Customer Reviews

Richard Strauss - Capriccio / Directed by Stephen Lawless, Conducted by Donald Runnicles - Te Kanawa, Hagegård, Keenlyside, Toroyanos - San Francisco Opera [VHS]

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Capriccio is a difficult nut to crack as some critic commented somewhere but in a performance like this, the opera becomes a delight and worthy of all our attention. Te Kanawa is in radiant voice becoming Madeleine in voice, drama and acting. Troyanos, already seriously ill at the time, is a masterpiece of vocal wit and charm as the actress Clairon. Kuebler and (Flamand) Keenlyside (Olivier) bring purpose to their endless discussion about music vs. words and their importance in opera with their faithful and engaging voices and acting. Hagegard is an excellent La Roche bringing life and passion to his looooong monologue. All the beautiful singing and living characterizations almost prepare us for the orchestral intermezzo and radiant final scene. The music is wrapped in moonlight and velvet violins as Madeleine appears gowned regally for the evening supper. Accompanying herself on the harp she sings of her dilemma with an unwitting charm and love of words and music. Strauss waited a long time for the performance of his dreams

This production is absolutely fabulous. The cast, headed by the incredible Kiri Te Kanawa as the Countess, is as follows:

Hakan Hagegard - Count

David Kuebler - Composer

Simon Keenlyside - Poet

Tatiyana Troyanos - Clarion

Victor Braun - La Roche

I can't imagine a production being more perfect - the chemistry between the Countess and both the poet and composer keep you really guessing as to which one she'll chose, in Richard Strauss' greatest masterpiece. Keenlyside is a stand-out performer, singing beautifully.

As for Te Kanawa - she IS the ONLY Countess! She sings beautifully, and her acting talent is supreme. She masters the tricky final scene amazingly well. Te Kanawa is the human Countess, she's not untouchable, she's on your level, and makes you feel truly sympathetic towards this beautiful woman.

A performance Richard Strauss himself would be proud of.

This an impressive performance of an opera that can be hard to get right. The ensemble cast is extraordinary, with nary a weak link. As expected, Te Kanawa (as the Countess) is radiant and beautiful in voice and appearance. Keenlyside (as Olivier) has a handsome baritone voice and it's unfortunate that he hasn't made more recordings. Braun (as La Roche) is exceptional too, with a stage presence that is properly suggestive of his character's vast experience. I've never been a fan of Troyanos's voice and I'd prefer von Otter in this role (whose diction is remarkable; see the Opera Paris production on TDK DVD) but she has the technique and the dramatic presence to pull it off.

The sound is excellent overall but there are a couple audio issues that are minor annoyances. When Kiri hits her high notes, there is some distortion as if the levels were set a bit high (I've played it on a couple systems just to be sure it wasn't my own hardware). And because it is a live performance and people are scattered all over the stage, some voices are too far back in the mix in the large ensemble pieces.

The staging is traditional and in line with Strauss's wishes. All things considered, this is one of the best opera DVDs I have and it remains to be one of my favorite.

This is the only DVD release of a late Strauss opera (post-Arabella), and as such fills a large niche in the catalog. The good: it's pretty solidly cast, well-played, and intelligently staged in a good approximation of the appropriate period, the Opera Reforms of the 18th century in France. Everyone acts at least solidly, and the camera work is inobstrusive, bringing the viewer in close for this intimate work.

The bad: there are cuts, which are particularly inexplicable in an opera of Capriccio's conception. One of the passages cut is the discussion of what the opera written should be; cutting the 'Ariadne' and 'Daphne' quotes makes the Count's witty suggestion all too abrupt. There's also a cut in La Roche's monologue, another unfortunate omission.

The men generally outclass the women. Olivier and Flamand (Keenleyside and Kuebler) are solidly characterized and elegant, but top honors go to Braun as La Roche. I found Hakegard to be too pompous and caricatured as der Graf, particularly in the sonnet reading. It's a possible reading of the character, but a more sly and subtle approach would have been welcomed. Troyanos as Clairon is as elegant as always, but she was very sick when this performance was filmed (and unfortunately died the same year), and is nowhere near her recorded performance for Bohm.

The Countess is the role around which the opera revolves, and Te Kanawa is...mixed. She has a beautiful, clear, smooth voice, and a great deal of natural poise. But the role never really comes to life; she feels rather unengaged. It's not a fatal flaw for most of the work, but it takes some of the power out of the lovely final scene.

The supporting cast is solid, although the costuming for the Italian Singers is painful at best. Recommended to get to know Capriccio, but to really know this work, I would recommend the Bohm and/or Sawallisch recordings, and following the libretto carefully! Capriccio is a "Conversation Piece for Music", and the truncated subtitles of this issue will let you follow the argument, but not carefully enough. This is particularly relevant in the two-part Octet (Laughing/Quarreling Ensemble), where there's simply no way to effectively subtitle it. Capriccio is not an overtly dramatic work, but repays careful attention and study.

If you don't love opera, this one may bore you to tears. But, if you adore opera, as I do, your tears may become a refreshing bath! Strauss sucessfully addressed the issue of "which is most important?" between words and music. (Elements of Traditional Theater come in later as a third contestant.)

Dame Kiri te Kawana glows in this, what some say is her most defining role. Perfectly complemented by a strong cast, including Troyanos in her final stage appearance. Great costumes and set, that will transport you to the 1775 Paris suburb. Not categorized as a comedy, humor is often used as punctuation. And, there is never a dull moment in this "one act" opera that lasts nearly 2 1/2 hours.

The three artists, the poet, composer, and stage director, all make their cases for the supreme importance of their individual crafts. In the process, lovers of opera will get a chance to appreciate more completely this most elaborate of art forms. I certainly did. It, (Opera) combines a tremendous number of elements that allow the viewer/listener to be carried off by intense passions, for an extended period of time. This production uses all these elements masterfully in the process of "educating" the audience of that very fact. Amusingly, one of the minor characters, the Count, ends up being dissuaded from his own professed dislike of opera.

As for the 'MYSTERY' of who the Countess chose? Composer/Poet, or Music/Words? I would direct those who don't know to her soliloquy at the end, especially the last two lines: She states emphatically, that to make such a decision, which she had agreed to make without much forethought, would be "trivial". That is, to favor one apart from the other would make them both of little effect and importance. Thankfully, Strauss and Krauss do not force her character to make that choice. Wouldn't that have been as obscene as "Sophie's Choice"?

If you are ready to dive deeply into opera, this title is a MUST for your collection. It proves that an art form can truly comment on itself.

Every once in a lifetime comes a performance so rich and so sublime that one shouts yes ..there is a God!!. A deft hand that created such wonderous music and this Capriccio is one of them. A real gem in every aspect from great performances to production value. A great ensemble cast in an opera that is most often considered a 'connoisseur's piece'. The real hero behind this, besides Strauss the composer, is Te Kanawa- giving us what is perhaps her most quintessential performance esp. in the Monologue scene. The way she interprets the work and handles the music puts even the great Renee Fleming to shame- not that Fleming is a lesser artist but comparing Te Kanawa's and Fleming's performances highlights a world of difference of what is tasteful and what is arched. There is something very mannered about Fleming's singing that distracts and her acting is below par- she parades around not knowing what she is singing about and sounds exasperated. Te Kanawa on the other hand is nothing less than spectacular-beautiful stage presence, exquisite voice (without a note out of place), clear diction, deep characterisation and floating legatos- this is a desert island performance and the totality of the performance comes from a singer who has managed to put the philosophies of music and opera of a lifetime across in about 25 minutes. This is truly God-sent!!!

Those who view this opera will likely think it is either the best work about music they've ever seen...or be bored silly.

Capriccio is truly a unique musical work, Richard Strauss' last opera, composed in 1942. Here's why it's unique:

A poet, Olivier, and Flamand, a composer, are both trying to win the affection of the Countess Madeleine. They argue about whether it is the words or the music which are more important in a musical piece. Gradually, more characters join in, all putting forth their own importance: a theater director, an actress, a pair of bel canto singers, dancers, even a promptor.

Thus, the piece ends up being an opera about opera and music, or as Strauss himself described it,

"a conversation piece for music in one act."

With singer/actors such as Kiri Te Kanawa, Victor Braun, and Hakan Hagegard, it is naturally impreccably performed.

The question remaining for you is whether you're expecting another typically dramatic Strauss opera, or what this is: an intellectual discussion of what Music is...all set to music by 78 year old master composer Richard Strauss, looking back on his life in the theater and music, and on what music really is.

No weak links in the cast or production. It is beautiful to watch and to listen to. Kiri is at the top of her form. It's a literate opera with little action and plot. The beautiful voices and stongly drawn characters carry the opera along in a very satifactory way. The costumes are particularly fine, helping to deliniate the characters and adding visual spectacle to the opera. Troyanos is poutstanding. Her treatment of a minor charcter is wonderful.

I attended these performances in San Francisco. The singing is superb and the production is very fine. This was Tatiana Troyanos' last stage appearance before her untimely death from cancer some two months later. She is (as she always was) wonderful in the part of Clairon and she and Te Kanawa really strike sparks off one another.

I love this recording of the SF production of Capriccio - one of my favorite Strauss operas. And I treasure having Tatiana's last performance.

There are enough comments on the performance on here already. This is for Anthony.

Ok, technically the libretto does not answer your question. Part of the delight of this opera is the ultimate ambiguity of the ending, allowing for the personal repsonse of the listener/viewer.

There are IMO 3 possibilities:

1) She picks the poet if you personally think the words are more important in opera

2) She picks the composer if you feel that music is the primary focus of opera

3) She picks neither; leaving the two gentlemen to meet only each other in the libray at 11 am, if you believe that opera is a joint fusion of music and text.

Personally I would pick # 3 and believe Strauss would also.

Stephen