Gratuitous Musickal Posting (TM) - BUMPED AND UPDATED

I recently bought, unheard, a new DVD recording of Mozart's 1782 opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail ("The Abduction from the Seraglio"), a piece I have always loved. I chose this recording largely because a) the notes say it is a straight-up, non-trendy performance and b) because I know Zubin Mehta can conduct Mozart's music the way it ought to be conducted.

Apparently, I'm in for a treat:

There are nice wobbly sets at the start of this Florentine production, making it obvious we are in for proper theatre, and all the better for it. The scenery at the start consists of large hangings covered in oriental decorations as befits this exotic story set in the mysterious East - Turkey actually. There is some stage fun in the form of Osmin feeding his crocodile and during the production this beasty returns to terrorise various characters. Nicely done and good stage business. The scenery changes appropriately for the plot and I was relieved to see not one great coat or machine gun, clearly no ex-Eastern Bloc directors were involved in this production. It is played for all it is worth; and Die Entführung is worth a great deal.

Belmonte’s first aria, sung by tenor Rainer Trost, is really excellent. It confirms what the overture had already suggested, that this was going to be good listening as well as good viewing. Mehta’s orchestra plays crisply with some plainly "authentic" touches like a comparative freedom from vibrato. This does not pretend to be an authentic production à la Drottningholm but it is played throughout with a liveliness that puts a smile on one’s face. Constanza (Eva Mei) seems a touch mature at first but soon had me convinced that she was the passionate and wronged woman of virtue that Bretzner’s libretto suggests. Blonde (the striking Patrizia Ciofi) makes a great contrast, as she should, and enjoys a fine scene with Osmin ( Kurt Rydl) at the start of Act 2. Kurt Rydl throws his whole considerable weight into the role of the wicked Osmin and hams it wonderfully, especially at the end of the opera where his chance of revenge is taken away by the noble Pasha Selim. By the time we reach Constanza’s lovely aria bemoaning the loss of her love Belmonte, indeed love in general, this listener was absolutely hooked.

Here's the Mozart Project's entry on the history and plot of this opera. Why the Islamofascists haven't blown a gasket over it yet, I do not know. The action takes place in the palace of the Pasha Selim. While the Pasha himself is shown to be both tyrannical and civilized, his overseer, Osmin, is a great, hulking caricature of a Mussleman, written and played for laughs.

Anyhoo, can't wait to settle down and give it a listen. If you're very good, I might post a review. If you're not good, I definitely will.

UPDATE: Gift und dolch! Rayther a disappointment, I'm afraid. The orchestra was all one could wish, the staging was good and the acting reasonable enough, but the singing (which is the heart of the matter, after all) was a let down all round. Does nobody appreciate the bel canto style anymore? The women in particular were prone to heavy vibrato and shrieking their upper registers, but Osmin had a warble on him that would send your fillings vibrating. Too damn bad.