What Opera Are You Listening to Now?

[Tsaraslondon]

This was the first of the five productions Callas did with Visconti at La Scala, a production which heralded a new era of artistic creatvity and excellence. Callas had just returned from her sensational debut in Chicago and was transformed into the svelte, glamorous woman we see on the cover here. If the weight loss was responsible for the eventual disintegration of her voice, there is precious little sign of it here and she sings throughout with glorious refulgent tone.

However, though often considered a sort of junior Norma, the opera doesn't offer anything like the same dramatic opportunites for her. The best of it is probably in the three well-known arias she later recorded in the studio. Votto hardly manages to bring it to life, but then neither, for that matter, does Muti in his 1995 live recording, also from La Scala. The rest of the cast (Corelli, Stignani, Rossi-Lemeni) is a great one, but the sound is not one of the best La Scala broadcasts from that period.

After its five scheduled performances at La Scala, Callas never sang it again.

[Tsaraslondon]

Such a wonderful performance of Strauss's most popular operetta, perfecty cast from top to bottom and stunningly conducted by Karajan. I actually prefer this to the later Gala Performance he recorded for Decca. My only slight reservation is the casting of a tenor for the role of Orlovsky, but Helmut Krebs is so good he almost makes me forgive the fact he's singing in the wrong octave. I doubt Schwarzkopf and Streich have ever been bettered as Rosalinde and Adele, Gedda is a properly tenor Eisenstein, with a fine touch in comedy when posing as the lawyer Blind in the third act and Kunz, uncomfortably cast as Danilo in the first Schwarzkopf Die lustige Witwe, here finds his perfect character in the sardonic Falke. Pure joy.

[Tsaraslondon]

More pure joy from Walter Legge's Champagne Operetta series. Eine Nacht in Venedig is performed in Korngold's revision, with further changes to accomodate Erich Kunz as Caramello, which was originally a tenor role, whilst Wiener Blut is a confection of Strauss tunes put together by one Adolf Müller, having got permission from Strauss himself before he died.


Editions aside, these ar absolutely joyful performances. You only have to hear Schwarzkopf and Gedda's delectable shading and phrasing in the duet Wiener Blut to recognise a delightful echt-Viennese style, which is now no doubt lost to us. Wonderfully styish performances too from the likes of Erika Köth, Emmy Loose, Karl Dönch and Peter Klein.

[Tsaraslondon]

The music for Strauss's Der Zigeunerbaron is at least as good as that for Die Fledermaus but it rarely gets an airing outside of Austria. Maybe it's Hungarian gyspy themes travel less well. Whatever the reason, this 1954 recording is a classy affair. As in the other Ackermann conducted operettas, there are cuts, but not so many as in some of the others and the singing is absolutely wonderful. Pure joy!

[JBS]

The music for Strauss's Der Zigeunerbaron is at least as good as that for Die Fledermaus but it rarely gets an airing outside of Austria. Maybe it's Hungarian gyspy themes travel less well. Whatever the reason, this 1954 recording is a classy affair. As in the other Ackermann conducted operettas, there are cuts, but not so many as in some of the others and the singing is absolutely wonderful. Pure joy!

I have the Clemens Krauss recording. You're right about the quality of the music, but I think the plot impedes it: to me it seems chaotic and incoherent. It's better to listen to it with no idea of what's supposed to be happening on stage.

[KevinP]

Ravel's L'Heure Espagnole. Although I have a recording, this was my time to sit down and watch it, despite its brevity.

https://youtu.be/F8ZFlx8jRjo

[Tsaraslondon]

Every now and then I pull out my recording of Arabella in the hope I will enjoy it more. My favourite Strauss opera is Der Rosenkavalier which, though it has its tedious moments, has at its centrre one of the greatest characters in opera in the Marschallin. The problem with Arabella, it seems to me, is that Arabella herself is a bit of a prig. I don't warm to her at all, for all that she gets some gloriously lyrical music to sing, and in fact the most likeable characters turn out to be Zdenka and Matteo. The plot is pretty silly too, though plenty of operas survive silly plots. This one never does for me.


This is a very good recording indeed, with that experienced Straussian Sawallisch bringing out far more of the lyricism in the score than Solti does on his recording with Della Casa. Fischer-Dieskau is no doubt a bit over-the-hill as Mandryka and tends to bark sometimes, but Varady is a beautiful, creamy voiced Arabella and Donath thoroughly sympathetic Zdenka, though a little more contrast in their two voices would have been desirable. Schwarzkopf recorded excerpts from the opera with the superb Mandryka of Josef Metternich and I'm beginning to think that maybe that's all I need of the opera. There seems to me to be quite a bit of superfluous music in the piece and the Fiakermilli stuff I can certainly do without.

[Tsaraslondon]

I've only once seen Ariadne auf Naxos on stage, in a visually splendid Glyndebourne Touring production. I was only nineteen and I really loved it, though how much that had to do with the music and how much with the spectacular production it's hard to say.

Nowadays I have rather equivocal feelings about it, even in such a wonderful performance as this one. The Prologue is, I think, practically flawless with hardly a wasted note and the various characters wonderfully characterised. It could almost stand on its own as a one act piece. Unfortunately the opera itself is not qute on the same level, though there is some wonderful music for Ariadne herself, especially as sung here by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, who recently won an Es gibt ein Reich competition on another forum I belong to. On the other hand I find some of the music for Zerbinetta and her cohorts rather outstays its welcome, even Zerbinetta's Grossmächtige Prinzessin and even when it's sung with such sparkle and charm as it is here by Rita Streich. Rudolf Schock is the only slightly weak link in the cast, being somewhat dry of voice, and in any case he gets some of the least interesting music to sing.

The Prologue is dominated by Irmgard Seefried's impetuously adorable composer, but has some great characterisations from the other singers as well, with Schwarzkopf and Schock hilariously sending themselves up. A special mention for Alfred Neugebauer in the speaking role of the Major-Domo, who delivers his dialogue with such clarity that anyone with even a passing acquaintance of the language should be able to understand him. Legge's production is also at its finest here too.

This is a classic recording in superb 1954 mono sound and I can't imagine the performance ever being bettered.

[Biffo]

I've only once seen Ariadne auf Naxos on stage, in a visually splendid Glyndebourne Touring production. I was only nineteen and I really loved it, though how much that had to do with the music and how much with the spectacular production it's hard to say.

Nowadays I have rather equivocal feelings about it, even in such a wonderful performance as this one. The Prologue is, I think, practically flawless with hardly a wasted note and the various characters wonderfully characterised. It could almost stand on its own as a one act piece. Unfortunately the opera itself is not qute on the same level, though there is some wonderful music for Ariadne herself, especially as sung here by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, who recently won an Es gibt ein Reich competition on another forum I belong to. On the other hand I find some of the music for Zerbinetta and her cohorts rather outstays its welcome, even Zerbinetta's Grossmächtige Prinzessin and even when it's sung with such sparkle and charm as it is here by Rita Streich. Rudolf Schock is the only slightly weak link in the cast, being somewhat dry of voice, and in any case he gets some of the least interesting music to sing.

The Prologue is dominated by Irmgard Seefried's impetuously adorable composer, but has some great characterisations from the other singers as well, with Schwarzkopf and Schock hilariously sending themselves up. A special mention for Alfred Neugebauer in the speaking role of the Major-Domo, who delivers his dialogue with such clarity that anyone with even a passing acquaintance of the language should be able to understand him. Legge's production is also at its finest here too.

This is a classic recording in superb 1954 mono sound and I can't imagine the performance ever being bettered.

My feelings are almost diametrically opposite - I find the Prologue tedious and quite often just listen to the Opera. I also have the Kempe recording and can't choose between the two. I have a DVD of a Met production, conducted by Levine with Jessye Norman a fine Ariadne.

[Tsaraslondon]

My feelings are almost diametrically opposite - I find the Prologue tedious and quite often just listen to just the Opera. I also have the Kempe recording and can't choose between the two. I have a DVD of a Met production, conducted by Levine with Jessye Norman a fine Ariadne.

Well one either likes the subject matter of the Prologue or one doesn't. It seems to me that it is an excellent depiction of backstage preparations for a performance. No doubt there is no great depth to it, but it captures the backstage hustle and bustle perfectly. On the other hand, I'm not sure that the mixture of the serious, and sometimes rather pompous, Ariadne/Bacchuus music sits so well with the light, frothy music for Zerbinetta and her crew.

I've been listening exclusively to Strauss over the last week or so and I must confess, though, that my youthful love of his music has faded somewhat with age. I now find much of his music overblown and I actively dislike some of his works, Elektra for one. I love his songs, particularly the Four Last and I retain my affection for Salome and Der Rosenkavalier (even if I have less patience for Ochs than I used to). Most of his other operas I only like in patches.

[Tsaraslondon]

Just over two hours without an interval is quite a long time for a polemic on words versus music and Strauss's opera can sometimes seem rather protracted, though not in this wonderful performance. Nor at the end with its glorious paean to the soprano voice is there any doubt which side Strauss comes down on. Countess Madeleine was one of Schwarzkopf's greatest roles, one in which her gifts of verbal acuity, sophistication and playfulness, allied to vocal beauty are given free rein. The closing scene is absolutey gorgeous.


It is a shame that, though the recording was planned in stereo, technical problems meant it was eventually only recorded in mono. Other recordings have better sound, but none has a better all round cast, with superb performances from Gedda and Fischer-Dieskau as Flamand and Olivier, Wächter as the Count, Ludwig as Clairon and Hans Hotter enjoying himself tremendously as La Roche. We even get the young Anna Moffo as the Italian Singer.


I think this was the first of Sawallisch's Strauss opera recordings (he was 34 at the time) but he already shows himself to be a superb Straussian and this recording has achieved classic status.

[Mirror Image]

Well one either likes the subject matter of the Prologue or one doesn't. It seems to me that it is an excellent depiction of backstage preparations for a performance. No doubt there is no great depth to it, but it captures the backstage hustle and bustle perfectly. On the other hand, I'm not sure that the mixture of the serious, and sometimes rather pompous, Ariadne/Bacchuus music sits so well with the light, frothy music for Zerbinetta and her crew.

I've been listening exclusively to Strauss over the last week or so and I must confess, though, that my youthful love of his music has faded somewhat with age. I now find much of his music overblown and I actively dislike some of his works, Elektra for one. I love his songs, particularly the Four Last and I retain my affection for Salome and Der Rosenkavalier (even if I have less patience for Ochs than I used to). Most of his other operas I only like in patches.

FWIW, Der Rosenkavalier is my favorite Strauss opera. I'm a Straussian to the core, but I think only some of his operas are truly successful from start to finish. Salome is another one I feel is standout. I also like the rather underrated Daphne, Ariadne auf Naxos and much of Die Frau ohne Schatten. Elektra works pretty well for me, but it doesn't quite match the highs of the afore mentioned operas even though I do find its energy rather invigorating.

[Tsaraslondon]

Another Strauss opera that I have equivocal feelings about. Some gloriously lyrical music, but parts of it just sound like a racket to me, and Solti doesn't exactly hold back in those moments. The somewhat constricted sound of this live recording doesn't exactly help either, but it's quite a cast and I remember the production being very well reviewed in the pages of Opera Magazine.


The stand out performance for me is Heather Harper, whose beautfully soaring soprano has no problem with the high-lying writing for the Empress. Helga Dernesch was coming to the end of her time as a soprano and soon after this she withdrew from the scene, retrained as a mezzo, singing mezzo roles from the 1980s onwards. She is audibly strained at the top of the register, but the voice is incredibly beautiful in the lower and middle registers and all in all she is a radiant Dyer's Wife. Walter Berry is a sympathetic Barak and James King an excellent Emperor.

[JBS]

I have Solti's studio recording, but I prefer the Sawallisch which was my introduction to FrOSch.
This and Rosenkavalier are my favorite Strauss operas out of those I've heard.

[Tsaraslondon]

I have Solti's studio recording, but I prefer the Sawallisch which was my introduction to FrOSch.
This and Rosenkavalier are my favorite Strauss operas out of those I've heard.

I don't have a recording in good sound and I wasn't sure I liked the opera enought to bother, but after listening to it yesterday I'm beginning to think I should get one. I'm no big fan of Solti and I like Sawallisch's Strauss, though Solti appears to have the better cast. How's Vintzing on the Sawallisch? She's not a singer I know.

[JBS]

I don't have a recording in good sound and I wasn't sure I liked the opera enought to bother, but after listening to it yesterday I'm beginning to think I should get one. I'm no big fan of Solti and I like Sawallisch's Strauss, though Solti appears to have the better cast. How's Vintzing on the Sawallisch? She's not a singer I know.

I don't have any specific memory of her. Especially with operas like this I tend to just sit back and wallow in the music, and let the less obvious details go unnoticed.

But checking Amazon, there's alternatives: Bohm (I seem to remember that it's heavily cut), Sinopoli ("based on live recordings"), and Thielemann (a live recording from Vienna Staatsoper). The Sinopoli is OOP but used copies are fairly cheap: I just ordered one off Amazon MP for $15US including shipping.

[ritter]

I don't have any specific memory of her. Especially with operas like this I tend to just sit back and wallow in the music, and let the less obvious details go unnoticed.

But checking Amazon, there's alternatives: Bohm (I seem to remember that it's heavily cut), Sinopoli ("based on live recordings"), and Thielemann (a live recording from Vienna Staatsoper). The Sinopoli is OOP but used copies are fairly cheap: I just ordered one off Amazon MP for $15US including shipping.

The earlier (50s) Böhm sets (there's two, one live on Orfeo, and one studio on Decca, both with the "traditional" cuts and very similar casts) are important historic documents --Böhm was the defender of this work in the post-WW2 years-- and are very satisfying IMHO. There's the later live recording on DG which I don't really care for much: I never warmed to Nilsson, Rysanek is past her prime, and the sound I find strangely poorer than that of the earlier recordings.

Sinopoli makes the same (or almost the same cuts) as Böhm, but his recording is still very good. It is strange, though: it's "based on live performances" because much of it is indeed live from the Semperoper in Dresden, but the tenor in those performances was not Ben Heppner, but someone else. So those sections in which the Emperor appears, were recorded in the studio and spliced into the live recording of all the rest. Rather peculiar...

Haven't heard the Thielemann, but it got rave reviews when it was released. The problem is that I don't particularly appreciate the artistry of Stehen Gould , who it would appear is favourite of Thielemann's but I find "inelegant", for lack of a better term. I saw him live as Tristan in Bayreuth, and also have him on disc as Siegfried (both under Thielemann), and can't say he does anything fo me.

There's also the live Keilberth on DG (from the reopening of the Bavarian State Opera in 1963). Very good IMHO, with Fischer-Dieskau's Barak being exceptional, I'd say.

[JBS]

Those cuts must not be that much, going by the timings of the Sinopoli and Sawallisch recordings, unless Sinopoli used slower tempos



I also noticed some other live recordings, particularly this one from Karajan with some luxury casting.

[Tsaraslondon]

I also noticed some other live recordings, particularly this one from Karajan with some luxury casting.

I think I read somewhere that the sound on the Karajan wasn't very good, which is a shame as the combination of Karajan and that cast should be amazing. I wish Heather Harper had recorded the Empress. Well actually I wish she'd recorded more than she did when she was in her prime. She was a very underrated singer, I think.

[JBS]

I think I read somewhere that the sound on the Karajan wasn't very good, which is a shame as the combination of Karajan and that cast should be amazing. I wish Heather Harper had recorded the Empress. Well actually I wish she'd recorded more than she did when she was in her prime. She was a very underrated singer, I think.

It is mono from 1964 and not stereo. That alone might be the cause of complaint.