I love opera and operetta, and Die Fledermaus is just a gem, right down from the sparkling music to the witty dialogue. I watch or listen to it every New Year's Eve, and even five or six times a year, and I never get tired of it. This Met Fledermaus is a treasure, even better than the ROH, 1990 and Gundula Janowitz performances, and they are great too. The dialogue, although some may find the switch from English to German and vice versa somewhat hare-brained, is just a joy in this production, witty and often hilarious. The whole cast deliver it wonderfully, with TeKanawa, Troyanos and especially Hagegard standing out.
I have always loved Johann Strauss II "The Waltz King"'s music, and right from the Overture and the Champagne chorus to Czardas and Chacun A Son Gout, Die Fledermaus is no exception. It is beautifully performed by the orchestra and Jeffrey Tate's conducting is brisk and understated. The costumes and sets are sumptuous especially at the ball/party, the camera work is very good and allows a connection with the characters and singers, the picture quality is generally clear and the sound is also good. I want to credit the stage direction, Otto Schenk's staging is moves along and never feels stage, also allowing the principals to have the time of their lives, which they do.
Kiri TeKanawa is an elegant Rosalinde, with her voice beautiful and like a bell. She is very animated throughout, especially in the Czardas, which managed to be even better than that of the ROH performance. Judith Blegen's Adele is suitably pert, with an appealing voice that manages not to be too shrill. As Eisenstein, Hakan Hagegard is charming and ruggedly handsome, vocally rich with a great sense of comic timing. The late great Tatiana Troyanos is wonderfully arch and smolders vocally and dramatically as Prince Orlofsky, particularly in Chacun A Son Gout, performed with so much velvety warmth and poise.
The Alfred of David Rendall is not quite as funny as the one from the ROH production, but it is still a fun performance regardless. Falke, Blind, Ida, Ivan and Frank are well characterised, but other than the five principals, the star turn of the more minor characters was Schenk himself as the drunken jailer Frosch, such a hilarious and compelling performance. In conclusion, a treasure, and as somebody who watches and listens to classical music and opera all the time, this is the most fun I've had in a while. 10/10 Bethany Cox
I have always loved Johann Strauss II "The Waltz King"'s music, and right from the Overture and the Champagne chorus to Czardas and Chacun A Son Gout, Die Fledermaus is no exception. It is beautifully performed by the orchestra and Jeffrey Tate's conducting is brisk and understated. The costumes and sets are sumptuous especially at the ball/party, the camera work is very good and allows a connection with the characters and singers, the picture quality is generally clear and the sound is also good. I want to credit the stage direction, Otto Schenk's staging is moves along and never feels stage, also allowing the principals to have the time of their lives, which they do.
Kiri TeKanawa is an elegant Rosalinde, with her voice beautiful and like a bell. She is very animated throughout, especially in the Czardas, which managed to be even better than that of the ROH performance. Judith Blegen's Adele is suitably pert, with an appealing voice that manages not to be too shrill. As Eisenstein, Hakan Hagegard is charming and ruggedly handsome, vocally rich with a great sense of comic timing. The late great Tatiana Troyanos is wonderfully arch and smolders vocally and dramatically as Prince Orlofsky, particularly in Chacun A Son Gout, performed with so much velvety warmth and poise.
The Alfred of David Rendall is not quite as funny as the one from the ROH production, but it is still a fun performance regardless. Falke, Blind, Ida, Ivan and Frank are well characterised, but other than the five principals, the star turn of the more minor characters was Schenk himself as the drunken jailer Frosch, such a hilarious and compelling performance. In conclusion, a treasure, and as somebody who watches and listens to classical music and opera all the time, this is the most fun I've had in a while. 10/10 Bethany Cox
