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JACQUES OFFENBACH
La Belle Hélène
Helen, Queen of Sparta Vesselina Kasarova
Paris, son of King Priam Deon Van Der Walt
Calchas, High Priest of Jupiter Carlos Chausson
Menelaus, King of Sparta Volker Vogel
Agamemnon, King of Argos Oliver Widmer
Zurich Opera House / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Stage Directed by Helmut Lohner
Stage Design by Paolo Piva
Costume Design by Jean-Charles De Castelbajac
Live Recording from The Zurich Opera House, 1997
A superficial view may regard Offenbach’s lightweight masterpiece, La belle Hélène, as “merely“ an opera buffa. But closer scrutiny of this charming, imaginative firework of intrigue makes one thing clear: the story of the Greek queen who started off the Trojan war is, in this version, a humorous and satirical caricature of the vulgar, decadent Parisian upper classes of Offenbach’s own day.
Who better suited to produce a modern rendering of this work than the now highly acclaimed Nikolaus Harnoncourt, who also ensured the work’s historical accuracy? Employing a small string section, shining, colourful brass and richly varied percussion, the opera still strikes one as exceptionally modern. This impression is also enhanced by the designers of the production, recorded at the Zurich Opera House: no less a figure than the fashion designer Jean–Charles de Castelbajac was responsible for the humorously expansive costumes; and the highly subtle stage–set was the work of Paolo Pivas.
Sound Format: PCM Stereo
Picture Format: 16:9
DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC
Subtile Languages: DE (Original Language),
GB, NL, GR, JP
Running Time: 124 mins
FSK: 0
Region Code: 0
Worldwide available excluding North America
Arthaus Musik DVD 100087
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