Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur Blu-ray Movie Review

Rather incredibly, this little known opera now has its second Blu-ray release.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 7, 2012

There’s a lot of chitchat on internet forums about lesser known catalog titles from mainstream studios finally getting released on Blu-ray, some of which never even saw the light of day on DVD. Labels like Twilight Time and Olive Films are both praised and lambasted for their efforts, marketing strategies, and a host of other ancillary issues tied to any given release. Sometimes lost in all of the furor is one simple, unanswered question: wouldn’t you at least like to have the option of buying a little known or largely forgotten title, especially if you have a special interest in it for whatever reason? This same sort of issue doesn’t really crop up that much in the much smaller marketplaces of classical music in general and opera in particular, but it sprang to mind when I received a review copy of an opera that even many in the professional operatic world know very little about. What’s perhaps even more remarkable is that this is the second release of this little known piece that I’ve personally reviewed. Though Adriana Lecouvreur provides its titular soprano with a showcase role, both in terms of vocal power and perhaps just as importantly for the typical diva temperament, melodramatic acting opportunities, the opera just has never become a part of the standard repertoire of most major companies. As a matter of fact, Covent Garden had only done Adriana Lecouvreur once prior to the performance captured on this new Blu-ray, and that particular performance was a bit before modern video or audio recording techniques had been refined: 1906, in fact. It’s notable, if understandable, that even star Angela Gheorghiu seems a bit confused or misinformed about the opera’s history, as she indicates in the supplemental featurette included on this Blu-ray that she seems to think that this performance is actually the Covent Garden premiere. Several other cast and crew members, while better informed about the opera’s history at Covent Garden, similarly confess to not really knowing that much about it or even being very familiar with its music. And yet here is Adriana Lecouvreur’s second Blu-ray release!

Though it’s really little remembered and even less performed today, Adriana Lecouvreur actually had a rather celebrated premiere, with none other than Enrico Caruso essaying the role of Mauricio, the Count of Saxony who is engaged in a doomed love affair with Adriana, a famous actress at Paris’ Comédie-Française. But though the opera is performed with a certain regularity, few of its tunes have entered the public lexicon in the way that, say, those of Puccini or Verdi have. Even the opera’s famously showy arias seem to be more a case of technical prowess than being memorable in and of themselves. Adriana Lecouvreur’s composer was one Francisco Cilea, a relative contemporary of Puccini (though he outlived him by a couple of decades) who never really seemed to capture the operatic brass ring despite having had several successful productions in his day. But let’s face it: when offered the choice between a Puccini piece and a Cilea piece, few are probably going to opt for the latter.

As was discussed in the review of the Teatro Regio Torino Blu-ray of Adriana Lecouvreur (starring Micaela Carosi and Marcelo Alvarez), initially at least it seemed that Cilea’s best known work was indeed going to be a long-lived achievement, especially since the basic source material for the opera had already been musicalized three times before, with Cilea’s version being by far the most admired and popular. But time has not been especially kind to this story of star-crossed lovers, set in a backstage world of intrigue and star temperaments, part of which can be attributed to an overly confusing and complex libretto. Adriana Lecouvreur might have gone on to greater fame and glory had it been more streamlined and perhaps at least a bit less hyperbolic as it moves toward its tragic conclusion.

This Royal Opera House production from November and December 2010 is unquestionably the better of the two versions out on Blu-ray, which is not to say that it can completely overcome some of the problems inherent in both Cilea’s music and the famously convoluted libretto by Arturo Colautti. Adriana is performed by Angela Gheorghiu, and her somewhat “heavy” sounding voice is perfectly suited for the low tessitura of the role. Maurizio is essayed by the virile and dramatically convincing Maurizio. The physical production here is incredibly sumptuous, capturing all sorts of little nooks and crannies in the backstage world of the Comédie-Française, and the sets an costumes add immeasurably to the visual allure of the piece.

Director David McVicar admits to not having been overly familiar with this material before he came on board this production, but he invests this Adriana Lecouvreur with his typically brisk and even cinematic staging, with scenes seguing effortlessly into each other and a grand sweep in both the physical production and the general performance style that helps to establish the mood quite effectively. Conductor Mark Elder actually gives a rather passionate reading of this problematic score, squeezing out every last drop of emotion from the stellar playing of the Royal Opera House Orchestra. This may not in fact be A-list material, but with these performers, players and technicians, it seems like it a surprising amount of the time.

Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Adriana Lecouvreur is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Decca and FRA Productions with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. This is a very nicely sharp and well detailed high definition presentation that only falters momentarily in some dimly lit sequences where the muddiness of the image sometimes masks fine object detail. Though quite a few of the costumes tend to exploit a cream or beige color palette, there's nice pop and saturation here and both the costumes and the sets really look fantastic throughout this production. Contrast is quite strong and black levels are solid.

Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Adriana Lecouvreur may not be the most respected opera of its era, but you wouldn't know it from the loving care that has been lavished on the audio mixes on this Decca release. Both the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 options are delivered at 48kHz and 24-bit, and the audio presentation here is simply stellar. The balance between the orchestra and the soloists is exemplary, and the soundstage is very beautifully representative of the actual hall ambience at the Royal Opera House. Some of the ensemble singing is also very nicely placed around the sound field. Fidelity is excellent and both the orchestra and the main singers sound lush and resplendent.

Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• All About Adriana (1080i; 23:15) features an assortment of interesting interviews with Gheorghiu, Kaufmann, McVicar and other cast and crew. There are some telling confessionals here about how little known Adriana LeCouvreur is even among opera professionals.

Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's some measure of the maturity of the Blu-ray format that we're getting the more mainstream catalog releases from labels like Twilight Time and Olive Films, but there are also copious clues about Blu-ray's market share when classical labels devote their resources to release lesser known pieces right alongside the latest version of some oft-performed warhorse. There's no denying Adriana Lecouvreur isn't a forgotten masterpiece, but it probably is a good deal better than its somewhat sullied reputation should suggest. This Royal Opera House production plays it for all its worth, and the results elevate the material, especially with regard to a truly sumptuous physical production and the impeccable playing of the Royal Opera House orchestra. Gheorghiu is sometimes taken to task for her vocal gravitas (for want of a better term), but it works decidedly to her benefit in the kind of husky range of this role. If you've never seen Adriana Lecouvreur, this is certainly the version to start with. Recommended.