Mozart: Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail (C Major: 709204) [Blu-ray] [2012] [Region Free]

This has to be one of the very best performances of Mozart's 'The Abduction from the Seraglio ever staged. It has everything: sympathetic orchestration, great acting, wonderful singing and scene-friendly staging. All right, I realise that some viewers might find the staging too sparse, but, for me, therein lies its realism. Whereas 'cluttering up' can so easily curb the imagination, simple, suggestive staging stimulates it and this is what we have here. It's not helpful to have some stage designer telling us what the setting of a scene should look like. Good staging stimulates the minds of the viewers, allowing them the enjoyment of exercising their imaginations stimulated by the music and singing and here we have a superb example how all this works out into a great performance.When any work falls into the category of being a comedy, it doesn't mean that it's supposed to be some kind of 'funny ha ha' performance. Top grade, well informed comedy brings out the ridiculousness of life in subtle fashion and this is what we have here with this production with its excellent interpretation of Mozart's witty humour. The use of modern costuming also works well, which it never does with historical works; but here we have a timeless window on the interactive idiosyncrasies of characters caught up in an interactive, emotional trap from which they all want to be rescued, but have no sensible idea as to how to best achieve this, which causes them all to end up in a classic muddle requiring a benign personality in the form of a pasha to sort it all out. The genius of Mozart lies in its timelessness.I have a sneaking feeling that Mozart understood women and desired a more rewarding place for them in society. Otherwise, how was he able to create such realistic female characters for his operas? Certainly, the two strongest characters in this work are Konstanze, superbly sung and acted by Diana Damrau and her maid Blonde, equally well performed by Olga Peretyatko. These two ladies put their all into it, with the result that it doesn't matter that much if the viewer misses some of the translations into English at the bottom of the screen. The ladies just take the viewer with them enabling you to realise instinctively what is going on. Konstanze's love interest, Belmonte, well sung and performed by Christoph Strehl, comes across as a diffident character never quite sure of what he is doing or where he is going. It's all so true to life. It's nothing short of a miracle how Mozart understood humanity so very well and him dying when he was only 35.Pedrillo, Belmont's manservant also employed as the pasha's gardener, delightfully played by Norbert Ernst, is rather small for his tall love interest, Blonde, but he was obviously chosen for his voice, suitability for the role and his acting ability. Franz-Josef Selig is perfect in the role of Osmin, the bossy palace overseer. I love the way he gets all upset at his desk and shouts and thumps around all over the place. Finally, there's his boss, the Pasha, perfectly acted by Christoph Quest. Both of these characters put on tantrums when they can't get their way with Konstanze and Blonde. Oh, Mozart, how well you understood human nature! Happily, this performance is worthy of the great man's genius.One of the special delights of this performance is how the choir, on the two occasions when it is used, is an absolute delight when it sings from boxes at either side of the stage. Orchestration under the baton of Ivor Bolton is top grade and the stage direction by Christof Loy is of the best. I found that the Blu-ray disc plays well without problems of any kind. The humour in this work is subtle, but it's there all right, and this performance brings it out to a tee. It's an all time great.

Mozart wrote this work at the age of 25 having just left the service of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg and at the start of his freelance career as a musician. The work's commission was to be for the Emperor's own National Singspiel company as opposed to a commission for an opera, an important distinction as this turns the work into more of a play with singing than an opera (essentially a sung play).This performance of Mozart's Singspiel, most importantly therefore, includes the whole of the dialogue. It is only by doing this of course that the work is able to make proper dramatic sense. Too often the dialogue is heavily cut. Consequently, in those cases, the whole concept of a Singspiel with its emphasis on the spoken word, as opposed to opera where the emphasis is on the sung word, is lost. No such errors are made here and this production generates great dramatic impact.Of course, simply restoring the dialogue and failing to act it would also fail. In this case the dialogue is delivered by all the members of the cast with completely gripping effect. No sense of simple declamation, rather a real drama of interacting and conflicting passions. Great use is made of silences to heighten the impact of the drama.The `twist' of this production concerns the clear implications of the title. `Abduction' from the harem implies that the girls are taken from the harem perhaps without their full consent or at least with conflicting emotions. Without this dramatic option an alternative title may have suggested a simple escape or flight from the harem more obviously. In this production therefore, it becomes clear that the two girls have learnt to respect their Turkish captors at the very least. Consequently their intended `rescue' by their former lovers is not quite as uncomplicated as it may have been. Nevertheless, Mozart's final music and libretto underlines their deeper commitment to their former partners with the over-riding emphasis being upon the need for mercy and understanding.Musically the production sparkles and is led with great energy and also sensitivity by the conductor, Ivor Bolton. The two soprano leads (Damrau and Peretyatko) are very well sung indeed and they deliver their parts with total conviction. They are helped in this regard by the support of an impressively sung and acted Osmin (Selig) who has a deeply resonating voice ideally suited to the part and the non-singing part played by Christopher Guest as the Pasha. The two erstwhile suitors (Strehl and Ernst) maintain the high standards of the whole cast. The chorus is energetically effective on its rare appearances and extends the staging area by singing from two of the overhanging boxes.This is an outstanding production combining real sparkle and dramatic drive. The recording is of equally high standard and delivers particularly sharp imaging and excellent sound of great clarity in either stereo or DTS-HD MA 5.1. This should give great enjoyment and satisfaction to purchasers and I would suggest that it is therefore well-worth the full 5 star rating.