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| Debussy - Pelleas et Melisande | 
| Directors: Peter Stein, Pierre Boulez
Actors: Alison Hagley, Neill Archer, Donald Maxwell, Kenneth Cox, Penelope Walker
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $27.96
You Save: $12.02 (30%)
Buy New/Used from $18.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  (10 reviews)
Sales Rank: 28335
Format: Color, Dts Surround Sound, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Subtitled
Languages: French (Original Language), English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), German (Original Language), Mandarin Chinese (Original Language), Chinese (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), German (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 158 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 073030
UPC: 044007303092
EAN: 0044007303092
ASIN: B000068UXI
Release Date: October 29, 2002
Theatrical Release Date: 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Dreamy, haunting opera experience! January 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
How mysterious, haunting, and other-worldly was Debussy's beautiful score! And Alison Hagley's portrayal of Melisande perfectly matched these qualities. A rare thing of beauty in a dark place, always searching for light. Neil Archer as Pelleas, seemed to come from the same mysterious place, ending in their inevitable mutual attraction.
But it was Donald Maxwell as the multi-dimensional Golaud who deserves laurels for his passionate performance, so gently loving, so mad with jealousy, so torn by guilt and remorse. He gets more than five stars for this, not to mention his wonderful baritone!
Kenneth Cox as Arkel was also moving as the wise and gentle, aged king. Penelope Walker as Genevieve and Samuel Burkey as Yniold were also excellent.
I loved how this opera was divided into scenes, each, in this production, beginning with pages of the actual score. I thought this added momentum to the entire story, so that it did not drag at all. In fact, I was so caught up in it, I didn't even notice that there was no audience or that the conductor and orchestra were not shown!
This production excelled in everything: music, singing, acting, sets. By Act V, I was moved to tears. I loved it!
 Good...but boring. January 30, 2006
3 out of 9 found this review helpful
Plenty of people have said what I like and dislike about this disc. There is no audience, and while some people may not like an audience because of noise, I think most people would agree that they feel like they are watching a performance. Here, without an audience, I felt like I was watching an afternoon final technical rehearsal. There really wasn't any life in the performance. The acting was not very good. Most people seemed to act with grand gestures that didn't amount to much. Being operatic for the sake of it, no pun intended. Neil Arhcer (Pelleas) was especially unbelievable. Although his voice was fantastic. Everyone walked very slowly but never seemed to go anywhere.
Hmmm...the shots of the score were annoying also. I would have much rather watched the set changes or see the orchestra pit.
Which brings to the good thing about this production. Most operas have two very large (read as "fat") leads and the audience has to suspend their disbelief and go along with the story, but here, you have two young and attractive leads which is great. Alison Hagley (Melisande) is very sexy, although a bit exagerated at times.
My favorite part of the production was Donald Maxwell (Golaud). He was the best actor on stage. His face and body were animated. His voice was great. The voice of doom at times.
This is a modern production, and the sets were sometimes fantastic, but for the shorter scenes (i.e. the castle vaults) it generally felt like much ado about nothing. Golaud and Pelleas with the sun behind them was fantastic. Golaud's bedroom was great. But the tower, cave, and some other scenes looked somewhat goofy. The stage is very small and, at times, it looked (although never sounded) like a community theater production.
So overall, good. I am glad I own this disc, but I was a bit disappointed. I think an audience is GREATLY needed for what turned out to be a somewhat boring show.
Good As It Gets June 17, 2005
4 out of 11 found this review helpful
Visually and musically, I cannot imagine a better production of this opera. Yet, the opera itself is depressing as hell and if you want to sit through hours of opera that never seem to end which include lies, infidelity, betrayal, incest, murder, and in which everybody dies in the end, I'd stick with Wagner's "Ring." Somehow, the investment seems more rewarding to me.
No audience- finally April 21, 2005
2 out of 13 found this review helpful
I wish that in the future all operas are filmed without audience.
Coughing, especially in USA, is so very distracting in most operas filmed with audience present.
 This Pelleas soars! February 24, 2005
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande is the new Deutsche Grammophon release of the 1992 performance by the Welsh National Opera, conducted by Pierre Boulez with Stage Production and Design by Peter Stein.
Briefly, Pelleas et Melisande is a tragic opera of two half brothers, Pelleas and Golaud, who are in love with the same mysterious woman - Melisande. Golaud, who first meets and marries Melisande, introduces her to his half brother Pelleas - the two fall in love and ultimately meet tragic and untimely deaths; Pelleas by his brother's hand and Melisande, mysteriously. This is the opera in a nutshell though the character development throughout this production is considerably more extensive.
Before going into the detail of what is most enjoyable about this DVD lets first get what is not so enjoyable out of the way. When sitting to watch an opera on DVD you want to enjoy the feeling of being there, as if you were a part of the audience, but with a better seat, seeing the orchestra perform, the conductor conduct and hearing the applause of the actual viewers.
This DVD is presented without an audience in attendance, and if it was in attendance, it didn't express approval or disaproval or display any emotional reaction to the performances. The absence of an audience seemed to detract from the "live" feeling one might expect upon viewing a DVD, as opposed to simply listening to it on a studio recorded CD. Second, in scenes where the music is transitional, beautifully scored by Debussy, the camera merely pans through the musical score. This is where you might expect to see live shots of the orchestra working its way through a marvelous score. And finally, it's hard to understand why DG put this particular opera on two discs. It doesn't seem to require two discs, so why force the viewers out of their chairs to load the final Act? Is it merely to justify a $39.99 price for a two disc set?
Now, the good stuff: the cast was superb. Soprano Alison Hagley as Melisande and Tenor Neil Archer as Pelleas were outstanding. They were believable in their roles. Both were young and attractive, and each sung the beautiful Debussy score with heartfelt emotion and sincerity. The Act III scene of Pelleas stroking Melisande's hair from the balcony window was wonderfully done and the director was able to achieve a beautiful level of innocent eroticism by filming it as it was. Donald Maxwell as Golaud was exceptional, with a clear strong baritone sound and a wonderful job conveying the tortured emotions of his character, including an Otello-like breakdown. Also in wonderful form was bass Kenneth Cox as King Arkel, his deep lush sound portrayed the aging King with grace. All other principles and supports did a fine job and contributed to a very well done overall performance.
The sets by Karl-Ernst Herrmann were interesting, providing the viewer with a non-descript time (seems to be what everybody is doing these days) with a dark modernistic stage offset by striking silver blue and black costumes. Only King Arkel and Melisande in Act II wore white, which played off well against the otherwise dull backdrop. Throughout the performance the viewer will find oneself drawn into the opera smoothly as it moves along from scene to scene, emotion to emotion, thanks to deft direction and believable performances by a very talented cast. Though I would not recommend this as a `date' opera, or the first opera you watch, it is a beautiful and thoughtful piece that at times rises to hypnotic. On a recent internet site P&M won first prize as favorite opera to sleep to. Everybody agreed it had great depth and a powerful score.
Pelleas et Melisande is very Wagneresque, in a Parsifal kind of way (listen to the entrance music of King Arkel and you will be immediately taken back to the scene of Gurnemanz and Parsifal entering the Hall in Act I of Parsifal), accompanied with long sweeping melodic melodies with very little `action' on the stage. The orchestra seems to carry all of the meaning and emotion of the piece, like a tone poem. Debussy described it as creating a message where the music substitutes for dialogue. This is a great way to approach this piece when you view and listen to it. As noted, each Act is separated by transitional music, giving the piece the feel of one continuous line of music. Maybe this is why the producer opted for no audience and no breaks between the five Acts.
Pelleas et Melisande has taken its lumps over the years and clearly may not be everybody's favorite, requiring more of an acquired taste and time before being understood for its more subtle genius. But there is no denying that in the right hands and with the right production team this opera can be a powerful piece of music with strong and deliberate emotions carrying you from the beginning when the curtain rises to the tragic conclusion. I highly recommend. (J.G.)
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