Irrfahrten I: La finta semplice
- Episode aired 2007
- 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
8
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- SoundtracksLa finta semplice
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Featured review
Interesting but not entirely successful
I love opera, and my Mozart marathon gave me an opportunity to not only revisit the old favourites but also to make some discoveries. La Finta Semplice was one of those discoveries, Il Re Pastore was another, and La Finta Giardiniera I am looking forward to later today. Of the early operas, I find Il Re Pastore the more believable in story and the more beautiful in music, but La Finta Semplice has some pleasant comedy and shows some wonderful, lyrical music written when Mozart was very young(12 I believe?)
This 2007 production I couldn't help be disappointed by. It is not bad by all means, in fact it is interesting, but I was wondering whether it would have been more effective if done more traditionally. Now I am not one of those to immediately hate on a production with modern touches, some actually have worked, it is only when it is done in bad taste when I mind. This La Finta Semplice doesn't fall into the latter trap like 2005's Don Carlos, 2009's Tosca, 2007's Hansel and Gretel, 2003's Rigoletto and 1985's Faust did, but some things came across as somewhat questionable.
What I didn't like very much here were the costumes and some of the directorial touches. Starting with the costumes, the men aren't so bad, even if their costumes are somewhat reminiscent of karate suits, but the women in white tennis suits were terrible. The colour itself was fine, it was almost as if it was trying to signify purity and chastity, but the costumes just look very unflattering and this touch falls into danger of being on the misogynistic side of things.
The sets are not as bad, I did like the minimalist touch in a way, but they aren't exceptional either. Of the directorial touches, the only ones I didn't mind were the female narrator(minus the yellow tracksuit which didn't add anything) because the performance itself was so good and the love duet because it was so funny and beautifully performed. However, I found the red gooey paint touch very simplistic and unsubtle, the contorted arms and the aimless running and down the wings a little too silly and the nude dancer shadowing Hartelius incredibly distracting and almost inappropriate.
However, the DVD is technically great, with sharp picture quality, clear sound and interesting camera work. Mozart's music is beautiful, and rhythmically performed by the orchestra and enthusiastically conducted. I loved the cast, every single one of them are superb vocally, have a good sense of the bawdy comedy presented in the opera and have so much energy on stage, the best being Malin Hartelius and Josef Wagner, especially in their duet and in Hartelius's aria to the cupids. Hartelius has a beautiful voice and is a very committed actress, while Wagner's vocal production is rich and rhythmic.
Marianne Hamre is fantastic, she recites the German dialogue-replacing the cut recitatives which people find either characterful or dull, I tend to lean towards the former actually- perfectly with such life and she is striking on stage. Matthias Klink is dashing, with an agility and beautiful tone to his voice and good energy. Overall, not one of the best productions of any of Mozart's operas I've seen, but interesting enough. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox
This 2007 production I couldn't help be disappointed by. It is not bad by all means, in fact it is interesting, but I was wondering whether it would have been more effective if done more traditionally. Now I am not one of those to immediately hate on a production with modern touches, some actually have worked, it is only when it is done in bad taste when I mind. This La Finta Semplice doesn't fall into the latter trap like 2005's Don Carlos, 2009's Tosca, 2007's Hansel and Gretel, 2003's Rigoletto and 1985's Faust did, but some things came across as somewhat questionable.
What I didn't like very much here were the costumes and some of the directorial touches. Starting with the costumes, the men aren't so bad, even if their costumes are somewhat reminiscent of karate suits, but the women in white tennis suits were terrible. The colour itself was fine, it was almost as if it was trying to signify purity and chastity, but the costumes just look very unflattering and this touch falls into danger of being on the misogynistic side of things.
The sets are not as bad, I did like the minimalist touch in a way, but they aren't exceptional either. Of the directorial touches, the only ones I didn't mind were the female narrator(minus the yellow tracksuit which didn't add anything) because the performance itself was so good and the love duet because it was so funny and beautifully performed. However, I found the red gooey paint touch very simplistic and unsubtle, the contorted arms and the aimless running and down the wings a little too silly and the nude dancer shadowing Hartelius incredibly distracting and almost inappropriate.
However, the DVD is technically great, with sharp picture quality, clear sound and interesting camera work. Mozart's music is beautiful, and rhythmically performed by the orchestra and enthusiastically conducted. I loved the cast, every single one of them are superb vocally, have a good sense of the bawdy comedy presented in the opera and have so much energy on stage, the best being Malin Hartelius and Josef Wagner, especially in their duet and in Hartelius's aria to the cupids. Hartelius has a beautiful voice and is a very committed actress, while Wagner's vocal production is rich and rhythmic.
Marianne Hamre is fantastic, she recites the German dialogue-replacing the cut recitatives which people find either characterful or dull, I tend to lean towards the former actually- perfectly with such life and she is striking on stage. Matthias Klink is dashing, with an agility and beautiful tone to his voice and good energy. Overall, not one of the best productions of any of Mozart's operas I've seen, but interesting enough. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox
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- TheLittleSongbird
- Jan 15, 2012
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- Irrfahrten I - La finta semplice
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- Runtime2 hours 10 minutes
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