Massenet: Cherubin (HD)

This DVD does quite well what it sets out to do: present a light comic opera so it will appear to an audience as a light comic opera. The singers do what they are supposed to do with panache, the costumes are appropriately colorful and the setting suitably subdued to highlight them all the better.The sound is quite good as is the filming. As always I have trouble visually accepting a woman in a man's (albeit a young man's) role but it is a convention which apparently has stood the test of changing customs and, I suppose, we will have to live with it. To our great advantage as compared to the live audience, the subtitles are excellent, allowing us to know exactly what is being sung. (It is possible the audience, too, were allowed the benefit of this modern contrivance, introduced into American opera houses by Beverly Sills...but it was not visible to the DVD audience.) The opera runs 2 hours with no dull sections to allow the eyes to glaze over...and one can take breaks at will.All in all, while I know that this nowhere ranks among the "must hear" operas nor is it listed among Massenet's "best". Never mind. It is a crowd pleaser and will likely please you as well. It appears at this time (Nov 2015), to be the only version available on Amazon so comparisons with others a reviewer may have seen (I have seen no others) are not relevant in this Christmas buying season.

It is so beautiful and aesthetically! Fantastic! So much grace and beauty! We would like to see only beauty in the theater.

I am amazed at the five-star ratings given by the three reviewers before me. Massenet's "second-rate" [according to the booklet in the box]opera has no story, poor libretto and none of the quality music composed by Massenet in his Thais or Manon. The performance by the Cagliary Opera [Sardinia], though it is visually very colorful, could not do much to improve on the original work, even when they put Ms. Ciofi on the stage. Most of the others - hard to call them singers - are just bleating at each-other the meaningless texts of the libretto.There is no storyline, only a character taken from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro: Cherubino. This character does not evolve or change which makes everything stationary. There are about three or four arias altogether, two of them sang by Ms. Ciofi, who is on stage only in the Act 2 and 3. As the NY Times critic, Alex Ross, once said, "and the rest is noise".Don't fell for the reviews, this is not worth to see. I rate it near the bottom for my collection of 450 operas!

This is one of the most enjoyable opera DVDs I've ever seen. The playful production by Paul Curran (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari [Sardinia]) has a wealth of clever touches, and the sets and costumes are lovely, whimsical, imaginative, and wonderfully captured in HD video. This is also one of the most beautifully lit productions I've seen on DVD, too: the garden scene at the end of Act II and Ensoleillad's aubade scene in Act III are exceptionally beautiful.The libretto for "Cherubin" (1905), an homage to Beaumarchais and da Ponte, takes up the story of the character Cherubino from Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro" and shows him suffering his first great disappointment in love, his rejection by the courtesan/dancer Ensoleillad. All ends happily, however, as Cherubin finds his real destiny in Nina, a girl his own age. The story is tightly constructed, the text full of wit and humor in lighter moments and rapturous poetry in the love scenes, and the DVD's subtitles are expertly handled.As for the music, this is Massenet in one of his most joyous and gorgeous moods. There are beauties galore--marvelous combinations of instruments; dreamy, erotic scenes with music of wondrous delicacy and otherworldly harmonies; achingly beautiful scenes of tender love and wistful regret. Throughout this lovely score, Massenet shows his deep appreciation for the broadest spectrum of musical sources, from Mozart to Wagner, but Mozart clearly is the main inspiration here. The opera's sparkling overture deserves a place in the orchestral repertoire, and the ballet scenes are, as always in Massenet's works, brilliantly handled and full of color. Maestro Emmanuel Villaume clearly loves this work, and his handling of the score's sudden shifts of mood and its broad, asymmetrical melodies that are never as simple or straightforward as they first seem is dazzling. The orchestral playing and sound quality are also superb.Last but hardly least, the singers are top notch: Michelle Breedt, in the trouser role of Cherubin, sings thrillingly; Patrizia Ciofi is a spectacular Ensoleillad; and Carmela Remigio is a heartbreaking Nina. All of the leads are excellent actors, too, and the expert camera work allows the viewer to savor their wonderful interactions in ways that few DVD productions I've seen allow. The entire cast--the supporting singers, the chorus, the dancers--are in the same league as the principals, and the entire production is wonderfully satisfying. This DVD, which documents the Italian premiere of the opera over one hundred years after its debut in Monte Carlo, makes an eloquent case for reviving Massenet's unjustly neglected work, and it is a terrifically enjoyable theatrical experience in its own right. Total pleasure.

Massenet's operas, long unfashionable and neglected save for MANON, WERTHER, and the occasional THAIS mounted for a particularly sexy diva, are ripe for rediscovery by modern audiences; they still hold much charm and many melodic pleasures. This production of CHERUBIN, hardly seen since Mary Garden's success in the Monte Carlo premiere, is a good place to start exploring. Another Amazon reviewer here has objected to the staging and design, finding them too chilly to complement the material. To my eye, while they're rather the usual contemporary European one-from-column-A-one-from-column-B approach to opera visuals (the costumes range from exaggerated period to Folies Bergere, with a stop in the 1920s and the odd 1960's neon set element), they're colorful, witty and fun, and don't hinder enjoyment a jot. The chocolate-box side of Massenet's usual flood of lush melody's strong enough to survive this approach; his high romanticism's still front and center. Indeed, a conventional period design approach might make this material seem altogether too dated. The cast is fine, visually and aurally, with the exception of Surian, who's a bit on the wobbly side. Altogether, great fun, and highly recommended.

After an excellent overture which would make a delightful concert piece the stylized set is revealed, for a pantomime type of production. The chorus of Cherubins servants are in costumes that reveal the nature of their occupations, whilst being over the top,This is typical of the character costumes throughout, beautifully coloured in many bright poster paint type finish, and as impractical as possible, yet reflecting the period of at a guess, late eighteenth century.The convoluted plot involves Cherubin, yes the marriage of Figaro one, at the age of seventeen, falling for a number of ladies, mainly married or somebodies mistress, and getting challenged to duels by annayed husbands and lovers, whilst Cherubins tutor attempts to placate and keep him from major trouble.There are a number of exotic set pieces, for example a fete pastorale, with exotic dancing shepherdesses and sheep on wheels, extremely entertaining and a lot of fun. Throughout the 3 acts I find my attention is fully held.Pick of the strong cast of singers is Patrizia Ciofi, and their are eleven roles for main characters. Cherubin is a trouser role, after all he is not yet old enough to be a tenor, and sung by Michelle Breedt.The music is richly scored as one would expect from Massenet, and produces many delights for the ear.If you are a Massenet fan, or indeed if you like some light comedy with your music, then this is a must for you. I bought this on spec as Massenet is among my favourite composers, and I am certainly not disappointed. My copy by the way is region 0, so just check before you buy.

A rediscovered gem of an opera. Why this of all Massenet pieces remains so obscure is beyond comprehension. This production with an imaginative set and costume design only adds to the pleasure. Fine singing and conducting puts this amongst the finest of Massenet recordings

Massenet est toujours un maître d'opéra. Ce qui est unique chez lui c'est que le texte est aussi réussi que le musique. On peut dire même que le texte se suffit à lui-même. Massenet avait 61 ans quand il a écrit cet opéra: c'est une réflexion sur le temps qui passe... Malheureusement on ne comprend pas facilement les paroles car les chanteurs, chantent pour chanter. D'ailleurs très peu de cantatrices arrivent à articuler le texte, surtout dans les hauteurs. S'il n'y avait pas le sous titrage l'opéra serait difficile à suivre. Ceci dit le décor et les costumes sont fabuleux. La mise en scène assez réussie.L'enregistrement du DVD est de bonne facture. Pour quand "Le jongleur de Notre Dame"?

Pour les connaisseurs

bonne opera