--- product_id: 5750605 title: "Catan: Il Postino (LA Opera)" brand: "placido domingocharles castronovoron danielsbrian large" price: "£22.29" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5750605-catan-il-postino-la-opera store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Catan: Il Postino (LA Opera) **Brand:** placido domingocharles castronovoron danielsbrian large **Price:** £22.29 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Catan: Il Postino (LA Opera) by placido domingocharles castronovoron danielsbrian large - **How much does it cost?** £22.29 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5750605-catan-il-postino-la-opera) ## Best For - placido domingocharles castronovoron danielsbrian large enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted placido domingocharles castronovoron danielsbrian large brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Performed in September and October, 2010 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion ## Images ![Catan: Il Postino (LA Opera) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/710kNoJZK8L.jpg) ![Catan: Il Postino (LA Opera) - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71rAa2iC1RL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Il Postino" Breaks The Heart With Love *by B***Y on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 13, 2013* Like most operas, this one is a heartbreaker. "Il Postino," (The Postman) is a modern day opera by Mexican composer Daniel Catan. It's set on an island in Italy and based on the 1994 foreign film of the same name by Michael Radford and from the book "Ardiente Paciencia" (Burning Patience) by Antonio Skarmata. The lyrics are sung in Spanish. Subtitles can be added on screen in English or Spanish.Two great tenors are required to make this opera a success and this production from Los Angeles Opera has them in Placido Domingo as the famous real-life Nobelist poet Pablo Neruda and Charles Castronovo as the cheeky postman. The final moments of the duet between these two artists is incomparable as they blend their voices in absolute perfection.Daniel Catan's score is melodic and in the genre of Giacomo Puccini's "La Rondine" (The Swallow). The story touches the heart and Catan uses it like a Stradivarius in the telling.The seemingly idyllic life that Pablo Neruda leads in Italy during his exile there from his native Chile, masks the peril inherent in his political assertiveness and expressive freedoms. Romantic impulses prompt the postman to wish to become a poet. Neruda complies by teaching Mario about metaphors. When Neruda recites a poem to him, the postman describes feeling strangely seasick as the rhythm of the words move him like a boat on the sea. The poet exclaims "Mario, Do you know what you have made? A metaphor." The transformation begins.The postman wins his lady love through poetry but the price of emulating Neruda is steep. Shortly before their son is born, Mario Ruoppolo's life is taken in a martyr's death. He is shot while reading a poem he wrote when a riot spontaneously erupts at a political rally.It is not mentioned in the opera, but I read in the March 6, 2013, issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer that the body of Pablo Neruda is to be exhumed in Chile to determine whether he was murdered by lethal injection. He died there in 1983, just twelve days after a political rival came into power.The opera concludes with Pablo Neruda reading from the postman's journal about the poem he wrote of the sea and dedicated to Neruda in gratitude. As the poet laments, the phantom of Mario Ruoppolo appears. This incredible moment crowns the opera and makes the DVD a collector's item. It's hard to imagine two other tenors blending their voices so beautifully to sound as one in the closing duet. This DVD is a keeper. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The First 19th Century Opera ... *by G***O on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 5, 2012* ... of the 21st Century! With "Il Postino," Mexican composer Daniel Catán has crafted an opera closer in both music and drama to the operas of Puccini than to those of Stravinsky, Berg, or Prokofiev, not to mention Glass or Adams! It's not post-modern; it's as if modernism never happened! And guess what? It works! It's a moving piece of narrative theater, made powerful by the brilliant ACTING of Plácido Domingo as Pablo Neruda and Charles Castronovo as the rural postman Mario. The Spanish-language libretto stays quite close to the Italian cinema Il Postino, but the character portrayals in the opera are even better than those in the film. I almost forgot that the singing poet on stage wasn't really Neruda, so well did Domingo capture his affect both in music and in "figura." The poignant tragedy of the narrative left Domingo visibly crying during his curtain calls. No applause could be adequate for the character performance of Castronovo as the Little Postman; he's as innocent, as tongue-tied, and as genuinely passionate as the role demands, and he sings as well as his obvious idol Neruda/Domingo.The music! Of course it's the music that matters most, and it's such music as allows both Domingo and Castronovo to soar vocally. The supporting roles, especially the Postman's Beatrice sung by Amanda Squitieri, are acted and sung with equal excellence. There are delightful minor highlights, musically and theatrically, enough to supercharge the central melodrama of this opera. Take note, for instance, of the surprise 'blessing' sung by Mario's Father (Gabriel Osuna); it's a musically authentic Corsican-style chant.All of this is sustained by very capable stage business -- good sets, good costuming, good lighting, etc. -- and excellent camerawork for this DVD. Il Postino is an opera that should find a niche in the scheduling of opera companies around the world for at least the next generation.One painful footnote: composer Daniel Catán died at age 52 in 2011, just months after the LA premiere of Il Postino. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Little Known Gem *by L***Y on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 11, 2021* This is the LA Opera production of a relatively modern opera by a Mexican composer. It's essentially a two man tenor show (although the supporting cast is excellent). Charles Castronovo is fabulous in one of his rare US performances. The music is actually lovely, although not filled with memorable arias. The real treat is to see two great actor-singers play off each other. The set is innovative with lots of use of projected images that really enhance the story, which is very very introspective. The whole plot is an homage to poetry and the arts in the service of both love and social justice. The final scene with Domingo and Castronovo moved me (and Domingo) to tears. It's going to be among my go-to performances. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5750605-catan-il-postino-la-opera](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/5750605-catan-il-postino-la-opera) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-16*