Before there was Wagner
Richard | Minneapolis, Mongolia | 08/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you ever wondered what opera was like before Wagner and wanted to move a little away from Weber check out Marshner. He would probably be more popular today if Wagner hadn't completely overshadowed most of what preceded him in German opera. Hans Heiling is as romantic as it gets. He is the king of the elves and falls in love with a mortal. Marshner portrays the mortals using Singspiel and he uses a more romantic thru composed style for the other world. The singers are all up to their roles. And the production does not betray the romantic spirit. It is simply gorgeous - and how often can you say that about a modern European opera production? One quibble - the subtitles are too small and therefore difficult to read. The other problem is that it is difficult to believe the heroine would prefer the stocky stodgy tenor to the dashing Hans. What's wrong with her? Oh, right, this is opera. If you've ever wondered what lies beyond Weber check out this delightful DVD."