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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Stylish Rosenkavalier, 1 Dec 2008
In November 2007 the Dresden State Opera spent several weeks in Japan and among the operas they presented was this production of Strauss's 'Der Rosenkavalier'. Certainly the company has a long association with the work, having given its première in 1911. Presented at NHK Hall in Tokyo, this performance does not stint on scenery or costumes; it is a full production complete with huge chorus and cast as well as the marvelous Semper Opera orchestra -- aka the Dresden Staatskapelle -- under its new music director Fabio Luisi. Most of the cast is not well known in the US, although the Marschallin -- lyric soprano Anne Schwanewilms -- is growing in renown; her first act Monolog is marvelous as is the final act Trio. She brings dignity and nobility to the part. She is perhaps the best Marschallin I've seen since Elisabeth Söderström. The Ochs, Kurt Rydl, has had a long and illustrious career, but he is a bit too crude in his acting and the voice no longer has its former luster. The Italian Singer is Roberto Saccà (I tend to think of him, rather, as Robert Secco); his aria in Act I is not one of the production's highlights. The pants-role of Octavian is portrayed by a mezzo I'd never heard of, Anke Vondung, and she is one of the real stars of this performance. She not only looks the part and has a luscious voice that she uses with musicality, she is also a marvelous actor; there were indeed times when I forgot she was a woman. Sophie is sung by a young and attractive soprano, Maki Mori. She acts well and has a lovely, well-controlled high soprano; she is outstanding both in the Presentation of the Rose Scene and in the final Trio and Duet. The many minor solo parts are nicely done. Special mention needs to be made of Elisabeth Wilke as the Italian schemer, Annina.
The production has lavish sets, props and costumes that are hard to pinpoint as to era. I kept thinking they were meant to be roughly contemporary with the opera's première in 1911, but there are a few anachronisms such as the flash-cube camera which surely can't be from earlier than the 1950s. None of this is distracting, however, and the stage direction by Uwe Eric Laufenberg is effective as well as traditional (a plus in my book). His handling of the huge cast in the levée scene is skillful as well as being hilarious. Lighting is effective without calling attention to itself.
Videography, as directed for this DVD by Eji Yoshida, is clear and ungimmicky. There are many close-ups of singers but they are never awkward or inapt. There is more than the usual amount of stage noise but it is easily ignored. The comedic elements are effectively emphasized, yet the dramatic moments, such as the Marschallin's graceful release of Octavian in the final scene, are done without schmaltz.
For a modern filming of a production of this most popular of Strauss's operas this DVD is, in my judgment, one to consider. There are, of course, classic Rosenkavalier DVDs to be had -- with Marschallins such as Kiri te Kanawa, Gwyneth Jones and Felicity Lott -- but they all begin to show their age.
2 DVDs; Running time: 212mins; Format: NTSC - 16:9; Sound: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1; Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese; Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Recommended.
Scott Morrison
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