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The cast of Maskarade © Monika Rittershaus
2.110762 Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Sound format: Dolby Digital 2.0 and DTS 5.1 Language: German Subtitles: German, English, Japanese, Korean Region code: 0 (worldwide) No. of disc/s: 1 (DVD 9) Release Date: 22 Mar 2024
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Carl NIELSEN (1865–1931) Maskarade (sung in German) Comic opera in three acts (1906) Libretto by Vilhelm Andersen
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With its lively dances, superbly acted and witty libretto, and Carl Nielsen’s highly individual sense of harmony and lyrical expressiveness, this is a comic opera that ‘has it all’, having that rare quality in this genre of being genuinely funny. Maskarade has always had an exciting aura of freshness and discovery about it, and that frisson between neo-Classical modernity and 18th-century Enlightenment sensibility adds further dimensions to its wildly entertaining fascination. •
based on a comedy by Ludvig Holberg New German translation by Martin G. Berger Monika Buczkowska, Susan Bullock, Sopranos Michael Porter, Tenor • Liviu Holender, Baritone • Alfred Reiter, Bass Chor der Oper Frankfurt Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester Titus Engel, Conductor Tobias Kratzer, Stage director Nielsen’s Maskarade is regarded as Denmark’s national opera. It combines folk-song character, Mozartean elegance and virtuoso surprises to create what conductor Titus Engel describes as ‘musical comedy that’s both witty and of the highest calibre’. Based on an 18th- century play by Ludvig Holberg, the story revolves around Leander and Leonora who meet at a masquerade ball, swear undying love, and then have to deal with the complicated consequences of their situation, all accompanied by Nielsen’s irresistibly sparkling score. This acclaimed contemporary staging from Oper Frankfurt is sung in a new German translation and directed by Tobias Kratzer.
This 2021 Frankfurt production received critical acclaim: ‘The cast was solid, led by the German bass Alfred Reiter as Jeronimus, with a flexible voice, well-emitted bass and a controlled register that he showed with intelligence of means and an ideal performance. The American tenor Michael Porter showed the light of a showy timbre, with great ease in the entire upper third… The winner of the evening was the Austrian baritone Liviu Holender as Henrik… Full voice, smooth colour of full lyrical baritone, convincing actor, he knew how to live up to a committed and central role, he was the last to come out to say hello and received the loudest ovation of the night’ ( plateamagazine.com ). ‘ Titus Engel highlighted Nielsen’s magnificent orchestration with a sufficiently agile and transparent work, which shone even more than in the overture, in the other orchestral passages, such as the beautiful prelude to the second act – splendid woodwinds – with a lyricism that contrasted appropriately with the fast-paced finale of the first act…’ ( codalario.com ).
Michael Porter
Liviu Holender
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Also available on Blu-ray Video: NBD0174V Picture format: HD 16:9 Sound format: PCM Stereo and
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Language: German Subtitles: German, English, Japanese, Korean Region: A, B, C No. of disc/s: 1 (BD 50) Release Date: 22 Mar 2024
Titus Engel
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