Product: Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier [VHS] (1994)
Rating: 5.0
Splendid, traditional, exceptionally well sung
I own four versions of Rosenkavalier, including the Paul Czinner film (1961) that I saw with thousands of other Chicago kids at Arie Crown Theatre (I still have the playbill). This is, without a doubt, the best sung of all of them. As a DVD, unlike the Italian version I also own, the subtitles are available in German, which makes this a spectacular tool for opera students. Barbara Bonney (Sophie) also appeared in another version in my collection, the 1985 Covent Garden production with Kiri Te Kanawa, available only on VHS. Even nine years later in this version, her Sophie is a hoot. I realize that von Otter is almost too beautiful to be Octavian, but suspend your disbelief. Vocally, she's the best Octavian I have on any kind of recording. Lott treats the Marchalin role with more tragedy than Te Kanawa or even Schwartzkopf, but she's splendid. Kurt Moll (Ochs) appeared on the PBS "Great Performances" version from the Metropolitan in the mid-1980s and seemed to me then the most menacing Ochs I'd ever seen, but in this DVD, he's quite mellow and has that trademark voice for which he's known. Even if this is not my favorite version (I prefer the directing and acting in the 1984 Covent Garden production), its subtitles, sound, and cast ability in general are the BEST.