5/5 Carsen's brilliant Capriccio
  by Robert L. A. Clark (Manhattan, KS USA)
I was lucky enough to see this production in Paris in July 2004. I had already seen Carsen's brilliant 'Hoffmann' at Bastille with Dessay and was not disappointed by his 'Capriccio'. Though some may find his approach 'minimalist' or 'distracting', for me there is a very profound exploration of theater in/as performance but also as metaphor. The usual boundaries between onstage-backstage-house, performer-stagehand-viewer dissolve away, allowing Carsen to capture the theatrical event in all its complexity. 'Capriccio' is the perfect vehicle for this type of exploration, with its tension between words and music AND (what often gets left out of the equation) the theatrical art that allows both to come to life. It is no accident, I think, that one of the strongest and indeed central performances in this production of strong performances is given by Franz Hawlata as the theater director. I also do not want to forget the brief appearance of the great Robert Tear as M. Taupe, the prompter.

By foregrounding Carsen, whose wonderful work does not seem to be appreciated by some of the other reviewers, I do not wish to deemphasize the strength of the performances here. The cast is musically and dramatically superb, and through their ensemble work 'Capriccio' becomes the 'conversation piece' that Strauss imagined. When I saw it in the theater, I thought that von Otter's stupendous talent was somewhat wasted, but the DVD has completely changed my mind about that. I found myself regretting every time the camera left her.

Generally speaking, the filmed version here does a good job of capturing the performance. The film director follows Carsen's lead of expanding the playing spaces to embrace not just the backstage areas and the parlor behind the stage, but the house and public spaces as well, which are beautifully filmed. One particularly powerful moment that is not as effective as it was in the theater comes in the final scene, when Fleming steps over the fake footlights, a good example of Carsen's technique of breaking the frame. This was nothing short of breathtaking in the theater, at least for this viewer. My only complaint about the DVD is that Fleming's voice is not always well captured as she moves about the stage, at times becoming almost inaudible when she sings upstage or toward the wings. But this is a minor quibble compared to the many riches of this marvelous DVD. I would not necessarily enjoy this approach to every opera, but I strongly recommend Carsen's `Capriccio' to anyone who likes Strauss and a thinking approach to opera as theater.


2/5 Beautiful singing...awful production
  by John F. Cahill
Once again Robert Carsen has ruined a beautiful opera with his minimalist and awful staging. Why anyone would want to view any opera he is involved in (whether on video or live in the opera house) is beyond me. He has ruined the Rusalka (with Fleming and other fine singers). The action there seemed to take place in a Motel 6 bedroom (including the final scene which is supposed to take place at a lake in the forest!). The MET's recent production of Eugene Onegin was beautifully sung by all the principals, but Carsen's staging made it a bore and a disaster. Too many fall leaves on the set! I had to turn off the TV...I couldn't stand to watch any more of the nonsense.
I won't buy anything else he is involved in nor will I attend any operas in which he is the stage director.


5/5 Stylish, Passionate & Theatrical
  by David Cady (Jersey City, NJ USA)
Canadian wunderkind Robert Carsen's productions veer wildly between the ridiculous (his "Rusalka" for L'Opera de Paris) and the sublime (his recently televised "Eugene Onegin" for the Met). Happily, this "Capriccio" lands firmly in the latter category. Led by the radiant Renee Fleming in a signature role, this is an elegant, thoughtful production that never compromises Strauss's original intent, despite a gratuitous update to German occupied WWII France. (The update does allow Carsen's designers to indulge in some chic, 1940s glamour, to stunning effect.) And for once, Carsen actually seems to have a discernible, not to mention reasonable, point of view about the piece, one that he supports with some unique, at times thrilling, directorial touches. The ending in particular is perfect for an opera in which the very nature of theatricality is so heatedly argued. The cast could not be better, with everyone not only singing beautifully, but acting their roles with wit, passion and unfailing honesty. The aforementioned Fleming, Hawlata and von Otter are standouts. In every way this is an artistically valid companion piece to the more traditional San Francisco production with Te Kanawa, also on DVD.

3/5 Second Best...
  by Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.)
I confess that I often struggle to keep my attention focused on Strauss; the music is unquestionably splendid moment by moment, and yet the totality can become (dare I say it?) tedious. This is particularly a danger in the opera Capriccio, and Rene Fleming fails to avoid it. I felt myself hoping again and again that her arias might be reaching a final cadence. The four male singers were much more able to hold my attention, both by their acting and their singing. The other DVD, by the SF Opera, is far surperior; that would seem to be all I need to say.

2/5 Disappointing
  by HoloGeo
The production is nice, even if it is not what Strauss wanted, but the "extras" like the shots of Fleming and others sitting in the balconies and watching the opera are distracting and unnecessary.
The singing is good from von Otter and Finley but Fleming's delivery is simply bland, with occasional irritating swooping and other strange (jazz?) mannerisms. Also, her acting is below par, the last scene of her stroking the chairs was ridiculous, and most of the time she seems only interested in looking pretty. I did not care for the costumes, especially the blue dress was odd and almost made Fleming look misshapen at certain angles (just look at the cover!). Overall the whole DVD was a disappointing production. The other Capriccio with te Kanawa is miles ahead.