opera, well, there’s no need to elaborate on its glories, but for others, here’s a brief rundown of what to expect musically. I would describe the style of La Campana Sommera as late romantic, in other words not unfamiliar to those acquainted with the post-Elektra output of Richard Strauss. There are certainly traces of Respighi’s countryman and contemporary Puccini, mostly in small moments rather than extended passages, but I found it even more similar to the Czech composers Janacek and Dvorak, especially in how Respighi so adeptly translates the sounds of nature into solid orchestral motifs. And of course the fairy tale-like story has unmistakable similarities to Dvorak’s magnificent opera Rusalka. I admit, at first I found the work almost too defined by its influences, with an almost generic quality to it, but over the course of my listening I was eventually won over by Respighi’s subtle though undeniable individuality as a composer. Maybe what distinguishes him from those others I mentioned, and again this is based on very limited exposure, is that his music is less forceful and dynamic, perhaps more meditative, plus a certain innocence and sweetness in his style, though never as sentimental as Puccini, the absolute immersion in the primeval that his sound world provides, and an overall sense of wistfulness, a longing for the ineffable beauty of both the natural world and of myth. Not only am I looking forward to watching the opera again, but it also makes me eager to seek out more of Respighi’s offerings.I wasn’t familiar with any of these singers before but found myself quite impressed, in particular the lead tenor and soprano. The orchestral accompaniment was lush and lovely. Again, I have nothing to compare this performance against, but I can’t imagine Respighi’s opera sounding better. The production is as good as anything you’ll find in the major houses, true to the text and illustrative of its themes and also beautiful to look at, employing dance, projected film, colorful and enchanting lighting, diverse sets, in addition to imaginative makeup and costumes. Like Respighi’s music, it creates a consistent and believable fantasy world. I watched the opera last night and still haven’t shaken it off, which is possibly the highest praise you can give to any work of art. For both devotees of the composers and neophytes like myself, I give this video performance my most avid recommendation.

Although this opera was a big success when premiered in 1927, it faded to oblivious after World War II. Kudos to Teatro Lirico di Cagliari for the revival. Based on a poem by Literature Nobel laurate Gerhart Hauptmann, it portrays various conflictive situations and emotions, between Christian faith and pagan believes, between real and fable worlds, love, betrayal, remorse, gilt and ambition. Its philosophical ambiguities makes it interesting.Respighi’s score is notable for its atmospheric expression, and is expressive romanticism, some of it reminiscent of his Roman trilogy (Fountains, Pines and Festivals). In fact, he wrote explicit instructions for the sets, which this production achieved beautifully utilizing modern technology.All the cast is up to the task, in particular Farcas as the young elf-girl Rautendelein and Villari as the bell-caster Enrico. In summary, a very interesting and pleasant production of a lesser known opera that deserves some recognition. The filming and sound are of very good quality (Bluray version).The accompanying booklet includes a useful historical background, but lacks details of the plot itself.Highly recommended, in particular since I don’t expect to have an additional recording in the near future.

Great production and recording with lavish colorful eye candy sets and wonderful singing of the music of this relatively obscure opera by Respighi. This is a great discovery for me, and I’m sure it will be especially for opera lovers who only listen to the great standards like Puccini, Donizetti and Verdi.Soprano Valentina Farcas stands out as a central jewel in this production. We have only seen her in published recordings of Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, I Capuleti, and Handel’s Oreste (in Berlin). I have seen her performances in I Capuleti and in one solo Handel concert in Hannover, and I wish she had more published recordings.

Libretto incomprehensible and rather boring music. I guess the production of this opera is as good as it can get, but still irritating. Can’t stand to hear that ‘bet kek a kek’ crap once more. Time to listen to or watch a different real Italian opera master whose name also starts with R and ends in I

This opera is not famous like some others. We watched it and liked it. It is unusual and only opera theater lovers will appreciate it.

I have to give the Sardinia opera house credit for a visual stunning production. But the story really disintegrates as it progresses. Just doesn't make any sense! This is an opera to watch once to check it off your having seen list, then to be discarded!

Rare to find a Respighi opera and this is beautifully staged and performed.

If you are familiar with Respighi music, this is after the style of "The Pines Of Rome", no great arias or melodies but the music supports the characters, and there thoughts and moods and is brilliantly orchestrated.The sets are are brilliant. Starting with the woodland scene with a pathway which merges into the projected backdrop.The backdrop also changes almost without being noticeable from one time of day to another and varies to reflect variations in the plot. The scene within the cottage is also very well done.The plot is really a rather sad love story, but the characters are from two sides, the humans and the forest creatures.The costumes and make up of the fauns, elves, the remarkable Ondine, and the elves is second to none, a credit to the wardrobe and make up artists.Our heroine is the woodland faun, Rautendelein played by Valentina Farcas, a light but expressive soprano who seems to be made for the part.Our hero is Enrico, a very good tenor who excels in his more emotional moments, he is the bell maker, and part of the plot involves the woodland creatures not wishing it to be installed in the village, so they put it in the lake.The inhabitant of the lake, The Ondine, is not only worthy of mention for hid base baritone, but also for his fantasticcostume, and his hole in the ground. He is sung by Thomas Gazheli.The witch, Agostina Smimmero is a worthy mezzo, and is incidentallythe the grandmother of Rautendelein.The other main character, Magda who is the wife of Enrico, has a short but passionate role in act two is Maria Luigia Borsi, a strong soprano.There are a number of minor nominated roles and there is not a weak link among them.I would refrain from developing the plot more, but one little snag is that in he extensively informative booklet I cannot find a synopsis, so looked one up on the internet.Thus I recommend this opera as among the best all round production in my collection, and will be aired very regularly.

Felice ripresa di un'opera assai poco rappresentata. Degne di nota le prestazioni vocali di tutti i protagonisti. Regia e scene che, secondo me, centrano molto bene l'atmosfera fiabesca del dramma catturando lo spettatore in magici giochi di luci ed effetti speciali, con l'alternarsi di boschi misteriosi, paesaggi lunar e di montagne abitate da creature fantastiche. Ottima la direzione di Renzetti che bene riproduce le mille sfaccettature dell'opera, ora misteriosa, ora carica di tensione come nel duetto e nel finale del secondo atto. Insomma, una bella sorpresa da mettere nello scaffale e rivedere di tanto in tanto.

Je suis rude avec cet opéra que je ne connaissais pas.Il a certes une belle musique mais l'intrigue est tellement tire bouchonnée qu'on s'endort parfois.Et il n'y a aucune explication dans le booklet dont on se demande pourquoi il a été fait.;Les chanteurs sont bons la mise en scène non délirante.De la à aller comparer avec Russalka.... On peut acheter à titre documentaire mais rien ne vaut un bon vieux Mozart!!!

Un opéra rare que j'ai beaucoup aimé. Les interprètes et sont excellents. Tout est parfait et l'enregistrement est excellent

Quite a good opera although I found the continuity of the story line a bit confusing especially between acts 2 an 3. Also the lighting was far too dim.