Description
Wolfgang Fortner - Bluthochzeit (Blood Wedding): Württemberg State Opera Stuttgart DVD
UPC: 8712177047321
Product Features
- Title: Bluthochzeit (Blood Wedding)
- Composer: Wolfgang Fortner (1907-1987)
- Based On: Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) by Federico García Lorca
- Libretto: Enrique Beck
- Performance by: Württemberg State Opera Stuttgart
- Conductor: Ferdinand Leitner
- Main Cast:Orchestra and Chorus: Württemberg State Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Stuttgart
- Die Mutter (The Mother): Martha Mödl
- Die Braut (The Bride): Anny Schlemm
- Die Magd (The Maid): Margarethe Bence
- Leonardo: Hans-Günter Nöcker
- Frau Leonardos (Leonardo’s Wife): Hetty Plümacher
- Der Bräutigam (The Bridegroom): Johannes Großmann
- Der Vater der Braut (The Bride's Father): Heinz Cramer
- Die Bettlerin (The Beggar/Death): Res Fischer
- Der Mond (The Moon): Hans-Ulrich Mielsch
- Stage Director: Günther Rennert
- Chorus Master: Claudia Hellmann
- Set and Costume Design: Gustav Grefe
- Recording Date: 1964
- Picture Format: NTSC, Black & White
- Sound Format: Mono
- Region Code: All Regions
- Total Run Time: 126 minutes
- Publisher: Immortal
Overview
Wolfgang Fortner's "Bluthochzeit" (Blood Wedding) brings Federico García Lorca’s poetic tragedy to the operatic stage. This work, subtitled as a "lyric tragedy in two acts," was premiered in Stuttgart and is notable for its intense, expressionistic portrayal of love, betrayal, and fate within a close-knit community. This production, directed by Günther Rennert and featuring the renowned Württemberg State Opera Stuttgart, captures the primal emotions and haunting atmosphere of Lorca's work, augmented by Fortner's modernist yet lyrical score.
This 1964 black-and-white recording highlights legendary soprano Martha Mödl as the Mother and Anny Schlemm as the Bride, with Hans-Günter Nöcker as the tragic Leonardo. The staging and period-accurate costumes, designed by Gustav Grefe, enhance the narrative’s stark emotional landscape. Fortner’s adaptation retains the essence of Lorca’s original play, symbolizing themes of life, death, and destiny through dramatic choruses, instrumental sections, and minimalist, haunting visuals.
Interesting Facts
- Based on a Spanish Classic: Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding is one of Spain’s most famous tragedies, revolving around family honor and doomed love.
- Rare Performance: Fortner’s Bluthochzeit is a rare gem in the operatic repertoire, known for its dark, modernist score that is both evocative and hauntingly beautiful.
- Legendary Performers: Martha Mödl, celebrated for her intense dramatic roles, brings her powerful stage presence to the role of the Mother, capturing the essence of grief and vengeance central to Lorca’s play.
- Historical Recording: Filmed in 1964, this production provides a glimpse into German opera staging of the mid-20th century, with stark black-and-white visuals enhancing the intensity of Lorca’s themes.
Track Highlights
- Act I: Introduction of the family conflict and the forbidden love between the Bride and Leonardo.
- Act II: The dramatic and fateful confrontation in the forest, led by symbolic figures such as Death and the Moon.
- Finale: The tragic resolution, where destiny and vengeance culminate in irreversible loss.
Publisher
Immortal
Hashtags
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