Trilogy of Love - Cosi fan Tutte, Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro / Bruson, Gasdia, Panerai, Scalchi, Grimaldi, Fardilha, de Peppo, Novaro, Monti, Martinez, Teatro Argentina - Rome

I haven't seen the operas I bought. (These are brilliant works, nobody could blow them completely.) However, unless I was really blind, it was not at all clear that these works are all recorded in 2 channel stereo. In my world, I use DVDs on a home theater system - that means 5.1 surround - Dolby/DTS. An opera recorded that way is really pretty neat. I've got a good stereo system and listen to stereo operas all the time (including all of the famous Mozart works) - it's good for listening. But multi-channel is simply a different experience. Had it been clear this set was stereo, I would have passed on it and let 2-channel fans enjoy what's a pretty good deal. But 5.1 fans must be careful - many makers of music DVDs do not clearly advertise surround or 2-channel sound.

Ideal value pack for beginners. These are unfortunately the few DVDs to enjoy Rossana Potenza's talent both as singer and as actress.

Aside from the ridiculously low price, I mainly bought this set to watch Don Giovanni, as Renato Bruson is an excellent veteran singer and actor and also because I think that DG is the most amazing opera on this earth. I have many (at least 20) different performances of this breath taking opera, and am always looking for more to add to my collection.I have seen various parts of this performance here and there on YouTube so knew what to expect more or less. I knew that I will thoroughly enjoy the period opulent set design and the fantastic costumes. I am so sick and tired of the new trend of minimalistic (read: cheap) or non-existent set design and the singers attired in modern suits or torn denim. And another trend makes me cringe: all kinds of shenanigans happening during the Overtura, which have nothing to do with the opera. So this was refreshing to just listen and watch the orchestra and conductor.So having said that I particularly wanted to see Renato Bruson, it was clear from the start that he is a bit old for the part. The Don is a young(ish) aristocratic playboy, and although his age is not defined, it makes sense that he would be in his 30's, not 50-60. I could see the handsome Stefano de Peppo (Leporello) as the Don, both in looks and energy he would be my choice.The two Donnas are very pretty and although the singing is correct, I did not get the goose-bumps or held my breath like when I hear Rene Fleming or old clips of Joan Sutherland. I very much enjoyed Zerlina (Rosanna Potenza), both in singing and acting she was good, and so was Masetto. Don Ottavio was average at best, maybe that is why the director decided to cut the most beautiful aria for tenor "Dalla sua pace" out of the program. The Commendatore did not appear in a marble statue costume at the Don's dnner, but rather in what appeared to be a peasant (?) outfit, not sure why.The second opera in the set is The Marriage of Figaro, and again this incredible opera was treated to beautiful stage design and magnificent costumes of the period. Everyone looked their part, except for Cherubino which looked like a tall, mature woman, rather developed in the upper part of the body. Jose Fardilha is an excellent singer and his Figaro was flawless. A nice treat was Basilio and I am so glad they included his aria, which is usually omitted. The Count was at times really bad and other times just ok. Susanna is beautiful and I did like her acting, considering that she has to keep one step ahead of the Count who tries to seduce her, she is energetically "on her toes" the whole time. She has some lovely moments and a few slip ups. The worst part is "Susanna via sortite" which is the most beautiful and the most badly performed.The third opera, Cosi Dan Tutte, is again beautifully staged and filmed, with rich period costumes. I don't recognize any of the singers' names but they seem to be rather good, if not superb, so the performance is enjoyable, the opera being so light and truly "Buffa".Flaws and all, I strongly recommend this set - at this insane price - it's not like you are going to regret it, no matter what.

This box-set of the three Mozart-DaPonte operas were filmed during a set of live performances in Rome in 2002. Bottom line: not one production is even remotely competitive with other performances on DVD, and my advice is to steer clear of this set entirely.The negatives are overwhelming. While the singers are for the most part young, and almost all Italian (often a plus) in this case they seem simply like inexperienced amateurs, lacking both the singing and acting chops to make these masterpieces come to life. The sets and stagings are traditional in a dull, cliched, unimaginative sort of way. The orchestra, the "Rome Philharmonic" is simply awful; tonally ugly, scrawny strings, slack ensemble, etc. From the moment I heard them "approximate" their way through the overture to Marriage of Figaro I knew I was in for an excruciating experience...To top it off, the sound is thin and washed-out, and has a low volume level which requires you to crank up the volume knob quite high to get a satisfying sound level (though given how awful the orchestra is, I doubt you'll want to amplify them too much). Oh yeah, no surround sound. Not even a PCM digital track - 2 channel dolby digital only (about the lowest standard you can get - unfortunately, this - as well as the low volume level - is typical of Kultur releases). Also no booklet, extras, or anything else that might add value (also typical of Kultur). Picture quality is good, however.These performances may have been acceptable seen live at a small, amateur, opera company, or even in a student production, but they should never have seen the light of day on DVD, and Kultur should be ashamed of themselves for releasing them to the public - even at discount price. With so many fine alternatives on the market, this just won't cut it.Although it will cost you more, I would recommend any of the following productions for those interested in these operas on DVD:Figaro: Bohm/VPO on TDK (black and white w/ mono sound, but by far the best on DVD right now - wonderful) or the Lyon production on Kultur...Cosi: Gardiner on DG (perfection)Don Giovanni: Glyndbourne production on Kulture (modern staging, but best overall so far) or for a more traditional staging, Conlon/Cologne Opera on Arthaus (not perfect, but acceptable - crummy subtitles, though)

Me agrada rescatar esta trilogia que es ampliamente grabada, restaurada, remasterizada, modernizada que me quedo con la forma tradicional sin mayores criticas de la actuacion y cantantes, la opera nace para distraernos y tener un momento ajeno a la rutina diaria, con esto, me doy por recompensado. Tengo 12 versiones en cd de Don Giovanni mi favorita despues de Figaro e Idomeneo mas que Cosi. Sumando la 13 de mi lista.