tote Stadt TV recording

Reviews,comments,suggestions on Korngold's discography

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peter hodgson
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tote Stadt TV recording

Post by peter hodgson » Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:27 pm

I believe there was a TV broadcast of DTS in Germany, possibly of the Deutsche Oper 1983 performance. Is this correct? Is it commercially available anywhere? I am aware of the commercially available Opera du Rhin DVD, the RCA Leinsdorf, the old Walhall 1950s and Swedish Royal Opera recordings. Are there any others?

Incidentally I saw the Theater Altenburg-Gera production of DTS a couple of years back and saw it was being video'd by the theatre. I asked whether this waqs going to be released but was told no, it was only for the theatre company's records. So there is at least one other filmed set of the opera even if not available. The Altenburg-Gera product is probably the best I've seen (and I've seen DTS at Berlin, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Karlsruhe, Braunschweig, Gera and Kiel).

Cheers

Peter Hodgson, London
Brendan G Carroll

Tote Stadt on Film

Post by Brendan G Carroll » Tue Jan 04, 2005 4:07 pm

Dear Mr Hodgson

The 1983 Goetz Friedrich production was filmed for German TV in 1985 and a videotape of that Telecast exists in the Korngold Society Archive. It cannot be copied but can be viewed at the new KORNGOLD CENTRE in Brno.

As far as I know, there are no plans to issue it commercially.

There was a telecast of the Swedish production but this is also not available on commercial VHS or DVD.

The new production (SALZBURG and VIENNA) will transfer to Amsterdam in the Spring and I hear it may be televised on Dutch TV. As soon as I hear it confirmed, I'll post details here.

Regards
BRENDAN G CARROLL
peter hodgson
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Die tote Stadt

Post by peter hodgson » Fri Sep 01, 2006 8:58 pm

Unfortunately I missed the performances in Barcelona, Geneva, Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna and Salzburg (although I did manage to see the one in Osnabrueck, and I shall certainly be in Hagen for theirs).

Do you have any knowledge if dtS will actually be shown on Dutch TV and will the performance from Vienna be issued as a DVD?

And is it still the situation that the Brian Large version from Berlin is still under lock and key?

And do you know of any other scheduled performances for 2007 apart from NYC and Hagen?

Best regards

PH
brendan g carroll
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Tote Stadt

Post by brendan g carroll » Sun Sep 03, 2006 12:13 pm

In brief, the 1983 version is still unreleased. Amsterdam did not record it for TV, and neither did ORF in Vienna.
So no TV planned at all sadly.

The only other DTS next year is on April 1 in Toronto (concert perf. only)
brendan g carroll
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Video Clip

Post by brendan g carroll » Sun Sep 03, 2006 6:26 pm

By chance, I found that someone has loaded the final scene of the Goetz Friedrich telecast on YOU TUBE

The link is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWz1a-A1rls

Paste into your browswer and enjoy!
peter hodgson
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King as Paul

Post by peter hodgson » Mon Sep 04, 2006 1:34 pm

Dear Brendan

Many thanks for that! You may be interested to know that I was at the premiere of that perfomance at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1983! I recall that the "Pierrot" dream scene was utterly magical, June Anderson was marvellous as Marie whilst King was very wooden in his acting (and the excerpt bears that out!). I had forgotten the bit about the gun which is ridiculous.

Maybe the production which Dutch TV were thinking of showing was the one from het Musiektheater in Amsterdam (which I think was the same production as Barcelona/Vienna/Salzburg - correct me if I'm wrong) but with a different cast.
brendan g carroll
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Tote Stadt

Post by brendan g carroll » Mon Sep 04, 2006 5:44 pm

I, too, was at the 1983 premiere, accompanying Korngold's family. In spite of its excesses (including a madonna with a crown of neon lightbulbs) it was the first really great success in Europe for Korngold's opera, since before WW2.

I did not know that Dutch TV recorded a performance of the recent production, and I hope it is shown. If you learn more, please post details here.

All best
BRENDAN CARROLL
peter hodgson
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What a coincidence! Are there any others?

Post by peter hodgson » Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:17 pm

How amazing that we were both at the same performance all those years ago (5th Feb 1883)! My ticket stub tells me I was in row 8 of the stalls. I recall there was a heavy breather quite near me which annoyed me very much.

I have a copy of the review of the performance in the press the next day. The headline was “Ueberwaeltiger Abend an der Deutschen Oper: Die tote Stadt lebt wieder auf. Im schwarzen Strudel derv grossen Verzueckung."

The final summing up was:

Dieses Experiment musste gewagt werden! Der Jubel siegt zuletzt ueber den Protest. Fuer drei knappe Stunden steht Berlin wieder in Mittelpunkt der Opernwelt.

And of course it was Karan Armstrong singing, not June Andersen as I thought earlier.

Having established this weird link between us, I checked out the other tote Staedte I have seen; they are listed below – maybe you saw some of those?

February 1983 : DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN (premiere)
James King/Karen Armstrong; C: Heinrich Hollreiser; P: Götz Friedrich.
MY VERDICT: Very atmospheric; quite traditional; Armstrong sensational, King wooden. This was apparently the first revival in Europe since Korngold's death and the local press went wild, hailing it as a rediscovered masterpiece..


June 1997 : OPER KIEL (Kiel City Opera)
Fred Silla-Silhanek/Graciela von Gyldenfeldt; C: Walter Gugenbauer; P: Claes Fellbom.
MY VERDICT: Quaint and traditional production, sticking very closely to the composer's stage directions; canalside sequence very atmospheric; Silla-Silhanek sensational.


July 1999 : STADTSTHEATER BREMERHAVEN
Fred Silla-Silhanek/Cornelia Ptassek; C: Peter Aderhold; P: Peter Griesebach.
MY VERDICT: Stunning production given in the city's old 50s swimming baths whilst the theater was being renovated; orchestra lined up along one side of the pool; action inside the old swimming pool with finale on a riased dias surrounded by guttering candles. Extra performances scheduled as a result of local success.


May 2000 : BÜHNEN DER STADT KÖLN (Cologne City Opera)
Sidwill Hartman/Vivian Tierney (wife of Paul Daniel); C: Enrico Dovico; P: Günther KRÄmer.
MY VERDICT: Disappointing production with stage littered with old shoes; a Hitchcockian shoe-fetish version!


June 2000 : BADISCHES STAATSTHEATER, Karlsruhe
Norbert Schmittberg/Wessela Zlatteva; C: Uwe Sandner; P: Ansgar HAAG.
MY VERDICT: Modern production; Schmittberg nearly as good as Silla-Silhanek. The production later toured to Brno, Korngold's birthplace.


May 2002 : THEATER ALTENBURG-GERA, Gera (Thueringen)
Mathias Schultz/Yvonn Füssl Harris; C: Gabriel Feltz; P: Maththias Oldag.
MY VERDICT: Overwhelming production in a small dilapitated theatre in the former DDR; having an enormous orchestra (harps and extra brass in the boxes) meant the sheer volume of sound was staggering; best version I have ever seen. Audience bemused.


June 2002 : BREMER THEATER, Theater am Goetheplatz, Bremen
Klaus Florian Vogt/Graciela de Gyldenfeldt; C: Graham Jackson; P: Tilman Knabe.
MY VERDICT: Although excellently sung and played, this is by far the worst tote Stadt ever; the production (set in a vampire-like crypt) portrayed Paul as a raving maniac and Marie/Marietta turned into a zombie, not only one zombie but about half a dozen of them crawling out of coffins and wandering round a church crypt like extras from "The Dawn of the Living Dead". The production was revived to great success the following year which says a lot about German pretentiousness.


May 2003 : STAATSTHEATER BRAUNSCHWEIG
Norbert Schmittberg/Anna-Katherina Behnke; C: Gerd Schaller; P: Uwe Schwarz.
MY VERDICT: Much of the production concerned with flashbacks via a projector (unfortunately a noisy one with a loud fan to wreck the enjoyment of the first few rows of the stalls ); several of the series of performances cancelled as Schmittberg ill and no one else able to take over.


May 2005 : THEATER OSNABRÃœCK
Hans-Hermann Ehrich/Anna-Katherina Behnke; C: Marius Stieghorst; Michael Schultz.
MY VERDICT: Very high musical standards but an unexciting production with the Pierrot song totally wrecked by directorial incompetence; very thin and unappreciative audience.

So it is surprising to me that I missed out on the following performaces: Strasbourg/Paris (Opera du Rhin), Geneva, Barcelona/Salzburg/Vienna, Berlin (the new version) and Amsterdam!

But I shall be there for Hagen next April! The Hagen theatre is small and very beautiful.

Kind regards

PH
brendan g carroll
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Post by brendan g carroll » Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:26 am

I was only at KIEL, but I enjoyed it very much indeed! One of the best interpretations I have seen. Perhaps you saw my glowing review in OPERA NOW at the time
peter hodgson
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Kiel dtS

Post by peter hodgson » Tue Sep 12, 2006 1:09 am

No, I only occasionally buy Opera mag as it's (putting it kindly) a little old-fashioned and pompous!

If you have the text of your review available, I'd love to read it: send to pb.hodgson@virgin.net .

Best regards
brendan g carroll
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Post by brendan g carroll » Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:58 pm

Dear God....I have no idea where that review is after almost a decade but if I find it, I'll send it along.
peter hodgson
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Post by peter hodgson » Wed Sep 13, 2006 2:41 am

Yes, you're right, it's 9+ years!!!!!!!!!! How incredible!! As a matter of interest, if you want to submit a review to a mag like Opera.... [1] are they interested in reviews out of the blue? [2] do they pay or do they somehow think it's an honour to publish? [3] are they interested in a review in advance? Maybe you will prefer to reply privately to pb.hodgson@virgin.net ????? Although I'm equally happy with public replies bearing in mind the tiny readership here!
peter hodgson
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Re: Video Clip

Post by peter hodgson » Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:57 pm

brendan g carroll wrote:By chance, I found that someone has loaded the final scene of the Goetz Friedrich telecast on YOU TUBE

The link is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWz1a-A1rls

Paste into your browswer and enjoy!
This clip has now been removed from "youtube" because of what they call "terms of use violation". Does this imply that there are now plans to release it commercially or maybe a complaint that it was done without the artists' OK?

One other point, there is a mention of it at

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0256443

which suggests that it exists "as a film"....

Someone kindly emailed me with the following info...

A noteworthy piece of information on that internet page is the name of the production company: EuroArts Entertainment, who have released some Götz Friedrich productions from the '80's which are apparently available in the US. Maybe an e-mail campaign to the company might help to convince EuroArts to re-release Die Tote Stadt on DVD (or at least bring a possible market for it to their attention). On their website ( http://www.euroarts.com/index.html ) there is a contact page with e-mail addresses:

http://www.euroarts.com/music/contact.htm .

Worth a try.
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