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Product Description
Shakespearean adaptation, written by Britain's most famous 20th Century composer, Benjamin Britten. This version was directed by theatre impresario Sir Peter Hall, and performed at the famous Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Forest spirits Oberon and Tytania exercise their powers mischievously upon a quartet of lovers and a hapless group of would-be thespians who find themselves in the wrong wood on midsummer night. Includes accompanying booklet.
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Sogno Di Una Notte Di Mezza Estate / A Midsummer Night's Dream
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By J. Tyrrell
Format:DVD
Benjamin Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream - Glyndebourne Festival Opera [1981]
I like performances of opera which don't look like they are films just taken in the theatre. They escape from the environment even if the theatre and surroundings are used at the outset. The use of faces in the audience listening to Mozart's Magic Flute directed by Ingmar Bergman is a case in point. The viewer can share the emotions they express. In this Dream the camera enters into the mysterious woodland setting and sets an atmosphere. What is this? There are shadowy figures in the trees. Whether human or not we are left to imagine. Peter Hall is the director who brings the wood to life, Bernard Haitink conducts the London Philharmonic as expertly as we expect from him.
The performers are from among the top singers with James Bowman as Oberon, King of the Fairies, who I associate with Brittens' music, and Ileana Cotrubus who I don't. Others such as Felicity Lott are among the cast. It is Puck who captures attention. He is one of a group of boys who are Oberon's courtiers and mischief is clearly what they are up to.
The troop of players including are fun, but I have to say having seen Geraint Evans in the role of Bottom at Covent Garden it is a hard act to follow. On that occasion Evans brought the house down.
I have now purchased four copies of this version of Britten's MND since I've ended passing them on to others, including my 8 year old grand daughter who was captivated.
I like performances of opera which don't look like they are films just taken in the theatre. They escape from the environment even if the theatre and surroundings are used at the outset. The use of faces in the audience listening to Mozart's Magic Flute directed by Ingmar Bergman is a case in point. The viewer can share the emotions they express. In this Dream the camera enters into the mysterious woodland setting and sets an atmosphere. What is this? There are shadowy figures in the trees. Whether human or not we are left to imagine. Peter Hall is the director who brings the wood to life, Bernard Haitink conducts the London Philharmonic as expertly as we expect from him.
The performers are from among the top singers with James Bowman as Oberon, King of the Fairies, who I associate with Brittens' music, and Ileana Cotrubus who I don't. Others such as Felicity Lott are among the cast. It is Puck who captures attention. He is one of a group of boys who are Oberon's courtiers and mischief is clearly what they are up to.
The troop of players including are fun, but I have to say having seen Geraint Evans in the role of Bottom at Covent Garden it is a hard act to follow. On that occasion Evans brought the house down.
I have now purchased four copies of this version of Britten's MND since I've ended passing them on to others, including my 8 year old grand daughter who was captivated.
10 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Nicholas Casley
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's easy to understand how this production received such good reviews. The staging is as magical as the play, the opening scene in the forest where Oberon meets Tytania is a triumph of design at every level. And the brilliance of the subtle and flexible nighttime woodland stage retains interest throughout. The costumes and make-up of all the mystical woodland players are superb.
So why only four stars? Despite the faultless playing of the orchestra under Bernard Haitink, the production often clearly became a purely filmic rather than a live experience. Cast will occasionally look direct at the camera and perform to camera rather than to the imaginary audience. And then, a few minutes later, one can hear the response of the audience to events happening on stage. This resulted for me in confusion as to what exactly I was watching. The direct appeal to camera by some stars became uncomfortably bad and amusing, and I therefore thought that the DVD as a whole lacked a certain gravitas. It would have retained integrity if it had been a straightforward direct production before a Glyndbourne audience, or if it had been completely filmed without audience but in a manner that did not directly involve the viewer.
The stars of the show are, for me, Ileana Cotrubas (a feisty and tender Tytania), James Bowman (a serene but also dark Oberon), Curt Appelgren (a marvellous Bottom), and Felicity Lott (a compelling Helena). Oh, and Puck, played by a young boy Damien Nash (where is he now?) is a mischevious delight.
Overall, then, a superb production slightly marred by the manner of its appearance on DVD. But this midsummer magic nevertheless remains long in the memory.
So why only four stars? Despite the faultless playing of the orchestra under Bernard Haitink, the production often clearly became a purely filmic rather than a live experience. Cast will occasionally look direct at the camera and perform to camera rather than to the imaginary audience. And then, a few minutes later, one can hear the response of the audience to events happening on stage. This resulted for me in confusion as to what exactly I was watching. The direct appeal to camera by some stars became uncomfortably bad and amusing, and I therefore thought that the DVD as a whole lacked a certain gravitas. It would have retained integrity if it had been a straightforward direct production before a Glyndbourne audience, or if it had been completely filmed without audience but in a manner that did not directly involve the viewer.
The stars of the show are, for me, Ileana Cotrubas (a feisty and tender Tytania), James Bowman (a serene but also dark Oberon), Curt Appelgren (a marvellous Bottom), and Felicity Lott (a compelling Helena). Oh, and Puck, played by a young boy Damien Nash (where is he now?) is a mischevious delight.
Overall, then, a superb production slightly marred by the manner of its appearance on DVD. But this midsummer magic nevertheless remains long in the memory.
5 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The extreme disappointment I felt after first watching this Midsummer Night's Dream has been tempered a little by subsequent viewings, but there is no doubt in my mind that this is a seriously flawed performance.
With a couple of key exceptions which I'll get to in a minute, it's hard to blame individual performers. They range from quite good to superb. Top prize goes to Damien Nash, whose impish looks and voice set a benchmark for the role of Puck. He is far better than the rather plummy and stiff Stephen Terry in the old 1960 recording conducted by the composer. The lovers acquit themselves well, particularly Cynthia Buchan in the role of Hermia and Felicity Lott as Helena. Their Act 2 scrap is appropriately catty, hard as it is to imagine anyone taking exception to the ever-delightful Flott. Lieuwe Visser and Claire Powell perform well in the small parts of Theseus and Hippolyta, somewhat less stuffy than John Shirley-Quirk and Helen Watts in the 1960 recording. Individually the Rustics are fine, Curt Appelgren as Bottom and Patrick Power as Flute deserving special mention. Power makes more of Flute/Thisbe than the standard drag queen portrayal and Appelgren gives us a Pyramus/Bottom who calls for sympathy as well as laughter.
As far as perfomances are concerned, it's the fairies who let the side down (Puck excepted), starting with Oberon and Tytania. James Bowman's Oberon, hooting out of the forest, has the range of vocal and visual expression of a stuffed owl. Ileana Cotrubas seems to believe Tytania is producing a toothpaste commercial. Time flies in lead boots when either is on stage.... Read more ›
With a couple of key exceptions which I'll get to in a minute, it's hard to blame individual performers. They range from quite good to superb. Top prize goes to Damien Nash, whose impish looks and voice set a benchmark for the role of Puck. He is far better than the rather plummy and stiff Stephen Terry in the old 1960 recording conducted by the composer. The lovers acquit themselves well, particularly Cynthia Buchan in the role of Hermia and Felicity Lott as Helena. Their Act 2 scrap is appropriately catty, hard as it is to imagine anyone taking exception to the ever-delightful Flott. Lieuwe Visser and Claire Powell perform well in the small parts of Theseus and Hippolyta, somewhat less stuffy than John Shirley-Quirk and Helen Watts in the 1960 recording. Individually the Rustics are fine, Curt Appelgren as Bottom and Patrick Power as Flute deserving special mention. Power makes more of Flute/Thisbe than the standard drag queen portrayal and Appelgren gives us a Pyramus/Bottom who calls for sympathy as well as laughter.
As far as perfomances are concerned, it's the fairies who let the side down (Puck excepted), starting with Oberon and Tytania. James Bowman's Oberon, hooting out of the forest, has the range of vocal and visual expression of a stuffed owl. Ileana Cotrubas seems to believe Tytania is producing a toothpaste commercial. Time flies in lead boots when either is on stage.... Read more ›
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this production a great deal. It sounded lovely and looked ravishing. It felt like a production that was about the music.
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