Editorial Review:

Description:
The present recording was made at a performance in Busseto, Verdi's birthplace, in the Emilia Romagna region. There, in 2001, a whole series of events marked the 100th anniversary of the composer's death. The small, 328-seat Teatro Verdi, built in Verdi's lifetime, provided the ensemble of La Scala, Milan, under its principal conductor Riccardo Muti, with a particularly captivating backdrop, and the mainly young singers -- including 31-year-old shooting star Ambrogio Maestri in the title role, exciting young tenor Juan Diego Flórez as Fenton and internationally acclaimed Barbara Frittoli as Alice -- gave superb performances. The special appeal of this production lies, however, not only in the excellent quality of the music; there is also the fact that the scenery and costumes were recreated from a historical performance of 1913. Back then, Arturo Toscanini had performed the work in the same location to mark Verdi's 100th birthday. The orchestra at that performance was similarly reduced in forces, which means that this performance follows an altogether highly regarded tradition. What is more, this 'chamber opera' version complies with the composer's wish for the work to be staged in Sant'Agata (just a few miles from Busseto), and the intimacy of the theatre in Busseto certainly does correspond to the personal character of the work. The lively and witty direction of the young Italian Ruggero Cappuccio combines the historical backdrop with the vitality of modern direction.









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Rating: - Tutto nel mondo e burla...
Famous Verdi`s operatic last words: "Tutto nel mondo e burla, l`uomo e nato burlone burlon" would translate in something like "Everything in this world is a tease. Human beings were born teasers". Everytime I listen at this opera I get the strange feeling that indeed, old Verdi has been teasing us with an opera that breaks every single stylistic paradigm, demonstrating to the hypercritical young composers of his times (including Arrigo Boito himself) that old Verdi could rule even on the territory of the verismo. If I should have to define Falstaff with a single word that would be: "Exquisite". The monumental darkness of Othello and the Requiem are left behind and Falstaff rises as a completely fresh, "young" and enlightened approach to the Italian opera for the XX century. I perceive Falstaff as an intimate masterpiece that reflects the maturity and tranquillity of mind of the old maestro during his last years of life in the bucolic settings of Sant`Agata. That is why I really liked this version of Falstaff constrained to a small theatre and to a reduced orchestra under the conduction of the legendary Muti. Probably Verdi would have approved this small scale approach to his opera rather that the lavish and opulent approach of Zeffirelli`s MET staging. It is true that, at times, the acting and movement of the singers are much constrained by the dimensions of the stage but they are highly compensated by the impeccable musical interpretation of their parts. True that Ambrogio Maestri is not the best Falstaff ever, but it is also true that the chemistry between Juan Diego Florez and Cathrina Antonacci is fantastic. As one of the reviewers said Florez last act aria pays for the admission. This is perhaps the best Fenton I have ever had the chance to listen at.

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Rating: - Could it be better?
The only qualification that I could imagine someone making about this miraculous performance is that it takes place in a very small theater on a very small stage. But the singers are all fantastic--just to hear Florez sing Fenton's Act III aria is worth the price of admission. The women are simply delightful, Falstaff rich and characterful; only Ford is a bit mild and reserved. The sets are delicate, evocative and wonderfully old-fashioned (based on a 1913 Toscanini-conducted performance). Muti's conducting is light and effective--one needs to get adjusted to the lack of a full string section, but once that is made, everything flows beautifully. This really is a great, intimate performance and video. You feel lucky to be present in a small, cultured Italian town with the best singers and musicians imaginable.

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Rating: - I bought it ... and regretted it.
I was persuaded to buy this dvd by the other reviewers. As I teach this work in class, I was looking to upgrade my beloved, older vhs of the 1983 Covent Garden performance with Bruson and Giulini, so that I could more easily access selected scenes.

However, I was sorely disappointed by this performance. Despite the reviewers' comments, I found the staging and performances to be leaden, with everyone most often simply standing in a line and singing with their eyes on the conductor, not on each other. In fact, Maestri seemed downright uncomfortable in the role and not able to take his eyes off of Muti. And I agree with the reviewer who said that Meastri is made up to look like Bozo the Clown! Falstaff is a real, dimensional character -- silly yet loveable, who ultimately wins our sympathy and respect. None of that character subtlety is in Maestri's performance for me -- especially coming on the heels of Bruson's totally convincing performance on the vhs/Covent Garden version. At the end of this performance, as the orchestra plays out after the fugue, the Covent Garden performance has everyone dancing about in general merrymaking -- here they all simply stand in a line (again!) with their arms raised like a bad high school musical tableau.

If you're considering this performance -- keep looking.

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Rating: - A Marvelous Production of Superior Singers!
I loved this production. It was lively and colorful.The costumes were copies of the 1913 production. The singers were the best, starting with the principal singer Ambroglio Maestri. Barbara Frittoli, Frontali, Mula and Antonacci were absolutely fantastic. Bernadette Manca di Nissa was a great Mrs. Quickly. Although the stage was small, the singers were able to make the best of space. The stereo surround sound was really wonderful. The Met production cannot compare to this one. Costumes were simpler and sets not too appealing. The best of this Falstaff was the clarity of the Italian. Every singer's Italian was crisp and clear for anyone who understands Italian to catch every nuance. Bravo Verdi!
What octets and quartets!

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Rating: - Lifeless Exhumation
A comic masterpiece is given a dull performance in this restaging of a 1913 "historical" production. The stage is severely cramped, making for some bizarre directorial touches, the sets not much more than painted flats, the costumes (particularly those for the female leads) quite unattractive. For me the biggest drawback of the performance is Ambrosio Maestri's characterization of Falstaff. Maestri plays the knight like a complete buffoon, totally for laughs (and is, bizarrely, made up to look just like Bozo the Clown). Having recently seen Kevin Kline's brilliant, understated interpretation of Shakespeare's Falstaff at Lincoln Center, I'm of the confirmed opinion that to play him successfully, an actor (or singer, as the case may be) must play him completely straight. Yes, Falstaff is a fool, but HE certainly doesn't see himself that way. Bryn Terfel knows this, as he so beautifully demonstrated at the Met last year, and on a Covent Garden DVD, also with Barbara Frittoli. (The less said about that bizarre production, the better). Florez is in wonderful voice here (when is he not?), as is his Nanetta, but the performance never takes off. I look forward to Zeffirelli's Met Opera production coming out on DVD.