I remember, with tears, performing this in Germany and France with the blessing of Menotti. I prepared the lighting system before the performances, then costumed and did makeup then went on stage. I was Balthezar, first year, Melchior the next. Michael Rhodes, semi-retired Helden Baritone opera singer was our director at Bitburg Air Base. In France, we presented AMAHL in Thionville, sponsored by the Count and Countess there. "der Fliegendehirsch"
Unfortunately, just restored from VHS, not remastered. If the original film still exists it could be remastered beautifully. Mainly a dropout fixed and color/brightness adjusted.
A fantastic version! Theresa Stratas is unforgettable and has voluntarily taken care of dying children and did work with Mother Theresa. I hope she is well...❤
I liked his performance, but the rest of the cast is all star. There does not seem to be any web information about what happened to Robert Sapolsky. There is a medical researcher by that name, but he would be too old to be the same person who sang Amahl. Of course, since it is a film the audio was recorded on a sound stage and then the singers mimed their performance to a playback of the audio. You get a technically perfect performance, but at the possible expense of the excitement generated by a live performance.
Thank you very much for this💙I was born into a family that listened to this every christmas by candlelight(the original LP record)and we all treasure it. 63 years on it just gets better every year💜Now i listen-watch it on twelfth night. Really lovely, very grateful⭐
@@clementj1 Thanks to you, I did! I had been watching this version on other channels,but not as clear as yours,and some with annoying ads. Your version was perfect⭐
Thank you so much! I show this to my 2nd grade music classes every December but my video player is shot and there's no point in replacing it. So glad to find this on TH-cam!
Amazing to see this again! I used to watch this every year on an old VHS that was recorded from TV and this brings back so many memories. Merry Christmas, 2020!
Thank you!!! Thank you! Thank you! I have been searching for a good copy of this version of Amahl for decades. I saw Amahl on stage as a child many decades ago, and then bought the VHS tape of this version with Teresa Stratas so my children could watch it every year, but the quality is so bad (and no one has a VHS player anymore). This version is wonderful. Is there a way for me to save it onto some device so that I can watch/show it every year to my grandchildren?
You are welcome. There is a free TH-cam downloader but also you can buy some from well known stores. This was actually restored from the commercial VHS copy which was poorly dubbed from the original film so it needed a lot of restoration.
This one has very little smearing compared to the first one and the individual frames are closer to the original film. The first one was darker with a few scenes lightened. This one preserves the changes in brightness-contrast of the tape with a uniform overall lightening of the scenes and a deepening of the blackest levels. You can recover the "humble look" by decreasing contrast and brightness to flatten the range. We have no idea how the original film appeared to the viewer. Transferring to a different medium while preserving the look is tricky, so I left both on TH-cam to let viewers decide for themselves.
Thank you for this! I have the original VHS and tried burning it on DVD, but it is very dark and the sound is not clear. This is so much better! I hope you don’t mind if I share this with my students.
Absolutely share it. That is why I posted it, for people to have access. I consider the original intro by Menotti to also be important as it gives the production context. If you download it, put it on a flash drive for your students to see, as a DVD will not be as clear and will have added judder. The image of the Bosh painting was taken from the Wikipedia article about the opera. I hope your students like it.
This brings back nostalgic memories - every year my old mum would look at the Radio Times and say "Jesus Christ! Not this fucking shite on the TV! Every bloody year its the fucking same! Why don't those wankers on the TV give it a bleedin' rest!" So I never got to see it. Now that I have had access to it on TH-cam I realise that my old mum was completely right. I can hear her now.(Bless)
Sorry you don't like it. There are many who adore it, find it heartwarming and wish to watch it every Christmas. I do not go around dissing other people's tastes, as that just creates ill feelings. You can't please everyone, and there is no accounting for taste.
I remember, with tears, performing this in Germany and France with the blessing of Menotti. I prepared the lighting system before the performances, then costumed and did makeup then went on stage. I was Balthezar, first year, Melchior the next. Michael Rhodes, semi-retired Helden Baritone opera singer was our director at Bitburg Air Base. In France, we presented AMAHL in Thionville, sponsored by the Count and Countess there. "der Fliegendehirsch"
Marvelous ! What a treasure to have this --- one of the most enduring memories of my childhood, so moving
So glad I found this really enjoyed watching . I remember watching it on TV in the 90’s. This remastered version is great, thank you .
Unfortunately, just restored from VHS, not remastered. If the original film still exists it could be remastered beautifully. Mainly a dropout fixed and color/brightness adjusted.
A fantastic version! Theresa Stratas is unforgettable and has voluntarily taken care of dying children and did work with Mother Theresa. I hope she is well...❤
She is retired and still around in Florida. She was a wonderful singer who could act.
Ungorgettable!! This really gets you in the Christmas spirit. Ann Elizabeth Petty
Sapolsky is the best Amahl I've ever heard. Fantastic treble. I wonder if he sang a Chichester psalms?
I liked his performance, but the rest of the cast is all star. There does not seem to be any web information about what happened to Robert Sapolsky. There is a medical researcher by that name, but he would be too old to be the same person who sang Amahl. Of course, since it is a film the audio was recorded on a sound stage and then the singers mimed their performance to a playback of the audio. You get a technically perfect performance, but at the possible expense of the excitement generated by a live performance.
This is Kurt Yagjian to me the best Amahl. Scott you, David and Charlie and this emotion. .
Thank you very much for this💙I was born into a family that listened to this every christmas by candlelight(the original LP record)and we all treasure it. 63 years on it just gets better every year💜Now i listen-watch it on twelfth night. Really lovely, very grateful⭐
I hope you enjoyed it this Twelfth Night.
@@clementj1 Thanks to you, I did! I had been watching this version on other channels,but not as clear as yours,and some with annoying ads. Your version was perfect⭐
Another great find.
One of my favorites from long ago!
Thank you!
I've always loved Amahl and the Night Visitors. Thank you for this!
Thank you so much! I show this to my 2nd grade music classes every December but my video player is shot and there's no point in replacing it. So glad to find this on TH-cam!
Amazing to see this again! I used to watch this every year on an old VHS that was recorded from TV and this brings back so many memories. Merry Christmas, 2020!
No doubt about it, this is a masterpiece!
Stunning! Thank you for posting.
Thank you!!! Thank you! Thank you! I have been searching for a good copy of this version of Amahl for decades. I saw Amahl on stage as a child many decades ago, and then bought the VHS tape of this version with Teresa Stratas so my children could watch it every year, but the quality is so bad (and no one has a VHS player anymore). This version is wonderful. Is there a way for me to save it onto some device so that I can watch/show it every year to my grandchildren?
You are welcome. There is a free TH-cam downloader but also you can buy some from well known stores. This was actually restored from the commercial VHS copy which was poorly dubbed from the original film so it needed a lot of restoration.
Yes, this is better. But... the 1st one you posted has that humble charm that is at the source of this wonderful and accessible opera.
This one has very little smearing compared to the first one and the individual frames are closer to the original film. The first one was darker with a few scenes lightened. This one preserves the changes in brightness-contrast of the tape with a uniform overall lightening of the scenes and a deepening of the blackest levels. You can recover the "humble look" by decreasing contrast and brightness to flatten the range. We have no idea how the original film appeared to the viewer. Transferring to a different medium while preserving the look is tricky, so I left both on TH-cam to let viewers decide for themselves.
Thank you for this! I have the original VHS and tried burning it on DVD, but it is very dark and the sound is not clear. This is so much better! I hope you don’t mind if I share this with my students.
Absolutely share it. That is why I posted it, for people to have access. I consider the original intro by Menotti to also be important as it gives the production context. If you download it, put it on a flash drive for your students to see, as a DVD will not be as clear and will have added judder. The image of the Bosh painting was taken from the Wikipedia article about the opera. I hope your students like it.
This brings back nostalgic memories - every year my old mum would look at the Radio Times and say "Jesus Christ! Not this fucking shite on the TV! Every bloody year its the fucking same! Why don't those wankers on the TV give it a bleedin' rest!" So I never got to see it. Now that I have had access to it on TH-cam I realise that my old mum was completely right. I can hear her now.(Bless)
Sorry you don't like it. There are many who adore it, find it heartwarming and wish to watch it every Christmas. I do not go around dissing other people's tastes, as that just creates ill feelings. You can't please everyone, and there is no accounting for taste.
Classic😂🎉🎉🎉