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[Tassie Devil]

COMPOSER: Poulenc

Disc Title: Dialogues des Carmelites

Disc catalog: ArtHaus 101 494    Recording Date:  2008       Program Length: 166 mins A live Staatsoper Hamburg production

Cast: Alexia Voulgaridou (Blanche de la Force), Wolfgang Schöne (Marquis de la Force), Nikolai Schukoff (Le chevalier de la Force), Kathryn Harries (Madame de Croissy), Anne Schwanewilms (Madame Lidoine), Gabriele Schnaut (Mère Marie de l‘Incarnation) Staatsoper Hamburg, Simone Young (conductor) & Nikolaus Lehnhoff (director) Set Design by Raimund Bauer.

Video rating: 4/5  Something wrong with one of the cameras??    Audio type: DTS HD MA 7.1, PCM Stereo No mention of bitrates      Audio rating: 5/5

Overall rating: 5/5

Summary comment: A stunning production

Author: Tassie Devil Date: August 3 2010

Detailed Comment: It is unusual for an opera to be so true to life as this one is - based on actual tragic events.  The singing is very dramatic in keeping with Poulenc's glorious music and the staging is suitably simple, stark and effectively lit.  However the video was not up to the usual unblemished BD quality on the system used here (a Sony player into a recent model Sony 46" TV).  The resolution etc was fine but every so often one could see a mosquito net effect on the faces.  As this was so inconsistent and switched on and off inbetween shots I can only guess it was a fault in one camera and occurs in the master copy. A pity the production is blemished in this way.
Although this was composed in the 20th century it is not discordent and has some beautiful moments which can make the hair stand up on the back of the neck.  But it might not be everyone's cup of tea, particularly if you are not a fan of the soprano voice because there is very little male singing in this work.
So, highly recommended, with a note of caution.  The work itself, the audio quality and the artistry involved are first rate, but the faulty video can be distracting.

[pietro]

I love this opera and also really enjoyed this BD.

It's a while since I watched it but at the time I thought the mosquito net effect was coming from the gauze curtain at the front of stage and depending on the shot the gauze was sometimes in focus as well. Must have another look.

[Tassie Devil]

pietro, on Aug 4 2010, 08:13 AM, said:

I love this opera and also really enjoyed this BD.

It's a while since I watched it but at the time I thought the mosquito net effect was coming from the gauze curtain at the front of stage and depending on the shot the gauze was sometimes in focus as well. Must have another look.

Please post back what you find.   I was unaware of any gauze curtain and scratch my head about why it would be there.  Wouldn't there be gross reflection from it caused by spotlights?

John

[pietro]

Tassie Devil, on Aug 4 2010, 10:43 AM, said:

Please post back what you find.   I was unaware of any gauze curtain and scratch my head about why it would be there.  Wouldn't there be gross reflection from it caused by spotlights?

John

I think you'll find with opera and ballet that there is occasionally a gauze at the front of the stage. Sometimes it's lifted, sometimes left for the whole performance.

This might give more information and there is a paragraph about applications to stage lighting:

http://en.wikipedia....crim_(material)