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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
An Important Historical Film of 'Fidelio', 24 May 2007
In the late 1960s Rolf Liebermann, the legendary intendant of the Hamburg State Opera, had the visionary idea of presenting a number of operas in filmed versions, among the first ever done in color, to be shown on German television. This production of Fidelio was the second of them to be presented -- the first was The Marriage of Figaro -- and its cast drew from the stable of singers then working at the Opera, many of them young and destined for big careers: Lucia Popp, Hans Sotin, Richard Cassilly, Anja Silja, Theo Adam among them. These are not filmed stage productions but filmed (and lip-synched) versions done in the NDR studio but using the Opera sets. Because the singers are lip-synching there is not the usual strain one sees in filmed stage productions. There are pros and cons for this approach but I certainly did not find it distracting. Needless to say, though, the musical values of this DVD are excellent for their time. We must remember that in 1968 a film like this would necessarily be in mono and the color TV production would be in saturated color that might seem a bit old-fashioned to modern viewers.
As to the production itself, it is traditional and beautifully mounted. The fine State Opera orchestra is conducted by the veteran Leopold Ludwig and they are very nearly faultless. (The horns cover themselves with glory in Fidelio's 'Komm, Hoffnung'.)
But as in any production of Fidelio it is the singers we are most focused on and here the film really shines. There is not a weak link in the cast. Anja Silja, then quite young and long before she encountered the vocal troubles she endured later in her career, is simply marvelous as the plucky Leonora/Fidelio. The voice gleams, even when riding atop the huge column of orchestral sound in 'Komm, Hoffnung' or 'O namenlose Freude.' Her slim figure helps make her convincing as the male 'Fidelio.' Richard Cassilly, not ordinarily much of an actor, is nonetheless quite effective as Florestan and the voice, always huge and bronze-tinted, is remarkably apt for this part. The dungeon scene ('Gott, welch Dunkel hier') is, in fact, as convincing dramatically as anything I've seen him do. Hans Sotin is electrifying as Don Fernando, as is Theo Adam as Pizarro. The treasurable Slovak soprano, Lucia Popp, is both pert and musically impeccable as Marzelline. The not-well-remembered young tenor, Erwin Wolhfahrt -- he died not long after this film was made -- is suitably earnest and endearing as Jacquino. Ernst Wiemann is suitably black-voiced and dramatically convincing as Rocco; unfortunately his 'Gold' aria is cut. And one must not forget the male chorus, such an important part of this score; they are moving in their 'O welche Lust' and the giddily joyful 'Heil sei dem Tag'.
I cannot give this DVD a full five-star rating primarily because this should not be anyone's only DVD of the opera; it is primarily a historical document. That said, I found it very satisfying from a musical and dramatic perspective, making me almost forget any audiovisual drawbacks typical of its 1968 filming.
Sound: Mono; Subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian; Picture format: 4:3; Region code: 0 (worldwide); Running time: 115 mins.
Scott Morrison
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