New DVD Of Humperdinck's Konigskinder !

[THEHORN]

I just received an e mail from a website for new recordings and DVDs , and here's something worth investigating :
a new DVD of the Zurich opera production of Hunperdinck's rarely performed Konigskinder(Royal children and I don't know how to put umlauts in) . The cast features Jonas Kaufmann as the unknown son of a king and Isabel Rey and the goose girl , the orphaned and abandoned princess who has been brought uo bvy a witch , conducted by Ingo Metzmacher .
I got to know this unjustly neglected opera many years ago from the first recording on Arabesque , with the late Heinz Wallberg conducting the Munich radio orchestra(not the same orch. as the Bavarian RSO).
In addition, I was recently able to borrow a live CD recording on library interloan conducted by the late Armin Jordan,
from of all places, Montpellier, France . The DVD is on the Decca label . I don't know if this will be one of those off the wall Eurotrash productions , but what are you waiting for ? The opera had its world premiere at th e Met in 1910 with the legendary Geraldine Farrar as the goose girl . Could a revival there be possible ? Let's hope so .

[stenka razin]

I will preorderthe Blu-ray. Thank you, my friend for the thumbs up.


Regards,
Mel

[John F]

This from a review of the production:

In his beautiful and creative staging of Königskinder, he decided to set the story at some point between the 50′s and 60′s, in which middle classes were convinced to trade traditional values for a business-oriented concept of success measured in money, a world that leaves very little space to independent thinking. Thus, the Goose Girl is shown as an orphan tutored (in vain) to hate mankind by a crazy-scientist-like Witch in her secluded laboratory; the King’s Son is an almost beatnik character in his on-the-road search for his own identity outside the role society has reserved him; and Hellastadt is shown as countryside smallville in which everybody would sell their souls for Burger King. Although this seems to be excessively brainstormy, the concept runs quite smoothly in its simplicity and elegance, not to mention that the direction of actors in exemplary in its spontaneity

http://ihearvoices.wordpress.com/2010/0 ... 1-02-2010/

[stenka razin]

Thank you, John. I really appreciate your research, my friend.


Regards,
Mel

[CharmNewton]

Thank you, John. I really appreciate your research, my friend.


Regards,
Mel

Are you still planning on ordering it?

John

[stenka razin]

Thank you, John. I really appreciate your research, my friend.


Regards,
Mel

Are you still planning on ordering it?

John

John, I rarely go by reviews if it is a work that is not performed regularly. I love 'Hansel und Gretel' and I have heard 'Konigskinder' on CD. This may be the only time I will ever see this underrated opera, so I will take my chances and hope for the best visually.

Regards,
Mel

[barney]

Often neglected works are neglected for a reason. But I am happy to take your assurance that this is not.

[josé echenique]

Far from it, in the 1950´s Handel operas were mostly considered unworthy of revival, and now outdo Tosca and Butterfly in the number of recent recordings.

[CharmNewton]

John, I rarely go by reviews if it is a work that is not performed regularly. I love 'Hansel und Gretel' and I have heard 'Konigskinder' on CD. This may be the only time I will ever see this underrated opera, so I will take my chances and hope for the best visually.

Regards,
Mel

I hope you enjoy it. Didn't the Met perform this opera within the past few seasons?

John

[stenka razin]

This is all I could find:


Met-Konigskinder

Check out the cast below!


Role Voice type Premiere Cast, 28 December 1910
(Conductor: Alfred Hertz)
Goose-Girl (Gänsemagd) soprano Geraldine Farrar
Witch (Hexe) contralto Louise Homer
King's son (Köningssohn) tenor Herman Jadlowker
Fiddler (Spielmann) baritone Otto Goritz
Woodcutter bass Adamo Didur
Broom-maker tenor Albert Reiss
Stable girl contralto Marie Mattfeld
Innkeeper's daughter mezzo-soprano Florence Wickham
First gatekeeper tenor Ernst Maran
Second gatekeeper baritone William Hinshaw
Innkeeper bass Antonio Pini-Corsi
First child soprano Edna Walter
Second child soprano Lotte Engel
Senior councillor baritone Marcel Reiner
Tailor tenor Julius Bayer

Regards,
Mel

[CharmNewton]

This is all I could find:


Met-Konigskinder

Check out the cast below!


Role Voice type Premiere Cast, 28 December 1910
(Conductor: Alfred Hertz)
Goose-Girl (Gänsemagd) soprano Geraldine Farrar
Witch (Hexe) contralto Louise Homer
King's son (Köningssohn) tenor Herman Jadlowker
Fiddler (Spielmann) baritone Otto Goritz
Woodcutter bass Adamo Didur
Broom-maker tenor Albert Reiss
Stable girl contralto Marie Mattfeld
Innkeeper's daughter mezzo-soprano Florence Wickham
First gatekeeper tenor Ernst Maran
Second gatekeeper baritone William Hinshaw
Innkeeper bass Antonio Pini-Corsi
First child soprano Edna Walter
Second child soprano Lotte Engel
Senior councillor baritone Marcel Reiner
Tailor tenor Julius Bayer

Regards,
Mel

Well, I was off only be a few seasons.

Perhaps I wa simagining this might be a role for Netrebko.

John

[Len_Z]

Watched this on BR last night. The production is deliberately ugly, but not ugly enough to ruin the opera. It was the first time I've seen it and it sure was love at first sight. Beautiful story and stunningly beautiful music. Already can't wait to revisit it - I have two recordings on CD that have been sitting idly on the shelf, but God knows they won't be gathering dust anymore