Fidelio, Berlin State Opera

Fidelio. Berlin State Opera. September 18th 2008. Production: Braunschweig. Cast: Angela Denoke (Fidelio), Johan Botha (Florestan), Christof Fischesser (Rocco), Falk Struckmann (Pizarro), Sylvia Schwartz (Marzelline), Florian Hoffmann (Jaquino). Conductor: Karl-Heinz Steffens. Further information here.

This stylish 1995 Stéphane Braunschweig Fidelio production is so old, that the singers seem left on their own in creating their characters in the very stylish environment mainly consisting of variations on the white cellars, as seen on the above photograph. This is one of the productions, which look better on photographs than seen live, where it tends to get rather static.

Angela Denoke both looks and acts superbly as Leonore, however as a rather lyrical voice, she is quite overchallenged in the big moments - no less so than Waltraud Meier last week, apparently.

Christof Fischesser, whose sorry job it is to sing all René Pape´s parts when he is not around, is actually a very good Rocco - fine voice, fine actor, looks fine. I´d be curious to hear how the King Marke´s he is doing at the moment shape up. Falk Struckmann plays himself as ever and barks more than sings Pizarro.

Last and definitely worst: Johan Botha simply delivered one of the most disgraceful performances I´ve ever seen by an international opera singer. It may be politically incorrect to say so, but this man is simply to large to be standing on an opera stage. Secondly, he makes no attempt to act. Even for those not caring about these issues, he was off-pitch for his entire aria, with a strange vibrato. And since Florestan is virtually a one-aria part, there is not much left. Rather worrying that Daniel Barenboim casted him in this, as he tends to work with the same singers, bearing in mind his upcoming Ring. At least Barenboim conducted the performances last week, so he will have seen this himself..

Karl-Heinz Steffens is not a bad conductor, but when you know how this Fidelio sounds when Daniel Barenboim conducts it, it´s hard to be overly enthusiastic. Though he probably cannot be blamed that the Staatskappelle seemed to take a day off.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Angela Denoke: 4
Christof Fischesser: 4
Johan Botha: 1
Falk Struckmann: 3

Braunschweig´s production: 4

Karl-Heinz Steffens: 3

Overall impression: 3-4

Turandot, Deutsche Oper Berlin

Lise Lindstrom as Turandot

Turandot. Deutsche Oper Berlin, September 19th 2008. Production: Lorenzo Fioroni. Cast: Lise Lindstrom (Turandot), Marco Berti (Calaf), Inna Los (Líu), Paata Burchuladze (Timur). Conductor: Pinchas Steinberg. Further information here.

Despite some fine ideas by Lorenzo Fioroni in this season opening production of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, they do not overshadow the fact, that the setting of Turandot in a look-a-like East-German movie theater of the 1970´s is less than inspiring, no matter his reasons (display of emptiness and brutality etc.) for doing so. Turned towards the audience, the people closely follow the story of Turandot, which take place on a stage, with the rulers placed at an open window frame at the back wall of the theater, true totalitarian style. The sacrifice of Líu is central to Fiorini, which probably explains why she is suspended in the air hovering over Turandot and Calaf in the final scene (Alfano version). What then motivates Calaf and Turandot to kill both of their fathers, seems less obvious.

Lise Lindstrom, previously unknown to me, is quite spectacular as Turandot. The brilliance of her top is virtually unsurpassed, there is no vibrato to speak of, she is on pitch, she looks great and also acts well. In short: She should be able to make a world career with this part. That her middle register is somewhat dry seems insignificant considering all her other virtues.

Isn´t it always so that Líu ends up the most applauded character in Turandot? Though fine, I didn´t find Inna Los quite as spectacular than the general audience seemed to.

Marco Berti´s traditional Calaf and Paata Burchuladze´s shaky Timur I will leave unmentioned.

Pinchas Steinberg conducted one of the finest performances I´ve yet heard from this orchestra - when they play like this, they definitely level with the competing Staatskapelle, especially when Daniel Barenboim is not there.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Lise Lindstrom: 4-5
Inna Los: 4
Marco Berti: 3
Paata Burchuladze: 2

Lorenzo Fioroni: 2-3

Pinchas Steinberg: 4

Overall impression: 3-4

Renée Fleming CD: Four last songs with Christian Thielemann - an all Richard Strauss programme

Renée Fleming: Four last songs. Songs and arias by Richard Strauss. Accompanied by Christian Thielemann with the Munich Philharmonics. April 2008 (released September 2008). Further information here.

Renée Fleming has repeatedly called Richard Strauss her favourite composer and in my view she is first and foremost a Richard Strauss soprano. Exquisite and elegant, she is a great Richard Strauss interpreter, most recently seen as a superb Capriccio-Countess in Vienna.

This is Renée Fleming´s second recording of Vier letzte lieder (VLL - Four last songs), the first from 1995 with Christoph Eschenbach, with whom she also recorded an all-Straus heroines (Arabella, Capriccio, Rosenkavalier) album. At the time of her first VLL-recording she had never sung the VLL in public, now her most frequently performed concert piece.

This all-Richard Strauss album was recorded in Munich in April 2008 from a series of concerts with Christian Thielemann and the Munich Philharmonics and contains the Vier letzte lieder as well as four orchestral songs and selections from Aradne auf Naxos (track list below) and Ägyptische Helena. I attended one of the concerts in Munich (with Ariadne and some orchestral songs) and found both Renée Fleming and Christian Thielemann superb.

However, Renée Fleming´s singing on this album is generally not to my taste. Worst are the Vier letzte lieder. I find her style both mannered and artificial, she has a peculiar way of breathing with very sharp intakes of breath and there are no legato-lines to speak of. In short, I find it disappointing. She relies quite heavily on portamento, basically not a problem but together with what I perceive as artificial phrasings the overall impression is not what I would have hoped it to be. Though I am willing to cut Renée Fleming quite a lot of slack here, interpretatively she has crossed the imaginary line between elegance, sophistication and.. well, whatever is on the other side.

Much of the creamy beauty of her voice from ten years back is gone, however this was also so on her last album Homage and doesn´t apply specifically to this disc. Thus it comes as no surprise that she vocally is no match for her 1995 Vier letzte lieder disc, recorded in her prime and which furthermore comes with a much more straight-forward approach to the songs.

Interpretatively one may argue how deep she gets, both in 1995 and here in 2008 and in that regard I find no apparent differences between these two recordings.

After Vier letzte lieder, it gets better. The Ariadne selections sound less mannered, however as I hear it Renée Fleming doesn´t have the required expressive range or support in her middle register to be a great Ariadne or to carry the more expressive of the orchestral songs such as Zueinigung. Zweite brautnacht is Richard Strauss at his most tasteless, however Renée Fleming seems sufficiently challenged by the piece to minimize her mannered expressions and odd breathing. However, the orchestral songs are no match for her previous release either.

Personal preferences will dictate how one finds her in comparison to the numerous other versions of the Vier letzte lieder - such as Lisa della Casa, Lucia Popp and Jessye Norman all very different interpretations. Not to mention the all-time classics of Gundula Janowitz and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.

Christian Thielemann however, is superb. He shines in Richard Strauss and I cannot imagine a better accompaniement that the glittering, beautiful and exquisite sound he draws from the Munich Philharmonics. In the live performances, he drowned Renée Fleming completely. Something the recording engineers, as expected, have fixed.

It´s worth noting that this disc also is available in a 2-disc version, the second disc labelled: Signature roles at the MET containing releases of old DECCA recordings of excerpts from Eugene Onegin, Capriccio, Otello, Thaïs and Rusalka. Combined with the upcoming Renée Fleming-opens-the-MET-season-with-three-designer-dresses-and-three-roles HD transmitted season opening galla next week, crossing the imaginary line again comes to mind.

The good thing is however, that the entire disc is available for free listening via Renée Fleming´s website.

Promotional video, with interviews and excerpts from the Munich live performances:

Track list:

1. Frühling (Vier letzte lieder)
2. September (Vier letzte lieder)
3. Beim Schlafengehen (Vier letzte lieder)
4. Im Abendrot (Vier letzte lieder)
5. Ach! Ach! Wo war ich? Tot? (Ariadne auf Naxos)
6. Ein schönes war: hieß Theseus (Ariadne auf Naxos)
7. "Es gibt ein Reich" (Ariadne auf Naxos)
8. Verführung
9. Freundliche Vision
10. Winterweihe
11. Zueignung
12. Zweite Brautnacht (Ägyptische Helena)


The bottom line (Scale of 1-5, 3=average):

3

DVD: Missa Solemnis - the reopening of the reconstructed Dresdner Frauenkirche

Frauenkirche, Dresden. Top: In 1973. Bottom: In 2008

Missa Solemnis. Concert for the reopening of the Dresdner Frauenkirche, November 2005. Soloists: Camilla Nylund, Birgit Remmert, Christoffer Elsner, René Pape. Conductor: Fabio Luisi with the Staatskapelle Dresden. Further information here.

This DVD is as much about the reopening of the reconstructed Dresdner Frauenkirche as it is about Beethoven´s Missa Solemnis. Otherwise, I don´t think I would have written about it, as my knowledge of Missa Solemnis comes dangerously close to the lower limit of what I find appropriate to put in writing as I simply do not understand the work.
However, Dresden, the most beautiful city in Germany, I know well and the story of the reconstruction of the Dresdner Frauenkirche is fascinating:

During the bombing of Dresden by the Allied on February 13th 1945, the landmark of Dresden, the Lutheran Cathedral Frauenkirche, initially seemed to have survived though completely burned out. However, one day later, the entire church including the famous dome the Stone Bell (die Steinerne Glocke) collapsed. From then on, the ruins of the church remained a virtually untouched grass-covered pile in the middle of the city center of Dresden until 1974 when the meticulous reconstruction to recreate George Bähr's original 1743 church begun. It was a tremendous effort, and the approximately 217 million dollars required were raised entirely by private funds.
The greatest single contribution came from American German-born Nobel Prize winner Günter Blobel, who saw the original Frauenkirche as a boy and donated the Nobel Prize money of 1 million dollars to the reconstruction of the church (and a synagogue) in 1999.

The reconstruction of the Dresdner Frauenkirche took more than 30 years, with a vastly intensified effort after the unification of Germany in 1990 and the rebuild Frauenkirche was consecrated in October 2005. This live performance of the Missa Solemnis took place one week later, on November 4-5th 2005. The church is one of the finest examples of baroque architecture anywhere. The Neumarket around the Frauenkirche has also been rebuilt and everything looks baroque picture perfect.

There is plenty of history conncected with this Missa Solemnis performance as if the reopening of Frauenkirche was not enough: Dresden was the first place in a German-speaking area to see a performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis (partially in 1829, complete in 1839 - the world premiere was in 1824 in St Petersburg). Furthermore, the Dresden Staatskapelle is one of the worlds oldest orchestras, dating back more than 450 years to 1548. Fabio Luisi is principal conductor of the Staatskapelle (from 2007).

To take a step backwards from this poignant history lesson: Orchestral works are rarely interesting to watch on DVD, as I don´t find the DVD medium offers any real advantage to CDs. What sets this DVD apart is the connection with the rebuild Frauenkirche, and the bonus documentary on the Reconstruction of the Church. During the performance the cameras focuse on the candy-like baroque interior architecture of the cathedral.

Musically, the performance is first-rate, though if Fabio Luisi had to compete on the CD market he would have a difficult time against the superb performances of Klemperer in particular, but also Solti, just to mention a few. The soloists are strong, Dresden native René Pape in particular, as expected.

René Pape with Agnus Dei:

DVD: Wolfgang Wagners 1984 Bayreuth Meistersinger

Meistersinger. Director: Wolfgang Wagner. Bayreuth 1984. Cast: Bernd Weikl (Sachs), Siegfried Jerusalem (Walther), Hermann Prey (Beckmesser), Marie-Anne Häggander (Eva), Manfred Schenk (Pogner), Graham Clark (David). Conductor: Horst Stein. More details here.

Who is more likely to know Richard Wagner's Meistersinger conception, than his grandson, Wolfgang Wagner, director of this production? Think again..

Apparently Wolfgang Wagner was keen on avoiding any discussion of the nationalistic aspects of Meistersinger- therfore he emphasized the down-to-earth folkloristic aspects of the people in this staging. The sets are traditional, half-naturalistic, minimalistic and dull, depicting the traditional Meistersinger locations as written in Richard Wagner´s libretto with the singers in traditional costumes.

Wolfgang Wagner is known as a director who expects his singers to be able to move on a stage and starts his work from there. Which, in theory, sounds reasonable, especially since his knowledge on Richard Wagner´s works is immense. However, intellectual analysis rarely makes for engaging theater unless backed up by hands-on stage direction or at least exceptional sets. Or an exceptional conductor. Or any combination of the above. In fact, this seems to be the main take-home message of this staging.

For once, we have a young, good-looking an vocally strong Walther in Siegfried Jerusalem. To nail it completely, he´d probably have had to be on pitch and slightly less stiff.
For some reason he wants Marie-Anne Häggander´s rather ordinary Eva. She has the slightly less ordinary Manfred Schenk as her father.
Bernd Weikl is a rather young Sachs and while he is in fine voice, he is not the revelation some make him out to be. Eyeing the DVD competition, I´d still prefer James Morris, from an over-all interpretative point of view. Graham Clark makes a vivacious and entertaining David.
Hermann Prey was a surprise casting as Beckmesser and he is the stand-out of this production. He tones down the malicious and ridiculous aspects of the part and is simply a lonely man making some unwise decisions, though I didn´t find his singing quite as superb as rumoured.

While Horst Stein is a fine conductor, Meistersinger is outrageously difficult to lift off, and he doesn´t quite make it. It just takes listening to Solti, Barenboim or Thielemann among recent conductors to hear the difference between a good and a great Meistersinger conductor.

The premiere of this staging was in 1981, 5 years after Patrice Chéreau´s Ring. Wolfgang Wagner should have known better and hired an outsider to do this production. He wasn´t even close to doing that as he also staged the suceeding Bayreuth production of Meistersinger. At least at that point he had the sense to have the two top-Wagnerians Daniel Barenboim and Christian Thielemann conduct it...

I´d still recommend the Metropolitan Schenk production as the top choice of a Meistersinger DVD.

Hermann Prey and Bernd Weikl, Act 2:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Siegfried Jerusalem: 4
Marie-Anne Häggander: 2-3
Manfred Schenk: 3
Hermann Prey: 4
Bernd Weikl: 3-4

Horst Stein: 3

Wolfgang Wagner´s production: 2

Overall impression: 2

DVD: McVicar Figaro from Covent Garden

Nozze di Figaro. Royal Opera Covent Garden 2006. Director: David McVicar. Cast: Gerald Finley (Count), Dorothea Röschmann (Countess), Miah Persson (Susanna), Erwin Schrott (Figaro), Rinat Shaham (Cherubino). Conductor: Antonio Pappano with the orchestra of the ROH. Further information here.

This production is clearly among the best, if not the best Figaro on DVD.

David McVicar highlights the dark undercurrent of the work in a production sufficiently traditional as not to offend anyone. The rococo charm is downplayed, however the production is far from being uncharming. The production is updated to the 1830s France, exactly why I do not know, but it is very beautiful and not unlike McVicar´s recent Manon from Barcelona.

David McVicar highlights the class distinctions of the characters and a strong emphasis is placed on sexuality and the Count's violent nature. Here, the countess appears an abused wife. The happy end for the Countess´ marriage surely is only temporary.
Equal emphasis is placed on acting, appearance and singing and the stage direction is simply superb. As is evident from the documentary accompanying McVicar´s Manon DVD, he is very much a hands-on director and meticulously directs the movements of the singers until the tiniest detail. Which pays off in spades.

What most of all makes this production memorable is the chemistry and tension. However, though the tension is highlighted, the humour is captured as well (unlike Guth´s Salzburg Figaro, where any attempt of comedy is disposed with).

David McVicar succeeds in conveying the feeling some new dimensions are discovered with this Figaro, which is no small accomplishment.

Erwin Schrott is over-all a great Figaro, but vocally he is a rather unorthodox one. First of all there is much sprech-gesang as he tends to speak his recitatives. His singing-style is rather unconventional and rough as well and occasionally he strays far away from the pitch. However, as an actor he is superb. May I add that he keeps his shirt on as well. His style takes a while getting used to, but it ends up working very well for him.

Miah Persson´s Susanna is more exquisite and delicate than most and she genuinely looks the part as a perfect match for Erwin Schrott´s Figaro.

This is the second Dorothea Röschmann Countess on DVD and she is stylish as always. Gerald Finley is a very unsympathetic count, excellent both as an actor and singer. I was less impressed by Rinat Shaham´s Cherubino as others.

Antonio Pappano was vigorous as well as precise in the pit, though not particularly inventive.
Some have complained about the uneven sound quality of this DVD. While I agree that the balance between singers and orchestra/harpsichord is occasionally uneven it did not bother me significantly.

Erwin Schrott with Aprite un po degli occhi:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Erwin Schrott: 4-5
Miah Persson: 4-5
Dorothea Röschmann: 4-5
Gerald Finley: 4
Rinat Shaham: 3-4

David McVicar´s production: 5

Antonio Pappano: 4

Overall impression: 5

DVD: Herbert von Karajan Rheingold

Rheingold. Film from 1978. Staging: Herbert von Karajan. Cast: Thomas Stewart (Wotan), Peter Schreier (Loge), Brigitte Fassbaender (Fricka), Zoltan Kelemen (Alberich), Gerhard Stolze (Mime), Jeannine Altmeyer (Freia). Conductor: Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonics. Further information here.

Herbert von Karajan conducted four complete Ring Cycles: 1937 in Aachen, 1951 in Bayreuth, 1959 in Vienna and 1967-70 in Salzburg. The sets of the Salzburg production, which was also directed by Herbert von Karajan were by Gunther Schneider-Siemssen, and this production was partly transferred to the MET end-60´s until a strike intervened when the project was only half finished. Gunther Schneider-Siemssen also designed the sets for the current Schenk Metropolitan Ring.

This DVD is a studio film recorded between 1973-78 in Munich. The soundtrack to the film was recorded in 1973 at the Salzburg Easter Festival during Karajan´s revival of his Rheingold, however the complete absence of audience noise suggests the recordings were made during one of the numerous lighting rehearsals, for which Herbert von Karajan was famous (he was very interested in lighting).

This lapse in time also (at least partly) explains why several of the singers were replaced by other singers in the film, due to simple availability issues. Aesthetic considerations, such as the hiring of dancers for the Rhinemaidens, probably weighed in as well. This concerned Erda (played by Martha Mödl, sung by Birgit Finnilä), Fasolt (played by Gerd Niensted, sung by Karl Ridderbusch) and Donner (played by Vladimir de Kanel, sung by Leif Roar).

Herbert von Karajan directed the film, the sets and costumes were by Georges Wakhevitch and Jean Forrester, deliberately mimicking Gunter Schneider-Siemssen´s sets for Karajan´s previous Salzburg production. By the time the Rheingold film was completed in 1978, Unitel had aborted the plan of filming the entire Ring Cycle, a decision Herbert von Karajan no doubt was in agreement with as he had more than enough money to sponsor the completion of the project had he wished to do so.

The play-back is, as always, one of the weak points of this film. Unfortunately, there are several far weaker points to chose from:

First of all, I am uncertain as to what exactly Herbert von Karajan´s contribution as a director consisted of. The singers seem to have been simply placed in middle of the traditional sets and then abandoned standing there. There is no interaction between the characters, no drama whatsoever in this immensely static prodution. In short: No sign of any attempt of stage direction. I believe Herbert von Karajan´s goal as a stage director was to create an appropriate background for the music, which is very admirable, but unfortunately also very boring to watch.

Secondly, I would assume one of the reasons behind filming Rheingold would be the possibility to use special effects for some of those scenes which are virtually impossible to carry off convincingly in the theater such as Alberich´s transformations.. And while the Rhinemaidens seem to swim in the bottom of the Rhine, Valhalla is even more static here than in the theater and the transformations of Alberich are simply pathetic, even taken into consideration the age of the film.

While some of the singers are rather good actors (most notably Brigitte Fassbaender and Peter Schreier), Thomas Stewart´s Wotan is woodden and stiff like few others. That Gerhard Stolze´s Mime is a bit stiff as well, is rather understandable as he contracted polio during the recording of the Solti Siegfried some years earlier.

A moderately interesting document as the only Karajan Wagner filming available, but no more than that.

The descent of the Gods into Nibelheim:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Thomas Stewart: 2
Brigitte Fassbaender: 4
Zoltan Kelemen: 4
Peter Schreier: 4

The production: 2

Herbert von Karajan conducting: 4

Overall impression: 2

DVD: Herzog Bayreuth Lohengrin

Lohengrin. Bayreuth Festival 1990. Production: Werner Herzog. Cast: Paul Frey (Lohengrin), Cheryl Studer (Elsa), Gabriele Schnaut (Ortrud), Ekkehard Wlaschiha (Telramund), Manfred Schenk (Heinrich). Conductor: Peter Schneider. Further information here.

Werner Herzog is renowned as one of the leading German film-makers of his generation. After seeing this Lohengrin, you are once again confirmed that the elements of successful film-making apparently differ from those of successful opera-making. Werner Herzog retorts to old-fashioned gimmicks he´d never dream of using in his films and genuinely seems far too respectful of the operatic medium to create something genuinely interesting.

Apparently Herzog was told by Wolfgang Wagner to apply "no trendy antics - the production has to stay for 5 years". To which Herzog responded with an utterly conservative romantic recreation of the middle ages.

Werner Herzog recreates the primitive 10th century northern-European setting of Lohengrin. The open air of Act 1 with stone circles in the mist is similar to the gatherings of the Icelandic Sagas. Lohengrin arrives through a laser spiral of smoke - as he would in Ancient Northern Europe.
In Act 2 we are by a mighty black lake. Though the castle in ruins by the lake is hardly an intrinsic element of the 10th century..The open-air wedding in Act 3 takes place in a landshape astonishingly similar to that surrounding Erik the Red´s settlement in Greenland.

Nature plays a major part in the production - the mist of Act 1, the mist and snow of Act 3, the darkness in Act 2 - only for Elsa´s wedding do we see the sun. Symbolically, Ortrud and Elsa reach out to each other in the snow-covered end, with Elsa´s ghostly brother in the background.

There is more than a touch of kitsch to this staging, which more than occasionally smells of plastic and of the landshapes of a zoological museum complete with prehistoric animals.

To complete the production, Herzog wanted to encircle the Bayreuth Festival House with stones, something Wolfgang Wagner however vetoed...

On paper this production sounds rather interesting. It isn´t. It is very static, the direction is dull and there is no real interaction among the characters.

Cheryl Studer is clearly the best of the cast as a superb, floating and warm Elsa. She tries, but there is no chemistry between her and the extraordinarily boring Paul Frey. A lyric, unheroic Lohengrin, he is both vocally and dramatically uninteresting. They are opposed by the rather wooden villains of Gabriele Schnaut and Ekkehard Wlaschiha.

It´s hard to say anything really negative about this production. On the other hand, it is equally hard to be enthusiastic. Exciting theater, it is not. But it will offend very few.

And for quite a few, it may be the preferred Lohengrin on DVD - that is for those preferring a traditional Lohengrin, but not being particularly attracted to the dark Vienna Abbado/Domingo production or the rather undead Metropolitan production.

Act 1 "Durch gottes sieg..":

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Paul Frey: 3
Cheryl Studer: 5
Gabriele Schnaut: 3
Ekkehard Wlaschiha: 3
Manfred Schenk: 4

Peter Schneider: 4
Werner Herzog´s production: 3

Overall impression: 3-4

DVD: Christine Schäfer is Lulu

Lulu. Glyndebourne Festival 1996. Production: Graham Vick. Cast: Christine Schäfer (Lulu), Wolfgang Schöne (Dr. Schön and Jack the Ripper), Kathryn Harries (Countess Geschwitz), Norman Bailey (Schigolch). Conductor: Andrew Davis with the London Philharmonics. Further information here.

Alban Berg´s opera tells the story about the rise and fall of Lulu, not quite the femme fatale some make her out to be, but rather a psychologically damaged girl, who mirrors herself in her relationships. Her three marriages end up with three dead husbands and she ends her life at the hands of Jack the Ripper as a street prostitute in London.

The semicircular brick wall with the descending stair case and opening in the floor does not make for a particularly enticing setting, however Graham Vick explores the relations of the characters and creates such drama that one almost forgets the gloom surroundings. A black-white film during the Act 2 intermezzo shows some of the off-stage action, such as Lulu´s trial, and the story is told relatively straight-forward.

Lulu is a signature role of Christine Schäfer and seeing Anja Silja as Lulu in Frankfurt was a decisive factor in Christine Schäfer decision to become an opera singer. As a high lyrical soprano she was told to wait until at least 40 years old before taking on Lulu, nevertheless she debuted with the part in her mid-to-late 20s. In this production she is 30.
Christine Schäfer has always been a champion of modern music, with numerous collaborations with Pierre Boulez and composers such as Aribert Reiman. With her high, crystal-clear almost vibratoless soprano she effortless throws off the coloratura. With her cool and detached appearance Lulu´s transformation from girl to prostitute is entirely believable. She looks eerily attractive, in that exact way I imagine Lulu would. This is a major achievement for her in a part I believe her to be the ideal interpreter of. Furthermore she is surrounded by a cast without a single weak link.

I have never heard such dense, late-romantic Alban Berg than that of Andrew Davis with the London Philharmonics. He draws melodies from Alban Berg´s score that I didn´t even know existed in an extraordinarily powerful performance.

On DVD the only alternative is the Zurich production with Laura Aikin, a fine performance however not quite at the level of this Glyndebourne production. The only real alternative is the Pierre Boulez/Patrice Chéreau 1978 Paris staging with Teresa Stratas, unfortunately not available on DVD (yet).

Christine Schäfer as Lulu with Wolfgang Schöne from Act 1:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Christine Schäfer: 5
The rest: 5

Graham Vick´s production: 4

Andrew Davis: 5

Overall impression: 4-5

DVD: Falstaff, Bryn Terfel´s finest hour

Falstaff. Royal Opera Covent Garden, London 1999. Director: Graham Vick. Cast: Bryn Terfel (Falstaff), Barbara Frittoli (Alice Ford), Roberto Frontali (Ford), Bernadette Manca di Nissa (Quickly), Desiree Rancatore (Nanetta), Kenneth Tarver (Fenton). Conductor: Bernard Haitink. Further information here.

Graham Vick has created a wonderfully imaginative Falstaff, chosen for the reopening of the renovated Covent Garden opera house in 1999.

The production is traditional as it follows the libretto rather closely. However, the production looks far from traditional. Set in sparkling primary colours, the world of Windsor is seen through distorsion glasses and with crooked perspectives. An example is the huge red trampoline bed tilted towards the audience on a floor with several trapdoors (Falstaff´s room).
The stage direction is flawless, capturing the sparkling and lively essence of Falstaff in what is clearly the best Falstaff production on the DVD market.

This is Bryn Terfel´s finest hour. As Falstaff he is virtually beyond both criticism and comparison, not only among the singers of today, but venturing quite a while back in history as well.
Wearing a very realistically looking latex body-suit with a huge belly, some may feel that the buffo element of Falstaff´s character is over the top, however Bryn Terfel´s characterization and acting is simply superb. Based on his performances in the heroic-bass-barytone parts of Jochanaan, Dutchman and Wotan (as well as Scarpia and Don G as the Don), I´ve never quite understood his appeal. However, watching his Falstaff, it becomes quite obvious what has made Bryn Terfel the star he is. In all regards, a tremendous achievement, which will undoubtedly stand the test of time unlike the heroic parts he unfortunately prefers to sing today.

Barbara Frittoli is simply perfect as a young and very playful Alice Ford - she is both good-looking as well as a terrific actress in superb voice. There are no weak links in the supporting cast.

Falstaff is very much the conductors opera. And without Bernhard Haitink sparkling in the pit the production would have been a failure.

Apparently this DVD has received an 'R' rating in the US due to Falstaff's giant erection, meaning that children can watch it but it is recommended that parents guide them. Consider yourselves warned...

Bryn Terfel: Ehi Paggio..l´Onore

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Bryn Terfel: 5
Barbara Frittoli: 5

Graham Vick´s staging: 5
Bernard Haitink: 4-5

Overall impression: 5