Berlioz’s colossal masterpiece requires stupendous forces—dozens of soloists, enormous chorus, orchestra and ballet, a superb conductor who understands the uniqueness of the score—plus a production that does visual justice to the work. “A stupendous achievement” was one critic’s assessment of Peter Wexler’s inventive production. And with James Levine’s wizardry galvanizing the marvelous all-star cast, this is truly a gem. Plácido Domingo is the legendary hero Aeneas, Jessye Norman the obsessed prophetess Cassandra, and Tatiana Troyanos is Queen Dido, who commits suicide when Aeneas leaves her.
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Reviews
This is what grand opera is all about. Okay this production is not absolutely perfect, the sets apart from Dido's final scene are in general dark and drab, the costumes particularly Domingo's over-sized helmet and the braids for the female chorus are generally tacky and the staging particularly with such large numbers of people is stodgy. However, I can forgive these when the music, performed by the orchestra and conducted brilliantly with passion oozing right from the first note, is as magnificent as it is. Although I didn't think much of the costumes and sets and the picture quality was occasionally hazy too, the sound quality is very good. The performances however are exceptional, Jessye Norman and Tatiana Troyanos are simply spellbinding. Placido Domingo's Aneas is cruelly taxing, but his beautiful tone, strong acting and musicality is still intact. Allan Monk and Paul Plishka are also very impressive. In conclusion, a fine if flawed production. 8/10 Bethany Cox