MOZART: Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (Die) (NTSC)

Opera, Libretto by Johann Gottlieb Stephanie d.J. after Friedrich Bretzner,
Sung in German, Chorus and Orchestra of the Staatsoper Stuttgart, Conductor Lothar Zagrosek
Cast: Catherine Naglestad, Kate Ladner, Matthias Klink, Heinz Gohrig, Roland Bracht Stage Director Hans Neuenfels

Running Time : 150 min
Recording Date: 1998
Menu languages: PAL: D,GB,F,SP NTSC: GB, F, SP, JP
Subtitle languages: PAL: GB, F, SP NTSC: GB, F, SP, JP
Region Code: 0
Picture Format: 16:9 HDTV
Sound Format: PCM Stereo
Sel. No. 100 178 PAL / 100 179 NTSC

Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) is one of Mozart's five great repertoire operas alongside Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte and Die Zaubeflöte (The Magic Flute). It is Mozart's 13th dramatic work out of a total of 19, and his second "Deutsches Singspiel" after Bastien und Bastienne.

In recent decades, directors have sought to revitalise the somewhat naive plot of the Entführung with fresh interpretations, sometimes using historical contexts (Vienna's occupation by the Turks), dubious modernisations (the Palestinian Question), or by giving a psychological analysis of the characters and their motives. Hans Neuenfels, who produced his "first Mozart" here in Stuttgart, retains the story's naivety and absurdity. He does this primarily by splitting the characters: Neuenfels places an actor at every singer's side who not only takes over his role for the spoken original scripts, but also interacts with his singing double and other characters of the piece.