Wolfgang Fortner

Blood Wedding

The opera 'Bluthochzeit' [Bloodwedding] by Wolfgang Fortner is based upon the lyrical tragedy of the same name by Federico García Lorca. The premonition of a crime yet to be committed pervades the story from the very beginning: At the centre of the story are a bride and her groom whose wedding is threatened by the fateful enmity between two families. The bride's former lover Leonardo comes from the family responsible for the death of the groom's father and brother. During the wedding night, the bride runs away with Leonardo. Driven by grief, the groom pursuits them, thus fulfilling the tragedy anticipated from the start.Premiered in Cologne in 1957, 'Bluthochzeit' first became one of the most successful operas in the post-war era. However, after the opera could only seldom be found in the theatre programmes in the past decades, the present DVD contains a much-noticed and acclaimed new production staged by Christian von Götz for the Wuppertal Opera in January 2013: 'von Götz leads the committed prominent ensemble in a highly concentrated, detailed and accurate manner, brilliantly conveys the contrast between the oppressive sadness of the environment and the young people's desire for freedom. [...] one of the best productions of the region and the season.' (Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung)Language: German?Subtitles: English?Sound format: StereoDisk type: DVD 9Country code: (0) PAL / NTSCLength: ca. 132 min