Der Rosenkavalier: Munich Philharmonic (Thielemann) [DVD] [2009]

The deathless army of fLemmings will need to go out and buy this dvd of 'Der Rosenkavalier' if for no other reason than their darling Renée is in full flow, as Renée, not necessarily as the Feldmarschallin. Those aforementioned soldiers of glamor need not read any further because you aren't going to like what I have to say.For the other 50% of the opera loving world, read on. First and foremost on my mind is why does Christian Thielemann put up with this sort of nonsense? He's the greatest living exponent of 19th and early 20th century German opera and yet he appears again and again in the pit facing the worst kind of vapidity and the most stylishly mish-mashed productions. At least in this production he has a good cast of singers, a fine orchestra in an excellent acoustic in Baden-Baden's Festival hall and a sensible film director who doesn't dwell to long on either close-ups (except on HerSelf) or full stage pictures in the more intimate moments.I won't/can't enumerate the countless felicities and nuances of Thielemann's splendid leadership. Suffice it to say this is great Strauss conducting in the same league as Clemens Krauss, Karl Böhm and Herbert von Karajan (Thielemann's mentor).As for the production, all I can say is that Karajan would not even have stepped foot into the lavatory of this festival hall in the face of this mess of a show. Yes, it is pretty to look at, for awhile, but is such a distillation of eras and styles as to make the mind shut down from too much boggling over what the hell it is taking in for processing.Herbert Wernicke's sets and his concept are a mild form of regietheatre that does not offend, but merely annoy enough times to set up a red rash of irritation in one's being. It's impossible to determine which era this story is supposed to take place within. Strauss and von Hofmannsthal set it in 18th century Vienna. Wernicke has set it in some alternative universe of overlapping historical periods ranging from the original 18th century (footmen and Oktavian's first act costumes and the carriages in Act 3) all the way to the 1920s-the gowns in all three acts. The costuming is so perplexing as to distract from the dramatic action, thereby lessening the impact of the three great scenes, the Marschallin's monologue in Act 1, the presentation of the rose in Act 2 and the great trio and duet in Act 3.The sets themselves are rather ingenious, with the use of mirrors (not always successful), but the false ceilings resembling skylights in a railway terminus or vast office lighting in a government bureaucracy, detracting from the intimacy of this opera. The luxury of the Marschallin's world is conveyed nicely with lots of mahogany and gold tea services and satin bed clothing etc. It is the lack of direction and, obversely, occasionally the over-direction of the singers that lowers the standard of this production.In Act 1 The Great One would have benefited from a production that straight-jacketed her natural personality to a much greater degree than does Wernicke's, which allows Renée to Be HerSelf at all times; tossing her hair, batting her eyes, looking up and to the side (a trademark gesture) to indicate depth, and generally acting like an aging airhead with thoughts no deeper than what shade of lipstick she should wear to the next levée. She might have benefitted from a big powdered wig, a black beauty mark on the tip of her nose and an enormous crinoline dress to mute her natural tendency to swan about like a New Jersey housewife in an expensive hotel in 'Vegas.Act 1 is a blatant vanity display for the beloved diva and her fans will lap it up. My response was more in the nature of wanting to throw something heavy at the television screen. Her smug, self-regarding 'performance' sucks the life out of anything any of her fellow artists try to do in terms of projection of their characters, not their egos.There is much repulsive nonsense in Act 1. Renée blowing kisses at Oktavian, tossing her hair; Oktavian (as Mariandel) messing with an oversize bolster in a most obvious manner. And when Ochs enters (a very good Franz Hawlata in lederhosen for some reason), I thought the channel had suddenly switched to an old rerun of the 'Carol Burnett Show' with Fleming going through a sitcom style comedy routine with Harvey Korman on the sofa. And what a snarky Marschallin it is who rolls her eyes disparagingly at the poor orphans, how mean-spirited of her! Fleming's great lady is a jumped-up middle class snob, not a true aristocrat. This is all a great shame because when I shut my eyes and simply listened I heard some beautiful singing coming from her. It's pretty shallow stuff but the voice is unarguably beautiful, though there are signs of trouble here and there. But these could simply be the effects of time passing on the vocal chords. You'd think the words in the Act 1 monologue, which goes for naught here, would have meant a little more to this singer under the circumstances. The direction of the singers in this act is on the level of a high school production.Jonas Kaufmann makes his glam appearance as the Italian Singer (euphemistically speaking). He certainly is a handsome son-of-a-gun and he has a very beautiful, hauntingly covered vocal sound. Alas that he wasn't really singing 'In fernam Land' from Lohengrin, which is not really how this charming Italian ditty is supposed to sound in this opera. Oh, well. He's pure candy for the eye and the ear; he's dressed in a 1940s mafia tuxedo, just to keep you up on Kaleidoscopic fashion parade on display in this show.Sophie Koch is very good as Oktavian but she's odd looking. She overacts but looks very convincing as a young man in his jodhpurs. In Act 2 Oktavian is decked out in an all white glittery tuxedo with top hat, looking like a girl in a Busby Berkeley chorus line making her way elegantly down the stairs. Wernicke makes poor little Sophie go UP the stairs to Oktavian, rather ungallant I thought, to receive the silver rose. The direction of the singers in this scene is awful. Damrau is directed to move like Olympia in 'The Tales of Hofmann' and Oktavian takes on the spirit of a marionette, it's all slightly disturbing and devoid of the touching charm that usually invests this scene. However, Diana Damrau is magnificent and the perfect embodiment of the bourgeois ingenue. She and Thielemann, alone, are worth the price of this film.This is yet another case of wishing that a performance had been released as a cd rather than a film. I don't think Wernicke's sets were really worth preserving for posterity, they are really rather forgettable; sterile in an extravagant way. And with a purely aural Renée/Marschallin this might have been one of the very great R'kavalier recordings; as it is, it's a very frustrating R'kavalier film.If you've gotten this far and haven't activated the 'no help at all' button for this review, then think it over a bit before purchasing this item. Christian Thielemann will probably make a cd of this opera in the future, he's still only in his early 50s so he has time barring his getting hit by the bus, as my mother always warned me about. The only risk is that Diana Damrau may not still be singing Sophie or at least singing it as exquisitely as she does in this film. I suppose I must recommend that all Thielemann/Strauss/Damrau lovers buy this as well. You may not like Act I at all if you are one of the silent horde who have an automatic gag response to Renée Fleming at her most self-absorbed. But we have fast forward and skip buttons to alleviate the stress. Or better still, turn your back to the screen and just listen.Rating this is extremely difficult. I'd give it 5-stars for Thielemann/Damrau/the orchestra/the camera work and the sound. I'd give it 4 stars for the balance of the cast and Fleming on vocal performance alone, and 3-stars for Fleming's stage performance and the production. So I must compromise with a 4-Star.I will remain loyal to the two traditional versions by Carlos Kleiber and the Semyon Bychkov/Robert Carsen version for a more revisionist approach.Oh, and one last thought: Kill the damned Pierrot! I suppose this was another case of modern political correctness and the fear surrounding any violation of same that made Herr Wernicke jettison poor Mohammed the charming Moorish page boy and turn his character into ... (choke, splutter, gag) a MIME in a Pierrot outfit. WHY? 'But, he's so cool, like Renée'.

It is interesting to note that the last three Rosenkavaliers to have been released have all been updated to relatively contemporary setting with one major exception--the Robert Carsen 2004 Salzburg production. But fear not those conservatives who cry "no updating, please" because truly there is in my estimation nary a concept in sight. Carsen on the other hand has decided to cover the last fifty years of the twentieth century to great effect.The two most recent, Medici Arts and Decca are set in the fifties for the former and vaguely contemporary for the Decca, the DVD under consideration. This is a production that took place in Baden Baden in January of this year. Overall it is as I have noted a splendid performance and at last enshrines Fleming in one of her best roles. My feelings about this artist have been somewhat mixed heretofore. That the voice itself is a deluxe instrument has never been up for discussion. It is a beautiful voice, but so often one has to wonder about the intellect behind it. For me her low point of her DVD's has been the Chatelet production of Capriccio; it is not a production that distingguishes itself nor is her performance one for the ages as it is self-absorbed and superficial. Updating it to Nazi occupied France was not an idea that works in this "chamber" opera. The updating in Rosenkavlier is almost beside the point. All the major artists have appeared in more conventional stagings. If anything this has liberated the singing actors to go beneath the surface and offer a profoundly personal reading. The Marschalin'e Act I monologue is a model of sensitivity and mood. Perhaps Fleming cannot offer the textual nuances that a German speaking singer has but she is offering a prize performance that is utterly committed and involving. I suppose that compared to Anne Schwanenwilms (the only native German singer to command the role since Jurinac and Schwarzkopf)there are some niggling points that get lost. Indeed Schwananwilms' performance remains one of two reasons to acquire the Medici Arts set; the other is the Octavian of Anke Vondung, passionate, intense and blessed with a beautiful voice. Alas the sonics and the performance of Kurt Rydl seriously scupper this DVD. The Sophie is a Japanese soprano with a bright and hard tone that is rarely appropriate. Rydl who has had a distguished career has developed a wobble that fearsome. Additionally the recording level is very low so that it is necessary to boost the volume much higher than is necessary for any other DVD in my collection. Taped in Japan it is mystifying that the engineers would have passed on this issue. Yet I cherish this set for Schwanenwilms; she is not only blessed with great beauty, both physical and vocal, her monologue justifies the whole performance in spite of other criticisms.Fleming's lover, Octavian, is sung by the French mezzo sophie Koch. Perhaps trumped by Kirchschlager in the Carsen set she is nonetheless a fine contender for the role. Diane Damrau is a superb Sophie; she almost makes you believe that Della Casa really preferred this role to the other two leads. This Sophie is no wilting violet, but then so it Miah Persson in the Carter production; this young Swedish singer is surely bound for a major career.Franz Hawalta is the Ochs in both Carter and the new set. He is relatively young and a good actor making his performance vital to both sets. The lowest of the low notes are probably not his to sing (for that go to Kipnis and Kurt Moll) but his is far superior to Rydl.The Italian Tenor is sung by Jonas Kaufmann; it is my understanding that Villazon was scheduled to sing, but health reasons intervened. Kaufmann appears to upset many because of the baritonal underpining in the voice. I hear them, but couldn't care less when listening to this wonderful voice.The orchestra is the Munich Philharmonic; this is not an opera orchestra but then they are led by Christian Thielemann who is a great Strauss conductor. The Carsen set has the Vienna Phil under Semyon Kychkov who as beome a Strauss conductor par excellence. It's is a tight race but ultimately victory does belong to the Vienna Phil.Frankly I would hate to have to make a choice between either set. Adrianne Pieczonka is an exciting Marschallin, a lyrico spinto who commands a bigger voice than Fleming, but who also suggests a silvery tone that is essential to sing this role. She appears less emotional than Fleming and Schwanenwilms;for her truly another lover will be on the horizon. This take will not please everyone, but it is a valid interpretation. Ultimately I would suppose that the production will determine the choice for many. I find the Salzburg production witty and imaginative. For once the setting for Act III (a "seedy" inn) is exactly what you get and more. It is in reality a brothel. The innkeeper is played in drag and there are various sexual escapades that are fairly graphic. Octavian doesn't become Mariandl, but does a wonderful sendup of Marlene Dietrich a la Blue Angel. There is some nudity and I suspect Hofmannsthal or Straus would not approve, but it is truly an original take on the scene. The director is also faced with the gigantic stage, one that Carsen makes use of by staging some action on either side of the Marschallin's boudoir. The second act contains one absurdity: Octavian arrives at Faninal's home riding a horse! This was silly and unnecessary; a comment on Faninal's arrival as a nouveau riche?I have two conventionally staged performances, Te Kanawa and Lott. I was about to write that this opera is indestructable, but then I remember when a friend brought over the EMI DVD from Zurich. I will refrain from using the usual adjective (E....T....); and although I stuck it our to the end I have to admit that it bordered on the unwatchable. Lott is a wonderful Marschallin, offering wonderful insight into this complex role. She is unusually gifted with language and her experience with lieder is evident in every note that she sings. Te Kanawa is probably the least gifted linguistically of the singers I have singled out. (Too bad that she didn't do yeoman service in Germany as part of her training.) But the voice is undeniably beautiful and she does offer a committed performance. I can't imagine that I will acquire another Rosenkavalier unless the Schwarzkopf is reissued as it surely must be--and soon, I hope. My only resistance to it has been the fact that it was filmed and then lip-synched, but then Schwarzkopf was the Marschallin for so many years courtesy of the San Francisco Opera Company, I will gladly bury my resistance to filmed opera in this instance.

オケも良く、ティーレマンも悪くない。歌手陣まあまあ。演出は日本へ来て宝塚見て痺れ、ブロードウェイで酔いしれた演出家が予算がないと聞いて仕方なく作ったような平らな代物。衣装は最近風。ザルツより安いが、まだちっとまし。

As with many Modern versions of operas I bought this with slight apprehension but Wow! I was blown away by the staging and production. Its been many years since I saw authentic productions in the theatre but this was modern theatre at its very best I liked the change of period. All the main characters had such perfect insight into their roles especially the male lead character Baron Ochs - Franz Howlata. I loved his storm through anything, pig headed, thick skinned approach. It made the character so real like someone we all know and hate. Being in more modern dress rather than powdered wig made him more familiar to us all. I am never to happy with the trouser role soprano. I think Strauss could have made more impact with a young lyric tenor singing the part but he had such a passion for the soprano voice and wrote such ravishing music you have to put that aside and imagine that it is a young man. As the love couple Sophie Koch and Diana Damrau were a perfect foil with just enough heaviness on the part of Koch to make her young trouser role underlie Damrau. I always feel that the part of the Feldmarschalin should be taken by a class soprano at the end of her career but Renee Fleming is far from that and took the role with grace and charm. Long may she keep in the spotlight! The changing mirror sets made the whole show blend together. A good thing because this opera can be very static in long passages between action moments.The music was ravishing, smooth and not too sugary sweet. The sharpness came in all the right places and all in all I could not have enjoyed a better production or maybe never will. Also the very low price for a production of this calibre was very much appreciated. Ex - cell - ent!

This production was a disappointment, apart from Renee Fleming all the other characters felt 'wrong'. Baron Ochs was too light weight and displayed non of the pompous gravitas and ignorant arrogance which would have made him a 'comic' figure. Sophie was too old and fat for the part particularly in that nightdress style 'presentation' dress she wore. The first bedroom scene was delightfully acted by Sophie Koch, but thereafter the way she uses her mouth for singing, distorting it was most alienating, particularly in her role as Rosenkavalier. The use of an adult Pierrot as the Marschallin's 'Pet' servant also felt wrong. But for the first Act, I would have given this production a lower rating. Renee Fleming alone deserves praise for her vocally and visually engaging presentation.

I`m still a little lukewarm about Richard Strauss` music but the acting and singing in this are of the highest quality. I am a great admirer of Renee Fleming anyway and she is ideal as the Marschallin. She is a beautiful woman, a fine actress and one of the most bewitching of sopranos. I played it with friends who are also not necessarily won over by Strauss but we all enjoyed the opera greatly.

This Rosenkavalier is excellent from every point of view.It is a good modern production without any of the horrors of the usual modern "concept" productions.Indeed, I actually preferred it to some of the traditional versions.If you were unlucky enough to buy the recent Die Frau ohne Schatten from Salzburg - forget itthis one will restore your faith in Strauss opera.All the singers are in wonderful voice, their characterisations are well differentiatedand carry a big emotional impact. Sophie Koch in particular is superb as Octavian.Christian Thielemann and the Munich orchestra really know how to deliver a Strauss score.The picture and sound quality are stunning so, in short, this is a Rosenkavalier not to be missed.