'Die Tote Stadt' is my favourite of Korngold's works along with his film score for 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (which to me will always be the definitive film version of 'Robin Hood').

It has a very powerful story dripping in atmosphere, and the music is hauntingly gorgeous, the highlights being Fritz's "Mein Sehen, mein Wähnen" (or Pierrot's Lied) and especially soprano favourite "Glück Das Mir Verblieb" sung by Marietta. There are sadly not many DVDs available of 'Die Tote Stadt', but almost all are more than watchable and even great. There is a personal preference to the James King/Karan Armstrong and Finnish Opera productions, but even with some things that don't quite work here in no way does the production's low points go as far as those of the Opera National Du Rhin production (despite the performance of Angela Denoke).

The production here looks quite good. Sure Paul's dwelling seems a bit bizarre at first but one gets used to it, but the sparse Expressionistic look never once looks cheap and is made more interesting by the projections representing Paul's dreams/hallucinations, which are so imaginatively vivid. Paul's dream, extended here, feels exactly what it should be, a dream. Incredibly evocative lighting also helps.

Pier Luigi Pizzi's staging is some of the most effective and most consistent of all the productions available on DVD. Whereas Opera National Du Rhin's had plenty to object to and the Finnish Opera had one touch that didn't off completely successfully along with the James King/Karan Armstrong production (which used a more pessimistic ending, which is controversial but to me it worked) I was struggling to find anywhere that fell completely flat. It is sometimes spare (which is preferable actually to being too busy and cluttered), but there is a constantly gripping atmosphere and with a fair share of imaginative moments, including the striking dream visuals and some of the wonderfully disturbing imagery in Act 3. It is true in spirit to the story of the opera, one of the more successful productions on DVD to achieve this, and more importantly the staging is interesting and makes sense, no over-the-top-ness, static-ness, distaste, irrelevance or ugly visuals, all of which were present in and plagued the Opera National Du Rhin performance.

On the musical front, this 'Die Tote Stadt' has some good things as well as some things that could have been better. The orchestral playing is dusky, nuanced and rich if at times in more need of more incandescence and glow. Eliahu Inbal is accommodating to the performers but doesn't make the drama dead in any way, though there are places that could have done with more oomph and a little more tightness. On DVD, the production looks neither amazing or bad, filming is unobtrusive yet captures the action very well but there is the odd superfluous shot. Picture quality is clear and sound suitably resonant.

Again with the performances, some good things but also things that could have come off better. Solveig Kringelhorn wasn't perfect, but this reviewer found that they had more good to say about her than bad. Starting off with the good, Kringelhorn acts wonderfully here. There is an intensity but also a haunting out-worldliness and a tenderness that makes "Glück Das Mir Verblieb" so moving. She does mostly have a warm rich voice too that soars beautifully at the top, potentially problematic high notes like the high Bbs in "Glück Das Mir Verblieb" (that can sound unpleasant if not done right and considering the aria the notes shouldn't be done at big-money-note volume, floated, steady and piano if never breathy they should perhaps be and Kringelhorn achieves those nicely), and she has great musicality and phrasing. Kringelhorn does have a few things that work against her. Her wig and costume age her quite terribly and don't flatter her at all, coupled with a rather wide wobble that causes too many off-pitch moments as well as moments of harshness this is a Marietta that looks and sounds older than as ideal. Another problem is her attempts seduction, to me they seemed overdone and she did look uncomfortable doing it.

Stefan Vinke as Paul is much more problematic. This reviewer at least found a lot to like about Kringelhorn while also acknowledging some imperfections, but she found very little to like about Vinke. Vinke's singing is far too strident, with constant threats and actual moments of suspect intonation, and he constantly yells and strains his way through the role with no dynamic contrasts or shade. As an actor he is erratic, at some times he is very stiff then at other times he plays Paul as almost too much like a psycho with no obvious subtlety, only in his raging at the taunting does Vinke impress. Supporting roles are better. Stephen Genz is an authoritative Frank and a sympathetic Fritz, as well as a possessor of a sonorous voice and good musical intelligence. Pierrot's aria could have come off better though, with need of more expression. Not musically, Genz's performance is very lyrical and musical, obviously having paid much close attention to Korngold's very detailed markings, but more in the acting with the aria for my tastes being played too deadpan and one-note (both inappropriate).

Christa Mayer is a loyal Brigitta with vibrant singing, while Shi Yijie is quite strong as Victorin.

All in all, musically inconsistent but quite effectively staged. 6/10 Bethany Cox