Johann Strauss: Simplicius(2003)

Name: Johann Strauss: Simplicius
Director: David Pountney
Released: 2003-01-01
Duration: 132 min
Cast: Michael Volle, Martin Zysset, Rolf Haunstein, Elizabeth Magnuson, Piotr Beczała

Michael Volle Martin Zysset Rolf Haunstein Elizabeth Magnuson Piotr Beczała

Operetta in three acts / Sung in German Five years after Wagner's "Parsifal," Johann Strauss II presented "Simplicius" in the Theater an der Wien. Neither an opera nor an operetta, it was a work that did not fit into any of the pre-defined categories. On the 100th anniversary of the composer's death in 1999, the Zurich opera house presented a new production, the work's Swiss premiere. This production picked up on various impulses from the history of the works origin, using them to create a unique version of the piece. Here, for example, is the "Donauweibchen" incorporated shortly before the end. The Austrian-born chief conductor of the Zurich opera house, Franz Welser-Möst, has left his mark as a native speaker on this "Simplicius" production both here and elsewhere.