This DVD item from Image Entertainment was reviewed on 27-Mar-2009.
Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Reference DVD. Classifications : German By Original Language Art House & International Genres DVD Video Beethoven, Ludwig van By Composer Classical Musicals & Performing Arts Genres DVD Video Classical (c.1770-1830) By Historical Per . Click the following link to view the cover of Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Related topics: 1991. German. Genres. DVD. Video. By Composer. Classical. Genres. DVD. Video. Classical. requestid: e0a00ca4-f0fa-4c70-a1df-e7a134866c23
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1) DVD DVD Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden by Image Entertainment. Other reviewers have covered various aspects of this fine production. A wonderful treat by Beethoven, he might have gone far had he stuck with opera, is given appropriate impact by a group of singers who show every sign of putting their hearts into it. To my surprise, Beethoven led us into the grim prime meat by a light salad of comedy which acquaints us with the cast members we are meant to see.
That there may be structural weaknesses in the drama, bothered me not at all. I doubt if they will bother anyone fixed on the theme, the music, and the song.
Yes, I, too, took it in one sitting with a few brief intermissions. Not many productions, musical or rhetorical, keep me in my seat (awake) that long.
Highly recommended for lay opera lovers or anyone who likes good musical drama of any sort.¤ 2) DVD DVD Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden by Image Entertainment. This performance
became the source for which I learned the opera inside and
out. FIDELIO is a great opera. Full of Beethoven´s heart
and soul, about tenacity, loyalty, love, courage and
steadfast devotion. I do not see the "faults" that have
been leveled against it. By the time of that final chorus,
I´m swept away in its soaring emotionalism.
I saw the Mattila MET telecast. A fine performance by the
soprano, involved and committed, but I do not feel it is
right for her voice. She certainly has the highs, but not
the lows, and the color of the timbre does not seem to be
right for the richness of Leonore´s vocal persona.
What makes the 1991 Covent Garden performance so special
for me: Gabriela Benackova´s Leonore. It was held in many
of the reviews of the initial LaserDisc & VHS release by
many critics that she lacked the intensity of Soderstrom
and some of the past exponents of the role, but I disagreed
heartily after the very multiple viewings I took in.
No, Benackova struck me as being deeply sincere, touching,
and dignified. No overdone histrionics here: as a result,
her traversal of the music is about the best sung, most
accurately handled to my ears. I heard most of the major
recordings - Ludwig (committed, but stretched at the top),
Nilsson (not enough warmth) Rysanek (uneven throughout the
range) Jones (squally) Janowitz (glacial) ~~~ the recent
ones I haven´t heard.
Benackova´s rich, warm tone is ideally suited to the score,
and she uses her voice with unfailing, consummate skill.
The big aria is a success, the awkward tessitura presenting
no problems; the security is of a rarely-matched standard,
the steadiness of the tone faultless. The top Bs ring out
commandingly. Moreover, you really believe in the passion
of Leonore´s unwavering faith.
Where Benackova really shows her mettle, though, is in the
scene where she reveals her true identity to Pizarro, after
he brandishes his knife to Florestan. Her full-throttle cry
of "Zurück" is simply hair-raising: and when she launches
into the "Ich bin sein Weib, Geschworen hab ich ihm Trost,
Verderben dir," Benackova stuns with the overwhelming
power, thrust and intensity of her singing. The voice
sounds huge, full-bodied and in absolute focus - it alone
could seemingly blow Pizarro away; the resolute fury is
thrilling (I hate that overused word but its so apt here).
"O namenlose Freude" is one of those killer passages, after
a long night of singing, that seems to defeat many
sopranos; not Benackova - it is right on the money, poised
and deftly handled.
But what makes this such a winning portrayal is how honest
and straightforward Benackova´s performance is. You see
registering in her face the spontaneous, inner responses to
the text and situation. The restraint is commendable, yet
it remains a warm, rather sweet assumption. Her success in
imparting these aspect is all the more impressive for the
amount of scrutinizing close-ups; no wild, bulging-eyed
reactions, and the security of her technique prevents the
typical facial contortions one often sees.
Josef Protschka´s Florestan is another heartfelt portrayal.
Though a bit sqwawky at times, you really feel for his
character´s pain. He and Benackova are totally believable
in their conjugal devotion, and their reunion and aftermath
is supremely moving.
Marie McLaughlin is a sweet Marzelline: she sets the tone
for a marvelously sung "Mir ist so wunderbar."
The late Monte Pederson is a properly nasty Pizarro: the
voice is a bit undersized for the role, but he is a good
actor.
Margit Bardy´s sets are minimalist, grim and fittingly
depressing: the catacomb hellhole prison for Florestan is
terrifically claustrophobic and dank. Not sure about those
weird costumes, but they weren´t distractingly offensive.
The prisoner´s chorus is as usual moving and effective:
they are made to be dirty, tired and beat looking.
Christoph von Dohnanyi leads the Covent Garden forces with
skill and verve, really bringing the drama of the score.
I saw in the recent Opera Now that this release has been
"re-packaged" - I hope that means they´ll do a better
engineering job than the one Image Entertainment did. The
LaserDisc incarnation I once had was outstanding - full,
rich, dynamic sound; on the Image DVD, the acoustic sounds
to me compressed and recessed. It took some fiddling with
the equalizer to enhance it.¤ 3) DVD DVD Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden by Image Entertainment. Although we may be still in need of THE dvd Fidelio, this solid, reliable and competent ROH performance fills the void very well. Dohnanyi conducts the work in his usual objective, no-nonsense approach, yet projecting beautifully the melodic lines´ essential nobility of spirit; he no doubt has the schooling and the feeling for that and finds in the ROH Orchestra a suitable and compliant vehicle for his wishes; they play outstandingly, mind you. He seems more preoccupied with reinforcing the work´s architecture than in probing into the depths of beetovenian philosophy, however, and is well served by both the Covent Garden forces and Dresser´s staging conception. Consequently, character projection advances beyond the sketchy and archetypical we usually and consensually blame on librettists Sonnleithner & Treitschke, and become more complex, a complexity to which contribute the intelligent singing of especially Benackova, Lloyd and Protschka (but why, according to Dresser, Pizarro surrenders the keys to the penal colony and simply walks away instead of being made prisoner himself is beyond me). As is rather customary today, there´s no Leonore III inserted before the final scene.
Visual direction is superior, but there´s no supplementary material; information on the covers is deficient.¤ 4) DVD DVD Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden by Image Entertainment. This is a solid performance that provides a decent idea of what this opera is like. The singing is uniformly good and Beethoven´s stirring score provides it share of goosebumps. Some of the singers are pretty effective actors, particularly Rocco. But I find Pizarro a little wooden and un-scary (with an expression suggesting the eating of too many pickles); and Leonore/Fidelio not at ease with her character. Another poster commented on Florestan´s plump physique, and I agree; the dungeon seems actually to have agreed with him. As for Leonore, I realize that no woman singing a role in drag could fool anyone in the real world. This Leonore, though, barely tries, given her ample bosom (which is apparent behind her coat) and netted long hair in back. This is asking for a bit too much suspension of disbelief. I would prefer a less buxom singer who looks more appropriate in drag. As for the sets and costumes, they´re conservative and rather literal, and don´t add much to the proceedings. And while the story may take place in sunny Spain, I would have liked a darker, more forbidding feel.¤ 5) DVD DVD Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden by Image Entertainment. Good, not great. For one thing, the dialogue is kinky. How could any producer of "Fidelio" omit that wonderful exchange: when Florestan tells his wife how much she´s done for him, and she replies, "Nichts, nichts, mein Florestan." A real weeper, for sure. And this guy cuts it. AAAH! Singing is good. Staging is rather less impressive than the old Glyndebourne production on video. When will someone release Bernstein´s production?¤ 6) DVD DVD Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden by Image Entertainment. Composed during the Napoleonic era, Ludwig Van Beethoven´s only opera is an inspired testament to humanity´s constant quest for freedom. This critically praised Covent Garden production by Adolf Dresen is powerfully cast and moves at a compelling pace to convey the emotionally charged theme of love and liberty over the forces of evil and oppression. Directed by Christoph von Dohnanyi. 124 minutes. Jaquino: Neill Archer
Marzelline: Marie McLaughlin
Rocco: Robert Lloyd
Leonore: Gabriela Benackova
Don Pizzaro: Monte Pederson
Florestan: Josef Protschka¤ 7) DVD DVD Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden by Image Entertainment. Beethoven´s lone opera had a troubled gestation, as its no fewer than four overtures suggest. The finished product, while obviously a work of genius, exposes its patchwork qualities even in the best of productions. Luckily, the 1991 staging by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, is so lucid and intelligent that the opera--a forceful plea for freedom, even in the most severely dictatorial regimes--comes across as both a forceful drama and a thought-provoking message. Stage director Adolf Dresen, together with set designer Margit Bardy and lighting designer Erich Falk, presents the characters (which on paper have a tendency to remain types) as fully human, their interactions made understandable and plausible not only by Beethoven´s humanizing music but also the realistic period settings. Video director Derek Bailey has succeeded admirably at getting this across for the home viewer as well. Musically, this Fidelio is a whirlwind, with conductor Christoph von Dohnányi leading the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Opera Chorus in an energetic but never-too-fast performance (by the way, they perform the fourth overture); and the singers are topnotch vocally and dramatically. Soprano Gabriela Benacková makes an arresting, emotionally complex Leonore, and Josef Protschka as her imprisoned husband, Florestan, brings down the house with his impassioned aria at the beginning of Act II. --Kevin Filipski¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 24-Apr-2009, 014381923728, 96B-W2B-9WB-GCB-BAB-2QB-8 
Beethoven - Fidelio / Dohnanyi, Benackova, Protschka, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, DVD, Image © Image Entertainment
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