Notes and Editorial Reviews
"a treasure ... a fascinating glimpse of an important moment in operatic history ... prov[ing] that Felsenstein was one of 20th-century opera's most influential and creative geniuses." -- Peter G. Davis, The New York Times (May 18, 2008)
"A significant new box set of DVDs that should be required viewing for anyone who really loves opera.... The set is a time capsule that offers, if not a definitive statement, at least a number of revealing glimpses into what made Felsenstein's work so extraordinary." -- Anne Midgette, The Washington Post (July 6, 2008)
WALTER FELSENSTEIN EDITION
Beethoven: Fidelio (1956)
Janá?ek: The Cunning Little Vixen (1965)
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Mozart: Don Giovanni (1966)
Verdi: Otello (1969)
Offenbach: Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) (1970)
Offenbach: Barbe-bleu (Bluebeard) (1973)
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (1975-76)
Limited Edition with 12 DVDs
Book with 104 pages, facsimile prints and 7 inserts for each opera film
All Opera films are sung in German.
Artists:
Artists: Anny Schlemm, Irmgard Arnold, Hanns Nocker, Rudolf Asmus, Christa Noack, Werner Enders, Ursula Reinhardt-Kiss, Melitta Muszely, Magda Laszlo, Vladimír Bauer
Special Features:
- Original manuscripts of Walter Felsenstein
- Original staging piano reductions with audio examples
- Drafts of the stage design, figurines, sketches and drawings
- Historical audio material with speeches and interviews with Walter Felsenstein
- Rehearsal film of Don Giovanni and newsreel footage from The Tales of Hoffmann
- Footage of Felsenstein stagings 1945 – 1961
- Script excerpts, conceptual scripts and picture galleries
Picture format: NTSC 4:3
Sound format: PCM stereo
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu languages: English, German, French, Spanish
Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish
Running time: 18 hours 20 mins
Walter Felsenstein (1901 - 1975), founder and general director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, was one of the twentieth century’s greatest creative theatre directors, who played a hugely important role in the revival of opera as a theatrical art form. A brilliant artist who directed over 190 productions during the course of his career, he was equally committed to the works, their creators, the ensemble and the audience. This unique edition brings together 7 opera films in a rare documentation that offers an insight into the theatrical work of a man whose legendary productions fascinated international audiences for decades. The films can now be experienced for the first time in carefully restored digital form. Felsenstein’s consistent development of the musical/visual language of opera film remains a source of inspiration even today. Opera on film – opera as film – however one describes them, his productions continue to astonish with their clarity and intensity.
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Works on This Recording
1.
Fidelio, Op. 72 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Magda László (Soprano),
Kurt Equiluz (Tenor),
Richard Holm (Tenor),
Heinz Rehfuss (Bass Baritone),
Sonja Schöner (Soprano),
Georg Wieter (Bass)
Conductor:
Fritz Lehmann
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1804/1814; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1956
2.
The Cunning Little Vixen by Leos Janácek
Performer:
Ruth Schob-Lipka (Mezzo Soprano),
Irmgard Arnold (Soprano),
Christel Oelhmann (Soprano),
Werner Enders (Tenor),
Rudolf Asmus (Baritone),
Herbert Rossler (Bass)
Conductor:
Václav Neumann
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Comic Opera Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1921-1923; Brno, Czech Republic
Date of Recording: 1965
Language: German
3.
Don Giovanni, K 527 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Anny Schlemm (Soprano),
Eva Maria Baum (Soprano),
Klara Barlow (Soprano),
Fritz Hübner (Bass),
György Melis (Baritone),
Rudolf Asmus (Baritone),
Herbert Rossler (Bass)
Conductor:
Zdenek Kosler
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Comic Opera Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1787; Prague
Date of Recording: 1966
Language: German
4.
Otello by Giuseppe Verdi
Performer:
Hanna Schmoock (Mezzo Soprano),
Peter Seufert (Tenor),
Hans-Otto Rogge (Tenor),
Hans Günther Nöcker (Bass),
Herbert Rossler (Bass),
Vladimir Bauer (Baritone),
Erich Blasberg (Bass)
Conductor:
Kurt Masur
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Comic Opera Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1887; Italy
Date of Recording: 1969
Language: German
5.
Les contes d'Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach
Performer:
Uwe Kreyssig (Baritone),
Werner Enders (Tenor),
Rudolf Asmus (Baritone),
Alfred Wroblewski (Bass),
Melitta Muszely (Soprano),
Hans Günther Nöcker (Bass),
Vladimir Bauer (Baritone),
Sylvia Kuziemski (Mezzo Soprano),
Horst-Dieter Kaschel (Bass),
Heinz Kogel (Baritone)
Conductor:
Karl-Fritz Voigtmann
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Comic Opera Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1881; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 1970
Language: German
6.
Barbe-bleue by Jacques Offenbach
Performer:
Hans-Otto Rogge (Tenor),
Hans Günther Nöcker (Bass),
Ingrid Czerny (Soprano),
Helmut Polze (Baritone),
Werner Enders (Tenor),
Ute Trekel-Burckhardt (Alto),
Eva Maria Baum (Soprano),
Anny Schlemm (Soprano),
Rudolf Asmus (Bass),
Ruth Schob-Lipka (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Karl-Fritz Voigtmann
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Comic Opera Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1866; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 1973
Language: German
7.
Le nozze di Figaro, K 492 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Barbara Sternberger (Soprano),
Rudolf Asmus (Bass),
József Dene (Baritone),
Helmut Volker (Bass),
Werner Enders (Tenor),
Magdalena Falewicz (Soprano),
Ursula Reinhardt-Kiss (Soprano),
Ruth Schob-Lipka (Mezzo Soprano),
Ute Trekel-Burckhardt (Alto),
Uwe Kreyssig (Baritone)
Conductor:
Géza Oberfrank
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Comic Opera Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1786; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1976
Language: German
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