While there is a small preference to 'Der Rosenkavalier', Elektra', 'Salome' and 'Ariadne auf Naxos' when it comes to Strauss operas, 'Die Frau Ohne Schatten' is one of his best.
Its story may be a touch complicated and a touch sprawling, but it and its mix of realism and poverty and the magical and exotic spiritual world fascinates and the music is some of Strauss' most beautiful, the final scene is especially stunning. Of the four productions (so far seen, not sure if there's more) on DVD, this is my least favourite by quite a large margin. The productions conducted by Solti and Sawallisch are superb, and for this viewer near-perfect, and the Thielmann-conducted performance is both interesting (as well as being outstanding musically) and frustrating (with a mess of a final scene stage-direction-wise).
This Mariinsky performance is on the most part uninvolving and the musical values at best are a very mixed bag, with its moments but also some major problems. Starting with the visuals, the contrast between the earthly and the spiritual is clearly defined and the forest world is undoubtedly beautiful. Even for an earthly-representing set, the laundrette setting is quite dreary and drab and the spiritual world is at times too darkly lit, lacks magic and is not exotic enough. While some of the costumes are fantastically oriental, some are an ill-fit for the singers, in particular the Empress should look ethereal but instead looks a frump. The projections didn't add anything, the worst of them pretty risible and the same goes for the stage effects. The video directing is suitably fluid.
Jonathan Kent has been responsible for some great productions, like 'Turn of the Screw' and 'Tosca', but, not helped by the mostly static acting, this sees him at his most lifeless and uninvolving, and although the two worlds are clearly constructed and he understands the point of the opera well enough it sees him also at his least coherent because the story is so dully told. It completely lacks imagination, and only comes to life in the final scene which is very nicely done and a scene that is mostly difficult to ruin (though the Thielmann-conducted performance has demonstrated that it can be done). Similarly, the choreography is incoherent and innocuous, a dishonourable mention going to the Empress' nightmare scene.
Musically, the performance is a very mixed bag as aforementioned. It has its moments, though nothing is outstanding. The orchestra show evidence of beautiful tone, especially the strings, but one can't get past the feeling that the score is too heavy for it with sometimes too lightweight a sound and a lack of musicianship, warmth and line, which is so uncharacteristic of them (Strauss' music is incredibly difficult, especially in this opera, but it really does show for me in the orchestral playing). The offstage voices too sound distant, and it can be to do with the less-than-resonant sound quality. Valery Gergiev's conducting is uneven. Parts are mushy and a dirge-like drag and, particularly in Act 3, parts are rushed and like Gergiev couldn't wait to get to the end of the performance. Despite being one of the most enigmatic and living-the-emotion (if not exactly subtle) conductors in recent memory, Gergiev also looks surprisingly nervous. People won't be happy with the cuts, Act 3 fares the worst and the snip of Act 2 really jars, luckily Act 1 is unscathed.
Similarly, the performances are rarely disastrous, neither are they outstanding. The only disaster is Avgust Amanov's Emperor, his singing is strangulated and unmusical (never less than loud) and his acting is stiff as a wooden board, stand-and-deliver and it was abundantly clear that he didn't have a clue what he was singing about or have any chemistry with the other singers. Vocally, the standout is Edem Umerov, his singing occasionally has some gruff moments but mostly it's a warm and mellifluous sound, and his interpretation is suitably sympathetic. He also has the best German pronunciation of the cast (and he engages with it the most), which is saying a lot because most of the diction with everybody else is so atrocious it's impossible to understand, the Empress' spoken monologue sees Mlada Khudoley clearly struggling. Which is a shame, because Khodoley is quite good as the Empress, ethereal and heartfelt (though she sometimes doesn't do a lot with the static stage direction) with a warm, lyrical tone, if also rather over-taxed at the start of Act 3, she is far too human to begin with and there is a general lack of genuine engagement with the text.
Dramatically, the Nurse of Olga Savova and the Dyer's Wife of Olga Sergeeva come off best. Savova is deliciously serpentine and forthright, avoiding the temptation to dissolve into camp and ham. Her singing is rich and powerful with some thrilling moments in the most taxing role of the opera (and one of the hardest of any of Strauss' operas, considered un-singable in Strauss' time), however it is unsteady in places and her diction is unintelligible and overly guttural. Despite an unpleasant wobble in some of the last act and she does try-too-hard on occasions and too reliant on Gergiev on others, Sergeeva throws herself into the role with plenty of fire and intensity.
Overall, not a complete disaster but considering that this is one of Strauss' best operas this was underwhelming. 4/10 Bethany Cox
Its story may be a touch complicated and a touch sprawling, but it and its mix of realism and poverty and the magical and exotic spiritual world fascinates and the music is some of Strauss' most beautiful, the final scene is especially stunning. Of the four productions (so far seen, not sure if there's more) on DVD, this is my least favourite by quite a large margin. The productions conducted by Solti and Sawallisch are superb, and for this viewer near-perfect, and the Thielmann-conducted performance is both interesting (as well as being outstanding musically) and frustrating (with a mess of a final scene stage-direction-wise).
This Mariinsky performance is on the most part uninvolving and the musical values at best are a very mixed bag, with its moments but also some major problems. Starting with the visuals, the contrast between the earthly and the spiritual is clearly defined and the forest world is undoubtedly beautiful. Even for an earthly-representing set, the laundrette setting is quite dreary and drab and the spiritual world is at times too darkly lit, lacks magic and is not exotic enough. While some of the costumes are fantastically oriental, some are an ill-fit for the singers, in particular the Empress should look ethereal but instead looks a frump. The projections didn't add anything, the worst of them pretty risible and the same goes for the stage effects. The video directing is suitably fluid.
Jonathan Kent has been responsible for some great productions, like 'Turn of the Screw' and 'Tosca', but, not helped by the mostly static acting, this sees him at his most lifeless and uninvolving, and although the two worlds are clearly constructed and he understands the point of the opera well enough it sees him also at his least coherent because the story is so dully told. It completely lacks imagination, and only comes to life in the final scene which is very nicely done and a scene that is mostly difficult to ruin (though the Thielmann-conducted performance has demonstrated that it can be done). Similarly, the choreography is incoherent and innocuous, a dishonourable mention going to the Empress' nightmare scene.
Musically, the performance is a very mixed bag as aforementioned. It has its moments, though nothing is outstanding. The orchestra show evidence of beautiful tone, especially the strings, but one can't get past the feeling that the score is too heavy for it with sometimes too lightweight a sound and a lack of musicianship, warmth and line, which is so uncharacteristic of them (Strauss' music is incredibly difficult, especially in this opera, but it really does show for me in the orchestral playing). The offstage voices too sound distant, and it can be to do with the less-than-resonant sound quality. Valery Gergiev's conducting is uneven. Parts are mushy and a dirge-like drag and, particularly in Act 3, parts are rushed and like Gergiev couldn't wait to get to the end of the performance. Despite being one of the most enigmatic and living-the-emotion (if not exactly subtle) conductors in recent memory, Gergiev also looks surprisingly nervous. People won't be happy with the cuts, Act 3 fares the worst and the snip of Act 2 really jars, luckily Act 1 is unscathed.
Similarly, the performances are rarely disastrous, neither are they outstanding. The only disaster is Avgust Amanov's Emperor, his singing is strangulated and unmusical (never less than loud) and his acting is stiff as a wooden board, stand-and-deliver and it was abundantly clear that he didn't have a clue what he was singing about or have any chemistry with the other singers. Vocally, the standout is Edem Umerov, his singing occasionally has some gruff moments but mostly it's a warm and mellifluous sound, and his interpretation is suitably sympathetic. He also has the best German pronunciation of the cast (and he engages with it the most), which is saying a lot because most of the diction with everybody else is so atrocious it's impossible to understand, the Empress' spoken monologue sees Mlada Khudoley clearly struggling. Which is a shame, because Khodoley is quite good as the Empress, ethereal and heartfelt (though she sometimes doesn't do a lot with the static stage direction) with a warm, lyrical tone, if also rather over-taxed at the start of Act 3, she is far too human to begin with and there is a general lack of genuine engagement with the text.
Dramatically, the Nurse of Olga Savova and the Dyer's Wife of Olga Sergeeva come off best. Savova is deliciously serpentine and forthright, avoiding the temptation to dissolve into camp and ham. Her singing is rich and powerful with some thrilling moments in the most taxing role of the opera (and one of the hardest of any of Strauss' operas, considered un-singable in Strauss' time), however it is unsteady in places and her diction is unintelligible and overly guttural. Despite an unpleasant wobble in some of the last act and she does try-too-hard on occasions and too reliant on Gergiev on others, Sergeeva throws herself into the role with plenty of fire and intensity.
Overall, not a complete disaster but considering that this is one of Strauss' best operas this was underwhelming. 4/10 Bethany Cox