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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent modern version of Meyerbeer's classic
Review: Although the modern dress production with its fascist uniforms may not appeal to everyone, the story is told clearly and keeps fairly closely to the original in dramatic concept. Richard Leech's Raoul is alone worth the price of the DVD. His singing is absolutely top notch and very exciting. The rest of the cast are pretty good too. Only one draw back - French would have been preferrable, but it's a small quibble.Altogether a fine recording visually and musically.
Rating: 
Summary: No Springtime for Les Huguenots
Review: Good singing by the principals cannot rescue this production from its fatally wrong-headed staging.
The opera as written by Scribe and Meyerbeer is the story of the flirtation of Raoul, a young Huguenot (French protestant), with assimilation by mainstream, Catholic society. The action takes place during a truce in the religious civil war that tore France apart in the 17th century, a truce that ends with the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre. In the end, Raoul chooses to keep his faith and be massacred by the Catholics along with his Huguenot compatriots. In moving the setting of the action to our own times (location not clear) this Deutsche Oper Berlin production chooses to have the Catholic faction dress and otherwise behave as an overtly fascist organization.
This seriously distorts the drama. The worldly charms of Catholic society, a serious temptation to Raoul in the original staging, have to be lost in this version that portrays that society as frankly fascistic, obviously repulsive long before the ethnic cleansing of the denouement. Raoul in turn has to be portrayed as a boorish idiot to even consider wanting to assimilate into this society.
Even worse is the effect this change has on the "outer drama", the way the drama interacts with the audience. This contemporary version certainly achieves a certain shock value, some recognition of the possibility of such primitive barbarism in our advanced society, merely by staging the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in contemporary dress. But that shock is superficial, stands little chance of penetrating deeply into an audience that, after the experience of this past century, will never be tempted to identify with, to recognize itself in, any group of people dressed like fascists. Only if the audience can be lulled into sympathy and identification with people who seem so civilized and urbane at the outset, but are led step by step (in stages sadly familiar) to turn to ethnic cleansing to solve their problems, can this drama create the catharsis of fear of which it is capable if competently staged, acted and sung.
Rating:
Summary: No Springtime for Les Huguenots
Review: Good singing by the principals cannot rescue this production from its fatally wrong-headed staging.
The opera as written by Scribe and Meyerbeer is the story of the flirtation of Raoul, a young Huguenot (French protestant), with assimilation by mainstream, Catholic society. The action takes place during a truce in the religious civil war that tore France apart in the 17th century, a truce that ends with the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre. In the end, Raoul chooses to keep his faith and be massacred by the Catholics along with his Huguenot compatriots. In moving the setting of the action to our own times (location not clear) this Deutsche Oper Berlin production chooses to have the Catholic faction dress and otherwise behave as an overtly fascist organization.
This seriously distorts the drama. The worldly charms of Catholic society, a serious temptation to Raoul in the original staging, have to be lost in this version that portrays that society as frankly fascistic, obviously repulsive long before the ethnic cleansing of the denouement. Raoul in turn has to be portrayed as a boorish idiot to even consider wanting to assimilate into this society.
Even worse is the effect this change has on the "outer drama", the way the drama interacts with the audience. This contemporary version certainly achieves a certain shock value, some recognition of the possibility of such primitive barbarism in our advanced society, merely by staging the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre in contemporary dress. But that shock is superficial, stands little chance of penetrating deeply into an audience that, after the experience of this past century, will never be tempted to identify with, to recognize itself in, any group of people dressed like fascists. Only if the audience can be lulled into sympathy and identification with people who seem so civilized and urbane at the outset, but are led step by step (in stages sadly familiar) to turn to ethnic cleansing to solve their problems, can this drama create the catharsis of fear of which it is capable if competently staged, acted and sung.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Widescreen format - Bad performance
Review: I bought this one because of Sutherland's aria "O beau Pays de la Tourainne"...and got very very disappointed when I played this for the first time and it was in German...and sung badly by the australian soprano...and the rest of the performers are average and there is no energy into this performance....truly disappointed!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Just a warning
Review: I haven't bought this dvd. However, I saw it at my local store, and on the back of it's box, it said the dvd lasted about 150 minutes. Seeing it, I just couldn't help comparing with the australian opera dvd's length...And if you take not only the farewell ceremony at the end of the latter, but also all the credits before it, it still leaves *170* minutes. Therefore, from pure logic, I would say either the conductor in this Arthaus dvd production has real fast tempi, or there were made substantial cuts to the score. Also, from the reviews made on this dvd, the catholics in this production are dressed in fascist uniforms. Not only it may be offensive for any christian who buys it, but it also takes out what the public in Meyerbeer's time praised: impartiality. Indeed, peoples in the 19th century praised Meyerbeer for having put protestants and catholics on equal grounds. The two lovers are a catholic and a protestant, and both are good. And to Valentine's father's savagery is opposed Marcel's slightly pedant and hateful attitude toward catholics, and Valentine's husband's indignation toward the plans of massacring the huguenots. However, approaching the story of Batholomew's day massacre to the persecutions the jews suffered during the second world war is, I think, of very bad taste, and may miss the composer's point. To that is added the fact that the opera is sung here in german instead of french, and without french subtitles...In front of all that, question yourselves just how important superior quality singing is to you before choosing between both versions of the opera...If, for you, opera's all about voice, get this dvd. But if you think the composer's view of the subject he puts into music is important, and that what's important is before all the artistic value as a whole, the australian opera's dvd, despite its slightly imperfect cast, has many more merits from this point of view.
Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful rendition of one of my favorite operas
Review: I loved this rendition of The Huguenots despite the fact that in general I detest it when operas are put into medern dress and I'm used to French as the language used in The Huguenots. In addition to wonderful voices, the whole thing comes together with great meaning - it is a treatise against all sorts of religious fanatasism - and makes it's point succintly. I prefered this much more than the Australian Opera's rendition with Joan Sutherland, in which I felt the wonderful Joan did not do justice to her part.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful rendition of one of my favorite operas
Review: I loved this rendition of The Huguenots despite the fact that in general I detest it when operas are put into medern dress and I'm used to French as the language used in The Huguenots. In addition to wonderful voices, the whole thing comes together with great meaning - it is a treatise against all sorts of religious fanatasism - and makes it's point succintly. I prefered this much more than the Australian Opera's rendition with Joan Sutherland, in which I felt the wonderful Joan did not do justice to her part.
Rating:
Summary: An inspired, highly imaginative, reincarnated Meyerbeer .
Review: Les Huguenots, transported into divided Berlin, given by Deutsche
Oper (Klemperer's original opera house) rejuvenates the now almost unfairly forgotten opera. This production is very original, emotionally involving and with a tremendous shock value about the
cruelty and barbarism of men. In contrast, some parts are rather lighthearted and comic (eg. the bathing scene, or the duet between Raoul and the
Queen) which makes the progress of the work even more disturbing
and tragic. The Hungarian born Soltesz has an authoritative grip,a thorough knowledge of the score an keeps the opera moving
like a steam roller. The fourth and fifth acts will blow you away! The singers are very competent. They were selected for looks and acting ability as well as voice. Angela Denning has comic talent and makes her aria come off very well.
Lucy Peacock, the tragic heroine, is unforgettable.The American tenor Richard Leech, who established his reputation in this role as Raoul, sings and acts marvelously in spite of the tremendous demands of the role.
To sum up: Great theater, very memorable and enjoyable. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: TAGLI A IOSA!!!
Review: NON CONOSCO TANTO BENE L'INGLESE MA VOGLIO DIRE LO STESSO QUALCOSA SU QUESTO DVD.INNANZITUTTO CI SONO TROPPI TAGLI INAMMISIBILI (2 ARIA DEL PAGGIO/DUETTO VALENTINE-MARCEL/TRIO DEL QUARTO ATTO ECC.).IL TENORE E' SPLENDIDO IL SOPRANO CHE INTERPRETA MARGHERITA E' STRIDULO MEGLIO VALENTINE,BENE IL BARITONO IL RESTO.....L'ORCHESTRAZIONE E' APPENA DECENTE.
MA IO AMO QUEST'OPERA E TRA LA "VECCHIA" SUTHERLAND E QUESTA EDIZIONE SONO STATO OBBLIGATO ...A COMPRARE IL "MENO PEGGIO)
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