Reviews (8)

Good but a little white-washed
This PBS documentary is loaded with clips from Lenny's long career, and captures many of his great moments on film. There are also the requisite interviews with people fawning over him. No mention of the extremely negative (often deservedly so) reviews he got in his early days at the helm of the NYPO, or the sordid story of how he wrestled the top job there away from Dmitri Mitropoulos by "outing" him when he himself was flagrantly bisexual. What he did to his wife, emotionally, in her final years, is only briefly hinted at. The whole Tom Wolfe/Radical Chic incident is also only glossed over in about a minute, and the effects this and other "anti-Lenny" incidents had on his psyche are barely mentioned. His depression is talked about, but the reasons behind it are not. But TV documentaries usually skim the surface this way, and the real treat is in the performances and interviews captured here. This is a great two hours for any Bernstein lover. They may not learn anything new, but they'll have a wonderful time reliving the old.

"Lenny in Retrospect"
Leonard Bernstein is perhaps one of the greatest men to stand on any podium, anywhere in the world. One gets a sense of how much larger than life he was through watching this video. The video provides a poignant look into his family life, and how much of his work was influenced by his personal life. Like any man Bernstein had to grapple with outward, and inner personal turmoil which is highlighted in this video. The Chichester Psalms allowed him to get further in touch with his Jewish roots, something that he was very proud of. Clips from rehearsals around the globe are included, as well as personal family home video footage. This video is a must for any home library, and especially for any Bernstein fan.

Reaching for Lenny
"They don't make 'em like they used to." This phrase can certainly apply to Leonard Bernstein: conductor, composer, teacher, humanitarian, and complex individual. Bernstein worked hard to knock classical music and opera from their pedestals and make those genres accessible to ordinary people, while according popular music and jazz the same respect as classical and opera. Whether it was his charisma, sense of humor, good looks, "Renaissance Man" attitude, or a combination of all these elements, Bernstein still has no peer in attempting this feat. Maybe it's just not "lucrative enough" in our corporate-oriented, essentially conservative, times.

Accompanied by interviews with friends, collaborators, and his children, "Reaching for the Note" provides a compelling portrait of Bernstein. This could have been a conventional documentary, but it instead captures a flavor for Bernstein's life. Rather than just covering "major events," this documentary also explores the struggles of being Leonard Bernstein. Beginning with footage from his funeral cortege (accompanied by the second movement of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony), this documentary contains many unforgettable and moving moments, such as Bernstein's chiding of the Vienna Philharmonic for giving an indifferent rehearsal of Mahler ("I don't care about your 'eight hours.'"); building morale for Israel in the Six Days' War by performing Mahler's "Resurrection" symphony (which, in view of the atrocities committed by Israelis against Palestinians, may begin to seem as politically incorrect as Wagner's anti-Semitism); and the montage of home movie footage from the Bernstein family's "golden years," which seems even more poignant when one realizes how it collapsed under the weight of Bernstein's personal struggles in his later years. Most striking are the ambiguities of the man: a conductor who also wanted to be remembered as a composer; a humanitarian who could become temperamental; a family man who struggled with his bisexuality. Was it indecision, or simply a desire to live life to its fullest in the material and spiritual realms?

Whatever one may think of the man, Bernstein's legacy has made him a musical titan. And until someone else as well-read, charismatic, godlike, and human comes along in conducting, Bernstein is guaranteed a top spot alongside such legends as Herbert von Karajan and Sir Georg Solti.

One decade after his death, Lenny is still sorely missed. Who knows what else he could have done had he smoked a few less cigarettes, downed a few less bottles of scotch, and had been productive into his early eighties? He would have recorded Benjamin Britten's "Peter Grimes," or written his planned symphony about the Holocaust. But Lenny is gone, and we won't see the likes of him again. But, as one person said, maybe Lenny's spirit is now in the body of a bright and talented ten-year-old. Perhaps s/he will compare the angst in Mahler's symphonies and the music of nine inch nails, or rail against the corporate oligarchy, mean-spiritedness, and political conservatism that's slowly devouring our country. One can only hope that Lenny will live again. If not, then he has left us with much to contemplate, both about music and ourselves.

Not as good as I expected
I was a bit disappointed by this release., especially considering PBS' impeccable credentials. The very beginning set my expectations very high : slow-motion, artsily fuzzy sequences from Bernstein's funeral cortège through the street of NY, touchingly commented by his son. Very intense, but also very telling of the overall approach of the movie : the man first , and then the musician. It's not an easy task because, as those interested into this great composer-conductor know well, Bernstein was a very complicated, troubled and sometimes puzzling man. In this respect the video is very nicely done: it's pretty straighforward about potentially controversial issues like L.B.'s depressions or bisexuality, without sounding gossipy or trashy. All these aspects are described though lenghty interviews with L.B.' s son and daughters. This has obvious advantages but also shortcomings : I would have liked to hear somebody from outside the family, somebody less viscerally involved, so to say. I also liked the way the video gives us, through the Bernstein family's home movies, a fascinating idea of the life of the post-war American cultural elite. There are flaws, though. First of all, to apply the definition of "motion picture" to this documentary is, sometimes, kind of a stretch: the viewer spends decidedly too much time staring at vintage photographs with an audio commentary not especially related to them. This is actually baffling, because I don't think there has ever been a more filmed or recorded artist than L.B. and it's hard to believe that PBS could not obtain the rights on more video performances from Deutsche Grammophon, Sony/CBS and whoever else. Through the narration we learn about L.B.'s ascent to prominence and his lifelong internal struggle between the great conductor he was and the great composer he desperately wanted to be, but there aren't enough visual demonstrations of the great music that flowed from this troubled soul. And we don't get much of the legendary impact of a Bernstein performance either. In this respect the few interviews to musicians don't help much, being for the most part ridicolously brief (average 2 minutes) : a world-class maestro like Andre' Previn is just allowed the time to say that "L.B. was the figure who had the greatest influence on American music". Thank you very much. I don't want to seem harsh on this video: it's what I would call a "classy" product, and

probably a totally comprehensive Bernstein portrait is far beyond the possibilities of a 2-hour video, but if it's Bernstein the musician that you really want to get to know, you'll learn much more from the 10-minute part devoted to him by the marvelous Teldec video "The Art of conducting".

An Essential American Musician
For many of us growing up, Leonard Bernstein *was* American music. This excellent, thrilling PBS biography captures the essence of Bernstein. He was flamboyant as an actor at the podium, but it never seemed forced. And his performances seemed to intensify the music--he was like the speaker in "Spinal Tap" that went up to 11 instead of just 10. Watching this, you begin to feel as music-intoxicated as Bernstein himself must have been. This documentary doesn't whitewash his dark side--substance abuse, ridiculous radical-chic politics, a certain predatory sexuality, and the deep unhappiness that struck him in middle age (after he had the world at his feet.) As he turns 70, you can see the dissipation written all over his face. But he was a man with great musical gifts who changed American culture, and this fast-paced video captures that very well. ... Read more

Description

A new production of the Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht opera that depicts the consumerism of the mythical city of Mahagonny, conveying all of its ripe decadence. In this sumptuous Salzburg Festival production, Mahagonny is presented as a Hollywood Babylon full of pyramidal towers, carved elephants, commodified sex, and licensed gluttony. Starring Jerry Hadley, Gwyneth Jones, and Catherine Malfitano. 155 minutes, color, 1999, English subtitles. Cast:

Gwyneth Jones: Leokadja Begbick
Roy Cornelius Smith: Fatty
Wilbur Pauley: Trinity Moses
Catherine Malfitano: Jenny Smith
Jerry Hadley: Jimmy Mahoney
Udo Holdorf: Jake Schmidt
Dale Duesing: Pennybank Bill
Harry Peeters; Alaska Wolf Joe
Toby Spence: Tobby Higgins
... Read more

Reviews (2)

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Fine performance
A major problem with Amazon's listing of classical videos is that they don't tell you who the performers are. This makes a rational buying decision impossible. You can't even get a large image of the box to tell who it is. So I'm writing this review as a public service since I can recognize the box (similar to the CD) as being the second Marriner recording. It has
Sylvia McNair, soprano
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo
Michael Chance, countertenor
Jerry Hadley, tenor
Robert Lloyd, bass.
St. Martin in the Fields Orch and Chorus.

Musically, this is a better performance than most. von Otter is particularly fine in "He was Despised", and trumpeter Mark Bennett does the best Messiah trumpeting ever recorded, bar none. Many of the choruses are well done, and Chance is good if you like countertenors. Hadley is out of his element. Lloyd and McNair are mid-pack.

Can't comment on the video direction since I haven't seen the video yet. But based on the CD I will get it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

BE CAREFUL!
Be careful! Don't buy this dvd unless it's your fully-conscious decision to go off the beaten path and perhaps into the briars and brambles.
I expect a really good production from the Salzburg Festival, and indeed there is some excellent singing here. But they've added more characters, new dialog, and bizarre changes to Strauss' original work.
Most startling is a Prince Orlovsky, in striped pajamas and dreadlock braids, alternately screaming, shrieking, gasping, and snorting cocaine. Eisenstein and Dr. Falke occasionaly appear wearing what can only be described as large wedding cake outfits--really!--that's what they look like: large singing wedding cakes. I tried to imagine what "social comment" the production was trying to make, but I'm at a loss.
Please, if you want to see good productions of Die Fledermaus, try Carlos Kleiber and the Bavarian State Opera, or Placido Domingo and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden (with Kiri Te Kanawa and Herman Prey). Another excellent dvd is Richard Bonyne and the Royal Opera House, which features among Prince Orlovsky's guests, Joan Southerland's touching farewell to The Royal Opera House.
If you have all three of these productions, and just simply must have every version of Die Fledermaus, then buy this one.
But don't say I didn't warn you!

be warned ! avant garde to the point of absurdity !
a cocaine sniffing prince orlofsky . a director who decided to rewrite the operetta putting in new dialogue. dark ,sadistic,amateurish. i knew i was in trouble when i started reading the booklet inside the dvd box. i wish they had put that information on the outside of the box. get the royal opera at covent garden dvd production with placido domingo conducting. one last comment . the costumes were out of some brechtian three penny opera,mother courage german expressionist nightmare.

Iconoclastic, confrontational, and totally enjoyable
If you are looking for a polite and unoffensive night of pretty music, this is not the FLEDERMAUS for you. But if you are looking for a wild, biting, contemporary view of Strauss' operetta, this is as good as it gets. The broad concept is supported by totally committed and exciting performances by an energetic young ensemble. Christoph Homberger in particular is absolutely hilarious as the deranged Eisenstein, Elisabeth Trissenaar as the enigmatic Frosch transfixes every time she stops the show, and Dave Moss' Rasta party host gives a performance unlike any you will see in any other opera house--garaunteed.

Having seen this production live, this was also a great document of the VERY angry reception this production received by an audience expecting good digestion. You can hear the booing on this DVD, which really is part of the fun. While the filming of the performance is sometimes jerky and often fails to give a sense of the madcap whole, this will nonetheless give American audiences a chance to judge true "Regietheater" for themselves.

I for one found this to be the first time I actually ENJOYED FLEDERMAUS as a performance. Neuenfels and his cast bring this work up to date in a way that is never cheap or improperly thought out. Also, for the first time, I got a sense of the energy and zaniness inherent in the opera (does anyone actually find a "traditional" staging of Act II entertaining?). If Act III loses its steam, the wild inventiveness of Act I and especially Act II will not disappoint those who come in with no assumptions.

In all, its a performance that will constantly catch you by surprise and makes you wish American opera houses would be even half as daring.

Grotesque! An Atrocity. But the Music's Nice.
I have little good to say about this DVD of the 2001 Salzburg Festival production of Johann Strauss's 'Die Fledermaus' in Hans Neuenfels's grotesque staging. The production, while sumptuous in some respects, is so tawdry that I could barely force myself to watch it through to the end. I wouldn't have done so if I hadn't decided to write this review to warn people off it.

Neuenfels enjoys, if that's the word, a reputation as an enfant terrible of opera in Europe, although at his age - 60 at the time of this production - he should have grown up by now. His entire style seems to be based on shocking the bourgeoisie, in this case the well-heeled attendees at the Salzburg Festival, one of the most expensive musical venues in the world.

The production is set in roughly 1900. There is entirely new and often scatological spoken dialog by Neuenfels that makes unsubtle references to the hypocrisy and decadence of society, that of Austria in particular. He has made Prince Orlofsky into a cocaine-addict; the part is played by a "jazz musician" of whom I'd never heard, one David Moss, who is tricked out as a Rastafarian in dreadlocks and pajamas. His singing is all over the place, from Tom Waits-like growling to a girlish falsetto. He prances around the stage like someone in a junior high school play. We get to see him snort cocaine and offer it to his guests during the ball scene. Kewl!

The main singers are, in the main, quite good. I would single out particularly Mireille Delunsch (Rosalinde) and Malin Hartelius (Adele). Also, Dale Duesing (Frank) is fine, although he is required to wear a big white cylindrical contraption that makes him look like a walking wedding cake; the symbolism escaped me. Olaf Bär (barely recognizable as Dr. Falke) sings superbly as one expects from him, and his acting as the evil Falke is smarmily repellent. Frosch is taken by a 'comedienne,' Elisabeth Trissenaar, and her humor - cruel, solipsistic, ugly - eluded me entirely. I kept wishing for Jack Gilford in the old Met production! The Salzburg Mozarteum orchestra, led by Marc Minkowski, is fine.

The mise-en-scène is a single set that is varied artfully by the stage lighting. There are extras galore, chorus and dancers, who are required to do very strange and, at times, repulsive things. There are two added characters, the children of the Eisensteins, who look like they wandered in from a second-rate production of "Hänsel und Gretel." It is not clear what they add to the action, although they certainly ham it up a lot. Dr. Blind is actually blind (nyuk, nyuk!). Eisenstein is not only a figure of fun - that is, after all part of the plot - but a figure of cruel fun. There are gratuitous erotic acts (e.g., involving the two Eisenstein children) that are simply embarrassingly inappropriate.

I gave the DVD two stars merely because of the musical performance. And perhaps added a little in empathy for the embarrassment of the cast and musicians who had to perform in this travesty.

At the première of this production there was a near uprising by the audience; one hears booing from the audience during the curtain calls. One attendee reportedly sued to get his ticket money back. And it created a 'ein grosser Skandal' in European opera circles. It is no surprise that Gérard Mortier, the Intendant of Salzburg at the time of this production, is no longer there.

Scott Morrison ... Read more

Amazon.com

Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress occupies two worlds. Thestory, the ironically moralizing attitudes, and many musical and verbal detailsare inspired by the 18th century. But it is modern in rhythm and harmony and inits psychology--Freudianism and existentialism in a powdered wig. Eachproduction must find its own balance between these polarities, and this crisp,stylish treatment, taped at the Salzburg Festival in 1996, leans heavily towardmodernity. The Faustian story of ne'er-do-well Tom Rakewell is told in symbolsfrom its beginning (when he succumbs instantly to the temptations of thediabolical Nick Shadow) to the final mad scene. The props include a small,earthbound airplane, signifying Tom's flights of fancy, and some supernumerarieswearing ape costumes and capering about, symbolizing perhaps his obsessions. Thecostumes are modern: Tom in a T-shirt, Anne Trulove (his fiancée) in adress so simple it looks like a slip, Nick in a mafia-style pinstripe suit.Designer Jorg Immendorff, a prominent German painter, is ingenious and self-indulgent in his staging. He portrays Tom as an artist not unlike himself. Butif ever an opera had its visual elements clearly prescribed, it is The Rake'sProgress--inspired by a set of engravings by William Hogarth thathave no resemblance to Immendorff's staging.

There have been first-class productions that respected Hogarth's vision. One ofthem is sure to find its way to home video eventually, and those who are upsetby visual tampering with an opera's original concept might want to wait. But theSalzburg audience applauds it thoroughly in this production. Stravinsky's musicis well handled. Jerry Hadley brings both pathos and humor to the title role,Dawn Upshaw puts a lot of personality into the rather bland, goody-goody role ofAnne, and they have an expert supporting cast. --Joe McLellan ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A travesty
Wait for the excellent Glyndebourne production with Hockney sets to appear. This production is really silly and works counter to the marvelous score.

The is the One to Have!
So far this 1996 Salzburg Festival production of 'The Rake's Progress', Stravinsky's 'Mozartian opera,' is the only one to make it to DVD. But frankly I don't think you need look any further; from the opening scene set in Tom's painter's studio (with Anne as his demure model) to the amusingly staged epilog that is an homage to that of 'Don Giovanni,' the production never flags, impelled smoothly by the alert conducting of Sylvain Cambreling. The production, conceived and directed by Peter Mussbach with set/costume design by Jörg Immendorff, goes from triumph to triumph. The stage action, scenery and costumes, although not always immediately clear in intent, are colorful, amusing, always engaging.

The cast could hardly be bettered. Jerry Hadley, sometimes not a very inspired actor, makes a believable and sympathetically tragic Tom Rakewell in this tale of a young man ruined by wealth and temptation. His singing is pointed, if not always innately beautiful. Dawn Upshaw, as Anne Trulove, is delectable both visually and aurally. It is hard, frankly, to imagine a better Anne. Her two big scenes, 'No word from Tom ... I go, I go to him,' and 'Gently little boat' are beautifully sung and emotionally moving. Nick Shadow, sung by Monte Pederson kitted out as a kind of Daddy Warbucks, is both vocally superb and dramatically menacing. Contralto Jane Henschel as Baba the Turk is hilarious but also sings the part's coloratura as well as I've ever heard. Not a small woman, Henschel is light on her feet and her nimble moves onstage contribute conspicuously to her impersonation of the nattering bearded lady. Linda Ormiston's licentious Mother Goose, Barry Banks's oily Sellem, and Jonathan Best's stalwart Trulove contribute vocally and visually well-drawn characterizations to round out, along with the almost omnipresent Vienna State Opera chorus, a top-drawer cast.

The production was directed for TV by Brian Large. Is there anyone better doing this sort of thing? If so, I don't know who.

I give this DVD my strongest recommendation.

Review by Scott Morrison. ... Read more