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Mozart: Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail / Mehta, Teatro alla Scala
The unforgettable "masterful use of light and silhouettes" (Milano Post) with which Giorgio Strehler interpreted the charm of Mozart’s Singspiel was conceived for the Salzburg Festival, where it was staged in 1965 under the baton of then 29 year old Zubin Mehta, and then regularly revived at La Scala from 1972 onwards. At twenty years since the death of the great director, who from 1951 staged some by-now legendary operas at La Scala, Teatro alla Scala proposed anew this celebrated staging and called to the podium the man who conducted it the first time – Zubin Mehta. "Extraordinary, a wonder …" (Corriere Della Sera). The stage set with magnificent palace architecture and a sea view at centre is a veritable feast for the eyes, which is equally true for the elaborately and lovingly designed costumes. The viewer feels like he‘s being transported into the oriental aura. The fact that the current performance is conducted by Maestro Zubin Mehta, now over 80 years old, builds a bridge to Strehler‘s Salzburg production, which dates back more than half a century, and at the same time provides a touching detail of this timelessly monumental performance.
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REVIEW:
This new release gives Zubin Mehta the honour of having four commercial recordings of Mozart’s Turkish opera. There is a CD of his 1965 Salzburg performance (Orfeo C392952I). VAI issued a video of the 1967 Salzburg revival (DVDVAI4521), and there is a rather colourful 2002 production from Florence (review). One might almost think that this is the opera that Maestro Mehta is most identified with. I suspect that many opera lovers would think first of his recordings Turandot with Pavarotti and Sutherland and Il Trovatore with Domingo and Price.
Mehta’s association with Entführung was first given international prominence at the 1965 Salzburg Festival in a brand-new production by Giorgio Strehler. He was the 32-year-old hotshot maestro of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, seen as a rising star throughout the world. At the time of this 2017 performance he was 84, and had a long and varied career behind him. His direction on this evening is mellow and flowing. A great deal of consideration is given to the singers in their florid arias. His reading has warmth and charm, which I often find lacking in revivals of this opera. In comparison, the 1965 Entführung on CD has somewhat more excitement and edge to the reading. Yet throughout Mehta’s tempi have altered only slightly, and always there is warmth and care.
Mauro Peter as Belmonte has an elegant and burnished tenor sound, with something of a baritonal quality to his tone. His is a committed and impassioned portrayal which does not quite outshine some of his predecessors in the role. His stage presence is quite natural, and makes for a very appealing portrayal.
Lenneke Ruiten gives a tour-de-force reading of Konstanze. Her woodwind-like tone has grown in size since her Pentatone recording of Mozart arias in 2009 (PTC5186376). Her music is presented in a grand manner, with passionate expression. She is very impressive in executing the difficult coloratura roulades. I would go as far as stating that her assumption of Konstanze stands among the finest ever recorded. We can only be grateful that her performance was captured at the peak of her artistry. She also looks quite lovely, and her acting is on a level similar to her singing.
Maximillian Schmitt as Pedrillo has a very enthusiastic and charming stage presence. That helps him dispatch much of the humourous action that is relegated to Pedrillo; in this he does not disappoint. Vocally, he has an impressive-sounding top range for “Frisch zum Kampfe”, but tonal unsteadiness tends to creep into the mid- and low registers of his voice.
Sabine Devielhe is an adorable Blonde. Her natural stage presence shines through the soubrette traditions of this role. Her voice is diamond-bright, and she gives us an incredibly winning version of “Welche Wonne welche lust”.
Tobias Kehrer gives an adorable portrayal of Osmin. In this production he is more of a buffo rather than a threatening presence. This is matched by his vocal means of a rather soft-grained sound combined with a deeper, more impressive low range. Like many who have sung Osmin, he is challenged by the coloratura sections of “O wie will ich triumphieren”.
This production is a new staging of the 1965 Giorgio Strehler production for Salzburg. It was restaged by Mattia Testi in honour of the 20th anniversary of Strehler’s death. Strehler was a producer whose work in opera has become something of a legend over the years. Early in his carreer, he discovered the technique of Chiaroscuro lighting which was used in Renaissance paintings and early silent films. The complex lighting structure makes the rear of the stage more brightly lit than the front. On film, it can produce some truly wonderful cinematic images. It also has the ability to do this on stage but sadly in live performance it does not register well for home viewing. Even the exacting standards of today’s HD cameras are not up to the challenge of conveying the action which occur in the shadows at the front of the stage. Strehler’s Entführung production used this effect heavily.
In much of his later stage work, Strehler toned down the degree of use, as DVDs of his Nozze di Figaro from Paris and Don Giovanni from La Scala demonstrate. It is rather a pity that so much of the singing occurs in the dark part of the stage, which leaves us with soloists who are seen only in silhouette. In the opera house the audience are partly able to make out some of the singers’ expressions but that is not the case for home viewing. This mars what is in effect a very charming staging of Mozart’s opera. There are a few truly inspired moments where the shadow effect actually enhances the story, like when Pedrillo is tempting Osmin with the Cypriot wine. The imagery here is truly unforgettable for a moment that normally paces without much notice. The sets and costumes are spare but quite beautiful and elegant. Sound and picture quality of this Blu-ray are superlative, aside from the above-noted comments. Ultimately, while I am grateful to have this recording, the lighting issue will prevent it from being anyone’s first choice for this opera. Even so, the particularly fine singing of the female leads and Mehta’s warm and winning reading of the score should absolutely be heard.
– MusicWeb International (Mike Parr)
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Mozart: Don Giovanni / Karajan, Vienna State Opera Orchestra
Mozart: Don Giovanni / Montanari, Arena Di Verona
Mozart’s Don Giovanni, in the beautiful staging by legendary Franco Zeffirelli, is a spectacle with a strong anaesthetising component, and a feast for the eyes. In this production “Zeffirelli returns to a representative Super classic line, renewing the complex mechanisms of almost all his other productions” (Il corriere musicale) with “beautiful classic costumes by Maurizio Millenotti and lights by Paolo Mazzon” (L'ape musicale). Carlos Álvarez is “of beautiful voice” (GP Opera) and “presumably today’s best Don Giovanni” (L'ape musicale) while “Irina Lungu is one of the best lyric sopranes” (L'ape musicale). “Donna Elvira, being sung by Maria José Siri was clearly and advantageously represented by her mellow and beguiling voice.” (MTG Lirica)
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro / Alvarez, Welser-Most, Teatro alla Scala
For the 225th anniversary of Mozart’s death, La Scala Theatre presents a new production of Le nozze di Figaro that had been entrusted to the extraordinary director Frederic Wake-Walker (author of a production of La finta giardiniera which was the revelation of the Glyndebourne Festival in 2014). He focusses the action of the piece on the instability of love: “Le nozze di Figaro presents us with an impossibility – a world where everyone is loving and forgiving.” The approach to his direction is “elaborate and very innovative” and “also musically, the new production of Figaro is worth a tour to Milan." (NZZ) "the cast is magnificient.” (Kurier) “… when Diana Damrau enters as the Countess, we get a performance of special gravitas. Even the orchestra, under Franz Welser-Möst’s baton, melts to such grace.” (Financial Times)
Mozart: Mitridate, re di Ponto
Mozart: Mitridate, re di Ponto
Mozart: Piano Concertos 20, 21 & 27 / Buchbinder, Staatskapelle Dresden [blu-ray]
Also available on standard DVD
The Austrian piano virtuoso Rudolf Buchbinder, a known expert of Mozart plays and conducts three of Mozart’s most beloved piano concertos together with the Staatskapelle Dresden, where he was the first pianist to hold the title of “Capell-Virtous”. In advance to an extensive tour to Germany, Europe and Asia the concert was recorded in Dresden in an unique setting, being the first ultra-high definition recording of this work: especially for this purpose a stage was set up right inside the Gläserne Manufaktur, a luxury car manufacturer in the heart of the city of Dresden.
No. of Discs: 1
Run time: 93 minutes
Disc Format: BD 50
Picture: 16:9, HD
Audio: PCM Stereo, PCM 5.1
Region Code: 0 (worldwide)
Mozart: Requiem - Ave verum corpus - Miserere
Mozart: Violin Concerto No 5; Dvorak: Symphony No 9 / Karajan, Menuhin
In Rehearsal and Performance
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K. 219 (Rehearsal and Performance)
Yehudi Menuhin, violin
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan, conductor
Antonín Dvo?ák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, "From the New World" (Rehearsal and Performance)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan, conductor
Recorded in 1966.
Filmed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Combining the forces of two of the 20th century´s greatest musicians – Yehudi Menuhin and Herbert von Karajan in their only recorded performance together – this magnificent programme marks a high point in filmed classical music. Both features, Mozart´s Violin Concerto No. 5 and Dvorák´s “New World” Symphony, were directed by master film-maker and long-time Karajan collaborator Henri-Georges Clouzot (The Wages of Fear).
bonus:
- Herbert von Karajan in conversation with Yehudi Menuhin (on Mozart, in English) and Prof. Joachim Kaiser (on Dvo?ák, in German)
Special bonus feature:
- Previously unreleased rehearsal session prior to Violin Concerto No. 5!
Picture format: NTSC 4:3 B/W (mastered from an HD source, original filmed in 35mm)
Sound format: PCM Stereo / PCM Mono (rehearsal)
Subtitles: English (Kaiser interview) / German (Menuhin interview)
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 69 mins (performance) + 38 mins (rehearsal)
No. of DVDs: 1
Music Is The Language Of The Heart And Soul - A Portrait Of Mariss Jansons
Mariss Jansons is one of the most influential conductors of our age. In 2012 the charismatic Latvian musician conducted his second New Year Concert in Vienna, an honour that very few conductors have enjoyed. For the present documentary portrait, the film maker Robert Neumüller observed Jansons at work in Amsterdam, Riga, St Petersburg, Vienna and Salzburg. The film shows Jansons working with his various orchestras, including rehearsals for the 2012 New Year Concert, and also explores his private life, resulting in a number of fascinating insights into Jansons’ artistic development and philosophy. By way of a bonus, this release features a complete performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mariss Jansons.
Subtitles: G, E, F, Sp, Chin, Kor
Booklet: E, G, F
No. of Discs: 2
Run time: 145 minutes
Disc Format: DVD
Picture: NTSC, 16:9
Audio: PCM Stereo, PCM 5.1
Region Code: 0 (worldwide)
Neumeier: Beethoven Project
Neumeier: Nijinsky / Hamburg State Opera Orchestra
“Nijinsky“ is the title of this “choreographic approach“ to a dance phenomenon that has been part of Neumeier‘s life ever since the beginning of his career. During his approximately ten years as a dancer, Vaslav Nijinsky (1889-1950) set a new standard both technically and expressively, while in his choreographic work he pointed the way towards modern dance. All three aspects - the dancer, the choreographer and the person Nijinsky - form the starting point for John Neumeier‘s latest creation. Neumeier, who as early as 1979 presented a short ballet, “Vaslav“, is regarded as one of the leading Nijinsky experts worldwide. Nevertheless, it was not without reluctance that he took up the task of honoring through dance a dance legend: “In creating a work about a historical person, what aspect should we concentrate on? Who was he truly: The man? The artist? Which witness, what information can we trust, which theories should one follow? What point of view can we take towards the complex puzzle Nijinsky? An instinctive choice must be made...“ Also included is an interesting interview with John Neumeier about Nijinksy.
Neuwirth: Orlando / Lindsey, Clementi, Jurenas, Melrose, Bond, Hauman, Eichenholz, Pintscher, Vienna State Opera
Winner of the 2021 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition!
“A vivid Orlando makes history in Vienna” (New York Times International): Olga Neuwirth’s opera Orlando, based on Virginia Woolf’s novel of the same name, is the first full-length opera by a woman celebrating its premiere at the Vienna State Opera. Olga Neuwirth, for a long time one of the great composers of the present, succeeds with this opera in creating a captivating arc across many musical genres. It’s an exciting, socially critical production by Polly Graham who puts a fantastically singing and playing Kate Lindsey in the center of the action. For Orlando, Neuwirth won the prestigious Grawemeyer Award; it became “world premiere of the year” by Opernwelt magazine, and for Die Zeit, the Hamburg-based national German newspaper, it was “the premiere of the season.”
Acclaim:
"Neuwirth’s score, fusing orchestral, electronic and sampled sounds, is often bewitching...while the use of musical quotations, from Elizabethan polyphony to Lady Gaga, is certainly entertaining.
"The Vienna production...clearly didn’t stint on anything. Some of the sense of grandeur may be lost on a small screen, but the use of video, with texts projected on to the set, as well as the sumptuous costumes by Comme des Garçons, is certainly lavish...
"As Orlando, the mezzo Kate Lindsey is outstanding in what is a hugely demanding role...Constance Hauman provides a telling cameo as the Queen. Matthias Pintscher is the conductor, efficiently coordinating everything[.]"
--The Guardian (Andrew Clements)
New Year‘s Concert - Teatro la Fenice 2025
New Year‘s Concert - Teatro la Fenice 2025
New Year‘s Concert – Teatro la Fenice 2024
Nureyev Box: Swan Lake, The Nutcracker & Don Quixote / Vienna State Opera
This release features three of the most popular ballets in the original versions created by the world-famous ballet genius Rudolf Nureyev, with the Wiener Staatsballett, one of the greatest companies in the world. “A masterly performance in every respect.” (Die Presse about Swan Lake); “No version of The Nutcracker that we have ever seen has been more potently dramatic; few have displayed so sharp an imprint of personal style.” (Clive Barnes); “Elegant, romantic, delightful” (Die Presse); “Outstanding soloists.” (Der Standard); “A Don Quixote to love … Legris and company can count the evening a total success.” (Die Presse); As for the two principals, Maria Yakovleva and Denys Cherevychko as Kitri and Basil, no praise was high enough: “both are technically brilliant.” (Wiener Zeitung)
Offenbach: La Belle Helene / Priessnitz, Larmore, Han, Galliard, Rud
Jacques Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène (1864) has always been one of its composer’s most successful works.
• Its first, slightly scandalizing performance in Paris was quickly followed by productions in Vienna, Berlin, London, Milan and New York.
• A satire of middle-class values, this opéra bouffe – told through the story of Paris and Helen, and her abduction by the Trojan prince disguised as a shepherd – pillories narrow-mindedness in society.
• Adopting a pro-active stance, director Renaud Doucet and designer André Barbe treat the piece as a “great show” with numerous choreographic elements, relocating the action of Offenbach's classical spoof and setting it on a cruise ship in the 1960s, when Flower Power, love and drugs were all the rage.
• “La Belle Hélène is a firework display for ears and eyes...” (Hamburger Morgenpost), “opulent and amusing” (Bild), and, in the title role, Jennifer Larmore convinces with her “fantastic vocal performance.” (Das Opernglas)
Subtitles: French (orig.), English, German, Spanish, Chinese Korean
Booklet: English, German, French
No. of Discs: 1
Run time: 117 minutes
Picture Format: NTSC, 16:9
Audio Format: PCM Stereo, PCM 5.1
Region Code: 0 (worldwide)
Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann
