Die tote Stadt
Tags: murder

Plot synopsis:
Place: Bruges, Belgium
Time: End of 19th century
=== Act 1 ===
When the opera opens, Paul, a younger middle-class man whose young wife, Marie, has recently died, cannot come to terms with the sad reality of her death. He keeps a "Temple of Memories" in her honor, including paintings, photographs and a lock of her hair. When his friend Frank pays him a visit at his house and urges him to honor Marie by moving on with his life, Paul flies into a rant, and insists that Marie "still lives." He tells Frank that he has met a woman on the streets of Bruges who exactly resembles Marie (indeed, Paul thinks that it is Marie) and invited her back to his home.
Soon, the woman, Marietta, a young and beautiful dancer, appears for her rendezvous with Paul. They talk, she is put off by his odd behavior, but persists in trying to interest him in her charms—she sings (Lute Song, "Glück das mir verblieb") and dances seductively, but eventually gets bored and leaves. Paul meanwhile is driven to a state of extreme anxiety.
Torn between his loyalty to Marie and his interest in Marietta he collapses into a chair and begins to hallucinate. He sees Marie's ghost step out of her portrait and urge him not to forget her, but then the vision of Marie changes and tells Paul to go and move on with his life.
=== Act 2 ===
After a series of visions in which his pursuit of Marietta alienates him from all his remaining friends, the act ends with Marietta finally overcoming his resistance and leading him offstage locked in a passionate embrace. All this takes place in Paul's imagination.
=== Act 3 ===
Paul's vision continues. Back in his house, living with Marietta, he quarrels with her. She gets fed up with his quirks and continuing obsession with Marie and starts to taunt him by dancing seductively while stroking his dead wife's hair. In a rage, Paul grabs the lock of hair and strangles Marietta. Holding her dead body he exclaims "Now she is exactly like Marie." Then he snaps out of his dream. Astonished that Marietta's body is nowhere to be found, he has barely had time to collect his thoughts when his maid informs him that Marietta has come back to pick up her umbrella which she left in the house when she departed a few minutes ago. With the shock of the traumatic dream still fresh in his mind, Paul is met by his friends Brigitta and Frank who note that though Paul's vision is there, his desire is dead. Frank begins to leave and asks if Paul will leave, to which he replies, "I will try to". The opera ends with a reprise of "Glück, das mir verblieb" sung by Paul in what is apparently his last time in his "Temple of Memories".

Review: Unforgettable. I happen to just love Die Tote Stadt, the story is simple yet powerful and the music alone makes Die Tote Stadt one of Korngold's finest(and this is coming from someone who loves his Adventures of Robin Hood score to death). And this is an unforgettable production, on its own terms it is a simply brilliant performance, but seeing as Die Tote Stadt I don't think has got enough of the recognition it deserves it is important also. The production values are very striking, with a Expressionist-like first act and an authentic slightly-flooding approach to the second act. I loved the contrasts in the costumes as well, the ones in Paul's fantasy are much more opulent, emphasising perhaps the difference between reality(where it's all very drab) and idealism(much more colourful). The video directing is incredibly cinematic, making it even more interesting to watch, and the picture and sound quality are very good. I too wish there were English subtitles(especially for those new to the opera like my parents), but everything is so good here that I was still satisfied. The stage direction is always compelling, with Gotz Friederich's gift of giving depth to characters and his work with the singers coming through. The orchestral playing is sweeping and powerful in quality, and the conducting never too rushed or plodding. The singers are occasionally drowned out, but this is just occasionally and in fairness I have come across this many times in opera and almost all of them worse than this case. Regardless of that the singing is just amazing. James King is the best I've seen him, and I do love his Florestan in the 1970 Fidelio. His voice is still huge and in good shape, and his acting is very subtle and moving. Karan Armstrong's dual role as Marie and Marietta is a difficult one, not just because of the vocal and technical demands but also the two roles are completely different to one another. She is suitably outworldly as Marie, and her sensual figure is perfect for the more playful role of Marietta. Margit Neubauer is a loyal Brigitta, and William Murray with his sonorous voice splendidly makes the most of the other dual role of Die Tote Stadt, that of Frank and Pierrot. The ending has been altered for a more pessimistic one. This may cause some controversy and may make one wonder what point it was trying to make, but for me the pessimistic ending worked, as it did fit with Paul's torment and with his extreme obsession for his dead wife. In a nutshell, simply amazing, more than a must watch, a requirement is more like it. 10/10 Bethany Cox