The Abduction from the Seraglio (film) explained

Director:Alan Burke
Country:Australia
Language:English
Runtime:90 minutes
Released2: (Melbourne)[1]

The Abduction from the Seraglio is a 1961 Australian TV version of Mozart's opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail and sung in English. It was one of a number of operas broadcast by the ABC in the early days of Australian television.[2]

Cast

Reception

The critic for The Sydney Morning Herald thought "it would be hard to pick a more unsuitable opera for television" than The Abduction from the Seraglio due to the length of the arias and lack of movement. But he felt the production was "handsome and remarkable" which proved that "no opera can be presumed unfit for television, provided the delight in visual ingenuities is matched by a genuine appreciation of its purely musical opportunities."[3]

Notes and References

  1. News: Four TV Opera Debuts. The Age. 6 April 1961. 12.
  2. Stephen. Vagg. 60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s. Filmink. February 18, 2019.
  3. News: The Sydney Morning Herald. The Seraglio on Television. 23 February 1961. 7.