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Buyer Reviews
Average Buyer Rating:
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Fine singing, ugly visuals
Before I begin, I want to mention that I don't think there is any problem with the sound in this video, and that occasionally I have put in one of these modern dvds, thought the sound was terribly full of ambience, and then I chose a better sound track for my antique system, and everything sounded much better.
Anyway, the singing in this video is quite good, particularly Kozena as Idamante, Vargas as Idomeneo, and the Ilia was also very good. The Arbace was also quite enjoyable, but I am pretty sure that one of his arias was cut, the way I am used to hearing this opera. I have only watched this once and would have to go back and check to make sure of that. The Elettra was beautiful but the role seemed just a bit bigger than the voice. I thought she really only succeeded on the middle, slower aria.
The sets in this video are very yellow and downright ugly in my opinion. So were some of the costumes. Vargas has to wear a white quilted cape at one point, (white quilt - such a slimming fabric), and he also has to wear a paper crown. Arbace has a sleeve missing on his costume - wonder what that was supposed to symbolize? And Arbace's hair is pretty weird too. Kozena, for such a cute lady, makes the ugliest of young men - the light-colored trousers accentuating her slight figure didn't help. Vargas is extremely chunky, and as I mentioned, no slimming fashions were offered him. The Elettra, however, is a visual breath of fresh air, looking gorgeous the entire opera. The Ilia was pretty cute too.
One thing I really enjoyed about this dvd, was hearing Vargas in this role which seems tailor made for him. I have always been disappointed in his lack of unabashed passion when he sings his regular Italian roles, but for Mozart, he is dead perfect - his manner of restraint with still a pinch of passion is perfect for Mozart, and so is his beautiful voice and his wonderful coloratura technique. I say he should ditch all that Verdi he's been singing and sing more Mozart.
If you just want to hear this recording, they may still have an archive of the live radio performance available for listening at the NPR site.
Customer Rating: 
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Wonderful singing but disappointing DVD.
The singing on this DVD is phenomenal, however, the costumes and sets are atrocious and some of the performers over act to the point that they are no longer believeable, especially Elektra. Was this opera actually presented at the Salzburg festival? It must have been produced on a really low budget.
Customer Rating: 
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So far the best Idomeno
By Thomas Hultén
For my taste, Idomeneo M22, is so far the best DVD version for this opera. The Herrmanns are excellent, the music under sir Roger Norrington and the all and I mean all the actors are marvellous.
The sceneries are very simply but together with the music, the singing and Chorus you get a powerfull music feeling and a fantasic performance.
I strongly recommended this DVD.
Customer Rating: -
FIRST IDOMENEO I ENJOYED START TO FINISH, GREAT SOUND
This is the second DVD from M22 that uses regietheater in a constructive way, solving far more problems than it creates, La Finta Semplice is the other one. This cast is so strong that I feel no need to go into details of acting and singing. Norrington's conducting is also part of the success story.
Unlike another reviewer, I found nothing wrong with the sound or acoustics of the hall. Maybe this is a problem in the DTS 5.1 sound which I did not test as I only use headphones (AKG 240 studio) at present. The LPCM sound is perfect. My sound signal path is totally independent of the TV. Sometimes built in TV audio amplifiers mess up the sound of some DVDs and not others.
Costumes are much better than I expected, no slips, no underware, and no nudity. Siurina deserved something better than a tent dress, but it could have been much worse. The red goo on Idamante as he awaits the execution (which of course does not happen)was a bit overdone. These are very minor complaints. The lighting effects were excellent, and not over done.
In conclusion, I want to hear all these singers again. If in the past you have found Idomeneo boring, as I did, please try this one.