Richard Wagner - Der fliegende Holländer
by Vaclav Kaslik
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Actor: Bengt Rundgren, Catarina Ligendza, Donald McIntyre, Hermann Winkler, Wolfgang SawallischDirector: Vaclav Kaslik
Brand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); Chinese (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); German (Original Language), DTS 5.1
Format: AC-3, Classical, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 117 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-13
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
DVD Reviews of Richard Wagner - Der fliegende Holländer
DVD Review: To love and to hate!
Summary: 3 Stars
First: 8(sic) EIGHT CUTS IN THE SCORE!
1)The steersman song's 1st strophe - consequence: the delicate balance of a strict strophe (1st) and the 2nd "corrupted" strophe (by insertions of one the "tempest" motives) is broken!
2)The usual (but not more tolerable for that) in the final part of the last Daland/Dutchman duet.
3)The also usual (and also intolerable!) on the 2nd of the 3 spinning song's strophes.
4)The 1st of Erik's aria 2 strophes (revolting!)
5)At the Dutchman/Daland/Senta trio "stretta".
6)At the 1st phrase Dutchman's Crew song!
7)The most stupefying one: the 2(sic), two bars that separate Erik's aria and the Dutchman's entrance ("Verloren, ach verloren" etc.)[note-this is actually a Wagner option for the very 1st version (http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-fliegende-Holländer-Paris-version/dp/B0006PV5SA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1220440752&sr=8-3) which has NO PLACE HERE!].
(Please Amazon! The Weil recording isn't the """Paris Version""" at all!!)
8) And the also also usual (and also...intolerable) right in the middle of Senta/Erik/Dutchman trio.
If one doubt that things really grow old, this movie gives ample evidence of the contrary; gritted teeth for despair, half-open mouth for sadness, confusion, despair. The major reason for this editing is that, back in 1975, opera people thought that Wagner operas form his first compositional period should be "corrected" (a kind of "wielandities")...this is a complete nonsense, because Wagner knew exactly how and what music he wanted to write in this period (the changes from the very first version [link above], the 1843 one and its ""Tristan-like-ending"" later version show preciselly the necessary alterations).
The press-release claims that this is the 2nd(1843) version, but it isn't, because the descending instrumental line just before the Dutchman's phrase ("...Erfahre das Geschick...") is played only by the strings, not by the brass section...on the other hand, senta sings the ballade a whole tone higher (A minor), a choice in the 2nd version, and the soprano's line just before the ballade, when she addresses the chorus, is also from the 1843 version.
This, Sawallisch 2nd recording is a "via-media" between his savage Bayreuth version and his late, sleepy one (on Laserdisc, no longer available). The conductor's unique use of rubato in Wagner, his intelligent view that this is a work from the beginning/middle of the 19th century (the conversational passages are really classical im articulation and tempi), his structural and textural clarity are the main assets here; the sound picture is warm (a little agressive sometimes, probably due to the limitations of the DVD medium, as far as the sound is concerned), with a acceptable "holographic" image, that just recedes at the loudest moments (the clash between the nowegians and the ghost crew). Transitions are expertly done, although the above-mentioned sleepyness raises its head already at some points. The conductoris at his weakest by the final trio and the Dutchman statement, when things are rushed and McIntyre, consequently, sounds a little puny.
This singer was at his height by then, with a true homogeneity of timbre, easyness in the whole tessitura, and a real understanding of the character's more fragile side (his "...weit komm'ich her, verwehrt bei Sturm und Wetter..." sounds almost with no vibrato, like a child), not flinching at any part of his monologue's, no matter how difficult it may be. His combination of text and articulation is also a paragon for the role, although he has some problems with "Umlaut" vowels.
Ligendza is second only to Varnay in the soprano part, for she not only sings it at its original pitch (as mentioned above), but hits all the notes dead-center, specially at the high B's ("...treu dir, bis zum Tod!"). His acting is a little stiff, but she isn't alone...
Winkler and Rundgren are what they are: top 2nd clas singers, Ek is a wide-eyed Steersman, chorus and Orch on "B" form.
How old the movie is? Well, suffice to day that the scene between the dutch and norwegian crew are a good teaser of what might be the "Night of the living dead; the musical", and the actual Senta's jump was like the one who is going very carefully inside a very cold bath, and, since this s "original" Staged performance, why the Dutchman and Senta sink into a seemingly bubbling hot sea? Still, for the lack of better...
Description of Richard Wagner - Der fliegende Holländer
WAGNER:FLYING DUTCHMAN - DVD MovieHere?s a filmed Dutchman soaked in the sea from which the doomed figure of legend emerges into an atmospheric production enhanced by a powerful rendition of the title role and effective conducting by Wolfgang Sawallisch, an experienced Wagnerian. The story of a sinner condemned to sail the seas until Judgment Day, thirsting for a death that can only come through the redemption of a woman?s selfless love, is, in Wagner?s hands, a searing drama. The Overture is here illustrated with painted scenes that encapsulate the narrative. The opera itself offers traditional costuming and sets with a realism a stage production can?t capture. When the Dutchman emerges from his gnarled, threatening ship he tramples through the shallow water of the harbor and we hear the splashes made by his boots. His ship of doom has blood-red sails, but, less happily, his ghostly crew seems left over from a B horror flick. Václav Kaslík?s film direction captures the opera?s atmosphere well, with expressionist touches like the mists that shroud the vessel of doom, and the spider?s web of fishing nets that symbolize the way the characters are trapped in their situations. But too-busy camera work and a penchant for closeups more revealing of singers? tonsils than necessary sometimes distracts. Lip-synching, often a problem in filming operas to pre-recorded music, is reasonably well done here. The musical side of the production is successful, with a towering Dutchman in Donald McIntyre whose anguish is clear from his very first appearance and whose singing is exemplary, the voice firm, the interpretation nuanced. Daland, the greedy ship captain seduced by the Dutchman?s wealth to promise his daughter, Senta, in marriage is well done by Bengt Rundgren. Senta is a bit more problematic, as soprano Catarina Ligendza tends to be blank-faced as an actress, and with her thin, sometimes ugly high notes and scooping, some distance from the Senta of one?s dreams. Her frustrated suitor, Erik, is sung by Hermann Winkler, who brings intensity but also a burly tenor voice to the role. His aria recalling how he met and fell in love with Senta is bawled as if tenderness had no role in a love song. Harald Ek?s colorful tenor is ideal for the Steersman and Ruth Hesse is an effective Mary. The Bavarian Opera chorus and orchestra are fine and Sawallisch?s excellent conducting keeps the tension high and the narrative swift-moving. Some small cuts, common to stage productions of the period, don?t compromise a recommendation firmly based on the conducting and McIntyre?s first-rate Dutchman. --Dan Davis
The Flying Dutchman is an all-regions disc in 4:3 ratio. Sound options include PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 Surround. Sung in German, subtitles include English, French, Spanish, and Chinese.
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