The Merry Widow [DVD]

Don't waste your money. It's a flat, gaudy, boring production, like a Broadway musical. What a shame. With a stellar cast, the Mat came up with such a bad production. The San Fransisco production is much better, gorgeous and full of fun.

I have only watched this production once but I found it strangely lifeless and I don't understand why. Certainly the cast is great, the staging spectacular, the sound first rate and yet there seemed to be no "chemistry" happening that would elevate it to the top tier of offerings of this lovely operetta.

Finally the Met is releasing their operas on blu-ray. This 'merry widow' is a delight for several reasons.First, it is bound to please those who don't relish reading subtitles.Second, Renee Fleming is not too old to play the part of Hannah....getting older, but she pulls it offadmirably, and it is convincing.Third, the set changes for which this production is renowned are indeed worthy of renown.Fourth, blu-ray...for opera and orchestra...is without doubt a sonic improvement (stereo, not multi-channel)over standard DVD, and of course the hi-def video brings its own appeal.

The Merry Widow is one of the most glorious of all the operettas of the early 20th century. This is the Metropolitan Opera's version. Franz Lehar's music is indeed glorious, but some of the acting isn't so good. If you want a superior version of The Merry Widow, check out the San Francisco Opera's version from 2001.

The Met Opera combines with Broadway in a charming, flirty bonbon with glorious, hum-able music. (For the charming Hollywood take on the same material, see "The Merry Widow" with Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier.)Loved this!

I know the story is silly. Who cares? With Renee Fleming and Nathan Gunn in the leading roles, you're in in for a treat. Losts of nice staging, costumes, silliness, and beautiful singing. When you don't die of a sugar rush, you're surprised at how much you love "Vilja," that war-horse if there ever was one. Highly recommended.

A really great opera. Buying make sure you have this with Renee Fleming.

So pleasant in every aspect. The music, the costumes, Renee Fleming. This is a top notch perfermance, musically and artistically, everyone being perfect for the role, it all comes together beautifully. The opening dance is breathtaking, the beautiful couples, the dresses and the jewls, the opulant lights - all a feast for the eyes. Kelly O'Hara is so lovely and sweet, her voice charming and flowing. Renee Fleming looks amazingly beautiful and her voice is, of course, perfect. Such a pleasant surprise to see Sir Thomas Allen in this role. I always think of him as Don Giovanni, but the versatility of his voice is such that he can pull this off effortlessly. I could watch this performance again and again. I think that they managed to capture the essence of this piece, both in performance and stage design.

Beautifully sung, conducted and produced. I goes with pace and style,. the humour never obtrusive but chuckle worthy. A brilliant additon to any collection and how much better than the San Franscisco Opera attempt!Just sit down, press the button and wallow.....

I was so disappointed that the picture quality was poor on the second copy of this dvd which you kindly sent immediately, free of charge, as the first was unwatchable. Such a shame with a magnificent production and cast. I managed to listen to the music - the sound quality was fine.

Too American for my taste

The orchestra and singing was alright, but that was about it. The libretto was awful (not a patch on the amateur version). The acting was appalling and stilted throughout. It seems that "proper" opera singers feel that all the have to do is turn up, declaim the words and that will do for operetta. How on earth the American audience could be amused I do not know. I recommend watch they watch the opera of Lyon's productions of Offenbach to see what can be done with operetta, and what fun it can be!

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