Offenbach - La Vie Parisienne / Ossonce, DeLavault, Opera National de Lyon
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List Price: $29.99
Our Price: $16.49
Your Save: $ 13.50 ( 45% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
Starring: Hélène Delavault, Claire Wauthion, Isabelle Mazin, Jean-Yves Chatelais, Jean-Francois Sivadier
Directed By: Pierre Cavassilas
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780769700571
Format: Classical
ISBN: 0769700578
Label: Kultur Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Kultur Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2001-11-20
Running Time: 161
Studio: Kultur Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1991
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- Offenbach - Orpheus in the Underworld / Davin, Badea, Vidal, Theatre de la Monnaie Brussels
- Offenbach - Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) / Pretre, Domingo, Royal Opera Covent Garden
- Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A beautiful Operetta in a poorer production!
Comment: As a musical piece, this French operetta is simply outstanding! It has a lot of spectacular arias and scenes that are worth listening to.
However, this production from the Opera National De Lyon, does not do a good job of bringing the piece to life. One cannot do a great job of comparing this production to another mainly because there isn't another DVD of this operetta. However, it is evident that this production has some flaws:
1. The singers in this production are clearly Amateurs; they do not sound perfect and a lot of times they produce a very "bland" sound that can be displeasing.
2. The set of this Operetta is also very plain. An operetta that takes place in Paris and depicts the "Parisienne" life should invest in some more expensive sets! Also if you decide to make a modern version of the operetta don't change back into the traditional style at the end. For example, the setting of the station in first act was modern while the second act's "hotel" scene was more traditional. Mixing time periods confuses the viewer!
3. The humor in this production is not natural; it does not come from the
talents of the actors but is forced on the audience by the cast.
I give this production a 3 star becuase of the excellent camera work.
The orchestra did an excellent job playing the piece; which is not an easy one to play!
This is a wonderful operetta that is done by a second class crew. If you never saw La Vie Parisienne, it is something that you should consider watching; the piece is a beautiful one!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Amateur Night
Comment: There is some very sprightly music in this performance, where the singers occasionally allow a pleasant sound to emerge (but not enough to spoil us), interrupted by tediously directed scenes straining much too hard to be funny. The actors/singers awkwardly move chairs around a lot to remind us that this is not a concert performance. Disagreements among the singers and the conductor regarding tempi are presented to us with great force. The comedy presumably depends on a sophisticated ambiguity regarding the contrasting mannerisms of nobility, bohemians, and servants, but the director seems to think that we would prefer a rather vulgar muddle instead. Artistic unity is achieved by lots of shouting and shrieking in both the songs and the spoken sections. Every now and then we are allowed a glimpse of lovely music, reminding us that Offenbach knew what he was doing, even if this production doesn't quite understand the work at all.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and delightful musical entertainment.
Comment: Fully agree with the previous reviewer. Myself being quite partial to Offenbach who singlehandedly created "operetta", a forerunner of Suppe and a whole generation of Austrian-German-Hungarian operetta composers, including Johann Strauss, Zeller, Millocker, Ziehrer, Lehar and Kalman, I'd like to emphasize certain very positive aspects of this production.
This is primarily a student effort as most of the performers being in their twenties but formidably talented. There is a tremendous enthusiasm of youth,a joy of performing and a great love of
Offenbach's delightful score. Certain amateurism is unavoidable , but this is part of the charm.
The young conductor, Ossonce, deserves most of the credit- he moves the ensemble with irrepressible elan, great affinity for rubato, sense of humour and overall feel for fin-de-siecle gaiete. He will be a great conductor some day.
And of course the "star", Helene Devault elevates the performance to professionalism with a fine voice, exquisite appearance and acting - a feast for sore eyes.
One more thing: Today's so called "musical comedies" people flock
to on Broadway even with one or two decent hits are considered great successes. Offenbach's work in its near three hours of running time must have at least 25 and these survived close to 150 years.
Great entertainment, highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Flawed but still delightful
Comment: "La vie parisienne," a paean to Second Empire Paris and its voluptuous delights, may be Offenbach's most tuneful score. The irresistible melodies and rhythms never stop-except, naturally, to allow for spoken dialogue (and if that bothers you you aren't cut out to be an operetta fan :o). The best-known tunes appear in the popular ballet, "Gaite parisienne," arranged by French conductor Manuel Rosenthal; and anyone who loves that piece will be captivated to hear and see the originals and their lyrics come to life dramatically in the complete operetta, the words as witty and sophisticated as the music. This production, somewhere between traditional and modernistic, tells the story and captures the satire very well.
The performers male and female are more appealing for their comic acting and dancing talents, pretty faces, and shapely figures than for operatic strength and beauty of voice. The chief exception is the entrancing Mlle. DeLavault, a serious soprano who combines all the above graces, as the overbooked courtesan Metella. No fat ladies or portly tenors on this stage. Orchestral execution is excellent, though the singers often lag a half-beat behind the conductor's lively tempos. Better that than sluggishness.
Fortunately undominated by a Celebrity High-Concept Director or Designer, the Lyon production nevertheless partly manifests contemporary European operatic schizophrenia: compulsively authentic music-complete score, reconstructed instrumental parts, etc.-combined with compulsively inauthentic theater. Some of the spoken dialogue is shouted, for no apparent reason, at the top of the lungs, not healthy for singers, especially those with semi-pro voices. Some twitchy and unnecessary dancing obtrudes, and the actors themselves occasionally jump up and swing chimpanzee-like from the scenery. At the opposite extreme, groups of characters, particularly servants, are usually seen sprawling around glassy-eyed in attitudes of modernist existential ennui. The settings are sparse, but the period costumes are gorgeous, especially becoming to the ladies. Thank goodness no capitalist business suits, army fatigues, or Nazi helmets. The camera work is OK, not obtrusive, but sometimes important business goes on invisibly outside the frame, a common failing of video-ized live theater.
These minor deficiencies bothered me most the first time I viewed the disc, but I got used to them. Strongly recommended for all Offenbachians.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nothing to write home about....
Comment: I owe 2 other Offenbach productions-"La Belle Helene" staged by the Zurich Opera and "Orphee aux Enfers" staged by Lyon National Opera(available in Zone 0 format from Amazon.co.uk)which are much better than this one.
After viewing the hilarious Orphee aux Enfers I was rather disapointed by this comparetively boring production,and since the first and only viewing,it stays abandoned in a corner...
With a title like "Vie Parisienne" you expect a "rich bubbling champagne" but what you get is a rather "dry Cabernet".
Although it has some good moments of singing and dancing and very nice music,it somehow doesn't tie together and leaves you with a sensation of heaviness.I agree with the other reviewer that it looks more like a sung play and it's a pity.
I don't recommend this production.Go and look for a good CD version instead.
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Editorial Reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: A beautiful Operetta in a poorer production!
Comment: As a musical piece, this French operetta is simply outstanding! It has a lot of spectacular arias and scenes that are worth listening to.
However, this production from the Opera National De Lyon, does not do a good job of bringing the piece to life. One cannot do a great job of comparing this production to another mainly because there isn't another DVD of this operetta. However, it is evident that this production has some flaws:
1. The singers in this production are clearly Amateurs; they do not sound perfect and a lot of times they produce a very "bland" sound that can be displeasing.
2. The set of this Operetta is also very plain. An operetta that takes place in Paris and depicts the "Parisienne" life should invest in some more expensive sets! Also if you decide to make a modern version of the operetta don't change back into the traditional style at the end. For example, the setting of the station in first act was modern while the second act's "hotel" scene was more traditional. Mixing time periods confuses the viewer!
3. The humor in this production is not natural; it does not come from the
talents of the actors but is forced on the audience by the cast.
I give this production a 3 star becuase of the excellent camera work.
The orchestra did an excellent job playing the piece; which is not an easy one to play!
This is a wonderful operetta that is done by a second class crew. If you never saw La Vie Parisienne, it is something that you should consider watching; the piece is a beautiful one!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Amateur Night
Comment: There is some very sprightly music in this performance, where the singers occasionally allow a pleasant sound to emerge (but not enough to spoil us), interrupted by tediously directed scenes straining much too hard to be funny. The actors/singers awkwardly move chairs around a lot to remind us that this is not a concert performance. Disagreements among the singers and the conductor regarding tempi are presented to us with great force. The comedy presumably depends on a sophisticated ambiguity regarding the contrasting mannerisms of nobility, bohemians, and servants, but the director seems to think that we would prefer a rather vulgar muddle instead. Artistic unity is achieved by lots of shouting and shrieking in both the songs and the spoken sections. Every now and then we are allowed a glimpse of lovely music, reminding us that Offenbach knew what he was doing, even if this production doesn't quite understand the work at all.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and delightful musical entertainment.
Comment: Fully agree with the previous reviewer. Myself being quite partial to Offenbach who singlehandedly created "operetta", a forerunner of Suppe and a whole generation of Austrian-German-Hungarian operetta composers, including Johann Strauss, Zeller, Millocker, Ziehrer, Lehar and Kalman, I'd like to emphasize certain very positive aspects of this production.
This is primarily a student effort as most of the performers being in their twenties but formidably talented. There is a tremendous enthusiasm of youth,a joy of performing and a great love of
Offenbach's delightful score. Certain amateurism is unavoidable , but this is part of the charm.
The young conductor, Ossonce, deserves most of the credit- he moves the ensemble with irrepressible elan, great affinity for rubato, sense of humour and overall feel for fin-de-siecle gaiete. He will be a great conductor some day.
And of course the "star", Helene Devault elevates the performance to professionalism with a fine voice, exquisite appearance and acting - a feast for sore eyes.
One more thing: Today's so called "musical comedies" people flock
to on Broadway even with one or two decent hits are considered great successes. Offenbach's work in its near three hours of running time must have at least 25 and these survived close to 150 years.
Great entertainment, highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Flawed but still delightful
Comment: "La vie parisienne," a paean to Second Empire Paris and its voluptuous delights, may be Offenbach's most tuneful score. The irresistible melodies and rhythms never stop-except, naturally, to allow for spoken dialogue (and if that bothers you you aren't cut out to be an operetta fan :o). The best-known tunes appear in the popular ballet, "Gaite parisienne," arranged by French conductor Manuel Rosenthal; and anyone who loves that piece will be captivated to hear and see the originals and their lyrics come to life dramatically in the complete operetta, the words as witty and sophisticated as the music. This production, somewhere between traditional and modernistic, tells the story and captures the satire very well.
The performers male and female are more appealing for their comic acting and dancing talents, pretty faces, and shapely figures than for operatic strength and beauty of voice. The chief exception is the entrancing Mlle. DeLavault, a serious soprano who combines all the above graces, as the overbooked courtesan Metella. No fat ladies or portly tenors on this stage. Orchestral execution is excellent, though the singers often lag a half-beat behind the conductor's lively tempos. Better that than sluggishness.
Fortunately undominated by a Celebrity High-Concept Director or Designer, the Lyon production nevertheless partly manifests contemporary European operatic schizophrenia: compulsively authentic music-complete score, reconstructed instrumental parts, etc.-combined with compulsively inauthentic theater. Some of the spoken dialogue is shouted, for no apparent reason, at the top of the lungs, not healthy for singers, especially those with semi-pro voices. Some twitchy and unnecessary dancing obtrudes, and the actors themselves occasionally jump up and swing chimpanzee-like from the scenery. At the opposite extreme, groups of characters, particularly servants, are usually seen sprawling around glassy-eyed in attitudes of modernist existential ennui. The settings are sparse, but the period costumes are gorgeous, especially becoming to the ladies. Thank goodness no capitalist business suits, army fatigues, or Nazi helmets. The camera work is OK, not obtrusive, but sometimes important business goes on invisibly outside the frame, a common failing of video-ized live theater.
These minor deficiencies bothered me most the first time I viewed the disc, but I got used to them. Strongly recommended for all Offenbachians.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nothing to write home about....
Comment: I owe 2 other Offenbach productions-"La Belle Helene" staged by the Zurich Opera and "Orphee aux Enfers" staged by Lyon National Opera(available in Zone 0 format from Amazon.co.uk)which are much better than this one.
After viewing the hilarious Orphee aux Enfers I was rather disapointed by this comparetively boring production,and since the first and only viewing,it stays abandoned in a corner...
With a title like "Vie Parisienne" you expect a "rich bubbling champagne" but what you get is a rather "dry Cabernet".
Although it has some good moments of singing and dancing and very nice music,it somehow doesn't tie together and leaves you with a sensation of heaviness.I agree with the other reviewer that it looks more like a sung play and it's a pity.
I don't recommend this production.Go and look for a good CD version instead.
Offenbach's melodious extravaganza is essentially a celebration of Paris as a tourist trap, a background for attempted seductions, and a fertile source of routine flim-flams. This 1991 Opera National de Lyon production, emanating from one of Paris's chief rivals among French cities, focuses gleefully on the sordid aspects of the City of Lights, but its strongest appeal is in the quality of the singing and dancing. The opening scene of La Vie Parisienne takes place in a railroad station around the year 1860; tourists are pouring in from all parts of the world, many in colorful foreign costumes, including a Swedish woman, the Baroness Gondremark, who is chosen as the target for a seduction attempt. An elaborate series of deceptions fills out the plot and--more important--supplies opportunities for a dazzling variety of clever song and dance numbers. --Joe McLellan
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