5/5 OUT OF THE TOP DRAWER
  by drkhimxz (Freehold, NJ, USA)
This Pagliacci is unsurprising in that it is all that one would hope for. Old War Horse, or not, a decent cast can make it effective; a cast like this shows why it has been so successful for so many years. On the other hand, Il Tabarro, surprised me with its impact; as one reviewer recognized, it is a musical version of many of the films and plays of the thirties and early forties, working class drama, in which hard-working, ordinary people, find themselves the material of Greek tragedy. No better argument against minimalist staging of drama can be made than the atmosphere created by the Met scenic design which with deceptive simplicity makes a major contribution to the success of the production. Puccini's music amazed me with its sheer rightness for the simple love triangle so often portrayed yet made fresh and vital here. Finally, and most importantly, Conductor Levine leads three perfectly cast principals to give of their best, which is some of the best singing of its day. Stratas shows that even without singing she could step into the role on Broadway and be a hit; with her wonderfully expressive singing, she creates a memorable character despite the limited time available. Pons, too, in every respect commands respect for his portrayal. As to Domingo, his ability to enter into the most variegated roles is by now legend; here, he, too, looks, acts, sings with near perfection to make us believe in his tragic love.
Needless to say, I can recommend both these short operas, without qualification. The Pagliacci will live up to expectations, the Il Tabarro will exceed them.

5/5 Operatic "Film Noir"
  by Operafilly (Fallbrook, Ca United States)
This is my favorite production of Tabarro, one of my Puccini favorites. I saw this when it was first broadcast and a wonderful new surprise was Graves Frugola who gets the singing honors. Too many Tabarros are just too bright. This one verges on murky....very suitably grey. Stratas is a bit long in the tooth but well worth watching for master emoting and she still summons up some impressive singing (tho a bit rough in lower notes). I am no Domingo fan but this is one of his better singing efforts. His acting is passable, but not exciting. Pons is totally miscast. Michele commits double murder in a fit of rage and we need a voice with sharp intensity. Pons is too soft in voice and also is no actor.
If you've never seen this little masterpiece this is a good version to start with.

As I can't tolerate Pav my review stops here. I could only get thru this Pagliacci once because of him.




2/5 PAG without CAV
  by Mr. Daniel Zehnacker
l'idée était originale : Pagliacci sans Cavalleria, mais avec Puccini. Paris et les quais de la Seine ne débouchent sur rien : hauts murs qui cachent le ciel et aucune issue en perspective, alors que Zeffirelli campe ses Paillasses dans une région minable de la campagne italienne. Ce sont les hommes qui triomphent, ils sont jaloux et se méfient des (de La) femme. Pauvre Teresa Stratas, elle avait eu son heure de gloire, avec la Lulu de Berg-Boulez (Opéra de Paris 1979) et la Traviata de ce même Zeffirelli. Mais ici, elle n'est plus qu'une voix sans issue, comme le paysage... Alors ténors et barytons s'en donnent à coeur joie, même si, pour eux aussi, le coeur n'y est plus !

5/5 Buy this one for Juan Pons performance
  by Frank Elliott (Hendersonville, NC United States)
It looks like I can't get enough of Pagliacci; I own three of them now. It's the universal appeal, since most of us have had to deal with a love lost - and frankly, we were pretty angry, if we were honest. Thankfully, most of us didn't go completly nuts.
The music is wonderful - a sort of mad stagger between farce, exhultation, strange, then stumbling into eerie - then as suddenly, jerking back to opera buffo. James Levine conducts superbly, the orchestra is perfection. Art direction by Levine also luridly opulent and joyous -great color! -scenes interspersed with some extraordinary choral and vocal work - each performer deserving standing ovations. I was very impressed with Kenn Chester who played the affable Arlechin (harlequin ). superb- and I hope to see him in more, absolutely ! But you know who steals the show? Who eats the scenery, as it is called? Juan Pons ! This is his opera. At first, we buy an opera, because it may have the big name star - and certainly you want to own this one with the late, wonderful Pavarotti. In this one, however, Juan Pons is unmistakeably the master of ceremonies. Before I thought of him as best supporting actor. Now, as I hear more of him, more closely now, I have to admire his voice. Don't overlook his mastery of baritone bel canto. It's easy to find a collection of favorite arias by the big names...but it would be fabulous to listen to Mr. Pons do a CD/DVD in concert. I would buy that now in a minute. What a voice. In this show, Juan is the show.

4/5 A Met opening night with Domingo and Pavarotti
  by Music lover
This is one of several Metropolitan Opera opening night galas featuring both Domingo and Pavarotti. The Il Tabarro is best. Pagliacci has its good points, but Pavarotti is obviously beyond his peak.