A Night at the Opera
The Film
I must confess that my first impression of opera came from watching the wonderful Marx Brothers film A Night at the Opera. Peanuts! Popcorn! My first piano teacher (there were many) drove the music of Mozart and Puccini into my already confused little brain; hard to find room for Tosca, Don Giovanni, and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Enjoying opera has always been a struggle for me, but I must confess that the artistic integrity and structure of the music has always fascinated me. Orchestral music (especially movie soundtracks) was my favorite as a child and I would often fall asleep listening to Aaron Copland whose compositions filled me with wonder. Opera was too tragic and overbearing to my ears, but one composer appealed to the young writer in me with his sweeping interpretations of famous works. Berlioz.
Hector Berlioz may have been one of the key romanticists, but he was also a progressive composer whose influence on the modern orchestra can not be overstated. Berlioz was also a serious student of literature; he was heavily influenced by Byron, Shakespeare, and Virgil. Virgil brought Berlioz to tears so it should not have surprised anyone that he would turn Virgil's poem The Aeneid into his most famous work -- Les Troyens. The opera in five parts is a fantastic journey but critics hated it for its length (4 hours) and complexity; it was a nightmare to produce and the composer was never truly satisfied with how it was staged.
This modern interpretation was performed in Valencia at the Palau de les Arts under the baton of Valery Gergiev and while it is musically brilliant, the set design and costumes might be too far off the reservation for opera cognoscenti who are likely to object to the use of hockey equipment and a set that resembles Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Science fiction fans will likely delight in the modern version as it tackles the concept of "Trojan Horses" and our civilizations reliance on computers and technology, but I can understand how some would watch it with their proverbial jaws on the floor. At four hours, it isn't an easy presentation to watch without a break, but the music is truly sublime and challenging at the same time. If Berlioz inspires you, it may be worth watching just for the music.
The Picture
Black levels are consistently strong and the overall image is quite clean looking; there are a few soft spots, but nothing too terrible. The overall image is on the dark side but it is not enough of a distraction to take away from the beautiful music and performance. Not exactly reference quality, but not too shabby either.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix is generally quite clear and energetic, but the perspective was a tad too distant for my tastes. If you are looking for a row 'A' perspective, you will be disappointed as the entire opera sounds like you are sitting at least 20 rows back from the orchestra pit. The Palau de les Arts in Valencia has excellent acoustics, but the recording is somewhat dry sounding overall.
The surround mix is good but not overly enveloping; the bass track seems like it was toned down significantly, and the surround channels are under-utilized. Vocals are clean and easy to discern (which is a plus if you understand French as I do and didn't watch with any subtitles), but the perspective might bother some. Opera needs to be bold to hold my attention; especially a performance that runs four hours.
The Extras
The set and costume design fall into the category of "love it or hate it", so it was rather interesting to watch the short documentary about the production. While the intent of the director is easier to understand after watching the documentary, it is still baffling why they decided to make everyone look like hockey players or amateur boxers.
It would have been helpful had the producers decided to provide some additional background material on Berlioz and Les Troyens, and unfortunately those who are new to the opera will have to do all of the background work on their own.
Final Thoughts
If you can stomach the 4-hour running time and odd costume design, Les Troyens is a unique adaptation of Berlioz's opera with very good sound quality and an excellent image. Opera aficionados, however, may take issue with the direction of the production and opt for the 2003 version with Susan Graham which is far more traditional. Kubrick would have been intrigued to say the least. Gordie Howe would have dropped the gloves.
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