Ramey's performance is without question phenomenal. The supporting cast shines as well, but in contrast they are merely props to his indomitable presence on stage. He owns the role and he steals the show.
The staging, lighting, set design, choreography, and costuming are without a doubt some of the best opera has ever seen or will ever see. If ever a company could capture both the choirs and angels in heaven and the sin and vice on earth so perfectly, the SanFran Opera Co outperforms on all levels.
The sound quality on the DVD is excellent and the picture was great. Overall, any and all opera fans should add this one to their collection. For that matter, any and all stage/theater fans should pick this one up, as well. You will not be disappointed.
This is my favorite opera, I live near San Francisco, and Sam Ramey is my favorite opera singer...so I admit to some biases here, but trust me: you won't be disappointed with this DVD. The costumes are fanciful, the sets work in a minimalist sort of way, and the soloists/chorus/orchestra really stand out.
But it's Samuel Ramey who is in top form throughout this production. That he can keep up the intensity throughout the performance is simply amazing, and his bass voice has never sounded more booming, powerful and convincing. It seems to be the role he was born to sing.
I also recommend the CD put out by Sony Classical, conducted by Giuseppe Patane, also featuring Ramey (and Domingo as Faust!).
I can never watch it without wishing I could watch it with Boito just to see what he would make of the production - I think it brings out a lot of the wryness and irony that has been lost in most traditional stagings - most significantly, that God wins the wager by cheating!
I got to say a good word for O'Neil. I think he's great in this, and his voice really complements Ramey's. I managed to catch the opera live, after seeing it many times on the tape, with an inferior tenor, and the difference was notable.
The SFO stage is small for opera, and -- at least on a widescreen TV -- the claustrophobia is enhanced by the 4:3 format. But the transfer is good, and the camera work is excellent, that is, unobtrusive. The sound is good, if a little ping-pong in places, the left and right seeming to come from far off screen.
It is, as noted, Ramey's show. How many opera stars have the daring (or the body!) to play a role staged for long periods as topless?
The Walpurgisnacht Carnaval in Hell is depicted as a New-Year's orgy in Hollywood, complete with much flesh and funny hats. Everyone is having fun, in a kind of Ken Russell way. If Goethe intended a morality tale, it may be undermined by such doings, as it should make us all want to go to Hell.
