With this first DVD Giveaway, FanFaire celebrates
PLÁCIDO DOMINGO and LA OPERA as the Company, headed by
Domingo, winds up another record season with its first full-length
zarzuela production: "LUISA FERNANDA."
"HOMMAGE a SEVILLA" is a fitting giveaway:
it pays homage to SEVILLA, the scene of many a great opera, and
in a broader sense celebrates SPAIN, the country of birth of the
ZARZUELA and the art form's most ardent champion in the operatic
world, the great tenor PLÁCIDO DOMINGO.
Actually filmed
on location more than two decades ago (in 1981) by the eminent
opera director, the late Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, the DVD is pure
DOMINGO, showcasing the tenor at the peak of his powers both as
a singer and an actor. The film won the 1984 EMMY Award
for "Outstanding Classical Program in the Performing Arts."
The
project was a brainchild of Domingo himself, for which he
chose six operas: Don Giovanni, Carmen, Fidelio, Il barbiere
di Siviglia, La forza del destino and El gato montés,
in some of which he sings the roles he became famous for AND
in the rest, roles not one of us at this point would instantly
attach to his name. But, as you will see, he sings them as
if he has owned the roles all his life as well.
Clearly, he decided to have some fun, as he obviously did - and
as JAMES LEVINE who with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra provided
the orchestral music and Ponnelle, directing Domingo, undoubtedly
also did. And we're sure you will too.
There's more to the DVD than opera scenes. While the soundtrack
is pure Domingo, the backdrop is pure SEVILLA, and Domingo provides
insightful commentary on both the opera and the scenery, as he takes
the viewer on a tour of the beautiful, historic city. Domingo's
artistry and Ponnelle's cinematic eye vividly capture how the great
composers of the featured operas must have imagined their characters
as they frolicked and made love, struggled and triumphed, lived
and died in this uniquely picturesque setting.
The video, excerpted above with permission, gives you a glimpse
and, we hope, temptation enough for you to join us in celebrating
DOMINGO, LA OPERA and FANFAIRE as it enters its 10th year.
