Product Details

• Actors: Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, Manfred Jungwirth, Lucia Popp, Carlos Kleiber
• Format: Classical, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: German (DTS 5.1), German (PCM Stereo), English (PCM)
• Subtitles: German, English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Philips
• DVD Release Date: September 13, 2005
• Run Time: 186 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0009I8PHI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,874 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

STRAUSS:ROSENKAVALIER - DVD Movie

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Performances Indeed, January 1, 2006

By 

I. Martinez-Ybor "Ignacio Martínez-Ybor" (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier / Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, Lucia Popp, Manfred Jungwirth, Benno Kusche, Carlos Kleiber, Munich Opera (DVD)

Carlos Kleiber's conducting once made his Vienna performance of Rosenkavalier, his first released on DVD, the preferred DVD of the opera. It has an inner glow and musicality hard to resist. It is mellow but never slacks. Perhaps it has a melancholy edge, but it does not exploit sentiment. The many thematic references (quasi leitmotivs) in the score are always structurally cogent, conducted as to be clearly and easily grasped without underlining, never losing momentum and flow. The Wiener Staatsoper Orchestra (outside the pit known as the Vienna Philharmonic) clearly return the love with which they are conducted. One could speculate that Kleiber fashioned this performance mindful of the Marschallin throughout, though the central character is indeed the Rosenkavalier. And in von Otter, it boasted THE Octavian of her generation. This veiled valedictory (never maudling) tone is not unique to Kleiber, and certainly not a misconception; it is a distinctive characteristic of this performance.

HOWEVER..... now we have a new DVD of a Munich performance fifteen years earlier, and, as it happens, Kleiber's strongest competition turns out to be his younger self. Munich gives us faster, more incisive tempos (indeed, the performance is 7 minutes shorter). It is lively and rambunctious though always executed with the clarity and structural cogency found in the Vienna performance as noted above. If Vienna is in the spirit of the Marschallin, Munich embodies Octavian, who, after all, is young, happy, in love, and the character after whom the opera is named. And in Brigitte Fassbaender it has THE prime exponent of the part in the post-Christa Ludwig era.

So, where do we come out? The direction for both performances is by Otto Schenk (though Vienna is a revival of Schenk's original by somebody else). Anyway, it has not varied much in fifteen years. Munich seems fresher, more alert, indeed happier, mirroring Kleiber's more extrovert conception. The Munich voices are all bigger and in excellent shape. Gwyneth Jones, a superb actress, then reigning queen at Bayreuth and without the unsteadiness which could occassionally creep into her powerful instrument, gives here, as the Marschallin one of the most subtle, colorful and moving performances of her career, one that has included roles such as all Brunnhildes, Sieglinde, Isolde, Ortrud, Aida, Cherubini's Medea and Strauss's Helen. Felicity Lott's intelligence and thorough professionalism are no match for the sum of qualities, including vocal richness, Jones brings to the part. Barbara Bonney is a charming, vocally secure, sweet Sophie in Vienna, but, again, no match for the vocal prowess, communicative skills, the sheer musical joy conveyed by Lucia Popp as Sophie in Munich(note: before her untimely and shockingly sudden death a handful of years ago, Popp had already graduated to the Marschallin, the same leap taken by Schwarzkopf many years before). Octavian is Brigitte Fassbaender, a wonderful actress with a distinctive, powerful voice (a Fricka, a Brangaene) who exhuberantly embodies the raging hormones of our barely post-adolescent hero. As artists, von Otter and Fassbaender are more evenly matched than the others mentioned, though their approaches to Octavian are different: both are aristocratic, wilfull, elegant, clearly in love with love, von Otter is funnier, Fassbaender is lustier (the bigger, darker, more colorful voice helps). I have seen quite a few Octavians on stage, starting with Christa Ludwig in the sixties, all of them very good, but, after Ludwig, none better than the two ladies here. Kurt Moll is a wonderful Ochs, vocally splendid throughout, quite well suited to Kleiber's overall conception in Vienna. On the other hand, in this part I prefer the vocal brilliance and stage magnetism of Manfred Jungwirth (though, unlike Moll, to my knowledge he never was a Gurnemanz, a Marke, a Zarastro) . The Italian tenor in Munich is Francisco Araiza at the start of his career. For the record, I was fortunate to see Kleiber conduct Rosenkavalier at the Met, in a different production, but with virtually the same cast as in the Vienna DVD.

So, if one loves the opera and has the means, why choose? There are enough differences to appreciate each performance on its own terms and both will give much pleasure. Get both. If there are other priorities and one has to choose, I'd go for Munich. The strengths are palpable from the pit to the kinder in the final act. Whatever you do, one can't go wrong with either of Kleiber's performances.

I can think of no conductor I have ever enjoyed watching conduct more than Kleiber, live or on DVD. Apart from the awesome interpretative values he brought to his performances, his joy in making music was exhilarating and contagious. Without detracting from stage business, both DVD's give us ample shots of orchestra and conductor.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music from Heaven, January 27, 2006

By 

K. Wong "K-wong" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier / Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, Lucia Popp, Manfred Jungwirth, Benno Kusche, Carlos Kleiber, Munich Opera (DVD)

Kleiber conducts a brisk performance which flows very nicely with the singing and action going on. The only competition of this DVD is the other one also conducted by Kleiber. The one under review here has Popp as Sophie, Jones as Marschallin, and Fassbaender as Octavian. Jones is on her best behavior here and sings very well. She looks the part and her mannerism is perfect for this role. Fassbaender and Popp are the best Octavian and Sophie on DVD. They interact with each other so naturally and you will truly believe that they are two young teenagers falling in love with each other. Fassbaender's voice is very masculine and she sings very well. Popp has always been my all time favorite and she is no doubt the best Sophie. The trio from last act is simply music from heaven. The set is good and is traditional. It serves the opera well. The other Kleiber DVD, however, is also excellent. I don't think I want to have to choose here because I like both and I think anyone who is a fan of this opera needs to have both. If you are not a fan of this opera yet, get one of them and you will be hooked.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Rosenkavalier" for the ages, July 10, 2008

By 

J. Carter Joseph "CARTERJ" (ATLANTA, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier / Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, Lucia Popp, Manfred Jungwirth, Benno Kusche, Carlos Kleiber, Munich Opera (DVD)

Prepare to be blown away. Carlos Kleiber strides triumphantly into the pit, gleaming with self-confidence and ability. He is a man on a mission, namely to do full justice to a towering masterwork. The atmosphere is electric. Without so much as waiting for the thundering applause to die down, he launches full-force into the overture, taking it at breakneck speed.

To my mind, this overture is about great sex, climaxing together, then afterglow and intimacy. The music describes all this; First the horns thrusting, their theme received by the string section, then the two blend together and fall mutually to earth, melting with knowledge of each other. As the curtain rises, Strauss even paints the sun coming up, with birds twittering in the background, as the couple, in bed, flush with love, talk sweet nothings.

The cast simply could not be better, with Gwynneth Jones every inch the noble and melancholy Marschallin, Brigitte Faessbender the embodiment of burgeoning male sexuality, and the late, great Lucia Popp ideal with her silver voice as Sophie. Ochs retains his humanity despite being the pompous fool that he is. Top notch on every level.