Product Details

• Actors: Laura Aikin, Kurt Rydl, Mojca Erdmann, Michael Smallwood, Constantinos Carydis
• Directors: Johan Simons, Misjel Vermeiren
• Writers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Producers: De Nederlandse Opera, Ferenc van Damme
• Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: German (Dolby TrueHD 2.0)
• Subtitles: Dutch, English, French, Italian, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Opus Arte
• DVD Release Date: February 24, 2009
• Run Time: 214 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001K4E81C
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,889 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Johan Simons' feisty production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an
intelligently innovative account of Mozart s 1782 comic tale of
abduction, love, loyalty and forgiveness. Kurt Rydl's Osmin is hilarious,
with just the right edge of latent thuggery; Mojca Erdmann's smart and
cheeky Blonde sports a red riding coat, high latex boots and a belt that
she is not afraid to use on the men! Laura Aikin s Konstanze, torn
between true love and obligation, reveals a vast range of human
emotions and Edgaras Montvidas' Belmonte portrays his coming-of-age
with clarity and genuine charisma. The performance is whipped up to a
feverish pitch in the pit by Constantinos Carydis, the orchestra and
chorus responding with fleet virtuosity. This ground-breaking
performance delivers everything one could wish for from a Mozart
opera, combining thrilling energy with a profound sense of lyrical
beauty and truth.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A VERY mixed bag. Excellent singing, but mixed recording and odd scenery & costuming choices, May 11, 2009

By 

Mr. John A. Coulson "Tassie Devil" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart: Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

This is a difficult production to review.

First up the positives - Excellent singing and acting, especially Kurt Rydl singing the role of Osmin and a very good looking Mojca Erdmann as Blonde. Great orchestral playing with some very tuneful items - it IS an attractive opera.

BUT this is a compilation of 3 performances and the echo of singing and dialog in parts is puzzling and most distracting often putting the balance between soloists and orchestra completely out of whack. It is almost as if performed to an emty theatre but this is not the case.

And the costuming is weird with Osmin and the chorus in old style Turkish garb yet Bassa has mostly modern rather than turkish harem costuming, Blonde wears a mini skirt and the other Westerners appear in modern dress. More confusion in the sets with an shiny aluminium ladder appearing + a lovely modern leather reclining sofa set!!!

And the staging in the final act has me baffled. The role of the guard in T shirt and jeans is incongruous as is the symbolism of the collapsing scenery, possibly signifying how the Bassa has an 180 turn around in attitude?

An effort has been made to interpret this opera differently as is described in the interesting booklet which comes with the disc. There is discussion about how the affections of Konstanze could be in conflict, this putting a more serious aspect to the opera which in some productions can degenerate into farce.

So I'm really not sure whether or not to recommend this disc as it is such a mixed bag. It has a lot going for it and on the basis of the music is very successful but the staging and costuming + the variable mic capture of some solo singing and dialog can be distracting. No doubt more Blu Ray releases of this popular opera will be forthcoming and it will be interesting to see how they compare.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Mozart Production, January 28, 2010

By 

Ernest Alba "MIT Undergrad" (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart: Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

This is a worthy purchase for any opera fan because of the overall quality of the production: both in the music and the stage direction. It is essential, though, for Mozart fans and, in particular, fans of Abduction because it significantly adds to our cultural understanding of the opera. It is the first production I have seen that doesn't treat Abduction like a farce. The scenery changes dramatically over the course of the opera as we begin to realize that we are not looking at a clash between European and "Turkish" cultures, but an internal struggle between opposing forces in European culture. By the end of the opera, the last of the "Turkish" scenery has toppled over, and we see men and women in modern European clothing on a black stage. It's a very moving production that, to understand fully, requires some knowledge of the reasons Mozart's rescue opera is problematic. In any case, Mojca Erdmann is smoking hot in this production. She alone makes this worth at least renting on Netflix.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice but..., November 4, 2009

By 

J. Zavaleta (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mozart: Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

.... I prefer the traditional version. Good singing, the performances are good, the acting is just not my style or what I expected. Some might like it though :-)