Wentworth
Institute of Technology
Fidelio /
Walter Felsenstein (1901-1975), founder and general director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, was one of the twentieth century's greatest creative theatre directors, who played a hugely important role in the revival of opera as a theatrical art form. A brilliant artist who directed over 190 prod...
Saved in:
| Corporate Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Electronic Video |
| Language: | German |
| Published: |
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt :
Monarda Arts,
1956.
|
| Edition: | [Walter Felsenstein edition]. |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
Full text (Wentworth users only) Full text (Wentworth users only) |
| Summary: | Walter Felsenstein (1901-1975), founder and general director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, was one of the twentieth century's greatest creative theatre directors, who played a hugely important role in the revival of opera as a theatrical art form. A brilliant artist who directed over 190 productions during the course of his career, he was equally committed to the works, their creators, the ensemble and the audience. When Walter Felsenstein is offered to shoot an adaptation of the story about Fidelio/Leonore in the early fifties, he accepts. Together with Hanns Eisler, he develops a whole new version of the story by changing, cutting out and rearranging parts of the text. The overture is incorporated into the filmic adaptation and tells the prelude of the story. In doing this, Felsenstein uses the medium in a whole new way. The music is not only there to accompany the images; Fidelio is not meant to be an operatic film but a musical film. However, the project is weighed down with difficulties from the very beginning, as it is temporarily uncertain as to how the project should be financed. Although the finished film provokes some fierce political controversy, it is a success among the public. Looking back sixteen years later, Felsenstein commented: "It is the only music film I have ever made - even though it had its faults. The other films were basically stage performances adapted and arranged for the cinema. They were intended to document Felsenstein productions at the Komische Oper and were modified to make them suitable for filming, but were still based on theatrical productions. My only real music film was Fidelio." "Arthaus's scholarly and imposing 'Walter Felsenstein Edition' offers a fascinating glimpse of an important moment in operatic history now vanished." The New York Times. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Title from title screen (viewed January 17, 2023). Written in 1805. |
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (86 minutes) |
| Playing Time: | 01:25:13 |
| Awards: | Won 1956 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Special Mention, Best Film Nominated 1956 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Crystal Globe, Best Film |
| Participant or Performer: | Claude Nollier, with the voice of Magda László ; Erwin Gross ; Sonja Schöner ; Richard Holm ; Hannes Schiel, with the voice of Heinz Rehfuss ; Georg Wieter ; supporting soloists ; Wiener Staatsopernchor ; Wiener Philharmoniker ; Fritz Lehmann, conductor. |
| Language: | Sung and spoken in German. |