Customer Reviews

Mozart - The Abduction from the Seraglio / Mehta, Mei, Ciofi, Trost, Rydl, Montazeri, John, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Florence

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You will likely enjoy every aspect of this production of Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio (sung in German, with English, French, Spanish, and Italian subtitles, Zubin Mehta conducting the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. The subtitles are out of the way, and easy to read against a black background.)

As seems so often the case, scenes are stolen by the exceptional Blonde and Osmin (Patrizia Ciofi and Kurt Rydl) with their imaginative acting and sense of humor, balanced by remarkable singing. I cannot imagine that Mozart would not be delighted at their portrayal.

The stage sets and costumes are classic, bright, colorful, and a real treat for the eyes. Watch Blonde, with Osmin or Pedrillo, or Osmin's "Vivat Bacchus" dance. Never have Mozart's happy melodies found a more ideal incarnation!

You'll absolutely fall in love with the entire cast, the production people, and Zubin Mehta, who all put together such a lovely piece. You'll find you can't watch it just once--you'll come back for more. It's delightful!

Only Mozart would turn a play about slavery, abduction and torture into a cheerful romp. From the minute you see the stuffed alligator you realize all will turn out well. This is Mozart at his most cheerful and up beat. Well sung and acted, Kurt Rydl and Patrizia Ciofi are particularly fine as Osman and Blonde. Rydl looks a bit like one of the Three Stooges, has the comic timing of W.C. Fields and has a spectacular bass voice.

The sets are elegant, clever and appropriate and the production doesn't take itself too seriously. it may not be one of the great operas, but second tier Mozart is better than most composers magnum opus. Very enjoyable.

I bought this DVD not knowing what to expect (was my first opera on DVD), but was not disappointed when I watched it. Mozart is my favorite composer of all time and I recently decided to collect his operas on DVD. So, I tried to search Amazon for a really good production of "The Abduction from the Seraglio." Well, I found it! This DVD is absolutely FANTASTIC and I don't feel I need to buy any other of this opera! When I got it I decided to watch a little of it before bed and then watch the rest tomorrow, but I actually ended up staying up late and watching the whole thing because I liked it so much! Everyone is excellent in their singing and acting, and are perfect for playing their characters. They were all a joy to watch and listen to. Most notably, though, in my opinion, is Eva Mei (who plays Constanza)- her voice is absolutely brilliant, and she sings the arias better than anyone I have heard on CD. I am a big fan of hers now and have also bought "The Marriage of Figaro" (Live from the Zurich Opera House) on DVD with Eva Mei playing the Countess (also recommended.) The set and costumes in "Seraglio" are wonderful- very magical, colorful, and true to 18th century Turkey. The whole singspiel is in original German, but you can choose to have English subtitles (there are also a list of other lanquages.) The picture comes in very clear and the sound is excellent. So, to end my review, I have to say that if you are looking for an excellent "Abduction," this is it! Not that I have seen others to compare to, but I can assure you that you won't be disappointed with this one. You will probably find yourself watching it over again and again, like me. :)

Everything about this performance is adorable and enjoyable Eva Mei and Rainer Trost do a wonderful job with Belmonte and Constanza. The drama is really there for them. The actor who portrays the Pasha Selim is also wonderful. The Pedrillo, Blondchen, and Osmin are equally wonderful. Drama and comedy are equally represented here in a very colorful and lively production. Buy it, it's very enjoyable.

Audio, picture and camera work are excellent. Mehta conducts with exuberant warm passion, falling down slightly only in the reconcilation scene. Compare Mehta's reconcilation scene's too measured tempi with Gustav Kuhn's estatic tempi in the 1980 Glyndebourne performance. Compare also the 1980 Glyndebourne's Lillian Watson's(Blonde) and Willard White's(Osmin) to Patrizia Ciofi &Kurt Rydl. Watson & White outshine not only in their singing

but in their acting and stage business.Eva Mei's (Costanze) first aria was a shade off pitch but was right on for the remainder of the opera. Abduction is not 2nd tier Mozart. It is a marvel.

This opera is a delight from start to finish. In particular, Kurt Rydl does a spectacular job as Osmin. I own two versions of The Magic Flute and two of The Marriage of Figaro. I won't be buying any other version of this opera; this is THE one. Sound quality, set design, and direction are great. My only qualm: I wish the original German were available as a subtitle option.

Sometimes it goes to show that ones initial opinion of an opera can change through repeated viewings after a lapse of time. Such is the case with this recording of Mozart's `The Abduction from the Seraglio.'
When first watched, I was disappointed with the sparsity of the stage set design and also, to a lesser extent, the absence of a chorus until the very end of the work. Having since watched Patrizia Ciofi in `Daughter of the Regiment' and `La Traviata' and Eva Mei in `Don Pasquale' and `Thais' and admired their performances in those operas I decided to watch this one again. Suddenly I got it, the four main singers together with the almost comic antics of Kurt Rydl interacted perfectly with one another and the reduction of stage scenery to sliding panels of assorted and fragmented `Islamic' architecture, seemed perfectly acceptable. I agree with R.P. Winthrop's comment that this may not be one of Mozart's greatest operas but it certainly outshines many other composers' works. The audio and video is very good and the whole opera extremely entertaining.

This is an inspiring and joyful performance. The stage, singers and exotic custumes are all fantastic. Especially, Eva Mei (Kostanze) and Rainer Trost (Belmonte, what a good looking!) have very beautiful voice. The orchestal playing is also top notch class.
Bravo !

I'm a big fan of Mozart and I've attended many of his operas. This one is the best in regards to the orchestral performance and singing. However, the stage decoration and clothing are mediocre. I was surprised to see Zubin Mehta as the condutor. He's one of the best and I don't know how he agreed to do it in that poorly designed setting.

But the conductor, musicians, and singers are sublime. They make it seem effortless.
One last thing that I didn't like was the end. Its supposed to celebrate Pasha Selim's forgiveness and his accomplishment. It should have been more festive. They should have imitated that part from the Amadeus Movie scene. It was more fun, joyful, and there was a lot of dancing and celebrations.

Again, awesome music, conducting, singing, but poorly designed set and poorly designed clothing.

Llega en dvd una gran version del 'Rapto en el Serrallo' mozartiano, con un buen reparto encabezado por la soprano italiana EVA MEI, una gran Konstanze en lo vocal, segurisima ante todas sus dificilisimas coloraturas, agudos e intervalos agudo-grave, grave-agudo. Brava!. El tenor RAINER TROST es un Belmonte con la voz algo metálica, aunque mantiene un nivel medio aceptable. Como Osmin, el bajo KURT RYDL hace una soberbia creacion vocal y una divertida creacion escenica. Vocalmente intachable tambien la Blonde de PATRIZIA CIOFFI, de bellisima voz y potentes agudos. El tenor que da vida a Pedrillo cumple, sin mas.
La produccion escenica, del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, es muy bella visualmente, con notables decorados y vestuario, y detalles de muy buen gusto (la llegada del barco, el cocodrilo...)
ZUBIN METHA dirige a la orquesta con suma correccion, lo que termina de cuajar una version muy recomendable de la gran opera mozartiana.