May 12, 1999: Die Fledermaus in Vienna

1999-05-12 Die Fledernaus (J. Strauss), Theater an der Wien

Gabriel von Eisenstein = Wolfgang Brendel
Rosalinde, his wife = Silvana Dussmann
Prince Orlofsky = Agnes Baltsa
Alfred, voice coach = Herbert Lippert
Dr. Falke, notary = Olaf Bär
Dr. Blind, barrister = Ernst-Dieter Suttheimer
Frank, prison director = Anton Scharinger
Adele, Rosalinde's maid = Isabel Rey
Ida, her sister = Mercedes Echerer
Frosch, court usher = Erwin Steinhauer

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

Wiener Festwochen1999

Die Fledermaus (The Bat)
by Johann Strauss
Libretto and lyrics by C. Haffner and R.
Genée based on the vaudeville "Réveillon"
by Meilhac and Halévy


New production
Joint production of Vienna Festival and Zurich Opera

Musical director: Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Director: Jürgen Flimm
Stage design: Dieter Flimm
Costumes: Birgit Hutter
Choreography: Catharina Lühr


Vienna Symphonic Orchestra
Arnold Schoenberg Choir

Frank, prison director = Anton Scharinger
Adele, Rosalinde's maid = Isabel Rey
Ida, her sister = Mercedes Echerer
Frosch, court usher = Erwin Steinhauer

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor
Theater an der Wien
DIE FLEDERMAUS
Prinz Orlofsky = Agnes Baltsa
Adele = Isabel Rey

The Spanish Soprano Isabel Rey (she lives in Zurich) is Adele, a Wienerin. The Greek Mezzo Agnes Baltsa (who also live in Switzerland) is Orlovsky from Russia. Isabel Rey is everything one wants Adele to be, she knows comedy and have a strong sense of language (German, naturally). Act 1 belongs to Isabel Rey. Then in act 2 comes Orlofsky Ball, and when Orlovsky and Adele, who is presented as Fräulein Olga (from Russia), wants to be a singer and sings a line from "Pres de remparts de Seville" and then Prinz Baltsa repeats it, to the great enjoyment of the house.
Act 3 starts with a boring Frosch, interesting for the Viennese, but not for me. Only Isabel Rey is good in this act, when Baltsa comes, then it is a good end of this operetta.

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