Fidelio

"Musically Kaufman does not disappoint ... And ... he is joined by a cast who work musically as a team, with Adrianne Pieczonka as his wife Leonore adding a special intensity ... With an excellent cast therefore, and with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, this Fidelio recorded live at the Salzburg Festival would on the face of it have much to recommend it ... However, this is a DVD issue, and unless you are one those very few opera lovers who likes to have each new performance reinterpreted by a director who is so intelligent that his vision and insights leave us other mere mortals behind, then this new version cannot be recommended".

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"Fidelio is certainly a great work but it is also a problematic one ... And then the two leading roles are very demanding ... This production had a rocky start. The great attractions were originally that Lise Davidsen would be singing her first Leonore, with Jonas Kaufmann as Florestan ... Kaufmann had to withdraw after the premiere ... Tobias Kratzer takes it upon himself to alter the action. He has not just abbreviated but rewritten the dialogue, with frequent changes to not only the meaning but also the action ... Anyway, despite the problematic staging, the performances are good. The strong cast is rightly dominated by the splendid Leonore of Lise Davidsen ... David Butt Philip is a satisfactory replacement for Kaufmann ... This is worth seeing for the excellent performances, particularly Lise Davidsen's Leonore".

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"En prægtig indspilning og stort set ulastelig som fotograferet operateater ... Kendetegnende for Bernstein er hele det vidt udspændte musikalske billede som sat op som med knappenåle, gennnemtænkt og virkende i kraft af den præcise instruktion i enhver tænkelig henseende ... Og så er der altså Gundula Janowitz som Leonora, som trods alt stjæler billedet totalt såvel med sit ydre og ikke mindst med sin stemme, og her må alle øvrige medvirkende affinde sig med en plads bag hende".

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"Wieder mal anödende, gar nicht neue Experiment, Fidelio ohne die ebenfalls nicht sonderlich gelungenen Dialoge zu geben".

"This Fidelio was among the high-profile offerings at the 2015 Salzburg Festival. Jonas Kaufmann led the cast with the excellent Adrianne Pieczonka as Leonore ... What could go wrong? Quite a lot, in fact ... Guth does away with all the dialogue, replacing it with portentous recordings of heavy breathing and nervous mutterings ... There aren't really many musical compensations, either ... Franz Welser-Möst's conducting is brusquely efficient, while the Vienna Philharmonic hardly excel themselves".

"This is a great musical performance of Beethoven's sublime opera, hitched to a production which sets new standards, if that's possible, of irrelevance, impertinence and directional conceit. My advice for Fidelio-lovers is to watch it once, then to listen to it often. The conducting of Franz Welzer-Möst is on the highest level ... Jonas Kaufmann is a magnificent Florestan ... and Adrienne Pieczonka a heroic Fidelio ... There isn't a weak link in the cast - this is the finest new Fidelio I have heard for years".

Vurdering (music): 5/5.

Vurdering (production): 1/5.

Vurdering (picture & sound): 4/5.

"Another disappointingly updated version, somewhat redeemed by a dedicated cast ... James Levine conducts a crisp account of the score, but not a particularly grand or spiritual one".

"Scheint ihm in szenishcer Hinsicht ein Selbstläufer zu sein ... Die Sänger sind sich weitgehend selbst überlassen".

Vurdering (Szene): 2/5.

Vurdering (Musik): 3/5.

"Editor's choice: It's a moving document in many ways ... German director Tobias Kratzer's production received mixed reviews ... With a second viewing on screen, though, it proves more effective and coherent, with Rhodri Huw's video direction revealing a great deal of telling detail ... There's still plenty of focus on the main characters, though, not least with Davidsen's wonderful Leonore, touchingly acted and superbly sung, her voice sound gloriously rich and youthful both at full power and in moments of tenderness. It's a magnificent performance. But Philip is outstanding too. His Florestan is technically supreme, his tenor firm and controlled ... For a musically excellent Fidelio married to a thought-provoking, challenging production, this can be safely recommended".

"Atmosphärisch, dabei vorgeblich ganz altmodisch erzählt Tobias Kratzer unter Antonio Pappanos feinfarbig flutender Leitung die 'Fidelio'-Vorgeschichte ... Lichtfigur ist hier schon Leonore, weil Lise Davidsen in diesem eindrücklichen Rollendebüt leichte, starke Höhen offenbart ... Florestan liegt auf einem Dreckhaufen, David Butt Philip kämpft sich trotzdem gestaltungssicher durch seine Arie, mit langen Schwelltönen und guter Attacke".