Product Description

Messiaen's breathtakingly intense opera on the life of St Francis of Assisi stars Rod Gilfry as the charismatic visionary, beguiled by the glory of creation, yet fearful of both its imperfections and its transience. Pierre Audi's thoroughly engaging production for The Netherlands Opera brings out the naive imagery, the grandeur, and above all the vast tenderness of the resplendent score, revealed as a grandiose ritual with the meaning and purpose of life as its central theme. But the real drama of the work takes place in the orchestra. Elevated to stupendous heights by the sublimely inspired Ingo Metzmacher, The Hague Philharmonic and the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera combine forces with a brilliant cast to produce the finest possible musical pilgrimage.

"Rod Gilfrey radiates empathy in his portrayal of the exceptionally demanding title role. Ingo Metzmacher's conducting is simply stunning, with marvellous pacing to keep the music flowing across the vast timescale, yet ensuring space and stillness when needed." (BBC Music Magazine)

"Ingo Metzmacher... inspires his cohorts to greater feats of stamina and virtuosity than any conductor before him in the opera." (Gramophone)

"The soloists are generally excellent with especially fine singing from Rod Gilfry as François, Camilla Tilling as the Angel and Tom Randle as Elie. The title role is a huge sing with the character on stage almost all of the time, and needing to express emotions ranging from quiet dignity through to overwhelming ecstasy on hearing the Angel's singing; and then ultimately to physical and emotional identification with Christ's suffering. Gilfry sustained all of this manfully, showing no sign of vocal fatigue at any point even at the conclusion." (Seen and Heard International)

Production
Company: De Nederlandse Opera
Stage Director: Pierre Audi

Disc Information
Catalogue Number: OA1007D
Date of Performance: 2008
Running Time: 275 minutes
Sound: 5.0 DTS Surround; PCM Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, ES, IT, NL
Label: Opus Arte

Review

Messiaen's lone opera is an introspective series of scenes from the life of St. Francis. It runs over four hours with virtually no outward action; the drama consists of Francis's journey toward grace. Yet in this modernist production - with the Hague Philharmonic playing on stage amid a pile of metal crosses - it proves to be a riveting experience. This is due almost entirely to the astonishing portrayal of Francis by baritone Rod Gilfry, who makes him seem both commanding and touchingly vulnerable. He also sings beautifully throughout, as does soprano Camilla Tilling as the Angel. -- Boston Globe, David Weininger, January 2010

For the musically adventurous, a great choice would be the Opus Arte DVD of Messiaen's stunning masterpiece "Saint Francois d'Assise." The Netherlands Opera production deals quite well with the theatrical difficulties of this very long (275 minutes), sometimes very cerebral, but truly spiritual and transfixing work. The cast is headed by Rod Gilfry in the title role. Ingo Metzmacher conducts. -- The Baltimore Sun, Tim Smith, December 20, 2009

Gramophone Editor's Choice DVD of the Month This is the big one, as far as lovers of underappreciated operas are concerned (well, one of them anyway). Messiaen's huge Saint François d'Assise has yet to receive a full professional production in the UK, but its champions will find much to confirm its status here. Rodney Gilfrey and Co. deliver vivid, committed performances, while Ingo Metzmacher's conducting leaves no room for doubt. -- Gramophone, Awards 2009

It may not be the right thing to say in polite company, but sitting through a lot of new music feels like sonic self-flagellation. If, as the late philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, pleasure is the absence of pain, silence might be bliss. That concern could come to a head during the 5 1/2 hours of Olivier Messiaen's only opera, a series of vignettes depicting St. Francis's hourney toward light and grace. The music is atonal. Jean Kalman's set is stark, laden with rough-hewn symbolism.

But if you give it a chance, the 26-year-old score and symbol-laden staging (by Pierre Audi) in this 2008 production from the Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, will eventually trap you in its tractor beam. You will find pleasure in the sly musical shifts that accompany The Angel (beautifully sung by Camilla Tilling), the birds (a gaggle of young cschoolchildren) and the chorus (the excellent ensemble of the Netherlands Opera). This opera rewards the patient viewer by shifting something in the soul.

An expanded Hague Philharmonic brings just the right texture to the music, thanks to conductor Ingo Metzmacher. But the real heroes are the singers, especially Californian baritone Rod Gilfry as St. Francis. He tells us in one of the three four-minute featurettes how he managed to memorize his part by associating words and notes with particular stage movements. That is a small miracle in itself.

Painful or pleasurable, this journey is not for the faint of heart. -- TheStar.com, John Terauds, October 6, 2009

Muti, Mahler and Ma: At holiday time, the joy of sets is unbounded

This year's boxed bounty in classical music comes in three categories -- not so pricey, pricey and way pricey. But the following CD and DVD sets are worth splurging on, and the music lovers on your gift list will appreciate your generosity.

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Soloists, Hague Philharmonic and Netherlands Opera Chorus; Ingo Metzmacher, conductor: Messiaen, "Saint Francois d'Assise" (Opus Arte, $50.99): Not for the average opera fan but definitely for those listeners who respond to the spiritual and musical splendor of Olivier Messiaen's magnum opus, this three-DVD set, based on filmed performances given in Amsterdam in 2008, may be the best means of experiencing the four-plus hours of the French mystic-visionary's dramatically static but moving opera about St. Francis' faith, sacrifices and anxiety over the transience of life. Experience it an act at a time, and be enthralled.

... -- Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein, December 13, 2009

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.56 x 7.49 x 5.5 inches; 7.2 ounces
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Box set, NTSC, Subtitled, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Color, Multiple Formats, Classical
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 4 hours and 35 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ April 28, 2009
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Rodney Gilfry, Tom Randle, Hubert Delamboye, Armand Arapian, Andr Morsch
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (PCM Stereo), French (DTS 5.0)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Opus Arte
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 3