Sheva Collection Tamerlano: Teatro Real, Madrid [DVD] [2010]

Teatro Real's majestic production of Handel's vivid tragedy, Tamerlano, stars a Lear-like Plácido Domingo as the Turkish Sultan Bajazet, caught between pride, love and loyalty. Displaying the uniquely heroic quality of his voice, Domingo heads a superb cast, including Sara Mingardo, Monica Bacelli and Ingela Bohlin, all magnificently responsive to Paul McCreesh's authentic and luminous interpretation of the score. The stunning theatrical staging by Graham Vick provides a splendid setting for the characters and for designer Richard Hudson's extravagant Baroque-Islamic costumes, emphasising the brilliance of one of Handel's finest dramatic achievements. Press Reviews "Here Domingo, with his superb diction, his great declamatory power and eloquent phrasing…brings a towering presence and bags of vocal charisma to Bajazet...This is surely one of Vick's finest achievements in the opera house." (The Sunday Times) "The grandly tragic figure of the enslaved Turkish sultan Bajazet in Handel's 1724 opera is a recent departure for Plácido Domingo, and one that could be supposed to lie outside his comfort zone. So it says much for his artistry and intelligence that he makes such a significant success of it in this filming of Graham Vick's 2008 Madrid production." (BBC Music Magazine) "If Handel's two other great operas, Giulio Cesare and Rodelinda, are well known then this third of the trio of ‘greats’ should certainly join them. This production will do much to underline that. " (Musicweb International) Cast Plácido Domingo (Bajazet) Monica Bacelli (Tamerlano) Ingela Bohlin (Asteria) Sara Mingardo (Andronico) Jennifer Holloway (Irene) Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Real; Paul McCreesh Stage Director: Graham Vick Catalogue Number: OA1006D Date of Performance: 2008 Running Time: 241 minutes Sound: 5.0 DTS Surround; PCM Stereo Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ES, IT Label: Opus Arte