Salzburger Festspiele 2016 Richard Strauss - Die

I often complain bitterly when modern directors of operas from a previous generation try to make a name for themselves by destroying a work of art they claim to be honoring. In Salzburg, known for its sumptuous productions, we have a happy marriage of many perfect parts in the 2016 production of Strauss’ “Die Liebe der Danae.” Since the parts are equal, it is frustrating to have to place one above another. But, I’ll have to start with the costume designer, Juozas Statkevicius, whose joyous, colorful creations shine as a hundred unique masterpieces across the huge Salzburg stage. Truly amazing! (One has to notice the sheer tops displaying enhanced breasts with nipples for Semele, Europa, Alkmene, and Leda.) Next, the choreographer, Alla Sigalova, is simply amazing in creating complicated yet perfectly appropriate accompaniment in dance throughout the opera. One might think the dancing would inappropriately overshadow the lead characters, but it doesn’t. The brilliant creativity of stage director and set designer, Alvis Hermanis, cannot be overly praised. Everything one see is beautifully arranged and technologically masterful. I cannot imagine a more perfect stage blocking of the singers and dancers. Our thanks must also go to the video designer, Ineta Sipunova, who manages to seamlessly show the DVD audience the clear moment-to-moment focus for maximum stimulation. The only negative comment I need to make is that it is almost impossible for any videographer in the 21st century to resist extreme close-ups, which honestly display the age and the perspiration of the actors. One expects perfection from the Vienna Philharmonic. And, here one gets it under conductor Franz Welser-Most. Krassimira Stoyanova is wonderful, but might appear younger to the Austrian live audience than to those who witness the extreme-close-ups of the video. Tomasz Konieczny plays Jupiter - our frustrated, horny god. And, Midas is played by Gerhard Siegel. Though I would have preferred a less chunky hero, one can easily overlook Siegel’s size by witnessing his acting ability and listening to his voice. A 31-page booklet accompanies the DVD. It contains an opera synopsis in German and English and a long, interesting piece by Ronny Dietrich about the opera and Hermanis’ vision for it. There is no libretto in the booklet itself. But, there are subtitles in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean (interestingly enough), and German. I could only have wished for a “special features” segment since the creation of this perfect production deserves, no, cries out for, further documentation. I cannot recommend this recording too strongly. Read more

Spectacular performance with over the top staging from the Salzburg Festival of a rare late Strauss Opera. Vienna Philharmonic spectacular as always in this repertoire. NOTE!! Do not be put off by the region coding. I received today in the U.S and the disc is a "0" all regions and plays with the most breathtaking bluray picture Read more

Fine performance Read more

"All that glisters is not gold", Shakespeare tells us in 'The Merchant of Venice', and the distinction is a relevant one in the case of Strauss's treatment of the King Midas myth in his late opera Die Liebe der Danae. Even though the opera was developed from an idea by Hugo von Hofmannsthal and is scored to some of Richard Strauss's most gorgeous and extravagant musical arrangements, the resulting work lacks the depth of their earlier collaborations, lacks an edge and does feel a little out of touch with the realities of the changing times in which it was composed. And yet, like the similarly compromised Arabella, it is not without merit, particularly if an imaginative director is able to bring something to it. There is plenty of glitz and glister in Alvis Hermanis's production of the work for Salzburg, but not much that really taps into a seam of gold. It's all decorative, aiming for a generic fairytale look and feel with little care about whether it makes sense, and certainly not caring to look any deeper into the work for social commentary or contemporary relevance. Whether there is much to be gleaned on those levels from Josef Gregor's libretto is doubtful, but at least the Deutsche Oper production from 2011 attempted to relate the curse of Midas's gift to that of the "golden touch" of the composer, and also see the aging Strauss in terms of Jupiter's failing powers and influence in the new world. This however just feels like empty spectacle. That in itself could be seen as a valid reaction to the piece as Der Liebe der Danae is certainly all glittery show, its lush post-Wagnerian Romantic melodic sweep as easy on the ear as the set designs are on the eye in this Salzburg production. It's bold and colourful with golden-red glows and exotic dancers that contribute to this effect, but it's all a very random and free-associative play on Arabian Nights fairy stories. If there are any contemporary allusions - something Hermanis would be well advised to avoid considering the controversy he created over comments about refugees while in residence in Hamburg - they are broad caricatures of middle-eastern men in over-sized turbans and women with exaggerated breasts grasping for riches, and there is considerable emphasis placed on Midas's past as a donkey driver in Syria. None of it appears to have any consistency or purpose, and the production is more often merely static and decorative. As with much Strauss, particularly those that are more Wagnerian in scope (and there are many correspondences here with the mythology in the Ring operas), the voices and the ability to meet the singing challenges count for a lot here. The individual members of the principal cast in the Salzburg production are all exceptionally good, but there is some terrific ensemble work from the other character roles of the four kings and Jupiter's old flames Semele, Europa, Alkmene and Leda. Krassimira Stoyanova yet again demonstrates for me that she is one of most impressive singers of Strauss around today. Her interpretation and acting aren't particularly exciting - not that she is given much character to work with here - but her range, technique and the timbre of her voice are all just wonderful. The all-important closing scenes between her Danae and Tomasz Konieczny's Jupiter are vividly expressed. With a good cast elsewhere and Franz Welser-Möst conducting an unrestrained (a little too unrestrained?) account of Strauss's extravagant arrangements and melodies, it's disappointing that Alvis Hermanis's production is unable to rise to the heights that Strauss was aspiring to, but of course never quite reaching himself. Read more