Die Entführung aus dem Serail

Johan Simon's 2007 Nederlandse Opera staging of Mozart's first opera masterpiece (although some would argue for the earlier Idomeneo) is distinguished by an intriguing interpretive twist: Konstanze, the Spanish maiden heroine, is traditionally depicted as the unwilling captive of Pasha Selim in Turkey, still pining for her beloved Belmonte, but here she develops real feelings for the pasha and is torn when Belmonte arrives to rescue her. While one can find support for this reading in the text, the execution is hit-and-miss in this visually threadbare production (featuring mostly unflattering modern dress and décor—although the chorus does sometimes incongruously appear in period Turkish costume). The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra plays well, but conductor Constantinos Carydis' tempi range from frantic to ponderous, and in Konstanze's incredibly florid aria “Martern aller Arten” he tugs at them mercilessly. Among the singers, Laura Aikin starts slowly as Konstanze but improves, and veteran Kurt Rydl is physically imposing as the pasha's servant Osmin even if his voice can no longer manage the role's lowest notes, while the other principals are good if not outstanding. In any case, the young Mozart's score is so remarkable that even an average performance—with reams of spoken dialogue—can't dim its charm. Presented in DTS 5.1 and LPCM stereo on DVD and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and stereo on Blu-ray, extras include an illustrated synopsis, a cast gallery, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and brief interviews with the five solo singers. While no improvement on the Minkowski version (reviewed in VL-7/03), which has its own drawbacks, this is still recommended, overall. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)