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- Verdi - Rigoletto / Luciano Pavarotti, Ingvar Wixell, Edita Gruberova, Victoria Vergara, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Riccardo Chailly
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Good...but nowhere near great.
Aida is certainly one of my favorite operas. However this is not a great recording.
Domingo has been a truly great tenor, but is not in this recording. He is stiff, as usual, and too old for the character. Millo in blackface is absolutely ridiculous, and while she may be the "best Verdi soprano of the last 25 years" she is no Price or Tebaldi. On the bright side Zajick is VERY good both vocally and in character.
The videography is truly horrendous. Either the characters are so far away that they are indistinguishable or so close and shot from such an odd angle that it looks ludicrous. The sound is simple stereo (an in places in need of serious remastering).
I have shelved this recording after forcing myself all the way through a couple of times. I am not greatly impressed.
Rating: 
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Excellent Recording!
This DVD recording of "Aida" is a feast for the eyes and the ears!
Even though it's from a few years ago, the voices are outstanding and
the recording clear and up to date. This is my favorite opera of all
time and this DVD really does it justice. I recommend it highly!
Rating: -
Verdi - Aida/Levine, Domingo, Millo
Verdi's music is wonderful. The singers did a very good job. The staging was spectacular. We thoroughly enjoyed the opera.
Rating: -
My favorite Aida - so far.
I bought the VHS version instead of the DVD because the latter does not have any digital enhancements. So try getting a used VHS copy. Overall the set designs and presentations are excellent EXCEPT a tad dark in unexpected places, such as the victory march scenes.
Placido Domingo as Radames is top notch although past his prime vocally. In Act 1, Celeste Aida sounded quite flat as compared to the Pavorati version. I must say that I prefer Franco Corelli's performance (see Art Of Singing DVD) much better but I cannot find a Corelli Aida.
Dolora Zaijick as Amneris is superb rendering her mezzo just beautifully.
Aprile Millo as Aida is very good and yes she had ebon makeup to validate her Egyptian slave persona. However, compare her 'O patria mia' with that of Leontyne Price in the 'Art of Singing' DVD. There is no comparison. Ms. Price sounds just top notch. All in all Ms. Millo's performance is very good.
I recommend this work wholeheartedly. Well worth your time.
Rating: 
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Can't Get Lost in the Dream
First, I am not a serious opera critic, so I cannot address the quality of the voice issue in the way that some other reviewers have. I am, however, a regular consumer of opera. I attend the opera a couple of times a year and at the best of them, I am transported to a different place, lose all sense of self, time and place. - A few weeks ago I was at the Met and heard Flemming sing Violetta, for example and was nearly moved to tears.
This production is disappointing to me because it has the feel of having been shot by a camcorder from the back of the room. Having seen Terfel and Flemming's DVD of Don Giovanni, I know it can be done much, much better. The problem here is that the set is enormous and the people are small. The camera takes too many distance shots where you can't see the singers and so it feels tinny.
If I want opera for the musical quality alone, I will buy a CD. For a DVD, I want film-like production values and camera work. This DVD is a let down.