Top European opera productions available for rental and purchase on Amazon Prime video
opera — fully staged opera — at home has become easier. Recent productions from top European houses have begun to appear for rental and purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
So, on an impulse, you can take in these works — and keep them, too. (There are other opera-focused streaming platforms, but those rarely allow for purchases.) The productions include rarely staged gems, and feature some of the boldest directors and greatest vocal talents today.
Here are five recent additions.
'Fidelio'
Tobias Kratzer is a director who is willing to jerk a canonical text around to fit a contemporary concept. In his take on Ludwig van Beethoven's «Fidelio,» for the Royal Opera in London in 2020, he upends both acts: The first takes place in a Jacobin milieu, amid the French Revolution; the second, however, departs from historical specificity, showing its chorus in modern dress. This approach fits an opera that has always proved a challenge for straightforward storytelling.
Crucially, Kratzer's direction of singing actors tends to be marvelous; Star soprano Lise Davidsen is truly gripping as Leonore.
'Der Schatzgraber'
Franz Schreker's music goes almost entirely unplayed in American concert halls and theaters. When it is programmed, you can often tell that it has been produced on the smallest of budgets. That's too bad, because this early 20th century composer's music dramas are wild delights.
