Rameau - Zoroastre | 
 enlarge | Director: Pierre Audi
Actors: Christophe Rousset, Anders J. Dahlin, Anna Maria Panzarella, Sine Bundgaard, Les Talens Lyriques
Studio: BBC Opus Arte
Category: DVD
List Price: $45.98
Buy New: $30.21
You Save: $15.77 (34%)
New (15) Used (3) from $24.99
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 50075
Format: Dolby, Dts Surround Sound, Ntsc, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: French (Original Language), German (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Italian (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 0
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 227 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: DOA0973D
UPC: 809478009733
EAN: 0809478009733
ASIN: B000PE0JIE
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: June 26, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW!
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| Customer Reviews:
 such a disappointment November 23, 2008
A. M. Reed (Chicago, IL United States)
Zoroastre is generally considered to be one of Rameau's top works, but this fell far short of being at the top. I agree that the singing from the men was somewhat lackluster, however the music generally makes up for this. The choreography in this piece ruined it for me. The dance had virtually nothing to do with either the music or the story, at several points the dancers mimed masturbation (those French are just so sophisticated! sarcasm off.) The documentary that accompanies the piece is somewhat good, however after talking alot about good v. evil in the opera they fail to come to any meaningful conclusions about the work. Add the obligatory swipe at the Americans, and you get a typical French exercise in arrogance and ignorance. I would not recommend this to anyone who is not a hardcore baroque opera fan.
 A very satisfying Zoroastre August 29, 2008
Steven Guy (Croydon, South Australia)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Considering how few Rameau operas are available on DVD, it is good to see this one come out. I've had it for about a year now and I've returned to it many times. The staging is dark, but effective. My only complaint it the occasional overhead camera angle - however, this may please some viewers. The main quartet of singers are generally very good. The women are, perhaps, a little stronger than the men, but that is a minor quibble for me. br / br /The orchestra uses the earlier version of the opera, without clarinets. However, the orchestral sound is excellent and Rousset brings out the inner rhetoric of even the most apparently prosaic musical phrase. br / br /Lovers of Rameau need not hesitate. I only wish that William Christie's Les Arts Florissants production of the work, available on CD, had also been committed to film. br / br /I look forward to Christophe Rousset's DVD recording of Rameau's "Castor et Pollux", also on the Opus Arte label, due in October this year.
 Sub-Par Singing from the Men Undermines Excellent Staging and Conducting July 22, 2007
Terry Serres (Minneapolis, MN United States)
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
I am an avid devotee of the operas of Rameau, but not so purist that my standards are impossibly high. However, I must say this is the first Rameau on DVD that I cannot recommend. The staging and design are excellent (though the camera angles from the rafters and the wings are rather annoying), the dancing is inventive and precise, and Rousset's conducting is electric. But the singing and acting, especially on the part of the men in the cast, spoiled my enjoyment. br / br /As Zoroastre, Anders Dahlin sports the most aspirated passage work I have ever encountered in a professional singer, and a generally feeble tone. Lack of fluidity, muddied tone, and occasionally wayward pitch indeed afflict most of the male singers. Although it is unreasonable to expect perfect French diction from non-native singers, there is a certain alertness to how Rameau uses the rhythm of the language that must be achieved for the vocal writing to display its full vibrancy. That skill is roundly lacking here. Lars Arvidson as Zopire and La Vengeance has a beautiful orotund tone but quite the strangest French accent I have ever encountered. Furthermore, the men's acting is dreadfully overdone, brimming with scowls and sneers and diabolical laughter. Another weakness is the similarity in tone among three of the four lowest voices. Added to this is the effete appearance and manner of the two male rivals and it's hard to get swept away by the intensity of the operatic goings-on. br / br /Mercifully, the women are much more accomplished. Of course, Anna Maria Panzarella is superb, being an alumna of many Christie productions. As the villainess Erinice she exhibits a fire that her past roles only hinted at. Sine Bundgaard as her rival Amelite is convincing as well, and Ditte Andersen too deserves praise in the comprimaria role of Cephie. All offer excellent French, Bundgaard faltering only in the rapid passages. All the women, too, bring far greater subtlety to their portrayals than do the men. br / br /Rousset wields his baton bracingly -- his sound is perhaps too brittle and metallic for my taste, but his leadership of the Drottningholm forces is focused and forceful, and his style befits the opera's themes. br / br /Again, I am not militant in demanding perfect French, but the singers must be attuned to Rameau's sometimes intricate rhythms. In their vocal and linguistic limitations, the men in this production fall too short of the mark to do justice to the majesty of Rameau's music. br / br /With two vibrant recordings on disk, by Christie and Kuijken, there is no need to waste one's time on this DVD. br / br /---- br / br /Post Script. I know that negative reviews are never popular, but I feel somewhat vindicated by seeing the Gramophone reviewer making similar observations in the latest issue. Although he was rather less tolerant of the dancing than was I.
Rameau's Zoroastre May 26, 2007
T. C.
41 out of 44 found this review helpful
Zoroastre was the fourth of Rameau's tragedies en musique that was staged, but the 1749 audiences were not especially enthusiastic about the opera, so Rameau and his librettist Louis de Cahusac reworked it completely, and in this revised version it was stages successfully in Paris on 19 January 1756. The revised 1756 version is the one heard today. br / br /The opera takes place in the ancient kingdom of Bactria (old Persia) and is about the struggle between good and evil. The good are led by Zoroastre (Zarathustra), the "founder of the Magi", which is a devotee of Ahura Mazda (the Supreme Being) and the evil, led by the sorcerer Abramane, a servant of Ahriman (the Spirit of Evil). br / br /The opera opens, with Bactria in chaos after the death of the king. The King had two daughters: Amelite, which is the rightful heir, and the evil Erinice. They are both in love with Zoroastre, who loves Amelite. After a lot of singing and dancing (5 acts) the Good is triumphant: Zoroastre and Amelite are the new King and Queen. Erinice is now repentant and Abramane defeated. br / br /The new Opus Arte DVD offers an excellent performance of the opera, both visually and musically. Christophe Rousset, who also plays the harpsichord, leads expertly the HIP forces. The singers are very good. br / br /Lis, the title role is Zoroastre, which was written for an haute-contre (a high French tenor). Mark Padmore was scheduled to sing the part, but it is sung here by the young Swedish tenor Anders J Dahlin. He has a very beautiful and flexible voice, which enables him to cope very well with several elaborated coloratura passages. The Evil main character, the sorcerer Abramane, is sung by baritone Evgueniy Alexiev. What a voice. He is outstanding. br / br /From the ladies, one should mention first Anna Maria Panzarella, a Rameau specialist, singing very impressively in the role of the evil sister, Erinice (She recorded this role in the 2003 Erato recording that is conducted by William Christie). Sine Bundgaard sings Amelite. I was less impressed with her singing in the beginning, but than she improves, and in the end, she is very good. All the other singers are excellent, and one must mention the very tall bass Lars Arvidson singing and acting outstandingly as both Zopire and La Vengeance. br / br /This is a typical Pierre Audi production, very suitable for the dark nature of the opera. And there are some very original dances that were created by Amir Hosseinpour. The opera lasts 156 minutes. All the rest of the DVD playing time is a documentary about the production, which has very interesting remarks from conductor Christophe Rousset about the novelty and originality of Rameau's music. br / br /To sum up: This is a beautiful Rameau opera filed with exquisite music. I can highly recommend this set to anyone who is interested in the French baroque opera. br /
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