Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, the positive: Every Christian should know this opera; when well done, it's lovely beyond expression. The inspiring and emotional story is sung in clearly understood English, and the entire work is less than an hour long. It's not a "stage presentation", but looks like an ordinary movie. Now, some of the many negatives: Beware, this product comes from a company that calls itself "KULTUR". That spelling alone tells the story. The quality of the product is abysmal. The sound wavers and there's a blank spot and skip in the video image. It looks and sounds like a dubbed, worn out tape. The music, both notes and lyrics, is not always what Menotti wrote; there is even a short piece, for Amahl's calling of the shepherds, that is not in the original. The tempos are much slower, agonizingly slower, than Menotti's. Some action doesn't make sense with the music or with the emotion being expressed. For example, the light, skipping music for Amahl's trips to and from the door is instead played while he is standing at it, and the mother vents her rage at Amahl's presumed lies while bent over tying her sandal. Kaspar's voice is awful, and his role is trivialized to the point that he is often missing from the screen. And Balthazar is somewhat unkind to Kaspar, which jarringly undermines the gracious image of the Three Kings. Even the transcending "He Walks" is marred by inappropriate action, though, despite the poor quality of the product, this moment in the opera still brought tears to my eyes. I'm no opera snob, but I passionately love this work, which has been an integral part of my entire life. If you share my love, or want to, get the real thing the way the composer intended it: "Amahl and the Night Visitors / Schippers" is how Amazon lists the CD. It was recorded just a few days after the original NBC broadcast, which was produced with the assistance of Menotti himself.