Handel - Tamerlano / Jonathan Miller, Trevor Pinnock - Bacelli, Randle, Pushee, Norberg-Schulz, Bonitatibus, Abete - Händelfestspiele Halle 2001

If the magnificent Glyndebourne DVD of Giulio Cesare is Handelian Kabuki, this one is Handelian Noh. I'm mainly writing to offer a different perspective on the "static" staging. Other reviewers have extolled the costumes, the singing, and the opera itself, but some were put off by the lack of action. I was made leery by those reviews myself, but, having now seen the DVD, my perception is that the movements on stage and the dynamics of the characters--the "acting"-- were very carefully worked out and wonderfully executed by the singer/actors. The result was not static for us, but expressive, sometimes slowly so in accord with the music. Thus, the drama makes sense and the viewer who can enter that special world reaps the many benefits of the production. Everything extrinsic is stripped away. We believed in the woman playing Tamerlano; we believed in Bajazet's rage; and we came to understand his daughter and her lover's evolution of emotions and ideas. The excellent camera work helps a great deal, by the way; I've never seen better.

The cast of this Tamerlano is excelent. There is not criticism to any of these talented young singers, particularly Randle and Bonitatibus. The costumes are lavish and the interpretation of Handel's masterpiece is impecable to say the less (Bravo Trevor Pinnock). However,a three hours-long opera would require a more dynamic staging than the one that Jonathan Miller delivers here. Everything in this production is too static to my taste in spite of all the efforts put by the singers (particularly Randle) to convey some acting and humanity to their roles. The use of a single and very simple scenary all through the whole opera does not help at all to make this production a bit more attractive. You have to really love Handel to go all through the whole opera in one shot. This set of two DVDs have great extra features though, specially those related with the making of Tamerlano and a historic reaccount of the last 50 years of the Handel Festival in Halle.

Tamerlano is Handel's most dramatically convincing and musically appealing opera, in my opinion. It is a shame it is not as well known as some of his other works. This DVD is a well filmed and documented performance from the 2001 Handel Festival in Halle. The singing is for the most part excellent and the acting is appropriate to the subject, the music, and the visual concept. The costumes, borrowed from a spectacular Glimmerglass Opera production, add much visual interest (important since the stage setting is oddly sparce). One might quibble with some of the static nature of the staging (difficult to avoid in Baroque opera), and with the somewhat unmasculine singing and acting of Monica Bacelli in the role of the warrier Tamerlane, but overall this is a very satisfying performance. Thomas Randle gives a vocally and dramatically intense reading of the crucial role of Bajazet, and Elisabeth Norberg-Schulz and Anna Bonitatibus are tremendous. The "Score Plus" feature is nice, but it does NOT actually appear as a "subtitle" - it is superimposed over the screen. Useful if you want to watch portions of the score, but otherwise distracting. I highly recommend this DVD.

Let's be clear; I love Handel operas; I have DVDs of every Handel opera available on Region 1. I worship Trevor Pinnock; he'd never disappointed me before. But... this performance is ponderous and unconvincing. Perhaps the lovely costumes so much praised by other reviewers inhibited the singers from adequate blocking and gesture. Monica Bacelli is the chief problem; she is completely unconvincing as Tamerlano, both as an actress and as a singer. She lacks all ferocity. I'm inclined to think that Pinnock's tempi are too "judicious" throughout, which also contributes to the ponderous air of the production. The superimposed score is absolutely worthless, unless you want to pause the opera dozens of times in order to read it clearly.I will watch this disk again sometime. Perhaps I'll see or hear some redemption in it, but for the moment it's my least favorite Handel DVD except for the disastrous Ariodante.

What a fabulous DVD of Handel's music. The music is sung with great artistry and feeling. All the singers are exceptional and the acting is superb.The costumes can justifably be called stunning. Some people consider this production static but we do not feel that way about it. This production concentrates on the expressiveness and beauty of the music. It does not distract with unrelated stage business. As with so much of Handel's music, Tamerlano contains pieces of very great beauty.If you are looking for stage fireworks, gimmicks or shock value, you will not find that here - but you just may love it anyway. We have watched it over and over. It is a wonderful production. We hope to see more Handel done in this style from Mr. Miller and Mr. Pinnock.

This performance is aptly staged in a traditional manner (not a criticism, in my book) with opulent oriental-looking costumes. The singers are superb, and their acting is entirely appropriate. To lovers of Handel, conductor Trevor Pinnock--founder of the English Concert--needs no additional recommendation. The videography is flawless. In short, if you're looking for a DVD of a Handel opera, this recording will not disappoint.

On the whole this is a non-baroque specialist performance performed in a traditional quasi baroque manner.There are no sets to speak of except gold panels,which are always in place for every act and scene. No attempt to define time or place is attempted. The opera does take place in various places that are important to the understanding of the emotional and psychological dynamics of the opera, this is lost in this scenically poor production. This does however not detract from the performace, (it just adds nothing), and does keep the eye focused on the singers. The costume FABRICS are sumptuous but the traditional 18th century Turkish, Tartar COSTUMES themselves are heavy-handed, self-absorbed and lacking in a refinement of proportion and fluidity - they keep demanding attention and seem to work against keeping your attention focused on the singers - the work of an inexperienced costume designer.As for the singing:Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz(Asteria) is beautiful to look at but her voice is too heavy for the part, stifling the role of Asteria a bit.Graham Pushee (Andronico), has an unstable voice with an ugly tone quality. However the live audience unjustly gave him the major part of their applause (his fan club was probably in the theatre). His singing does seem to improve towards the end of the opera however, and his final duet with Asteria, "Vivo in te", in Act III is quite good indeed. (The theatre audience in this live recording does not seem to be very musically discerning or knowledgeable, in my opinion, judging from how they divided their applause).Monica Bacelli (Tamerlano)is a good actress but with an inferior non-expressive, non-coloratura singing technique, which the role demands. However she does create a dramatically believable Tamerlano. Tom Randle (Bajazet), has poor legato technique and a barking like quality to his voice but his tenor-baritone voice although at times strained, does befit Bajazet, and some of the best moments in this performance are his. Dramatically he captures the role of Bajazet. Irene Anna Bonitatibus (Irene) has a velvety warm toned voice with vibrato which is expressive and colourful. She tends to move and act somewhat awkwardly however Antonio Abete (Leone) has a beautiful bass voice well suited to this minor role.Orchestrally the work does not advance much dramatically. Trevor Pinnock's period orchestra, although smooth in tonal quality has not found the right vitality necessary to express the dramatic truth of this Handel masterpiece. On the whole this is an enjoyable visual experience with some fine singing in a minimal non-set, exaggerated self conscious costumed semi-baroque but non-thrilling performance. Considering the other DVD choices available for this opera this is the only one with a traditional semi-baroque presentation and should be considered first choice for the visual experience with overall average singing. For the best musical interpretation on CD see Petrou,  Tamerlano  or Gardiner (with modifications to the score) Handel: TamerlanoTamerlanoHandel: Tamerlano

Certainly one of Handel's best operas an this is a fine production . It is well sung and played but after that what can one say. There are no sets . The production is a little static and confined. Not marvellous for an opera of this length.

Classic Handel with a traditional production, although the sets are minimal in the modern fashion. An all round good performance in a charming small theatre.

wonderful