The film of the Johann Strauss opera Die Fledermaus (1984) brings together
soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as Rosalinde, and bass-baritone Hermann Prey as Gabriel von Eisenstein. The movie was shot in The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. Tenor Placido Domingo conducted.
When you bring together fabulous stars like Te Kanawa and Prey, a young, brilliant conductor like Domingo, and the production values of Covent Garden, you definitely have a winning opera to present to the audience and to the public on DVD. I don't see how this filmed performance could have been better.
The problem for me is that I don't really like Die Fledermaus. It's a comic opera, so nobody expects too much from the plot. However, this German version of a French farce just doesn't work at all for me. However, the blame for this rests on the shoulders of Strauss and his librettist, not on the performing artists.
My suggestion is to seek out this film and watch it if you like great opera singing. Ignore the plot, because it's tedious. If you're not a fan of opera, I wouldn't start with this movie. Yes, it's harmless and it won't scare people off. However, if you want a beginning opera that is really funny, with great music, try Daughter of the Regiment or The Elixir of Love.
