Mozart 22 Die Entführung aus dem Serail (2006– ) Online

The Mozart 22 series is not all bad. It was an ambitious project and an interesting one. I thoroughly enjoyed Mitradate Re De Ponto, Sogno Di Scipione, Idomeneo and Cosi Fan Tutte, and while they had major problems Don Giovanni, Le Nozze Di Figaro and Die Zauberflote were watchable. I do consider though this Salzburg production of Die Entfuhrung Aus Dem Serail to be down there along with Acanio in Alba and Zaide as one of the worst of the series.

Is it all bad? No it isn't. The orchestral playing and chorus are crisp and energetic and the conducting does at least show an understanding of the Mozartian style and also a sense of poetry and musicality. I also found Charles Castronovo's Belmonte to be stylishly sung if perhaps not as lyric as one would want(his voice is more suited to Alfredo Germont, Duke of Mantua and even Cavaradossi) and Valentina Faracca's Blonde charming with a beautiful tone to her voice even with an occasional lack of control to her higher register. Dietmar Kerschbaum as Pedrillo is solid and sung musically if not exceptional, I did get the sense that he was underwhelmed by having to do too much.

The performances of Konstanze and Osmin though were disappointing. Laura Aikin had a very acidic tone to her voice and her phrasing is rather strident. She is also very awkward on stage. Franz Hawlata is actually not as bad, he does have a handsome voice and thankfully resists the temptation to bark. Where he is let down is that his basso notes, and the role of Osmin is full of them right from low Cs and Ds, lack warmth and sonority, and his stage presence lacks the funny and ominous quality that Osmin should do. I think Herheim is to blame, as Hawlata has brought both qualities before in productions that are much better staged than this one.

Which brings me to the rest of the production. Anybody who is wondering why I have not mentioned Bassa Selim will be shocked to know that he isn't even in this production, and as of now I have yet to see an explanation as to why as I cannot see an obvious reason. But that is not the worst part. The production is very overdone, and I didn't care for the look of it either. The sets are ugly and you are never sure what time or place it is meant to be set in, while in terms of costumes I didn't see the point in the tuxedos and bridal gowns or to have Osmin dressed as a priest at one point. The staging is both irrelevant and disgusting, only the touch with Blonde being replaced by a girl worked remotely. The rest is meaningless and doesn't add anything to the concept or the opera, and consists too much of gratuitous violence and crude sex.

But what was also disappointing is that it is just not funny or interesting. None of Mozart's themes of battle of the sexes and mixed cultures are even touched upon, while the dialogue feels stilted and the story lacks any kind of structure. The funny aspects are unfunny and forced and the dramatic aspects lack any sense of life or motivation. On the whole, if it wasn't for most of the musical values this Entfuhrung was a disaster. 3/10 Bethany Cox