Customer Reviews

Lehar - Der Graf von Luxemburg / Bo Skovhus, Juliane Banse, Rainer Trost, Gabriela Bone, Alfred Eschwe, Vienna Opera

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For your own sanity, dear reader, please do not support this edition of one of the greatest operettas! I was so glad I could get it on a DVD! I was sure it would be great - the Vienna Opera - the Viennese should know how to put up a good production... And then, Amazon recommended "Better Together" with Kalman - Die Csardasfurstin DVD ~ Anna Moffo today! (The Anna Moffo Csardasfurstin is quite magnificent!). So I eagerly awaited its arrival, and played it instantly. What a disappointment... Nothing can destroy the great melodies of Lehár - but even the libretto text was vandalized! The customes, the scenery - just showed how a "modern" director wanting to be cute can destroy one of the most fun musicals of all time (since that's what an operetta is - a musical - it is not an opera). This is unforgiveable. The director should choose some other profession. He is not avant-garde, he is not inventive - he just tried to be popular, or 'cool' (=cute). Not on our money, please!

Enjoyable operetta and strong cast fortunately are not completely ruined by clueless director (who also "edited" pretty good original script so it lost any logic in its development).

Luxemburg is an operetta that is under performed and under recorded. Being an operetta nut (like me) I am very happy to get this disc.
The Plot for this production had been changed from the early 1900 Paris to Vienna in the 50s. Some names of the peripheral characters and/or their occupations were changed. Most notably, Armand Brissard now is Manfred Prskawetz, a student. Furst Basil Basilowitch now becomes a Russian diplomat; his new name is Konsul Dr. Basil Basilowitch-Kolosov. A hyphenated name was added to go with his marriage to Anastasia Iwanowa Kokozowa (who went by the name of Grafin Stasa Kokozow in the original version). It seems that Lehár's score was being kept intact despite some spoken dialog had been altered to match the theme of the new plot.
The presentation of this production was very well put together; the result was very entertaining. The staging and the way of changing scenes were cleverly done, except the last scene that I felt it was a little sloppy. The principals and the supporting cast did a very good job, both in acting and singing. Through their duets Bo Skovhus (Rene) and Juliane Beans (Angele) really presented themselves as a pair of victimized lovers (and deeply in love). The playfulness of the young pair (Gabriela Bone and Rainer Trost as Julie and Manfred) surely brightens up the whole show. Andreas Conrad and Eva Maria Marold (as the Russian couple) also acted and sang splendidly.
While some reviewers pleased the sound quality of this DVD I found it problematic at times. It is particularly bothersome in the opening scene, and in its repetitions afterward. The chorus sounds muddy. Sometimes Bo Skovhus' voice was too loud and then became not quite audible. It could be due to the positioning of the microphones. It sounds like he was facing the mike and turned away from it. It also happened to Juliane Beans (just not as bad). Perhaps the main source of the problem comes from transposition of the (tenor) key, to that for the baritone. Bo Skovhus is not a stranger to me in operetta. He did a pretty good job in San Francisco's Widow, six years ago. A DVD is available for that production. On CD, he was Count Danilo in the 1995 Deutsche Grammophon Widow, in which Rainer Trost was Camille. I am not able to comment on this CD because I have not yet listened to it.
Rene, in the original score, was a tenor. The sound (or should I say the feel for the sound) is quite different when I compared the music of this DVD to an EMI LP (with Nicolai Gedda as Rene, currently available on CD). For comparison, I watch the DVD on the TV screen and listen to its music through an audio system (the same system I use for the LP or CD). The LP (with a tenor) sounds much better.
In recordings, and also on stage, the role of Count Danilo (its original key was for a tenor) is often played by a baritone. The results have been (more than) satisfying. However, as for Rene the substitution turned out to be less than perfect.
A few words to whose complaining the plot, I think the stories for all operettas and operas are silly to some degree; I just enjoy the music.

Der Graf von Luxemburg is a particularly strong Lehar score with memorable melodies piled on one another. Here the operetta is performed live before a highly appreciative audience. The singing, the conducting, and the sound are very good as is the acting. There are only two problems: the story is quite silly and there are no characters with whom one identifies with - as there are in the Merry Widow. Is this the fault of the director or of the original libretto? I do not know. But the music is great and makes a fine listen.

The Count of Luxemburg can stand on its own as an enjoyable operetta. This particular DVD is delightful and proves that Lehar demands singers with exceptional talent and artistry. This outstanding cast deserves your attention. You won't be disappointed.

The story is a little bit silly and some of the comedy can fall flat. But the music is wonderful and the cast sings it this way. They also are excellent actors who can really make one believe in love. It helps that I understand German.

While the singing is excellent and this operetta is loaded with marvelous tunes, I found the lack of period costumes jarring. I had last seen this production in a little jewel of a theater in Salzburg, and what a difference!

Nonetheless, I would recommend this DVD until something more authenic comes along. Sound and video are both excellent.

Enjoyably campy, an updated version of Lehar's operetta. Music is excellent, staging on circular stage is amusing, the last act getting its inspiration from Marx Bros. Excellent singing overall, especially by the minor characters. Bo Skovhus struggling a bit. Good for a smile and some laughs.

The DVD disc and its case arrived in very good condition sooner than time expected. The video recording is very good, but the audio at the beginning sounds a bit far (low) for the Count Danilo when his first appearance.
I very much liked the voice of the soprano Juliane Banse, with very easy and powerful acutes, besides of her beautiful sound of voice. Also the comic tenor and soprano have a nice voice. The baritone Bo Skovhus sings well enough for this opereta, he has a good voice indeed, but perhaps he could sing a bit more 'legato' instead of 'speaking' in the first duets with the soprano Banse. Comparing with other versions of this opereta I could say that this is a good version and its worth
the price.

There is nothing good to say about this production....the acting is poor; the audio is bad; the singing is spotty, not helped by the lousy sound.