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List Price : $29.98 Price : $14.99
List Price : $29.98 Price : $14.99
Description
Documentary celebrating the career of Beverly Sills, America's Diva.
Beverly Sills' greatness and recognition as a coloratura
soprano and as a director of an opera company is the
epitome of the American success story.
Includes performances and interviews from 1930-1980.
Bonus material includes highlights from La Traviata from
1955--first time release in any format!
A must-have for every Beverly Sills fan and opera maven!
Beverly Sills: Made in America Reviews
Beverly Sills: Made in America Reviews
| 37 of 39 people found the following review helpful  Fun AND Exquisite Singing, By This review is from: Beverly Sills: Made in America (DVD) On reflection, I wish the program had been even longer, and had gone more in depth with her professional life, collaborations with other artists, etc. Those who know Sills's life will see where the obvious "drop outs" were. Nonetheless, I'm pleased the thing got made at all and it serves as a welcome calling card for many who'd no previous opportunities to (as Sills herself would say) "see what all the fuss was about."It was fun to see all that gruesome almost glow-in-the-dark-by-numbers, 70's Sills Diva Fashion on the talk show circuits and some of those hair do's . . . mon Dieu! Loved also the still photos, such as the period when she was singing in the private after-hours club, looking all dark haired and sultry. Oh, Bev! The Willow Song, the Cleopatra aria, the Manon scenes and her late career takes on Violetta and the Deveraux Elisabetta, perfectly captured the Sills commitment and excitement. Such impeccable musicianship in everything she did, wed to a... Read more 22 of 23 people found the following review helpful Interviews, music, and an insight into the life of a legendary soprano, By DodgyUSA (Jamaica Plain, MA United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: Beverly Sills: Made in America (DVD) Beverly Sills: Made in America is an interesting retrospect of her international career. Filled with interviews from her television guest spots on the Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett, Dinah Shore, and Merv Griffin shows, Beverly gives us insights into her choice of roles, her views on portraying a historical character such as Elizabeth I, and her training and background. She also shares personal recollections of her family and of her two children-both who were born with handicaps.Throughout, we are treated to vocal fireworks, shimmering cascading notes, and her impeccable phrasing in such roles as Cleopatra, Manon, Lucia, Violetta, and Zerbinetta. A particularly beautiful excerpt is her Willow Song, from The Ballad of Baby Doe. The composer, Douglas Moore, sits nearby and he introduces the piece, saying that she was his favorite Baby Doe. We also get to see her in performances with such guest stars as Danny Kaye, Carol Burnett, Lily Tomlin, and even the Muppets... Read more 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful  Ms. Sills, we're going to miss you!, By This review is from: Beverly Sills: Made in America (DVD) It's almost spooky: As a long-time fan of Ms. Sills, I had borrowed and watched this DVD only about a week ago. And TODAY I find out she's been striken with lung cancer and isn't expected to survive. And it's bringing me to tears.Back in the 1970s when boys my age idolized rock stars and professional athletes, MY idol was Beverly Sills. A coloratura soprano, Beverly Sills (or "Bubbles" as she was nicknamed) wasn't exactly a critical darling; from a purely technical point of view she wasn't up there with Maria Callas or Jessye Norman. But she did bring a certain populism to the stage, a warmth and enthusiasm that endeared her to audiences everywhere. I thought she was wonderful, and I even had an 8-track tape of hers that I would bravely sing along to (but only in the privacy of my old Mercury Bobcat). But doing that falsetto today, at the age of 48, simply is no longer possible, alas. As for this DVD, it's a wonderful retrospective of her career as opera... Read more |
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