Product: Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors (1955)
Rating: 5.0
The magic is still there
Watching the holiday live TV broadcasts of this opera are an indelible part of my childhood. We also had an LP of the opera, and I knew the libretto by memory.For years I have been looking for a copy of this opera, and was very excited to see, in time for the 2007 holidays that this DVD had finally been released. Now with nieces and nephews the same age I was when this opera was such an important part of the family holiday celebrations, I wanted to share.But - would this 1953 black & white version, with no special effects that kids now expect hold up? Would they watch for about 5 minutes and leave the room?Hooray! They (nephews 10 and 4 yrs old, niece 7) were totally engrossed. They are regular churchgoers and go to a church-run private school. They also have taken Suzuki piano lessons since age 4, so may have had more exposure to both the message and the kind of music than some other childrenI found it to be more profound as an adult than I remembered from childhood. The weaving in of so many moments of Grace in a 45 minute production is so skilled that I hope with proper introduction, many children will have the opportunity to add this wonderful experience to their family's annual celebrations.