Strauss, Johann

Johann Strauss - Die Fledermaus / Domingo, Te Kanawa, Prey, Royal Opera Covent Garden

Most opera houses ring in the New Year with Johann Strauss Jr.'s most popular operetta--the festiveness of which is appropriate for the occasion--and this December 31, 1983, Covent Garden performance follows suit. An exceptional cast--led by Hermann Prey and Kiri Te Kanawa as the couple whose marriage survives the comic indiscretions of three long acts--obviously has as much fun as the audience. Plácido Domingo leads the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House through its paces with panache. Prince Orlofsky's Act II party is always a splendid opportunity to pull out all the stops with surprise "guests," and this performance makes the most of its chance: entering the proceedings to sing one of his tailor-made chansons, "She," is French crooner Charles Aznavour, who is followed by dancers Merle Park and Wayne Eagling, their delightful pas de deux flashily choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton. --Kevin Filipski

Kiri Te Kanawa is featured in this glittering Covent Garden Opera production of Johann Strauss' masterpiece. Placido Domingo conducts the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus. Other soloists include Hermann Prey, Hildegard Heichele, Benjamin Luxon.

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus

Johann Strauss II - Die Fledermaus / Armstrong, Allen, Petrova, Ernman, Hagegard, Jurowski (Glyndebourne Festival Opera)

Johann Strauss: Aschenbrödel [DVD Video]

Johann Strauss - Dance and Dream / The Waltz King

Johann Strauss - Die Fledermaus / Popp, Gruberova, Fassbaender, Weikl, Berry, Hopferwieser, Kunz, Guschlbauer, Vienna Opera

Johann Strauss - Die Fledermaus / Bonynge, Cox, Ashton, Royal Opera

This is a capable, mildly eccentric, and thoroughly enjoyable production of Johann Strauss's witty, melodious, and charmingly frivolous comedy about elaborate practical jokes, faked identities, long-deliberated revenge, and the power of champagne. The singing is idiomatic, the spirit infectiously jovial, the acting polished and witty. Hard-core lovers of Die Fledermaus in its traditional form may have a few reservations. It is performed in a clever English translation by an English and American cast with a flavor more evocative of London than of Vienna. And the role of the decadent Prince Orlofsky, usually assigned to a female mezzo-soprano in trousers, is taken by a male countertenor, a meaningless gain in realism at the expense of a time-honored tradition that is one of the show's best perennial jokes.

These are small points, but for the treatment of the Fledermaus music, without other considerations, I would pick another Covent Garden video production, the 1984 gala, starring Kiri Te Kanawa, Hermann Prey, and Benjamin Luxon, with Placido Domingo conducting and, in the last act, singing a few notes.

That becomes irrelevant, however, because this production preserves a very special occasion: the 1990 New Year's Eve Gala in which Joan Sutherland made a cameo appearance--her Covent Garden farewell performance--during the party scene. She brought with her two of the outstanding partners in her career, Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti. All were in very good voice, and they rose to the occasion with some extraordinary singing. Highlights of the hors d'oeuvres include Sutherland's simple, eloquent "Home, Sweet Home," Horne's performance of "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" from Samson et Dalila, and Sutherland and Pavarotti in the heart-breaking duet "Parigi, o cara" from La Traviata. --Joe McLellan

This most effervescent of all Johann Strauss's operettas is a perennial favorite, with its tide of bright, frothy Viennese dance music and charmingly nonsensical plot. In this glittering John Cox production, designed by Julia Trevelyan Oman, the opulence of the Viennese Belle Epoque and the elegant gaiety of the music combine to provide an evening of sparkling Entertainment musical champagne. Judith Howarth, Louis Otey, Jochen Kowalski, Nancy Gustafson; special guest stars Dame Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti and Marilyn Horne; conducted by Richard Bonynge. 196 minutes.

Johann Strauss Gala - An Evening of Polka, Waltz, and Operetta

Not only did 1999 mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Johann Strauss Sr., but the centenary of the passing of his son, Johann Strauss, "The Waltz King." To commemorate, on the evening of May 29, 1999, in Vienna's grand Heldenplatz, almost 8,000 people gathered for a gala concert. This Wiener Philharmoniker performance was conducted by Zubin Mehta (who had previously conducted the Three Tenors, one of whom, José Carreras, is here joined by soprano Andrea Rost for two duets from Strauss operettas). At 103 minutes, this DVD offers 19 selections, but either there was an interval after just six pieces, or considering how rapidly it gets dark between "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka" and the "Overture" from Die Fledermaus, there has been some cutting. Given such a great orchestra and the wonderful setting, it would have been nice to see people dancing to what is, after all, real dance music. Despite the static nature of the event, the music is still uplifting, moving even the staid Vienna audience to clap along by the finale of the rousing "Radetzky March."

Other than some useful booklet notes, the DVD has no special features, and the sound is offered only in Dolby Digital 2.0 and PCM stereo. This is presumably due to the difficulties associated with outdoor acoustics and live recording, which nearly prevented the concert going ahead. The anamorphically enhanced picture generally makes the most of the spectacular location, having such a clarity in the close-ups that it is virtually possible to count the hairs on the musicians' heads. --Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk

Johann Strauss - Die Fledermaus / Marc Minkowski - Delunsch, Hartelius, Klink, Bär, Duesing, Trissenaar - Salzburg Festival 2001

Johann Strauss - Simplicius / Welser-Most, Volle, Zysset, Zurich Opera House

Rare and well-done! This is a superb performance of excellent, long-forgotten music. Simplicius was lost for more than a century, but when it was recovered (including a few patches for missing parts), the Zurich Opera House welcomed it back with a production worthy of a historic event.

Johann Strauss II, like most comic geniuses, had a lifelong wish to produce something deeply serious. Parts of Simplicius come close to that goal, but then a delectable tune in 3/4 time pops up and we are back in the realm of the waltz king, enjoying it all the more because of the contrast. In both styles, the music is wonderful and Franz Welser-Most conducts with exactly the right touch. The absurdist set designs of Johann Engels and the stage direction of David Pountney sometimes call Hieronymus Bosch to mind. This production puts detailed plot summaries on the screen during the overture and at other strategic points - a good idea because the plot is complicated and slightly absurd. It is set in the Thirty Years War, and it is full of hidden identities, unreasonable rules, and sudden plot twists. Besides various tangled love pairings, and the idiocies of war, the plot centers on the figure of Simplicius, a holy simpleton like Candide or Parsifal, and his comic encounters with the realities of love and war.

The story is full of colorful characters, all sung and acted with distinction. Michael Volle is a hermit who has raised his son Simplicius (Martin Zysset) in isolation from humanity until, at age 20, he is abducted by soldiers and comes into contact with reality. Other vivid performances are given by Rolf Haunstein as a rather absurd general, Elizabeth Magnuson as his silly daughter, Oliver Widmer as an astrologer, and Louise Martini as Schnappslotte, who sells liquor to the soldiers. Martina Jankova steals the show as her daughter Tilly, and Liliana Nikiteanu makes much of a small role as a Swedish spy. So many strong performances have rarely been assembled in one video. --Joe McLellan

Based on Grimmelhausen's seventeenth-century picaresque novel, set during the Thirty Years' War, Simplicius is the ingenuous hero of a tortuous tale of concealed identities and thwarted love - which leads, of course, to a happy ending. David Pountney's witty and ingenious staging for the Zürich Opera brings out the very best in the extraordinary and exceptional work. Stars Michael Volle, Martin Zysset, and Rolf Haunstein.