A review:
Rosenkavalier is far more than a period piece. There are elements to this story that have meaning for all people at all times. This is a new production that helps us see this. Unfortunately there are a few flaws which have angered purists and literalist viewers before the good changes could be fully understood.
This “regietheater” production actually might make more sense to someone who is not familiar with this opera than a conventional DVD, due to the emotional honesty. Just reading a brief synopsis of Rosenkavalier will clear up any confusion. There are no added lines to confuse the newcomer. The added gags are brief and do not alter the story line.
In a traditional production, such as the excellent Covent Garden DVD with Solti conducting, Sophie (Barbara Bonney) reacts to Baron Ochs in a mild way that would make a modern viewer think that Sophie has no self worth. Only a viewer with knowledge of old Vienna will get the meaning of the signals that are given. In my opinion, asking the younger viewer to make what amounts to an emotional translation, in an era of open emotional communication, is asking too much. There is a strong need for this updated version.
Hofmannsthal (the librettist) makes it clear in act one that Baron Ochs has a teenage concept of dating that is no different from that of teenagers from the 1960s (my era). Alfred Muff (Baron Ochs in this DVD) gives us exactly what Hofmannsthal wanted,in my opinion. Malin Hartelius reacts as any liberated woman would to his advances, creating a Sophie we can really feel sorry for, yet laugh along with, as she fights back. This gives added meaning to Baron Ochs line: “I would not have missed the young girl’s rebellious fury”
Haunstein’s Faminal may not reach the level of Muff and Hartelius but it is still good if we think of him as an Archie Bunker type, who made a killing in the space race. The original Faminal character was a weapons salesman. Having Sophie prepare her own wedding dinner,an added touch, is the ultimate signal that Faminal has no class, just money. What we have is a 1910 vintage look, overlaying an old Vienna story, expressed in current emotional terms.
Maybe the worst problem is that Octavian starts out using a fire poker as a sword in act one, and a kitchen knife in act two. This is silly but typical “regietheater” that should not blind us to some genuine insights.
One point of widespread agreement is Malin Hartelius’s superb Sophie. Not only is her singing excellent, but her acting transcends the small screen in a way that rivals Cesare Siepi as Don Giovanni in the 1954 film conducted by Furtwangler. Her Melanto, Pamina, Blonde and Fatime (Les Indes Gallante) are also wonderful. She brings out the best in the singers she works with.
The Octavian, (Vesselina Kasarova) is acted and sung dangerously close to the edge. Hers is the most impulsive Octavian I have ever seen. Even so, her voice blends well with Hartelius as Sophe. Others disagree, but I find the “presentation of the rose” very touching here as Sophie has an attack of shyness and hides from Octavian. I don’t think anyone but Hartelius could have pulled this off so well. This is offset by Nina Stemme’s somewhat aloof Marschallin. Kasarova is a wonderful Penelope in Monteverdi’s Ulisse, so this is not a style this excellent singer is addicted to.
If we were to only judge this Rosenkavalier by the singing and audio recording it would certainly be one of the best available, with the exception of the tenor in act one, who screams his aria. Welser-Most goes for stronger strings and less brass in balancing the orchestra than Solti and Kleiber. This results in less impact and a more lyrical sound. This is a great opera that offers unending pleasure and unending possibilities for new interpretations. Hofmannsthal was possibly the greatest librettist of all time. Richard Strauss was the perfect composer for him to work with.
