Mozart - Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail [Abduction from the Seraglio]
by Karl Böhm, August Everding
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Edita Gruberova, Francisco Araiza, Martti Talvela, Norbert Orth, Reri GristDirector: August Everding, Karl Böhm
Brand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); German (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language); German (Published), DTS 5.1; English (Published); Spanish (Published); French (Published); Mandarin Chinese (Published)
Format: Classical, Color, Digital Sound, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 146 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-13
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Movie Reviews of Mozart - Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail [Abduction from the Seraglio]
Movie Review: Golden age Mozart from a master conductor
Summary: 5 Stars
Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail or The Abduction from the Seraglio was composed by Mozart in 1782 during his first heady days in Vienna. He'd recently thrown off the shackles of provincial Salzburg and his odious servitude under the Prince-Archbishop Colloredo. This Singspiel (song-play) was first performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna, and is the wellspring of the famous story about Mozart's postperformance meeting with Emperor Joseph II in which the illustrious Enlightenment ruler uttered his famous critique: "Too beautiful for our ears and monstrous many notes, my dear Mozart". Mozart supposedly replied "Exactly as many as necessary, your majesty".
Joseph II had founded a National Singspiel Company in 1778 which was designed to promote German culture in Vienna where the predominant culture, at least among the aristocracy, was French. The work, Mozart's first imperial operatic commission, combines elements of Italian opera seria, opera buffa and even folklike German song. It is a truly new amalgam of elements with lovely melodies and gentle humor that still manages to entertain. Mozart would perfect this recipe nearly a decade later in his last Singspiel, "The Magic Flute". Die Entfuhrung features a wonderful, fairly complex Act II finale: a dramatic technique Mozart famously utilized with even greater success 4 years later in le Nozze di Figaro. It enables him to heighten the drama while deftly exploring the characters of multiple onstage protagonists simultaneously. This dramatic technique was truly new: a nail into the heart of static opera seria for which the da Ponte operas would be the hammer. It is the source of a new Romantic spirit in music, the full flowering of which was decades away. And the Turkish elements in the opera represented the continuing fascination of the Viennese with those same Turks who had invaded Austria not too many years earlier. This Turkish exoticism is another element in nascent Romanticism. This humble little Singspiel's importance should not be minimized.
Karl Bohm conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Bayerischen Staatsoper with the right balance of serious purpose and light lilting lyricism. This production, staged by August Everding with set and costume design by Max Bignens, was filmed from a live television production relayed on the First Programme (Channel 1) of German television on 25 April 1980. Bohm was nearly 86 years of age at the time and had first conducted this work in 1924. He was a true Mozartean who mastered Mozart's youthful, bubbling music while also revealing the ineffably sad, emotionally ambiguous drama that lays just underneath. It is a volatile mixture that can evaporate or combust in a conductor's face if not approached properly. Mozart has been described as too easy for beginners, too difficult for experts. Bohm was an expert who evoked a beginner's Mozart: he made the difficult sound easy. He is the real star of this excellent DVD.
The singers are superb. Thomas Holtzmann is Selim, Belmonte is Francisco Araiza. Konstanze is Edita Gruberova. Blonde is sung by the wonderful Reri Grist. Pedrillo is sung by Norbert Orth and Osmin is Martti Talvela. The production is relatively traditional, extremely colorful and fun to watch. I've enjoyed it immensely every time I've watched it.
This DVD has a picture format of NTSC color shot fullscreen with a 4:3 format. Region code is 0 worldwide. The film is crystal clear with no discernable video artifacts. It appears to be digitally remastered. Sound formats are PCM stereo and DTS 5.1 Digital Surround sound. Both formats sound great with the DTS Surround providing ambiance from the rear speakers and good spatial location of instruments and voices. Menu language is English. Subtitles are in German, English, French, Spanish and Chinese. Total time of the disc is 146 minutes. There are no extras other than DGG promos.
This is an excellent version of Mozart's Abduction. Those familiar with Karl Bohm know what to expect. Those who don't know him will find this disc a nice introduction. Strongly recommended.
Mike Birman
Summary of Mozart - Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail [Abduction from the Seraglio]
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