Strauss;Richard Der Rosenkaval

Starting with the reason why this is a vital purchase for any Renee Fleming fan (or even any fan of a great singer / actor)--it may be the best thing she has ever done. She uses every dynamic, every color, every movement, every reaction to her fellow singers you can imagine to create a one-of-a-kind "living" woman, and a few ideas you probably won't expect. (The last minute of Act One is infinitely touching without a note sung...just to name one.) If you are a fan of hers, you will find nothing to complain about and so much to admire--the tricky mixture of sadness, irritation, pain, love, and even a touch of humor that makes up the final meeting of Octavian in Act One. She does not "milk" the monologue about the clocks, which makes it all the more touching. Her final appearance in the opera, including the heartbreak of the Trio, is a marvel to watch and hear. In its subtlety and range and originality, her Marschallin is unmatched. Really, this is a truly great operatic portrayal, to rank and even surpass the wonderful Schwarzhopf in the famous filmed version. (She certainly seems more "girlish"--Octavian would not fall in love with a "mature" woman. He sees no difference between them, age or otherwise. Important and usually ignored, especially by a few too many people who swear they know Rosenkavalier backward and forward. Why do so many of them think the Marschallin is a middle-aged woman?) The comic roles (certainly "buffo" and played broadly) mostly work very well and though Hawlata is far from the greatest "singer" of Ochs, he is lovably obnoxious and even rather pathetic when confronted with his own foolishness. He seems within the character word for word and it shows. His vocal shortcomings are not so grave as to keep you from enjoying him. And Jonas Kaufmann is quite funny as a tenor who brings in paparazzi as well as an agent! The conducting by Thielemann is free from the "squareness" that sometimes mars his conducting. He is flexible and free and follows the singers like a glove. When a firmer hand is needed, it is there. In fact, his control over line, shape, and dynamics to match Fleming is one of the best selling points of the recording. The production is beautiful to look at, the updating unobtrusive (how often is that the case?) and the directing makes all the elements work as a frame for characters not just singers, especially the use of mirrors as a meaningful and unifying device. A few comic pieces of business don't quite work but they are few and short and far between. Costumes, lighting, etc. are all of a piece. This should be a given at all times in every production, but so rarely is. No, it is not Zeffirelli realism, but all the better for it as far as I am concerned. (You know if you are not in agreement, so take that into consideration.) And the "problem" of the young black servant which is a little too redolent of its time period--and not ours--is cleverly "solved."

Now the disappointments. And they are grave (to me...some people might not be as bothered, but I have to say what I feel.) Neither Sophie Koch or Diana Damrau, though musical, and intelligent and characterful, sing beautifully in the highest registers--and their roles lie high much of the time. Beautiful passages will be marred over and over by strain and shrillness. Koch is more forgivable in Act One because she is supposed to be highly strung, but even then strain distracts. Sadly, the next two acts get worse and worse. Damrau is just as bad. She has some undeniably lovely moments but she has more strained ones, culminating with her entrance in the Trio that has to be the ugliest version I have ever heard. This is not world-class singing, no matter how many people claim it is. I wish it were different. She is musical and she can act. But the singing is too often unpleasant. She is straining, forcing the tone, no two ways about it. And Koch's part in the Trio is not much better. So the opera's highlight is only a highlight in Fleming's singing and acting. A major mark against it. Luckily, the orchestra supports the rise at the end of the Trio before the key change with such a full set of strings, the harshness of the two "outer" voices have their shrillness tempered some, so at least the payoff is still effective. Disappointing, though. VERY disappointing.

Hard to give a star rating but four stars for what is (truly) great that will hopefully help you overcome the vocal shortcomings.

NOTE: I watched it two more times. I liked Koch better than I did. The last two acts lie lower, so her singing (sans Trio) is less harsh than Act One. Still feel the same about Damrau, alas, though the final duets are lovely.

I liked this performance a great deal but it didn't live up to its potential. The singing was very good overall but the voices of Koch and Damerau just didn't seem to mesh very well. I've never been a big fan of Fleming but she is superb here, both singing and acting wise. The production was beautifully done but the floor to ceiling mirrors was often distracting, particularly in acts 1 and 3. If you were in the auditorium it wouldn't have been a problem, but on the small screen when the focus is on just a portion of the action, it was often confusing to see the reflection of so many people scurrying around right behind the main characters. The orchestra played well but somehow it just didn't seem to have the glistening shine that I've heard from others, particular the Vienna Philharmonic. The director added some interesting touches but made a major mistake with the presentation of the rose. Sophie and Octavian should be facing each other during most of the singing, not facing forward. He also allowed Koch and particularly Damerau to overact during act 2. All that being said, I would still high recommend purchasing this DVD. It is worth it for the performance of Fleming alone.

My favorite performance is from the Met with Kiri Te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos, Judith Blegen and Kurt Moll. It is nigh on perfect and had the luxury of Pavarotti as the Italian Singer. I can only hope it appears some day on DVD to replace the DVDs I made from VHS tape.

It is interesting to note that the last three Rosenkavaliers to have been released have all been updated to relatively contemporary setting with one major exception--the Robert Carsen 2004 Salzburg production. But fear not those conservatives who cry "no updating, please" because truly there is in my estimation nary a concept in sight. Carsen on the other hand has decided to cover the last fifty years of the twentieth century to great effect.

The two most recent, Medici Arts and Decca are set in the fifties for the former and vaguely contemporary for the Decca, the DVD under consideration. This is a production that took place in Baden Baden in January of this year. Overall it is as I have noted a splendid performance and at last enshrines Fleming in one of her best roles. My feelings about this artist have been somewhat mixed heretofore. That the voice itself is a deluxe instrument has never been up for discussion. It is a beautiful voice, but so often one has to wonder about the intellect behind it. For me her low point of her DVD's has been the Chatelet production of Capriccio; it is not a production that distingguishes itself nor is her performance one for the ages as it is self-absorbed and superficial. Updating it to Nazi occupied France was not an idea that works in this "chamber" opera. The updating in Rosenkavlier is almost beside the point. All the major artists have appeared in more conventional stagings. If anything this has liberated the singing actors to go beneath the surface and offer a profoundly personal reading. The Marschalin'e Act I monologue is a model of sensitivity and mood. Perhaps Fleming cannot offer the textual nuances that a German speaking singer has but she is offering a prize performance that is utterly committed and involving. I suppose that compared to Anne Schwanenwilms (the only native German singer to command the role since Jurinac and Schwarzkopf)there are some niggling points that get lost. Indeed Schwananwilms' performance remains one of two reasons to acquire the Medici Arts set; the other is the Octavian of Anke Vondung, passionate, intense and blessed with a beautiful voice. Alas the sonics and the performance of Kurt Rydl seriously scupper this DVD. The Sophie is a Japanese soprano with a bright and hard tone that is rarely appropriate. Rydl who has had a distguished career has developed a wobble that fearsome. Additionally the recording level is very low so that it is necessary to boost the volume much higher than is necessary for any other DVD in my collection. Taped in Japan it is mystifying that the engineers would have passed on this issue. Yet I cherish this set for Schwanenwilms; she is not only blessed with great beauty, both physical and vocal, her monologue justifies the whole performance in spite of other criticisms.

Fleming's lover, Octavian, is sung by the French mezzo sophie Koch. Perhaps trumped by Kirchschlager in the Carsen set she is nonetheless a fine contender for the role. Diane Damrau is a superb Sophie; she almost makes you believe that Della Casa really preferred this role to the other two leads. This Sophie is no wilting violet, but then so it Miah Persson in the Carter production; this young Swedish singer is surely bound for a major career.

Franz Hawalta is the Ochs in both Carter and the new set. He is relatively young and a good actor making his performance vital to both sets. The lowest of the low notes are probably not his to sing (for that go to Kipnis and Kurt Moll) but his is far superior to Rydl.

The Italian Tenor is sung by Jonas Kaufmann; it is my understanding that Villazon was scheduled to sing, but health reasons intervened. Kaufmann appears to upset many because of the baritonal underpining in the voice. I hear them, but couldn't care less when listening to this wonderful voice.

The orchestra is the Munich Philharmonic; this is not an opera orchestra but then they are led by Christian Thielemann who is a great Strauss conductor. The Carsen set has the Vienna Phil under Semyon Kychkov who as beome a Strauss conductor par excellence. It's is a tight race but ultimately victory does belong to the Vienna Phil.

Frankly I would hate to have to make a choice between either set. Adrianne Pieczonka is an exciting Marschallin, a lyrico spinto who commands a bigger voice than Fleming, but who also suggests a silvery tone that is essential to sing this role. She appears less emotional than Fleming and Schwanenwilms;for her truly another lover will be on the horizon. This take will not please everyone, but it is a valid interpretation. Ultimately I would suppose that the production will determine the choice for many. I find the Salzburg production witty and imaginative. For once the setting for Act III (a "seedy" inn) is exactly what you get and more. It is in reality a brothel. The innkeeper is played in drag and there are various sexual escapades that are fairly graphic. Octavian doesn't become Mariandl, but does a wonderful sendup of Marlene Dietrich a la Blue Angel. There is some nudity and I suspect Hofmannsthal or Straus would not approve, but it is truly an original take on the scene. The director is also faced with the gigantic stage, one that Carsen makes use of by staging some action on either side of the Marschallin's boudoir. The second act contains one absurdity: Octavian arrives at Faninal's home riding a horse! This was silly and unnecessary; a comment on Faninal's arrival as a nouveau riche?

I have two conventionally staged performances, Te Kanawa and Lott. I was about to write that this opera is indestructable, but then I remember when a friend brought over the EMI DVD from Zurich. I will refrain from using the usual adjective (E....T....); and although I stuck it our to the end I have to admit that it bordered on the unwatchable. Lott is a wonderful Marschallin, offering wonderful insight into this complex role. She is unusually gifted with language and her experience with lieder is evident in every note that she sings. Te Kanawa is probably the least gifted linguistically of the singers I have singled out. (Too bad that she didn't do yeoman service in Germany as part of her training.) But the voice is undeniably beautiful and she does offer a committed performance. I can't imagine that I will acquire another Rosenkavalier unless the Schwarzkopf is reissued as it surely must be--and soon, I hope. My only resistance to it has been the fact that it was filmed and then lip-synched, but then Schwarzkopf was the Marschallin for so many years courtesy of the San Francisco Opera Company, I will gladly bury my resistance to filmed opera in this instance.