Product: Donizetti - Roberto Devereux / Rudel, Sills, Alexander, New York City Opera (1975)
Rating: 5.0
SILLS' CLASSIC PERFORMANCE CAPTURED ON VIDEO
When 20th century operatic history is written, there will be certain interpretations that writers will say stood out and must be counted as the greatest of their time: Callas' NORMA, Sutherland's LUCIA, Nilsson's Brunnhilde and Isolde, and without a doubt Sills' Elizabeth in Roberto Devereux. Fortunately, we are lucky enough to have Miss Sills' interpretation captured on video and now, thanks to VAI remastered beautifully (and conveniently) on DVD. Even though Cleopatra in JULIUS CAESAR brought Miss Sills international superstardom initially, it is the role of Elizabeth with which she will be most identified and which put her on the cover of Time Magazine in 1971 when this production at New York City Opera was new. This performance from Wolf Trap in the summer of 1975 finds Miss Sills in less fresh voice than those early performances, principally because of health problems that beset her in late 1974. But her performance is so powerful that a few hints of strain here and there only seem to reinforce the character's inward emotional battle between love and jealousy for the young Devereux which brings about his execution at the end of the opera. Her performance is a complete bel canto tour de force. Every physical gesture and attitude has been thoughtout, from her somewhat mannish gait to her habit of strumming her fingers on the arm of her throne. It's nice to have subtitles (non-optional I'm afraid) but if one new the basic story, one probably wouldn't need them because of the way Sills telegraphs every emotion with her voice and her body. Sills colleagues, Susanne Marsee and Richard Fredricks give fine performances and John Alexander (also somewhat late in his career) turns in a fine aria at the end of his. (Can someone explain why he does not bow at the end of the opera?) The somewhat sparse but evocative production from NYCO transfers to Wolf Trap pretty well (even though the chorus is obviously a summer fabrication). Costumes, especially Miss Sills' are lavish and extremely colorful. Miss Sills' famous make-up is so well done that one almost forgets one is watching Beverly Sills. The conducting of Julius Rudel is idiomatic and one can tell that he has worked with Sills from the beginning of rehearsals on every rhythmic and interpretive nuance. The recorded sound is nothing to brag about, being somewhat below the standard of what we were to expect from the Met Telecasts which began two years later in 1977. But perhaps the blame may be put on the outdoor summer festival conditions at the time. You are not to buy this DVD for it's state of the art sound or video quality (which by the way is much improved from the VHS tape available for years). Buy it for one thing only: Sills' classic and justifiably lauded performance. We were greatful when it was filmed for television and we should be extremely greatful to VAI for releasing this one of a kind performance on DVD.