Customer Reviews

Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier / Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, Lucia Popp, Manfred Jungwirth, Benno Kusche, Carlos Kleiber, Munich Opera

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

With this release, the second Kleiber-conducted Rosenkavalier they make available on dvd, DG has opted for making life hard for the collector. This is the original version of the rightly legendary Schenk production devised for, and staged at, Munich's National Theatre in the early seventies; the other dvd shows it as transferred to the Vienna State Opera some twenty years later, after the producer's death. The Munich version I was able to catch live in the summer of 1974, as I mentioned when commenting the DG dvd of the viennese adaptation, with most of these principals save for Jungwirth, who at my particular evening was (furtunately) replaced by Karl Ridderbusch; the viennese one I only know from DG's dvd.

This Munich version has of course much to commend: first of all, in this 1979 Munich evening Kleiber was a dozen years younger and it shows, his conducting mostly livelier and with more abandon than in the later viennese evening ... which in turn is enriched by more insights into the score and treatment of its sentimental facets. Second, Brigitte Fassbaender makes a far more credible young boy than the exquisite Anne Sofie von Otter, the latter's outstanding singing notwithtanding. Choosing between the two is practically impossible, and perhaps only when one comes to include into the equation what the french call "le physique du role" the scales slightly turn in favour of the german mezzo. If you want to make your impossible choice even more exasperating, try "Wo war ich schoen einmal ..." in the second act, the moment when Octavian, after delivering the silver rose, is smitten by Sophie's looks and is the work's turning point (as will be remembered by the orchestra, well into the third act, when it uses that same melody to introduce the glorious trio of female voices). Both Fassbaender and von Otter make this a passage to remember for the ages, but to me the latter's voice shines perhaps like in no other Octavian, her facial expression of bewilderment and utter confusion a lesson for all Octavians to come.

I was never able to take a liking to Jungwirth's handling of the Ochs character. He became quite famous for his portrayal and is featured in the famous Solti-conducted set, studio-recorded by Decca almost 4 decades ago, but I always found his voice too light for the role, unsteady to an unbearable extent and he shows here a severe deficiency in his low notes (they're inaudible!), something frankly unforgivable and for which certainly you cannot fault Moll in the Viennese remake, who is in far better shape and stage-wise, a superior impersonator of the character.

And what of the two english Marschallins? To me, both quite below Fassbaender and von Otter in their respective sets, a notch above average in both cases, Jones perhaps preferable to Lott stage-wise but the latter in better shape, vocally. Dame Gwyneth plays the warmer Marschallin, Lott cooler and distant.

Sets and decors are a definite plus for the Munich staging, especially in the second act, as Faninal's mirrored, magnificent palais Schenk devised inexplicably turned for Vienna into an indifferent hall. The sound produced by both the Bavarian State Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic is outstanding, the latter's benefitting no doubt from progress in sound recording techniques.

So what will the tormented collector do when faced with choosing between the two sets? If your budget allows, buy both as a Rosenkavalier with Carlos Kleiber in the pit is a must; if not, frankly, toss a coin ...

With 3 great singers singing the leading female parts, how could you go wrong? This was a momentous night, with Carlos Kleiber leading the Munich State Opera Orchestra superbly. The production by Otto Schenk is colourful and well directed. A wonderful addition to the DG Catalogue.

This delightful performance of Strauss' magnificent opera is conducted by Carlos Kleiber, who obviously delights in the music.

Otto Schenk demonstrates the value that an excellent director brings to the staging of a grand opera. It's a window back into 19th century Vienna.

The performers, too, are top caliber. Gwyneth Jones has both the youthful playfulness needed in the first act, and the thoughtful reserve and majesty required of an empress, in the final act.

Our "young couple" are Brigitte Fassbaender and Lucia Popp, who join the Marschallin in gorgeous singing and equally excellent acting.

Manfred Jungwirth is as good (or bad and boorish) as Baron Ochs can be. You'll justifiably anticipate that wonderful sustained bass note at the end of Act 2, where he sanctimoniously laments how drab the world must seem to everyone, whenever he's not around.

If you've never seen Rosenkavalier, this would be a fine first experience. If you've seen several versions already, I think you'll agree that "they got it right!"

Not just THE trio, the one in the finale, but the trio of singers as well. Ms. Jones' Marschellin leaves you wondering what kind of an idiot her husband must be to leave this lovely, elegant and impressive woman on her own, compelling her to seek satisfaction elsewhere. When Ms. Popp appeared on my screen for the first time in the opera, I thought she looked too old for the part. That was only for a second. Her singing and acting made Sophie, whom I normally dismiss as a "doll soprano" into a real girl on the edge of womanhood. Bless you, Ms. Popp, rest in peace. Ms. Fassbaender, as always, excels in trouser roles.

Yes, the trio singing the trio will leave you with tears in your eyes and happiness in your heart.

Bravi, bravissimi!

A richly satisfying production, visually and vocally. Fassbaender, Jones, and Popp make a wonderful combination; the men perhaps a little less so, but never less than satisfactory. Kleiber's reading really top drawer. If you're looking for a traditional, conventional standard production, this will fulfill that role.