Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier -The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
by Brian Large, John Schlesinger
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Aage Haugland, Anne Howells, Barbara Bonney, Georg Solti, Kiri Te KanawaDirector: Brian Large, John Schlesinger
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); German (Original Language); English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 198 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-01-13
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Kultur Video
Movie Reviews of Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier -The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Movie Review: Beautifully acted, sung performance
Summary: 5 Stars
Der Rosenkavalier remains one of the most popular operas, despite being extremely long (all stage productions cut to some degree, and even then it's 3 hours or more of music) and a storyline that upon examination is a trifle thin. Strauss's opera also places exceptional demands upon the singers -- they must sing beautifully, act the part, and convey both humor and feeling. This 1985 performance from Covent Garden succeeds on all requirements: the cast is uniformly strong, the production is beautiful and elegant, and I shed a tear or two at the final trio.
Anne Howells is the Oktavian, a 17-year old count in love involved in a May-December affair with the Feldmarschallin. Howells is perhaps the least well-known of all the principals in this video, but Oktavian is onstage for practically the entire opera, and I think Howells is superb. I love the gusto with which he/she challenges the lecherous Ochs in Act 2, and her game turn as a "chambermaid" in Act 3. The only drawback I'd mention is that her voice is a bit thin and reedy, and lacks that last touch of vocal glamour. But if her voice is not as silvery and bright as the most legendary Oktavians (Sena Jurinac for example) Howells still convinces as an ardent young man. As the naive Sophie, Barbara Bonney is near-perfect. She looks girlish and young, and has the kind of bright lyric soprano that works so well for this role. She also avoids overly cute, precious acting. I love her reactions to the Baron when she first meets him.
Kiri te Kanawa is of course the Feldmarschallin, and hers was the real surprise of the video. I expected beautiful, elegant singing, but te Kanawa's portrayal was also dignified and heartfelt. At the end of Act 1 she buries her face in some flowers and whens he looks up there are real tears streaming down her face, and all of a sudden my preconceptions about te Kanawa were wiped away. Aage Haugland is hilarious as the dirty old "dowry hunter" Ochs, and he also wisely does not make Ochs truly hateful. He's not supposed to be -- in the end, his story is as sad as the Marschallin's. His screaming at being "wounded" in Act 2 and also his "wooing" of Sophie are priceless.
The two drawbacks: Georg Solti conducts with his typical bluster, all blaring horns and IMO little sense of the quick, breezy Viennese waltzes that permeate Strauss's score. Kultur's documentation is also poor -- it doesnt even say who the Italian singer is.
Summary of Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier -The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
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