Cecilia & Bryn at Glyndebourne.(Review)

Cecilia & Bryn at Glyndebourne [] Cecilia Bartoli, Bryn Terfel. Arias and duets by Mozart, Rossini, Haydn, Donizetti, Handel; London Phil., Chung. Chandos CHAN 30001 (DVD), 33001 (VHS)

Breezily titled Cecilia & Bryn at Glyndebourne, this Chandos DVD of the two superstars in recital, recorded in April 1999, satisfies on all counts. Opening with bucolic views of the pre-foot-and-mouth-disease English countryside surrounding Glyndebourne, replete with lambs gamboling on the green to the accompaniment of the overture to Le Nozze di Figaro, the scene moves to the stage, where Myung-Whun Chung leads the London Philharmonic in a sprightly performance.

As Bartoli and Terfel make their entrance for the Figaro Act I opening, which then segues neatly into "Se vuol ballare," it is obvious there are no missteps here. Their sparkling banter and seductive vocalism establish the mood for all that follows. Aided by excellent sound and camera work, the performances are compelling and immediate, with neither singer displaying the "greatest hits" attitude that so often mars these events. True, Terfel's "Madamina" may seem less sharply focused than in a staged Don Giovanni, but his superb singing, passion and conviction in Simon's "Arm, arm ye brave" from Handel's Judas Maccabeus makes one ...