Strauss: Die Fledermaus

I wish I could have rented instead of bought this, as I will never watch it again. The singing is fine, audio and video are as expected on a blu-ray. But.Where do I start...The sets want to look like 1930 Art Deco Hollywood film. I love pre-code film and Art Deco. It does NOT work for Fledermaus. Much of the operetta's charm is that it was written and set in 1874. Granted, I'm one of those who detest 'updatings'. For me, productions of Shakespeare set in the 20th century are just wrong. But, "chacun a son gout".The costumes range from Dreadful to borderline offensive.No opportunity is missed to go semi-obscene.The 'gaiety' is so forced I got a headache.Possibly the worst mistake is the casting of Eisenstein, Falke and Frank a good Twice the age the characters should be. This gives the impression of three dirty old men interacting with the rest of the cast. Just awful.A shame because the women are excellent. Rosalinde is terrific, Adele and Orlofsky are almost as good - in spite of their Awful costumes. I wish they were in another production.So sad that this is the only Fledermaus available in 21st century video and audio.The Vienna State Opera site sells a DVD from 1980. I would pay almost anything for a 2019 blu-ray of their current production. Make it happen. Please.

This is the first blue-ray version of an operetta that lends itself to detailed stagecraft. It doesn't disappoint on that score. All of the performances are first rate, notably those of Adele and the Prince. Set decoration uses bright flashes of costume colour against a muted background suggestive of Vienna between the Wars. The second act lacks the sparkle we often expect at a live performance, with none of the 'guest appearances' that we often expect, and none of the ensemble dance numbers. The dialogue has been modernized in a way I found appealing [contrary to another review], a long-standing tradition and not at all inappropriate for an audience that (let's face it) that's out late at night on New Year's Eve and likely drinking during the interval. Frosch unfortunately doesn't get to make a topical standup routine.

Although I prefer the Kleiber version (with Pamela Coburn), and the version conducted by Domingo with te Kanawa, this Blu-ray version of Die Fledermaus is quite the spectacle [widescreen, excellent picture and sound, colorful costumes, creative set(s), wonderful cinematography, and fine singing]. The last act (at the jail) is also probably better in this version than the other two. In the first act, and the most important second act, however, the Kleiber and Domingo version(s) seem to get much closer to the operetta's spirit, frivolity, and joie de vivre; it's too bad that those gems will forever remain trapped in their pre-Blu-ray, full screen, medium. But for those of you with widescreen HDTVs, who have grown tired of the fullscreen (1.33:1) black (or worse, grey) sidebars, this Bluray Fledermaus takes full advantage of your HDTV's entire widescreen aspect, and it's not likely that you will be disappointed with it.

I bought this when it first came out because I wanted the blu ray picture and sound. But looking at this again, it is depressing to watch. Deadly serious, dull production. No life. This is supposed to be a comic opera! Compared to the Otto Schenk production this is a real snoozer!

I just watched this version again last night, and it is just too modern for me. As the only blue ray I have found so far the picture and sound is great. The singers cannot be faulted, and it is among my favorite operas. But this production tries to be more modern or different or something. I don't mind it trying to be more sexy. But, Prince Orlofsky and her butler are not convincing or funny, and the final jail scene is not very good. And I miss my slivowitz.

Very interesting and well performed production.

The Dialogue was a bit different But the singing was good. It was 6 days late arriving but Amazon gave me an $NZ11.49 Dollar refund

This 'over the top' performance is even better in the blu-ray version.

I know I'm in the minority but to me, this gives none of the enjoyment that I get from a traditional performance, such as those televised from Covent Garden each New Years Eve. I bought this because unfortunately the classic performances are in SD with a 4:3 aspect ratio and HD can add so much to operetta and ballet. However, even the excellent HD and surround sound can't do much about this joyless performance. It all looks so clinical, there are no intervals which detracts further from the illusion that you're watching from the best seats in the theatre. This could just as easily have been shot in a TV studio, A best of both worlds approach, such as that given to Opera Australia's coupling of Trial By Jury/HMS Pinafore, must surely be the model for the future.

The staging of this production at Glyndebourne is innovative and overall very effective with only the jail scene being a little contrived. The London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski do real justice to Strauss's gorgeous music. All the leads, with the slight exception of Pamela Armstrong (I cannot stand her vibrato and quivering lower lip on high notes!), are first class and cannot only sing but act too! The acting is important as this production has a witty script added to the music which adds to the enjoyment of the operetta. Technically the BBC recording is excellent with both the sound and visuals being crisp and detailed on my blu-ray version. Sung and spoken in German with English subtitles that are clear and unobtrusive. Altogether a top class 'Fledermaus' that I am sure I will enjoy watching (and listening to) many times.

The BluRay sound and picture quality of this disc are really good and the performance is quite simply one of the most entertaining productions of Die Fledermaus I have encountered in any format whether live or in recorded form. The camerawork is of a very high standard, following the action and dialogue in a most intelligent fashion and using the opening overture as a visual means of introducing the characters and cast of the opera is inspirational. Normally there would only be the conductor and maybe a few shots of the audience or the stage curtain shown. The performances by both the cast and orchestra are of the highest calibre and tremendously entertaining. The subtitling (in many languages) and the enclosed booklet are invaluable. This is quite simply a terrific disc.

The music is good.The singing is good.The acting is fair.The staging is spectacular.It's a disc I am pleased to own, and glad that I purchased - BUT ...It does seem to be the sort of production where the emphasis on "let's make it different" and "let's make it memorable" took centre stage a touch more than "let's make sure it's GOOD". I'm not saying I have major gripes, but it seems to be a "statement production" - look how imaginative and inventive WE are!

The sound and picture quality of this beautiful performance of Die Fledermaus is absolutely stunning. This is one of the few clasical Blu-ray DVD's that really exploits High Definition. Obviously you notice that German is not the native language of the singers so the singing and dialogue could be more distinct. There are subtitles in several languages but unfortunately not in German, which would be useful if you wish to follow the original dialogue. In any case I absolutely recommend this DVD to everybody who loves the music of Johann Strauss and would like to experience the technical excellence of Blu-Ray at its best.