[.ca] L' Italiana in Algeri

Horne in full cry:
Most people will buy this for Marilyn Horne, and to that extent they can't go wrong. I'd heard her many times but not seen her before, and was more than pleasantly surprised. The quality of the voice is, of course, indisputable. Horne was one of the great mezzos of her, or any other generation and is in excellent form here. But what surprised me was her acting talent, her stage presence, even her looks. In still photos she comes across as a homespun, solid mid-west farmer's girl and even on the cover of this dvd that's the impression she gives. But on movie camera her vivacity shines through and her energy lends her an allure that the still camera just cannot capture. On top of that her Italian diction is excellent. So all-in-all she makes a very believable Italian Girl in Algiers. Paolo Montarsolo has played the role of Mustafa world wide and hams it up beautifully here. Myra Merritt in the role of Elvira looks uncannily like Battle and sings impressively enough to cause Horne to give her a "cool it, sweetheart" look at one point. Allan Monk acts well and sings more than acceptably in the role of Teddeo. The one weak link in the cast is Douglas Ahlstedt as Lindoro, with a voice that is nondescript up to mid-range and downright ugly above that. Visually, he hardly convinces as Horne's beau. She would eat him alive. Chorus and orchestra do an excellent job for Levine and I loved Ponnelle's production. Sets strike a fine balance between realism and symbolism and the acting is humorous without feeling forced. The "Pappataci" trio is hilarious. Through the entire 150-odd minutes the cast is evidently having a good time. I was ready to make allowances for audio and picture quality, having gritted my teeth through some of those early Met telecasts. But by 1986 they evidently had it down pat and both are first-rate. Extras are short but, with more Horne on show, worth having.