Product: Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier [VHS] (1994)
Rating: 4.0
Comparisons are odious, but...
Still, I am going to make them for those who need to choose between these two productions. Like a previous reviewer, I am going to suggest getting both. If you have to restrict yourself to one, get the earlier Munich production, it is marginally better.Both version opera have the same conductor and are based on the same stage director's work. The earlier production had Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender and Lucia Popp as the Marchellin, Octavian and Sophie. Here we have Felicity Lott, Anne Sophie von Otter and Barbarba Bonney and a chance to see how different singers interpret these roles.In almost every way the Munich performance is better. The stage settings are far superior to those used in this performance. The singers are more evenly matched, but while Ms. Lott and Ms. Bonney are excellent, Ms Jones and Ms. Popp are superb. In fact, although Ms. Bonney is a charming Sophie, Ms. Popp's portrayal is luminous and shows a young woman of great depth.As a previous reviewer have stated, the two Octavians are almost evenly matched. In acts I and III I would give the edge to Ms. Fassbaender, who come across as the more masculine of the two and whose acting has more depth. This is odd, because Ms. von Otter's height and build are more suited to playing a trouser role than the shorter, more rounded Ms. Fassbaender.Ms. von Otter comes into her own in Act II. The presentation of the rose is so beautifully sung and so brilliantly acted that the DVD is worth buying, just for this. The brief duel with Baron Ochs is also more convincing in this performance, though overall, I prefer Manfred Jungwirth's performance in the Munich version.I don't regret buying either version. I love them both.