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The operetta Die Fledermaus is Johann Strauss’ most brilliant and best-known stage work. It’s a glittering comedy packed with Viennese music that has become a firm favourite in opera houses all over the world. A top international cast really have a ball in this highly-acclaimed 1984 New Year’s Eve performance from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in which Placido Domingo makes a very stylish British conducting debut. Kiri Te Kanawa stars with her celebrated performance as Rosalinde, and the charismatic Austrian baritone Hermann Prey is Eisenstein, one of his trademark roles. The cast also includes Benjamin Luxon as Dr Falke and Hildegarde Heichele as Adele. The magnificent stage designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman recreate all the style and opulence of Viennese society in its golden period before the First World War. This production also features some very surprising celebrity guests at Prince Orlofsky’s special gala performance party including comedians Hinge and Bracket, French singer Charles Aznavour and Merle Park and Wayne Eagling in Sir Frederick Ashton’s specially choreographed pas de deux.
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Pipistrello (Il) / Die Fledermaus
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is one of the best versions of Die Fledermaus that I have seen. The Gaolers monologue is absoutely fantastic as well as the guests at Prince Orlovsky's Party especially the appearance of Hinge and Brackett.Kiri te Kanawa and Heramn Prey are an excellent combination. It is also very useful having the dialogue in English as opposed to German. THe Karl Bohm /Gundula Janowitz version I found a Typical Germanic version with no real gusetsDie Fledermaus [DVD] [1985] [NTSC]Die Fledermaus [DVD] [1985] [NTSC] at the party
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Johan Strauss II didn't get his reputation as Vienna's Waltz King for sitting around eating strudel mit shlag. He wrote glorious melodies...waltzes, polkas, mazurkas...that set people to dancing and smiling. His music still does.
Die Fledermaus is a Viennese fable of lechery, love, revenge and romance, of beautiful wives, juicy maids, amorous husbands, clever friends, a mysterious count and a drunken jailer, of white tie and tails, beautiful gowns, a gold watch and lots of champagne. Most of all, it is a light-hearted and mischievous story that features some of Strauss' most romantic and bubbling music which just washes over the audience. The story is too comically complicated to go into. Just remember that it's all about a bit of revenge for a practical joke played by one friend on another a year earlier. In Act One we're at the home of Gabriel von Eisenstein (Herman Prey), who is about to spend eight days in jail for an indiscretion. But his good friend, Dr. Falke (Benjamin Luxon), convinces him to delay the trip to the jail until the next day, so that the two can go to a magnificent dinner party, without telling Eisenstein's beautiful wife, Rosalinda (Kiri Te Kanawa), held by the mysterious Russian nobleman, Count Orlofsky (Doris Soffel). Ah, but then the plot thickens. Through clever stratagems, invitations have also secretly arrived for Rosalinda, who is to go in disguise so she can see for herself her husband's amorous ways, and for Roslinda's maid, Adele (Hildegard Heichele). All that follows is a story of mistaken identities, beautiful songs and, eventually, happy endings.
What makes this particular production at Britain's Royal Opera House so effective is that it's not only sung superbly, it's not only sumptuously mounted, but it's funny.... Read more ›
Die Fledermaus is a Viennese fable of lechery, love, revenge and romance, of beautiful wives, juicy maids, amorous husbands, clever friends, a mysterious count and a drunken jailer, of white tie and tails, beautiful gowns, a gold watch and lots of champagne. Most of all, it is a light-hearted and mischievous story that features some of Strauss' most romantic and bubbling music which just washes over the audience. The story is too comically complicated to go into. Just remember that it's all about a bit of revenge for a practical joke played by one friend on another a year earlier. In Act One we're at the home of Gabriel von Eisenstein (Herman Prey), who is about to spend eight days in jail for an indiscretion. But his good friend, Dr. Falke (Benjamin Luxon), convinces him to delay the trip to the jail until the next day, so that the two can go to a magnificent dinner party, without telling Eisenstein's beautiful wife, Rosalinda (Kiri Te Kanawa), held by the mysterious Russian nobleman, Count Orlofsky (Doris Soffel). Ah, but then the plot thickens. Through clever stratagems, invitations have also secretly arrived for Rosalinda, who is to go in disguise so she can see for herself her husband's amorous ways, and for Roslinda's maid, Adele (Hildegard Heichele). All that follows is a story of mistaken identities, beautiful songs and, eventually, happy endings.
What makes this particular production at Britain's Royal Opera House so effective is that it's not only sung superbly, it's not only sumptuously mounted, but it's funny.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good live performance, fun the first time, but with problems for repeated viewings
25 Aug 2010
Format:DVD
SOURCE:
Live 1983 performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.
SOUND:
Reasonably good stereo. The singing of the soloists is generally well caught, the orchestra and chorus slightly less so. Some dialogue fades occasionally, but that may be due to the performers as much as the sound pick-up.
CAST:
Gabriel von Eisenstein, a prosperous Viennese gentlemen with a roving eye - Hermann Prey (baritone)
Rosalinde, his wife - Tiri Te Kanawa (soprano)
Alfred, Rosalinde's would-be lover - Dennis O'Neill (tenor)
Adele, Rosalinde's maid - Hildegarde Heichele (soprano)
Dr. Falke, Eisenstein's good friend but also the victim of one of his practical jokes - Benjamin Luxon (baritone)Herr Frank, Governor of the City Prison - Michael Langdon (baritone)
Prince Orlowsky, a jaded and bored visiting aristocrat - Doris Soffel (mezzo-soprano)
Dr. Blind, Eisenstein's lawyer - Paul Crook (tenor)
Ida, Adele's sister - Ingrid Baier (speaker)
Frosch, a jailer - Josef Meinrad (speaker)
CONDUCTOR:
Placido Domingo with the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus, Covent Garden.
TEXT:
The lyrics are sung in a German not heavily burdened with Viennese lilt. Spoken dialogue veers wildly from one language to another.
SETS AND COSTUMES:
The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, is a very large theater with a big stage. The settings are of necessity of large scale. This makes Eisenstein's residence, which ought to be the well-appointed townhouse of a prosperous but nevertheless middle-class Viennese banker who keeps only a single servant, seem out of scale. The ballroom set for the second act and the jail in the third are serviceable.... Read more ›
Live 1983 performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.
SOUND:
Reasonably good stereo. The singing of the soloists is generally well caught, the orchestra and chorus slightly less so. Some dialogue fades occasionally, but that may be due to the performers as much as the sound pick-up.
CAST:
Gabriel von Eisenstein, a prosperous Viennese gentlemen with a roving eye - Hermann Prey (baritone)
Rosalinde, his wife - Tiri Te Kanawa (soprano)
Alfred, Rosalinde's would-be lover - Dennis O'Neill (tenor)
Adele, Rosalinde's maid - Hildegarde Heichele (soprano)
Dr. Falke, Eisenstein's good friend but also the victim of one of his practical jokes - Benjamin Luxon (baritone)Herr Frank, Governor of the City Prison - Michael Langdon (baritone)
Prince Orlowsky, a jaded and bored visiting aristocrat - Doris Soffel (mezzo-soprano)
Dr. Blind, Eisenstein's lawyer - Paul Crook (tenor)
Ida, Adele's sister - Ingrid Baier (speaker)
Frosch, a jailer - Josef Meinrad (speaker)
CONDUCTOR:
Placido Domingo with the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus, Covent Garden.
TEXT:
The lyrics are sung in a German not heavily burdened with Viennese lilt. Spoken dialogue veers wildly from one language to another.
SETS AND COSTUMES:
The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, is a very large theater with a big stage. The settings are of necessity of large scale. This makes Eisenstein's residence, which ought to be the well-appointed townhouse of a prosperous but nevertheless middle-class Viennese banker who keeps only a single servant, seem out of scale. The ballroom set for the second act and the jail in the third are serviceable.... Read more ›
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
chosen this version because directed by Placido Domingo. very interesting special edition.
excellent production.highly recommended.it's worth it. brillant voices and scenary
excellent production.highly recommended.it's worth it. brillant voices and scenary
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
It was fun to watch and listen to.
The crew is superb, Kiri is funny and just Frosh, I think he has outdone himself.
I highly recommend it to people who are new to this kind of music.
The crew is superb, Kiri is funny and just Frosh, I think he has outdone himself.
I highly recommend it to people who are new to this kind of music.
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Being an opera lover this was unic piece of operette with quality and taste. The casting was master level and my all time favorite Dame Kiri Te Kanava as Rosalinde. Hildegard Heichele is also a unic soprano with a happy warm tone. Directing was masterfull. I will wach it every new year and of course with champagne. It was thanks to you tube i found this perfomance. Thank you that you had it.
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
a special concert with suprise acts and extra's. I loved it and now i can watch it every year around new year.
By im
Format:DVD
This was an outstanding production. Wonderful singing and excellent acting. I even enjoyed the lasr act which I have often found rather hard work
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful entertainment
I saw this lavish production when originally shown on BBC Television one New Year's Eve over 25 years ago and thought it was absolutely charming and delightful. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2010 by Pamela of Marbella
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect Operetta
A superb production with fauntless soloists and an energetic maestro. The celebrity guests may be considered to prolong the operetta a tad, but are nevertheless good value and the... Read more
Published on 16 July 2010 by I. M. J. Mair
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