| | |  | Ballets & Classics | Home » » » Tan Dun: The First Emperor (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series) | | | | | | | Description: | | Placido Domingo, Elizabeth Futral, Micheele DeYoung, Paul Groves, Hao Jing Tian, and Wu Hsing-Kuo star in this Metropolitan Opera production of the Tan Dun opera conducted by the composer. Zhang Yimou directs. | | | Features: | |
• DOMINGO / FUTRAL / DE YOUNG / TAN DUN TAN DUN: THE FIRST EMPEROR (2DVD)
| | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Placido Domingo, Elizabeth Futral, Michelle DeYoung, Paul Groves, Hao Jiang Tian | | Director:
| Zhang Yimou | | Format:
| Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Subtitle:
| English, German, French, Italian, Spanish | | Number of Discs:
| 2 | | Studio:
| EMI Classics | | Run Time:
| 176 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| September 16, 2008 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 14 reviews |
| | | | Used and New: | | | |
| All | |
| $15.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $16.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $17.12 | New | | | $17.13 | New | | | $17.50 | New | | | $17.53 | New | | | $18.12 | New | | | $18.48 | Used
- Mint | | | $18.58 | New | | | $18.58 | New | | | $18.96 | New | | | $18.97 | New | | | $19.99 | New | | | $19.99 | New | | | $20.10 | New | | | $22.01 | New | | | $23.36 | New | | | $27.72 | Used
- Good | | | $30.30 | New | | | $30.34 | New | | | $31.44 | New | | | $32.36 | New | | | $32.36 | New | | | $33.21 | New | | | $33.30 | New | | | $34.17 | Used
- Mint | | | $34.18 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $34.32 | New | | | $35.13 | New | | | $35.49 | New | | | $36.00 | New | | | $39.00 | New | | | $41.23 | Used
- Mint | | | $41.23 | New | | | $46.90 | Used
- Mint | | | $46.90 | New | | | $49.49 | New | | | $54.26 | New | | | $96.53 | Used
- Good | | | $119.99 | New | |
| New | |
| $17.12 | New | | | $17.13 | New | | | $17.50 | New | | | $17.53 | New | | | $18.12 | New | | | $18.58 | New | | | $18.58 | New | | | $18.96 | New | | | $18.97 | New | | | $19.99 | New | | | $19.99 | New | | | $20.10 | New | | | $22.01 | New | | | $23.36 | New | | | $30.30 | New | | | $30.34 | New | | | $31.44 | New | | | $32.36 | New | | | $32.36 | New | | | $33.21 | New | | | $33.30 | New | | | $34.18 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $34.32 | New | | | $35.13 | New | | | $35.49 | New | | | $36.00 | New | | | $39.00 | New | | | $41.23 | New | | | $46.90 | New | | | $49.49 | New | | | $54.26 | New | | | $119.99 | New | |
| Used | |
| $15.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $16.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $18.48 | Used
- Mint | | | $27.72 | Used
- Good | | | $34.17 | Used
- Mint | | | $41.23 | Used
- Mint | | | $46.90 | Used
- Mint | | | $96.53 | Used
- Good | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 14 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Don't listen to the criticsOct 23, 2008
By A. Lupu
"A. Lupu"
Critics have been very harsh on this new opera. This has happened before; composers have been misunderstood or not-understood at all by critics, while the public loved them. Seems too early to dismiss "The First Emperor". I have seen it many times and every time I discover something new. The DVD is much better than the live broadcast I saw in the theater, the image is much brighter.
The opera is full of symbols. I am sure I don't even understand them all yet. Although the obvious theme is about the anthem, seems that the suffering of the builders of the Great Wall is a much more profound one. The wall is built to protect against the barbarians, while behaving in a barbaric way. Is this opera a critic to Mao (and/or others)?
The music is different, interesting and enjoyable. The singers are first quality and the Chinese performers very interesting. This production is the first one. May be it is not perfect, or it could have been done differently. I will leave that judgment for the future, when new performances are produced. Seems to me that a film production could be interesting, (like Chaudet's film of Stravinsky's "Le Rossignol").
I strongly recommend this DVD to those interested in the new world, not only of Opera, but the global village and China's cultural integration with the world in particular.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 An ambitious and highly underrated operaSep 23, 2009
By P. Jan
Tan Dun's "The First Emperor" is an incredible opera that expertly fuses Western and Eastern music in a way that is extremely interesting to my ears. Fans of Tan Dun's film scores to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero" will likely enjoy this opera, which retains Tan Dun's style while going far beyond the restrictions of having to serve a film. The performances are excellent and the orchestra, conducted by Tan Dun himself, has a raw energy that is captivating to my eyes. The production quality of "The First Emperor" is top-notch as well, as to be expected from the Metropolitan Opera and is captured very well on this DVD, which has excellent video quality (1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen), excellent sound, and subtitles in a number of languages including English. I hope that this opera will someday be released on Blu-Ray as well given that the source was recorded in high-definition video.
There has been a large amount of harsh criticism of "The First Emperor" and while I concede that I do not have the opera experience or musical knowledge that I assume these experts have, I have to say that I would have been more open to these criticisms if it did not feel like the vast majority of the complaints were either based in ignorance or a blind reverence of past operas. For example, many have described the music as being "unlistenable," but to me it feels like this majority of these criticism comes from critics who are completely ignorant to and unfamiliar with non-Western musical styles rather than any constructive criticism. Accusations that the plot of the opera is silly and ridiculous also strike me as ignorant given the equally ludicrous plots and twists that seem to occur in just about every single opera I have heard or watched.
I will concede the point that the libretto for "The First Emperor" is problematic. The music is excellent and the libretto, while somewhat stilted, works. However, the fusion of the two simply does not work. That being said, I cannot say that I personally expected the modern lyrical-equivalent of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" from a composer and librettist that are not native speakers of English. When I see that even John Adams and Philip Glass are often criticized for poor setting of the English language to music, I feel that perhaps due to our familiarity with English as well as the fact that popular music and even Broadway musicals set words to music in a very different way than opera, we have been conditioned in a way that makes English in opera sound awkward to us. As such, perhaps we ought to accept the "awkwardness" of English in opera and move on instead of fixating on this. After all, critics and audiences all seem to enjoy a great number of operas in foreign languages that they do not understand and so for me, the libretto of "The First Emperor" and its setting to music is not a deal-breaker for me.
For what it's worth, I would have liked to see the libretto to "The First Emperor" in Mandarin Chinese, especially since I imagine that Tan Dun and Ha Jin would have been able to better set their native language into music. However, I wonder whether or not the Metropolitan Opera (who commissioned the opera) would have been interested in a non-English "The First Emperor" or if Placido Domingo would have been willing to memorize an entire role in Chinese.
In summary, if you are interested in a fusion of Western and Eastern musical styles or are a fan of Tan Dun's film work, I would recommend "The First Emperor," which is well-captured on this DVD. I am especially glad that this DVD exists because it captures the original production of the opera, which was revised (for the worse in my opinion) a year later.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Gorgeous music, wonderful libretto... but what about their mix?Mar 11, 2009
By Jaydoggy
To listen to this from a purely instrumental standpoint... this composition was nothing short of phenomenal. It is the apotheosis of a mixture of eastern and western instruments. The music may confuse many people as most people... and apparently many of them include the critics... do not know or understand theory and meaning in Chinese music. It is important to remember in Chinese music: the emphasis is not the tone but rather the meaning behind the tones and what they represent. Though in the western world we have a high emphasis on dissonances resolving which is our own tradition, but in this when hearing a dissonance we must listen to it as if it in itself were a tone and has its own meaning.
Tan Dun's innovative percussion writing was also spectacular. Dun is actually already quite well known for his percussion skills - you can search for his Youtube Symphony with the London Symphony orchestra and you'll see car rims and hubcaps incorperated into the score. It may look or seem ridiculous, but when you hear it you'll be amazed at how well it works.
The instrumentation in The First Emperor is very balanced between the classical European instruments and traditional Chinese instruments. Equally so there is also an amazing balance between European style singing and Chinese style - a narrator introduces the opera who he himself is a traditional Chinese Opera singer (the very talented Wu Hsing-Kuo). This introduction will give the audience quite a start and a lot to expect - this is as traditional Chinese as you can get. If it sounds odd - then I'm afraid you're SOL - as this is very accurate to tradition including his elegant costume, bright face paint, contorting dance moves, spoken text, and what many would consider strange and awkward sounds and shouts. If this cannot be taken seriously, then I think the listener should get to study Chinese music a bit before listening to this opera.
The story itself may seem a bit overly romantic or old-fashioned to many but there is actually a lot of truth to this. The actions taken by the emperor were all true - not only the burning of books, the ruthless conquering, but also the idea of wanting unity and having a beautiful anthem. Though of course historical accuracy can be called into question as the text was written long after these events and very open to bias as they were written by the Han. Also: though Emperor Qin did indeed want an Anthem - he most likely didn't desperately spend night and day to find the theme he wanted. Of course - most characters in operas don't exactly do many things that we'd consider mentally stable, but that's opera anyway!
These elements are what makes this opera so beautiful and also very intelligent. It is a blend of not only the east and the west, but also the past and the future. This is such an innovative yet traditional piece at the same time. It's as though the four subjects came together from around the compass to meet at a center and create this incredible work of art.
There's a criticism that many have and a piece of me also has which is only a personal bias of mine: the text is not fluidly put together in the music. Stresses are on unimportant syllables; sentences are not stated as they normally would be. Less-important words such as "the," "and," "of," "or," ,"with" etc are elegantly ornamented with melisma while the words which actually tell the story (the nouns and verbs etc) are too-often written syllabic or quietly. But this criticism can also be looked at the other way: This is also an old style of setting text to music. The masters of the past including Brahms and Bach also did this. Of course, German-speaking critics would sometimes make fun of them for this style as well, so this is where one must keep in mind that it is a different vocal writing than what's normally done. Personally though, I did not think it worked. Even so, the music was beautiful enough for me to not dislike it. I would suggest putting subtitles on though since with this vocal style it's extremely hard to understand them.
Though understanding them is another issue when it comes to certain singers. Domingo's acting as always was spot-on. He clearly demonstrates a three-dimensional Emperor Qin.. even in his eyes there are thousands of emotions, thoughts, and memories. His tone was crisp and brave. His diction, at least in this performance, was definitely not his best. Consonants are just as important as the sung tones. Diction was definitely lacking in this particular performance, but all else was spot-on.
Elizabeth Futral's performance as Princess Yueyang disappointed me in her tone. Her vibrato was far too wide especially in the first act.I did not enjoy her singing until the second scene of act two (the last part of the show). Acting and diction were all there, but tone not as much.
There is though a lot to be impressed with. Paul groves not only nails tenor high Cs, he sustains them with confidence. Michelle DeYoung is essentially called to sing every note within the mezzo soprano range and beyond; not only does she hit the C above the staff but also the alto's low F (successfully sustaining them too).
The choreography and art is also a visual spectacle - You'll still be impressed if you put it on mute! The second act features an incredible dancer by the name of Dou Dou Huang - his contortions and fluid dancing made me pause and rewind just to see it again.... something I avoid doing since I tend to be a purist when it even comes to watching DVDs... but I just HAD to see it again!
Above all... I think this is one of the most intelligent compositions ever put forth. Some will find certain aspects disappointing - most of all some of the singing mishaps of tone/diction or the style of vocal writing. Opera though is much more than singing - it is every aspect of theatre combined into one: it is art, stage design and direction, a script, music, singing, and most of all: teamwork. I don't think we could've gotten a better team to have created this show.
I highly recommend this DVD to all - but I also highly recommend doing a bit of research on traditional Chinese Music and opera before watching it, or you could find yourself very confused.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Words can't describe how beautiful the music and performance is!!!Mar 05, 2009
By L. Gowen
"lois"
This work is superb, it is the best new work written in many years. Domingo sings and acts the role of the Emperor beautifully, his voice has deepened and darkened and the role is perfect for him. The staging is imaginative and very effective. The costumes are wonderful. It has been a long time since I have seen a new work I have enjoyed as much as this one.
Now I want to quote my husband who played flute for 25 years in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.
"The performance is wonderful, great singers, marvelous costumes, wonderful musicians, and stage presentation is really amazing! After all this, I can remember playing so many 'first performances' and lamenting that I didn't study (flute) to play this garbage, or semi-OK pieces. The performance combines Chinese and Western music. One of the leads is actually from the Chinese Opera and sings in Chinese, although the rest of the work is done in English.
The idiom is unfamiliar to me, but strangely haunting, the overall effect is stunning! The soundtrack for movie, Crouching Tiger - Hidden Dragon might be familiar. Well, this is much deeper and well worth the trouble to find a chance to know the work!
Modern music is worth listening to, if you are careful selecting it!!"
We feel Tan Dun is truly one of the great composers of our day!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Great, Fabulous ion every way!Mar 11, 2010
By Daniel G. Madigan
Those who dislike this opera must hate Turandot. This is indeed a grand opera, filled with beautiful music, underscored by incredibly subtle whispers from violins, cellos, the harp(which I play), and small additions from the brass in quiet sections to indicate all sorts of variation of the mood of the scene. The singing is tremendous, and naturally so, with Placido Domingo heading a very able, lovely cast. Drama and dance, high lying arias of incredible scope, nothing is missing.
Glorious, buy this set and rejoice!
See all 14 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
