The Opera Gala Details

Wonderful Musical Experience!

Picture quality is not good - very little colour, but everything (even the violin bows in the orchestra!) is tinged with blue. The picture is very blurred and the general image is not clear.

I would rate the content and performance of the concert as 5-star, but the poor quality picture brings the DVD down to 4-star.

It's worth watching for the music which is fantastic. I ordered the disc because I know Anna Netrebko's performances are worth watching; it is soon obvious that the other three soloists, Elina Garanca, Ramon Vargas and Ludovic Tezier can match her! All four sing difficult operatic arias faultlessly in 'bel canto' style, mostly in Italian, and others in French, with clear diction and impeccable delivery. The orchestra too is superb. Not surprising that the audience is ecstatic!

I like the choice of programme, covering Bellini( Anna Netrebko's Casta Diva is outstanding), Verdi, Puccini and Lehar.