Donizetti: La fille du régiment (Sydney, 1986)
 

Cast: Joan Sutherland (Marie), Anson Austin (Tonio), Heather Begg (Marquise), Gregory Yurisich (Sulpice), Gordon Willcock (Hortensio), Marie-Claire (Duchesse), Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra, Australian Opera Chorus, Richard Bonynge (conductor), Sandor Sequi (director), Peter Butler (television director)

Originally recorded at the Australian Opera in 1986. First published in VHS format

Published by RM Arts, released by Kultur in 2002 in DVD format and distributed by Kultur International in north America (D1211/NTSC) with subtitles in English

Technical Details:
Aspect Ratio: 1.33 Full Frame

Running time: 157 minutes

Sung in French

 
 
Needless to say, the primary attraction of this recording is Joan Sutherland's Marie. Her contribution might well have been more appealing a decade or so earlier; after some thirty years on stage, her depiction of the waif requires a great deal of imagination. The fireworks remain fiery, but the rest of her efforts at being 'cute' are often embarrassing. Pitch is sure, words are unrecognizable; Dame Joan is captured here as she was, for better or for worse.
 
The other singers are well cast. Austin's portrayal is credible; though he strains at the higher notes and fails to convey the ebullience the score invites, his Tonio is satisfying. Begg is more than a little 'over the top', but a Gilbert-and-Sullivan portrayal in this role is within bounds and adds some needed bounce. Yurisich is outstanding as Sulpice in both vocalism and style and the minor roles are well filled, with Willcock well matched to Begg in style and excess. Bonynge adds nothing to the score, holding the forces together effectively. The chorus is well drilled in singing and movement, adding stylish life without excess and playing the comedy for just what it is worth.
 
The production is literal and well designed. It never distracts attention but always supports the action. Sets are simple and suggestive, sufficient for enjoyment while clearly not requiring a great investment that would be hard to recoup. In all, the production would be a credit to any regional house in the world, except in France where the whole would be seen as too heavy, too un-Gallic.
 
Technically, the picture is good but has intermittent failures; why they were not corrected in digital editing is unclear since they are short and amenable to patching. Sound is unremarkable even for 1986, preserving a sufficient dynamic and tonal range. From those properties and the fact that the English subtitles are fixed in the frame, one gathers that the old masters were simply transferred to DVD format for this release. The review copy is in NTSC and the region is either 0 or 1, but neither is asserted on the package.
 
Related websites:
 
Kultur Video www.kultur.com/kulturvideo/about/about.htm
 
Michael Richter, 24 May 2002
mrichter@cpl.net
 
See also Michael Richter's Introduction to the DVD, for a list of other reviews see the DVD Project page.