Cheap Simplicius [Region 2] (DVD) (Thomas Grimm) Price

Johann Strauss II, like most comic geniuses, had a lifelong wish to produce something deeply serious. Parts of Simplicius come close to that goal, but then a delectable tune in 3/4 time pops up and we are back in the realm of the waltz king, enjoying it all the more because of the contrast. In both styles, the music is wonderful and Franz Welser-Most conducts with exactly the right touch. The absurdist set designs of Johann Engels and the stage direction of David Pountney sometimes call Hieronymus Bosch to mind. This production puts detailed plot summaries on the screen during the overture and at other strategic points - a good idea because the plot is complicated and slightly absurd. It is set in the Thirty Years War, and it is full of hidden identities, unreasonable rules, and sudden plot twists. Besides various tangled love pairings, and the idiocies of war, the plot centers on the figure of Simplicius, a holy simpleton like Candide or Parsifal, and his comic encounters with the realities of love and war.

The story is full of colorful characters, all sung and acted with distinction. Michael Volle is a hermit who has raised his son Simplicius (Martin Zysset) in isolation from humanity until, at age 20, he is abducted by soldiers and comes into contact with reality. Other vivid performances are given by Rolf Haunstein as a rather absurd general, Elizabeth Magnuson as his silly daughter, Oliver Widmer as an astrologer, and Louise Martini as Schnappslotte, who sells liquor to the soldiers. Martina Jankova steals the show as her daughter Tilly, and Liliana Nikiteanu makes much of a small role as a Swedish spy. So many strong performances have rarely been assembled in one video. --Joe McLellan