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Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable performance of less popular opera
Review: Although this opera of Mozart is not on the same popularity as Don Giovanni and Le Nozze de Figaro, however it is still Mozart's enchanting melodious,cheerful and spirited music. It is also enhanced by the divine singing of Edita Gruberova as Constanze with her clear coloratura voice performing with mafnificent passion in this opera. Regretfully the tenor Francisco Araiza as Belmonte, although his singing is quite good apparently has no matching voice to Gruberova. His solo singing is as superb as ever, but all duets with Gruberova sounds rather unharmonized.However, by adding Reri Grist as Blonde and Norbert Orth as Pedrillo, together made all the unharominized sounds better in the next following quartets, which is really beautiful and overlay any imperfections. The entire performance itself is presented magnificently due to the background sets and the costumes which are so splendid and give the right imagination of the place of the story itself.
Last but not least, the performance in its entirety is enjoyable, especially the divine solo arias sung by Edita Gruberova, which can be regarded as one in the height of her successful performances.
Rating: 
Summary: The essence of singspiel is lost
Review: I have to respectfully disagree with the other reviewers who have posted comments on this DVD. First off, let me admit that "Abduction" is one of my three favorite operas, so perhaps I am being overly critical. But there are a few major flaws in this performance in my opinion, which would justify a 1 star rating (part for poor performance, and part for grave disappointment - after knowing how magical this opera can be). You will probably notice that some of the other reviewers' comments allude to qualities of the opera itself, not only this particular performance. I think that they see the potential here, but I would still argue that this execution has some fatal flaws.
The very essence of "Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail" is its colloquial German nature. This opera is like a game, or a joke, that Mozart left for his audience - a gem if properly appreciated. One of the themes with which Mozart experimented was the transition between dialogue and music (the singspiel dilemma). Mozart was such a master at writing singspiels that he showed that he could move from spoken word to music in almost every imaginable situation. Examine the way Belmonte tries to get Osmin's attention in Act I by speaking to the seemingly crazy man, who is singing to himself. Belmonte only gets his attention when he finally joins in song. Or the "Konstanze, Konstanze, Konstanze" of spoken dialogue that becomes the opera's first major aria (before the third name is finished). Or the contrasting way that Belmonte later declares his propensity to sing before "Wenn der Freunde." My point - which may be getting lost here - is that the beauty of German opera/singspiel is not just about the music, but how the dialogue and the music blend together. There is an excellent recording of Abduction from La Scala with Devia, Lippert, Moll from 1994, in which the interchange between Belmonte and Pedrillio is so charged with emotion and excitement and sexuality, and is so undeniably authentically German, that it pours life into every moment they are onstage. Belmonte and Pedrillo should be young, have pretty voices, be sexually charged with some degree of verisimilitude, and make a believable attempt at understanding their German lines. These two guys on this video simply slaughter the language, and they rob Abduction of its true magic. The tenors are old, boring, stiff, and sing the roles as if they are bel canto heroes (Italian in nature). They ultimately fail. And there is no worse insult that I can give an Abduction performance than that: the Belmonte and Pedrillo rob the opera of its magic by being as inauthentic and improperly typecast as possible. This is such a significant disappointment for those who are familiar with the opera, and understand its charm. By the way, the bass Osmin, sounds like a tenor singing a bass role. And he is not, by any stretch of the imagination, funny.
The Konstanze is Edita Gruberova, who is quite an international star. She gives a rather fine performance here. Some of her scales in "Ach Ich Liebte" are simply magnificent, they are reminiscent of a studio recording in terms of accuracy, but are indeed sung before a live audience. However, her German is also terrible. For example, the aria is not "Ach Ich Liebte" - it's "Asch isch leebter." Her acting is pretty bland as well. Usually, audiences (as well as myself) can forgive a Konstanze as long as she turns out a decent "Martern aller Arten" in Act II. She does indeed, but I have never been a huge fan of Gruberova (while I do recognize that she is quite accomplished and celebrated). I can respect her abilities, but for me- if I only could own one Konstanze on DVD, it would most definitely not be hers. I would probably rate her a "B" in this performance.
A few other notes: the Blondchen does NOT sing the E's in her first aria. She skips them entirely. Most people like to listen to that role for the high notes, but you will not find them on this disc. Also, Mr. Bohm (no doubt a great conductor) has a little trouble with the tempi in the overture, in my opinion. Perhaps he is too accomplished for me to say that he has "a little trouble"; let's just say his interpretation is not to my liking. He takes the middle section of the overture a little too fast for my tastes, and loses the mystery of the violins' line. After all, mystery is indeed what Mr. Mozart intended in this opera. In his times, the Seraglio and its location was deemed to be highly intriguing and a topic of great interest for Austrians. I am sad to say that this mystery is lost on me in the overture.
One last note about the production. It is very flimsy and not at all ornate or symbolic. The Bavarian State Opera (the resident company for this Munich house) is supposed to be one of the top ten opera houses in the world. Their productions and their interpretations are rumored to be top notch. This is not a good example of Munich opera. The sets are boring, the staging is very straightforward, and there is nothing even bordering on "daring" here. And I was so surprised to hear that a German audience could stand to see so many singers massacre their language (and the charm of this singspiel) on their home turf. I would really recommend other Abduction performances over this one. If you get a nice German pair of tenors, and a powerful soprano (like Gruberova or Schafer/Devia/et al), you are off to a good start. And then someday soon you could return to this recording and truly see what is missing.
Sorry for such a negative review. Buyer beware! There are very few redeeming qualities to this DVD!
Rating: 
Summary: Abducted by Seraglio
Review: I really enjoyed it. Mozart really knew how to write operas. I highly recommend it. I own all his operas. Another piece to my opera collection. You won't be disappointed. Also,don't forget to buy his other operas. You can find them on Amazon,along with lists of other fine operas.
Rating:
Summary: Probably The Last Video of Karl Bohm Conducting
Review: I watched this opera side by side with "Don Giovani" conducted by Furtwangler, another Mozart opera produced by DG. The orchestra here is Bayeriscshen conducted by Karl Bohm, a favourite conductor of mine. With Bohm, we have perhaps a little more lyricism but we don't have the sort excellent support to the singers as we have from Furtwangler. Nor is here Furtwangler's full sense of drama or power. The orchestra was nearly as good as Vienna Philharmonic, but the singers are remarkably weaker. One supposes that got nothing to do with the language in which it was sung, for it intended by Mozart to be sung in German. So, despite the recording was made some twenty years later, technology doesn't help much, even though photography is much and settings are marginally better. Nonetheless, this one is all fun to watch. In my own list, this would have to come next to Furtwangler's Don Giovani if one has to choose just one.
Rating:
Summary: A great performance!
Review: This "Entfuhrung..." is one of the best TV opera productions I've ever seen... and I've seen too many.
The quality of the music is unmatchable. Herr Bohm conducts the orchestra very well.The perfomers? From Selim (spoken character) to every singer do it awesome. Specially the Soprano arias of Constanze. Gruberova sings them quite well. Belmonte is played by Araiza. This opera is a comical work. If you're a purist or are stuck with Wagner's work, do not watch it. It will take you out a laugh or two (specially the bad tempered Osmin and the easy going Pedrillo aria of "Baccus")
Rating:
Summary: A great performance!
Review: This "Entfuhrung..." is one of the best TV opera productions I've ever seen... and I've seen too many.
The quality of the music is unmatchable. Herr Bohm conducts the orchestra very well. The perfomers? From Selim (spoken character) to every singer do it awesome. Specially the Soprano arias of Constanze. Gruberova sings them quite well. Belmonte is played by Araiza. This opera is a comical work. If you're a purist or are stuck with Wagner's work, do not watch it. It will take you out a laugh or two (specially the bad tempered Osmin and the easy going Pedrillo aria of "Baccus")
Rating:
Summary: Gruberova and Araiza in a kitsch but endearing production
Review: This performance took place in Munich when the conductor was 86. Although the tempi are still slow, the approach is surprisingly more energetic than in his studio recording. A nicest moment is the quartett Ach, Belmonte, truly uplifting. The orchestra is sensational - with clearest woodwind and wonderful phrasing from the strings. However, it is a pity that there are lots of mismatching between singers and orchestra now and then. The recorded sound is also excellent, providing weight, spaciousness and clarity. I think that this might be Edita Gruberova's best Konstanze. She was in firmest healthiest voice and not only avoids mannerisms, but her detractors won't be able to accuse her of scooping in any way here. Nobody sang the role live with such energy and ease - in the end of Martern aller Arten, the audience just went wild. Reri Grist is never in this level - she has intonation problems in Dürch Zärtlichkeit, but she has an amazing quality of being heard in emsembles wich is quite refreshing. Francisco Araiza was in dulcet voice, but keeping reserves of power. It is a pity Ich baue ganz is cut and Wenn der Freuden is shown in its simplified version, for Araiza sings sensitively and stylishly throughout. Norbert Orth is a powerful Pedrillo - his top notes in Frisch zum Kampfe are simply awesome. Alas, although he is better here than in Solti's recording, Martti Talvela is below standard as Osmin. He has poor notion of Mozartian style, intonation problems, difficulty with the lower notes and is careless about note values. Everding's staging is too 70's for my taste, but the costumes are beautiful. The actors' direction is almost unbearably artifficial, but everybody in the cast follow it with conviction and animation, particularly Grist and Orth, although the Selim is too dispeptic. There are some charming ideas now and then and, in the end, one tends to forgive the drawbacks.
Rating:
Summary: It's the singing
Review: This production of Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio is sung in German with subtitles in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Karl Bohm conducts the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra. Edita Gruberova and Francisco Araiza do full justice to Mozart's beautiful music. Araiza's voice is simply sweet and flawless. Gruberova shows herself to be a master singer, a true prima donna, in the best sense of the term. Her "Marten alle Arten" aria captures a beautiful Mozart moment in time, as if it were a dazzling little snow-globe you want to hold in your hands, and cherish forever. Although the story line is basically a boyfriend breaking into a harem to free his girlfriend, the greater message is what all the characters learn from the Pasha: Wise is the person who realizes that you cannot force someone to love you. This is a classic performance of the incredibly beautiful Mozart melodies. Some other productions have more colorful costuming and stage sets; this one has a more traditional approach, with the emphasis on classic bel canto, where you listen more for the beautiful art of singing. If you prefer the SINGING to the set and costumes, this is the one for you.
Rating:
Summary: It's the singing
Review: This production of Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio is sung in German with subtitles in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Karl Bohm conducts the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra. Edita Gruberova and Francisco Araiza do full justice to Mozart's beautiful music. Araiza's voice is simply sweet and flawless. Gruberova shows herself to be a master singer, a true prima donna, in the best sense of the term. Her "Marten alle Arten" aria captures a beautiful Mozart moment in time, as if it were a dazzling little snow-globe you want to hold in your hands, and cherish forever. Although the story line is basically a boyfriend breaking into a harem to free his girlfriend, the greater message is what all the characters learn from the Pasha: Wise is the person who realizes that you cannot force someone to love you. This is a classic performance of the incredibly beautiful Mozart melodies. Some other productions have more colorful costuming and stage sets; this one has a more traditional approach, with the emphasis on classic bel canto, where you listen more for the beautiful art of singing. If you prefer the SINGING to the set and costumes, this is the one for you.
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