2/5 Dull, pretentious gender pretzel of Chevalier a la Rose
  by David H. Spence (Houston, TX)
An evening early this week sitting around a local university library, I had a new friend of mine walk up to me asking me to correct his English on email he was sending a Korean friend of his; he could not write it in Korean from where he was sending it. In it was brief reminiscence of visit to on east coast of Korea, Nacksan beach, where much to their dismay, numerous trannies gathered - transgenders as my friend refers to them but perhaps in more than one variety of such. I do not know since I have never been there. You ask what that has to do with Rosenkavalier and Richard Strauss. Well, read on. Before today, I would have never known. After the Prelude played in spirited but loose-ensemble fashion by the Vienna Philharmonic, the curtain opens on room in darkly lit deep gold embellished red, dominated by large bed, upon which we see Octavian and the Marschallin heavily making out. No surprises there.

Adrienne Pieczonka plays the Marschallin. She certainly is animated enough with the text and shows a relatively good understanding of some of it, and has a pleasing enough voice in midrange. Gone however from her portrayal of Marie Theres' is the expected femininity, degree of vulnerability, dignity, nobility, grace. Moreover there is little more than very approximate sense of legato or of the most consistently good or secure intonation. She, sufficiently relaxed, does spin off a couple of lovely phrases at the end of the First Act; long by then too much damage is done already.

Angelika Kirchslager makes a charming Octavian, girlish enough as a bit forced in attempting the seventeen year old boy, though not as thin a veneer in acting the teenager as with Anne Sofie von Otter for Kleiber. If low notes sounded a bit weak with Pieczonka, with Kirchslager, they were often swallowed to the point of having to listen quite hard for them at times. Support for making it through the break is at times secure and at other times for clearly understandable reasons a little precarious.

Franz Hawlata, of the three most important principals, is the most successful here, as Baron Ochs - vocally a performance only equaled here by Piotr Beczala (Italian Singer). He, most of all of any of this cast, allows himself excellent delivery of what the Baron has to sing and act, and in light bass-baritone - reminders of Manfred Jungwirth - deftly acted. He certainly has grown somewhat in this part since first heard in it. One wants this Rosenkavalier to come out right for Ochs long by the end of it.

We can now put aside initial casting considerations. One could conveniently overlook a few touches in the First Act that seemed rather odd - the entourage of men bringing in breakfast for the Marschallin and Octavian in their scene where they usually receive it from a single servant, usually one `of color.' Yet another touch was the Italian Singer taking his second verse in the antechamber to entertain several attractive dames lounging on the floor before him, two practically on their hands and knees. It would have been consistent with what we see in Act Three of this for them to go topless - then this scene could be mistaken for out of Salo. Beczala's offended gestures, the Notary's acting, the fashion display before the Marschallin - fortunately still easily distinguishable from gathering of real canines the Animal Seller brings on - are effective in the levee scene.

Act Two opens on a huge b/w mural very near stage front of some battle of presumably early previous century from when this Rosenkavalier takes place - right before World War One. Sophie von Faninal and the Baron meet at this ROTC club in Vienna, with only narrow space allowed - very long prepared table stretching all across the stage and whole several rows of men looking on behind it. Several senior officers thereof compare military armament components. The magic of the Presentation of the Rose, with forced playing to usher it in from the Vienna Philharmonic is damaged beyond repair.

The glib exchange of expressions between the Octavian and Sophie finishes up the rest of the damage to this scene, with approximate stretch for the stratosphere by the well endowed Barbie doll of a Sophie (Miah Persson). She comes on, with basically little more than a functionary of a Marianne and nearly voiceless Faninal alongside (Franz Grundheber) - other than being able to bellow out a few notes just a step or two above the staff. She is an eager Sophie in a cheerfully excited, breathless way, with no irony as to how Bob Carsen has set things up, in opposition to how Strauss characterizes Sophie at this point in his music for her. The Baron comes off as much more deserving of her, dapper handsome enough that Hawlata still is, than she is of him; the Faninal is too inept do anything about it, to still be later able to see it, or to be humorous at his part in the least. Lines - as well and very correctly and deftly pointed by Hawlata, much as they have been at their best before - for Ochs to Octavian about his chance to warm up the Sophie for him come off as tremendous unintended irony, such as they never have before. Once warmed up, Persson sings better, but with insufficient character or interest.

A rare occasion of some attractive representation of sex does come however when Miah Persson, down to negligee for having been alone with Octavian for a moment, shakes her nice barely covered tits indignantly at whoever with whom Sophie is trying to get her way. It brings to mind Mastroianni's comment in looking over Anita Ekberg, playing an American actress and equally Swedish as Persson, on American women in Fellini's La Dolce Vita. Persson is hardly less well endowed than Ekberg. The mostly ineffective Valzacchi (well sung by Jeffrey Francis) and émigré floozy Annina grab the Octavian and Sophie in such a polite way, there should have been no trouble breaking free. Annina snatches wallet out of Ochs's coat at the end of Act Two, with having done nothing at any point to make anything of the character or certainly any menace, even as harridan during Act Three, of such at all.

Act Three gives us quite a unique choice-of-proclivities brothel that halfway through the act resembles a little too much the Marschallin's boudoir from Act One. One of the funniest scenes in an effective Rosenkavalier, especially when played complete which it isn't here is the scene that starts with the entrance of here the weakly sung Police Commissioner (Florian Boesch). I have not seen it pass by before with such complete absence of wit whatsoever. Bob Carsen commits to no more to do than just the very minimal expected blocking of people on stage for it. Kirchslager looks even more mannish as Mariandel in Act Three than in Act One. A wall, with doors inserted stays up close to front of the stage for a skittish account of the Intro and Pantomime from the Vienna Phil. A topless hooker is on the phone with johns or whoever at the start. Sure enough a bed crashes loud from wall to the floor for 'Mariandel' and Ochs; we have gratuitously added, for benefit of two lines of `Mariandel' and Ochs, a completely butt-naked older man (except for wearing dark socks) make circle from rear to front back to rear of stage to pick up chain or timepiece he is missing he then finds beneath mattress of a sofa. Much later, once the Marschallin alongside Faninal has finished sizing up how Octavian does it with Sophie, she tosses off `Ja, Ja' even more nonchalantly - worthy of loud laughter contemptuous of it from the hall - than did Nina Stemme in Zurich - a good looking Rosenkavalier after this one. Not a peep is heard. Some Spanish émigré looking dude comes on for the brief orchestral epilogue to dance apoplectic with bottle in hand then flail about with a rifle as curtain falls on what is a complete disgrace.

Semyon Bychkov's conducting is just passable routiniere - bringing out some introspection of the score here and some earthiness there; the Vienna Philharmonic plays most of this without special distinction - as just going through the motions for most of it. They are not here worthy of their former selves under Kleiber (better more animatedly heard yet from Munich) or Karajan. Pandering mention is made in the liner notes of far more imaginative producers Konwitschny, Berghaus, and Wernicke (latter production now out on dvd, starring Hawlata again, opposite Fleming) - even though some of their ideas of Rosenkavalier may not be the most aesthetic either. Other than to hammer us over the head with idea that the preponderance of testosterone in late Hapsburg Europe brought everything down - there are no ideas here.

In Pieczonka's before-final-line-ogling of Octavian and Sophie - her lines earlier to Ochs about his not ever going to have opportunity to debauch her real Mariandel - ditto: what must the real one be like and do for the Marschallin - one begins to think of how well perhaps Pieczonka as the Feldmarschallin may be able to do in bed with this Sophie herself. There is gender twisting veneer with Kirchslager, the girlishness of her Octavian quite charming and the mannishness of her`Mariandel' definitely not, as to how she comes off best. Perhaps such is true for Pieczonka too; one wonders then who really should be on top for opening of the first scene.

The liner notes tell us that this Marschallin is a courtesan - one who might feel right at home, not near so awkward as usual in the brothel of Act Three. There is after all such a wide choice of arrangements there, as run by brassy sounding tranny landlord (Markus Petsch). As such, he introduces the Marschallin. Even Ochs - nearly as experienced as the Sophie that he is - is confused by seeing the man on stage we all do, making the Mariandel turn in askance toward him as to what could be wrong, and with the ever so menacing peep show he gets treated to for the trap-door scene. Bychkov elides past the quote from Elektra in the score used to indicate Ochs's impression of mental congestion a bit. It is neither first moment nor last of good humor of Hofmansthal and Strauss's own missed in a production providing meager little in way of real thrill or shock as well.

The part I want in this then is that of the supernumerary - I start to get close to the right age for it - he looks fifty or fifty-two - who streaks across the stage fifteen minutes into Act Three. In fact, I would enjoy returning on stage right at end of first part of the Octavian-Sophie duet with only blonde wig and dark socks on to flash all three leading principals left on stage - not again the Ochs - an idea still less offensive than what they do to Richard Strauss here. I can wait to find the watch or what have you until this second go at it.

As confused as some sorts seem to be alongside Nacksan beach, I do not recommend this Rosenkavalier to be shown on either side of the divided peninsula where south of 38th this beach may be found - but I do ask Wonsik and his friend, as he offers his friend in speaking of their experience there - to curse for me what I saw today; it is not hard to imagine Koreans coming up with better imprecations than we occidentals are at it.


2/5 Disheartening "Rosenkavalier"
  by P. Ho (Washington DC)
What to make of this production of "Rosenkavalier"...I bought it a couple of years ago, watched it once, and promptly gave it away. This was a most depressing treatment of a beloved opera I have yet seen. I don't mind modern "takes" on old classics, but this was just disheartening. The producers looked like they spent a good deal of money in the sets--particularly the spectacularly oversized first act where you got to see not only the Marschallin's bedroom, but the antechamber as well as the private room from which Ochs entered. However the bedroom soon became an eyesore since it was dominated by this deep red that just swallowed everything (maybe I am exaggerating but that's what I remember the most). The second act was more interesting, but it was set in what seemed to be Faninal's dining room (well better than the kitchen I suppose) where Oktavian entered on horseback. Unfortunately the third act was set in a brothel...with nude models (and maybe even drag queens if memory serves right), and more depressing colors dominating the act. And of course the very end totally put me off--was that supposed to be the Feldmarschal on horseback? What did it mean having him there? Or did I imagine it? Where happened to the opera?
I don't remember much of the singers except that they ranged from uncomfortable looking (Angelika Kirchschlager) to superficial (Adrienne Piczonka) to boorish (Franz Hawlata). Miah Persson looked voluptuous but lacked the silvery float of the best Sophies. The conducting was on the romantic and somewhat sentimental side. The one "Rosenkavalier" I turn to is Carlos Kleiber's 1979 Munich version. I bought this particular version as a complement to the older version; it wasn't even close. The extra start is for the singers' valiant efforts which pretty much went for naught.

5/5 THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL
  by Enrique Hernandez (Miami, FL)
It's a vivid recording; the next best thing to live. Robert Carson, the stage director, and Peter Pabst, the set and costume designer, fumble Act II by setting it in a dinning hall, and really push the bounds of propriety in Act III by setting it in the best little whorehouse in Germany. Obviously, we buy opera on DVD to see as well as to hear, but the conductor, orchestra, and singers are all so good that I have to recommend it despite its drawbacks. Given what European opera companies have been getting away with for decades, this updating (to the Weimar Republic) actually isn't that bad relative to some of the atrocities I've seen. Actually, I found Act III quite effective, despite the fact that the director/designers got jeers as well as cheers when they came out on stage at the end.

The cast is terrific. Adrianne Pieczonka, as Princess Werdenberg, has a rich, clear voice that brims with pathos and longing (she gave me goosebumps at the end of Act I). Just about the whole cast soars. Even the Singer receives sustained applause. This "Rosenkavalier" doesn't quite rise to the sublime heights of Karajan's (on Sony), which contains the best duet between Octavian and Sophie you're likely to hear. Miah Persson, no matter how good she is as Sophie in this Bychkov production, simply doesn't match what Herbert von Karajan was able to squeeze out of Janet Perry, whose singing during the duet becomes ethereal (she goes so high, she's almost inaudible at one point). Although I usually agree with Scott Morrison's reviews, I disagree with him about the lackluster Kleiber production with Lott, Bonney, and Otter. Musically, this Bychkov is superior in almost every way. As far as Kleiber goes, I much prefer the one he conducted in the late '70s with Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, and Lucia Popp.

In any case, despite the racy, adult-oriented staging (with full frontal nudity, simulated sex, and cross dressing), musically this one from the Salzburger Festspiele 2004 deserves five stars. There is some gorgeous playing from the orchestra. The ubiquitous Brian Large does a solid job directing it for TV. I recommend it as an excellent addition to (though not a replacement for) Karajan's, Solti's, and Kleiber's (from 1979). There is now a wealth of worthy Rosenkavaliers on DVD. Enjoy!

3/5 Who Let That Horse In the Dining Room?
  by David Cady (Jersey City, NJ USA)
Robert Carsen, that's who! What's that you say, you don't remember a horse in "Der Rosenkavalier?" Bet you don't remember a dining room, either. But that's where Act 2 of Strauss's masterpiece inexplicably takes place in this updated, turn-of-the-century take by the Canadian badboy opera director. In fact, after the bedroom in Act 1 and the dining room in Act 2, I was a little concerned that Act 3 would take place in a lavatory. But no, we get a brothel instead. And what a brothel! I know I'm supposed to be shocked -- absolutely shocked!! -- and appalled (as have been some other reviewers) by the full frontal male and female nudity and the downright sordidness of it all, but what's really shocking is that Carsen thinks he's doing something new here. Hasn't he ever seen "Lulu?" Doesn't he know that Hal Prince and Bob Fosse did this kind of thing far better -- and with more style -- in their separate versions of "Cabaret" years ago?

As far as the performances go, this is something of a mixed bag. All the main roles are gorgeously sung, but only a couple of the interpretations actually land. Adrianne Pieczonka is a first class singer and a lovely woman (although here unflatteringly costumed), but her acting lacks the depth and contradictions that would make her a first-class Marschallin. We get no sense of the struggle within, the lust combating her sense of responsibility and religious faith, the insecurity at odds with her resignation and wisdom. Angelika Kirschschlager's sound is as rich and mellow as ever, but she overdoes the butch thing to the point that she ends up looking like Charlize Theron in "Monster." Only Miah Persson's charming, vulnerable Sophie and Franz Hawlata's comically smarmy Ochs are fully rounded characterizations, as solid as those that you'll find on other DVDs.

I wouldn't recommend buying Carsen's "Der Rosenkavalier" when there are so many more faithful, brilliantly performed versions out there; if you can rent it, rent it. You may find it shocking, you may find it boring, you may even find it entertaining. What you won't find is illumination. And if a director's reinterpretation of an opera doesn't in some way illuminate it in new and exciting ways, why bother?

3/5 Skin-crawling experience
  by Scarbo
Strongly felt the need to shower after viewing this debauchery. The conductor and orchestra are excellent. Beautifully played. Singers are okay. Stage director needs to be shunned, along with the ubiquitious Brian Large. A nasty piece of work, if there ever was. Keep it up Salzburg, and the 'Mohammad moment' at the opera's close will happen for real. Disgusting display. UGH!