Benvenuto Cellini

I appreciate Berlioz, considering his importance in the development of the orchestra, and like a lot of his music. Benvenuto Cellini may not be one of my favourite operas, but it is very interesting and unjustly neglected. This Salzburg production is far from ideal but for the only Benvenuto Cellini on DVD it suffices. It is not one of the most appealing productions though, I really wasn't sure what the significance of having a skyscraper building set to begin with was and it added absolutely nothing to the story. The staging was weird and really quite irrelevant, Ascanio made up to look like a homage to Star Wars or Metropolis, Cellini's entrance in a helicopter and the pope- yes you saw right!- as a drag queen and the two robot servants are just a few. And if you're not liking how this is sounding, you've good reason to, you'll feel even weirder seeing it. Just so you know, I've been know to like non-conventional staging but only if they're not distasteful, are intelligently done and don't feel weird. I didn't find that the case with this Benvenuto Cellini.

However, there is so much to redeem the production, but it is photographed well and the picture and sound quality are very good. But it's the musical values that really elevated the production. They are nothing short of amazing. The orchestra play vibrantly and stylishly, sounding incredibly powerful without being too loud for the singing. The chorus have some wonderful music and sing it as if they know it with great involvement. Valery Gergiev has always been a very passionate and enthusiastic conductor, and you see that here. He is engrossed in the drama throughout, shapes the music musically and intelligently and gives the score much depth and verve with nothing questionable tempo wise. The singing is exemplary. Burkhard Fritz mayn't be the best of actors, but has a strong voice and good artistry when the role allows for him to do so. Maija Kovalevska is a heroic Teresa with a voice that is both sizable and appealing on the ears. Laurent Naouri is his usual commanding self, has a very resonant voice and boasts the best French diction of the cast(not surprising as he is French and the only one, I believe, that is here). Kate Aldrich however offers the production's best performance, her singing is gorgeous with beauty and richness and even with some of the worst of the stage direction she is charming and dignified.

To conclude, I have nothing to complain about the production musically but the staging is perplexing. 7/10 Bethany Cox