Product Details

• Actors: Kiri Te Kanawa, Hermann Prey, Dennis O'Neill, Hildegard Heichele, Paul Crook
• Directors: Humphrey Burton
• Writers: Carl Haffner, Richard Genée
• Producers: John Vernon, Robin Scott
• Format: Classical, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Kultur Video
• VHS Release Date: April 27, 1999
• Run Time: 177 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0769720307
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,382 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Most opera houses ring in the New Year with Johann Strauss Jr.'s most popular operetta--the festiveness of which is appropriate for the occasion--and this December 31, 1983, Covent Garden performance follows suit. An exceptional cast--led by Hermann Prey and Kiri Te Kanawa as the couple whose marriage survives the comic indiscretions of three long acts--obviously has as much fun as the audience. Plácido Domingo leads the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House through its paces with panache. Prince Orlofsky's Act II party is always a splendid opportunity to pull out all the stops with surprise "guests," and this performance makes the most of its chance: entering the proceedings to sing one of his tailor-made chansons, "She," is French crooner Charles Aznavour, who is followed by dancers Merle Park and Wayne Eagling, their delightful pas de deux flashily choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton. --Kevin Filipski

Product Description

Kiri Te Kanawa is featured in this glittering Covent Garden Opera production of Johann Strauss' masterpiece. Placido Domingo conducts the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus. Other soloists include Hermann Prey, Hildegard Heichele, Benjamin Luxon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of The Best Covert Garden Fledermaus Gala Videos Ever!, February 25, 2000

By 

Mike Smith (Tonkawa, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Johann Strauss - Die Fledermaus / Domingo, Te Kanawa, Prey, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Althrought the guest lineup (Charles Aznavour, Dr. Evadne Hinge & Dame Hilda Brackett, Merle Park and Wayne Eagling) is no match to the 1990 Gala (Which have Pavarotti, Marilyn Horne and Dame Joan Sutherland in her last performance ever), this video of the 1984 New Year's Eve Gala have a great cast (Headed by Dame Kiri), and a fun conductor (YES! THAT IS THE PLACIDO DOMINGO!), and great fun from start to finish (And, WHAT A FINISH THEY GOT!). Althrought I didn't like the look of Doris Soffel's Orlofsky, I do enjoy Josef Meinard's Frosch a lot (You ought to see the interplay between him & Domingo). Hermann Prey & Benjamin Luxon is pretty good, and Dame Kiri? She's Yummy throughout, with her best fun comes at the finale and curtain call! And, Domingo? Wonderful at the podium, as he does on stage!

All in all, one of the best Fledermaus Gala videos ever!

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding, Clever, Funny Production of Die Fledermaus, April 12, 2006

By 

C. O. DeRiemer (San Antonio, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Johann Strauss - Die Fledermaus / Domingo, Te Kanawa, Prey, Royal Opera Covent Garden (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. The dialogue is spoken in a mixture of German, French, English and Italian in an amusing play on the characters' nationalities, but also on the nationalities of the singers. And the singers are not only in great voice but are seeming to take great delight in playing the characters. All of them, especially Herman Prey and Benjamin Luxon, appear to be having the times of their lives. Their good spirits are as infectious as the music they sing.

It's traditional for the party at the Count's to be interrupted by special surprise guest performers. Making appearances are Charles Azvanour, ballet stars Merle Park and Wayne Eagling in a stunning pax de deux choreographed by Frederick Ashton, and two genteel English ladies, Dame Hilda Bracket (who sings) and Dr. Evadne Hinge (who accompanies on piano). If you didn't know they were really...well, see for yourself. To fully appreciate them, you'll need to use Google. Joseph Meinraad plays the 3rd act non-singing drunken jailer, Frosch, who has several comic moments bantering with the conductor, Placido Domingo.

This is a filmed record of the performance. Clear subtitles are available and are probably recommended if you're not already familiar with the story and the songs. The only drawback is the quality of the DVD. It's not really bad, but is about at the level of a middling VHS tape.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BAT CAN FLY!, January 31, 2004

By 

Mr John Haueisen (WORTHINGTON, OHIO United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Johann Strauss - Die Fledermaus / Domingo, Te Kanawa, Prey, Royal Opera Covent Garden (DVD)

These comments refer to the performance of Strauss' Die Fledermaus done by the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, conducted by Placido Domingo, starring Kiri Te Kanawa and Hermann Prey as the Eisensteins. (sung mostly in German, with subtitles in English, German, Spanish, and Japanese.)

This performance is a good introduction to Strauss' Fledermaus because Dr. Falke explains to Prince Orlofsky IN ENGLISH! the plot of his complicated prank on his old friend Gabriel Eisenstein.

As if the cast of excellent singers and the beautiful costuming were not enough, Prince Orlofsky's celebrity guests make this an evening to remember. In addition to an appearance by French crooner, Charles Aznavour, there is a ballet vignette with such superb dancing that it will leave breathless even those (like me!) who usually eschew ballet--it's dazzling!

Recorded in 1984, this is a New Year's Eve performance that you'll want to enjoy again and again with family and friends.