Review of Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur (Gavazzeni)

Introduction

Francesco Cilea`s classic opera Adriana Lecouvreur , a tale of revenge and jealousy, comes to DVD as part of the La Scala Collection. Over 100 years old, Adriana Lecouvreur is Cilea`s most famous opera, and is most well known for all-star casts being attracted to its almost Shakespearean tragedy.

Video

Perhaps opera on DVD doesn`t require particularly high picture standards for its enjoyment, but by any standards the quality on this disc is pretty poor. The colours are dull and muted, the level of detail is low and the picture is annoyingly soft.

Audio

The audio track, thankfully, is a lot better than the picture presentation. The DD5.1 track is pretty good, with with good clarity and fine use of the surrounds. That English subtitles accompany the Italian language is a great bonus for anyone (like me) not familiar with opera.

Features

No extras of any sort.

Conclusion

As to the opera itself, I`m afraid my lack of knowledge in this performing art makes it difficult for me to judge how good an opera this is, but it was enjoyable at least. The strong Dolby Digital track makes this DVD a worthwhile investment, but I can`t help but think a better release could have been produced with little extra effort. Filming of the opera and a little bit of work on the picture transfer would have made the visual side so much better, and the inclusion of a few extras - even just the script perhaps - would have made this release better value for money.