Jean-Philippe Rameau: Platée

In reviwing the initial release of the DVD on Kulture I was turned off by the boxy sound of poor quality and the relentlessly dark tone of the color photography. This "remastered" edition certainly corrects these defects so that it is now a pleasure to watch. On several viewings I now find it much more enjoyable to experience than on the old disc. It is still a silly romp but I have mellowed a bit and really now find it fun and enjoyable. The acting of Paul Agnew is really quite exceptional as is the whole cast. The frog chorus, the gods and the swamp "things" all come off very well. This time around with the very much improved sound I began to really appreciate the dexterity and cleverness of the Rameau music. The music is at times masterful in it's parody and imitation as the onomatopoeic chatter of frogs, birds, rainstorms, hurdy-gurdy and Platee's constant frog-like "quoi?". Comedic music had pretty much disappeared from the French stage after Lully had eleminated comic episodes after his first three tragedies. Campra had used some comic elements in his Les Fragments in 1702 but a full comedic work was very unusual. Platee was written as entertainment for the wedding of the dauphin's wedding festivities in 1745. It is ironic if not a bit cruel that this work about an ugly nymph being wooed as a joke by Jupiter to embarass his jealous wife Juno. The bride-to-be Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain was noted as being herself quite ugly. If you have a copy of the old Kultur disc I think it worth while to invest in the new ARTHAUS disc. It does make watching and listening much more enjoyable.

This is a wonderful upgrade of the 2002 TDK DVD that was released in Europe in a two-disc version. Kultur released a one-disc version in the United States that deserved lots of reproaches. I was lucky get the European DVD and to enjoy the better resolution of the PAL format. However, a new HD version was needed because the new HDTVs revealed all the flaws of a film shot in standard definition.The new Arthaus Blu Ray disc is a significant improvement compared with both the Kultur and the TDK releases, even if the picture quality is not as good as in the new operas originally recorded in HD. It also lacks the DTS and Dolby sound of the original TDK DVD, but the new Standard PCM sounds better than the original. I have also seen complaints about the Blu Ray disc in the French and British Amazon stores, but I don’t see any reason to object the quality of the Arthaus release.There’s not much to add about the quality of this memorable production after all what has been said before. Paul Agnew is superb in the title role (I have heard that he is now conducting a new production of this Opera) and Marc Minkowski’s conduction is impressive. The other singers are also amazing, not only Mireille Delunsch as La Folie and Thalie, but also Yan Beuron as Thespis and Mercure, Doris Lamprecht as Junon and specially Valerie Gabail as L’ Amour and Clarine. I was particularly impressed by her rendition of “Soleil Fuis Ces Lieux”, better known as L’ Air de Clarine.However, it seems that the only way to have a true HD video of this opera is by having a new performance with the same singers, the same conductor and the same production.

This is another example why I loathe and detest any modernizing. The "gods" just do not look like gods. The set is simply a stadium with chairs on bleachers (how incredibly CHEAP and LAZY). On the other hand, I wish the orchestra played with more modern style, because rameau's orchestration is so bottom-and-top heavy that the sound becomes quite annoying after a while. A little vibrato would greaty help.Once the actors begin to wear real costumes, things light up. The dances are fabulous. The singing is great, and the lady singing as Folly is extraordinary.A continuous problem is the terrible horrendous lighting. It is WAY too dark and WAY too contrasty. There is nothing to be done to help it. It is a dreadful, almost unwatchable image. WHAT were they THINKING?

This is not a historically-faithful performance. If you expect to see the singers dressed in beautiful baroque-era costumes, admire a corresponding baroque-era stage and, in short, be magically transported to the time of Louis XV, then you'll be disappointed. Instead, you'll see singers dressed in 20th-century attire (more specifically, suits quite adequate for attending a board meeting), and also singers and dancers in underwear. Aside from the beautiful music by Rameau (which one could get on CD, I guess), the excellent acting by Mr. Agnew makes this a 2-star (rather than a 1-star) review. To stress my point, the following comments were posted on the web by a reviewer who actually attended the performance: "Platée was a success, originally a ballet bouffon devised as a great spectacle with ballet, magnificent costumes and brilliant music (1745, Versailles)" [but this production is] "anti-spectacular" and "this [performance] is one for Rameau enthusiasts who are unfazed by gross anachronism that tends to distance the music...". Isn't exactly this type of performance that some people call "Eurotrash"?

I liked the opera. The music and arias were beautiful and well sung. The scenery was a little monotonous, however.

As other reviewers have noted, this the edition of the DVD to get. No issues. Excellent disc.

While I don't get some of the staging ideas, the singing is wonderful. This team is always worth watching.

Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!To hear & see it is to believe. A little known gem with a terrific performance & concept.Hop to it quickly.

'Platee' is a green opera, in that it's set in a marsh, where the nymph Platea (Platee) in French) is looking for love. She thinks she's found it when Jupiter comes a-wooing, but alas, he's using her as a diversion to trick his wife Juno, leaving him free to pursue other amours. So, it's a comedy, with pathos included, and some people find the mocking of an ugly, elderly female distasteful - memories of G&S contraltos, I suppose. But the role is for a man, that peculiarly French voice, the 'haute-contre', a very high tenor. The Rameau specialist Paul Agnew is Platee, and his French is perfect, set against such formidable native singers as Mireille Delunsch (La Folie), Laurent Naouri and Yann Beuron, all of whom are excellent actors as well. The orchestra is on top form, under Marc Minkowski.But the real glory of this set is the choreography. Rameau's operas are late examples of the 'opera-ballets' in vogue in the 17th Century, and the composer exhibits the most dazzling variety of tuneful, incisive dance rhythms, all of which are amazingly well choreographed and performed. If you've never tried Rameau before, make this set your first choice, then go on to such more serious works as 'Les Boreades' and 'Castor et Pollux'.One technical point: I had to return my copy because of a fault in disc 2 - the image froze. Amazon obligingly relapced it, and when that point came on the replacement disc, there was a momentary hesitation, but nothing more

This is a very wild, imaginative staging of one of the strangest operas ever. The playing and singing are immaculate and the production overall captures the great sense of fun that pervades the work. We've watched it again and again.

A production of a comic opera that is actually very funny. I enjoyed this production immensely and found it faultless .

Arrived safe and is great!

High quality DVD & excellent recording/performance. For anyone that is a fan of Rameau then you are in for a treat!