Well, nobody can accuse René Jacobs of following the status quo. Here, in this new recording, he treats Entführung not just as a Singspiel, but as a “Hörspiel”, a strange term used to define works that were meant for radio transmission. This means that there are stage sounds (whips cracking and birds singing), the spoken dialogue is reworked into modern German, and, as Jacobs writes, “musicalized” and occasionally spoken over Mozart’s music.
Great prominence is given to the fortepiano, which comments on the action and improvises and/or uses tunes from other works by Mozart. A drunken Osmin wobbles about while the fortepiano plays a tune that we know as associated with the boys in Die Zauberflöte, and at the opera’s end, when he mercifully sends the Europeans on their way, there are quotes from the Masonic Funeral Music, which I guess adds to both the nobility and gravity of the situation.
I, for one, do not care much about the stage sounds (one would get them in live performances and they are judiciously used here), and must admit that 1) being very familiar with the opera and 2) not being a German speaker, I’m more of a “get-the-gist” kinda guy and barely notice and care even less. I’m not fond of spoken words interrupting the music unless the composer wrote it that way–the Dungeon Scene in Beethoven’s Fidelio is an example–and so I find it obtrusive. And as far as the almost relentless fortepiano nooodlings are concerned, well, I’m getting used to them, but I wish they were not quite so front-and-center, almost another voice in the opera. The fortepianist keeps us guessing, but is that the point?
I wrote in my review of the new Yannick Nézet-Séguin-led performance on DG (see reviews archive) that it was not comparable to this one, but I take that back. The fact that one is played on a reduced group of modern instruments with more “Romantic” (or at least late Classical) voices and the other (Jacobs) uses period instruments with many “interpretations” and far lighter voices does not negate the fact that it’s the same opera and that both conductors know what they are doing.
Both men lead quick readings with no lag in the dialogue. Jacobs treats Blonde and Pedrillo as far more “active” characters than their mistress/master: they sing more aggressively, embellish their vocal lines more elaborately, and in general seem as if they should be running the show while the leads pine away being victims. “Traurigkeit” is a bit too fast for the misery it expresses, and even “Martern aller arten” seems light.
This, of course, reflects Jacobs’ casting: Robin Johannsen sings Konstanze, and her lovely, pristine voice is a pleasure to behold, with its impeccable tuning and precise trill. But 30 years ago she might have been cast as Blonde, while nowadays, we have grander voices in the part: Diana Damrau, Edita Gruberova, et al. Vocally, Mari Eriksmoen is one’s typical Blonde, with the high Es in place, but as mentioned, rather than being coy, she’s in charge here. Julian Prégardien’s Pedrillo makes a wonderful meal of “Frisch zum Kampfe!”, sounding like an army general and generating great excitement.
The Belmonte of Maximilian Schmitt marks a return, after Rolando Villazon’s foray on DG, to the true sound of a Mozart tenor, and while he sings mellifluously, he does not etch his portrayal into the memory as Villazon, stylistic issues and all, most assuredly does. Dimitry Ivashchenko sings every note of Osmin’s music clearly, without ever mugging, and more–with embellishments and effective interpolated dips below the staff. Opting for a Pasha Selim with a raspy speaking voice is odd–his entreaties are actually close to touching and his rages are scary.
Of course the playing of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin is brilliant, a veritable extension of Jacobs’ arm, and the obbligatos that accompany “Martern aller arten” are gorgeous; but with all the fiddling, I feel as if a relatively light-hearted Singspiel has been micro-managed and keeps pointing at itself. It certainly isn’t in a category with Jacobs’ fabulous da Ponte trilogy, but then again, it’s not as irritating as his Zauberflöte. There will be those who find it revelatory; as far as current releases are concerned, I’ll stick with DG.
