Mozart operas

[MishaK]

What is the opinion of this one:

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Georg Solti (Conductor), Wiener Philharmoniker (Orchestra), Ruth Ziesak (Performer), Uwe Heilmann (Performer), Michael Kraus (Performer), Sumi Jo (Performer), Kurt Moll (Performer), Heinz Zednik (Performer), Lotte Leitner (Performer)



It is the only one I own right now, but I am in the process of adding more alternatives to my Mozart Opera CDs and have been listening to it recently.  With nothing to compare to it, I just accept it on it's own terms.

Franco,

This is probably still my favorite Flute. The sound is superb, as said above, and Solti keeps a brisk tempo and relatively transparent textures. As usual with Solti, all vocal ensembles are stunningly together. Sumi Jo delivers a queen for the ages, Moll is still the gold standard for Sarastro, Ziesak is a Pamina that always brings tears to my eyes and the rest of the cast is equally strong. The only other two recordings of the flute I would put in the same league are Fricsay (where you have to deal with the Mono sound) and Abbado (who has just stunning orchestral color and transparent textures, the benefit of the electricity of a really extraordinary live event, and an absolutely stellar male cast (Strehl as Tamino is superb, and Pape is an excellent, if somewhat lighter Sarastro) while the female cast is not quite as convincing (Miklosa to my ears does not compare with the best and Röschmann sings beautifully as usual but also without much empathy for her character)).

[DarkAngel]

Amazon to the rescue with a couple more cheap ($11-12) used Flute sets for the collection:



Klemperer/EMI currently is my reference, but always subject to being dethroned by new discoveries

Since the wallet is open one more set from Amazon was dropped into the buy basket............

[knight66]

What amazing riches. So many great recordings covering all the bases, if you are not either wedded to HIP or allergic to it.

I did write quite a long review about the Abbado Magic Flute, it is marvelous. I especially like the way the recits are truly part of the momentum of the performance, coming in instantly and not sounding like they were recorded separately. The whole performance has great pace. There are also marvelous singers as mentioned above.

The Klemperer, along with Fricsay, remain my favourites. Klemperer seems to have a perfect cast. Walter Legge insisted that the recording be made without dialogue. Despite this, it manages to feel like a performance rather than a series of excerpts.

On Figaro, I agree with those who respond well to Solti. Surely no better cast has been recorded? He does not drive the music, it is a loving interpretation. Guilini is also a fond favourite, his cast the equal and his ensemble sounding natural and as though they had worked together endlessly.

I like HIP, but somehow have not got much 'authentic' Mozart opera....I think I will just go and see if there are bargains to be had.

Mike

[Marc]

[....]
I like HIP, but somehow have not got much 'authentic' Mozart opera....I think I will just go and see if there are bargains to be had.

Mike,
do you already know the Jacobs' opera recordings?
They're pretty much affordable at www.jpc.de.
And they're worthwhile, IMHO. They're HIP, but certainly not in a 'stubborn' way, meaning: Jacobs isn't afraid to add a rather personal view to his recordings, and singers have the freedom to do so, too.

[knight66]

Marc, Thanks, I am looking round for a good price. The Pound against the Euro is not a good exchange for me. I am looking round, again thanks.

Mike

[knight66]

Marc and David, Thanks both for your encouragement and tips on where to find HIP Mozart at a good price.

Having had the Jacobs set now for about a week and listened through twice plus bits in the car, I will share my thinking.

I do have some HIP Mozart opera, Elliot-Gardiner's Idomeneo plus a disc of arias from his various sets. I had the Ostman Don Giovanni, but got rid of it.

There were bits of that Ostman I liked a great deal: but it went because I thought the final scenes were a complete failure in terms of dramatic bite or thrust, or weight.

I have very mixed feelings about the Jacobs Figaro. There is a lot I like. But having thought about what I don't like, I think it is best explained as follows...with a Hollywood cliche.

There is the scene in 'The Shawshank Redemption' where the prison all stops as the magical sound of Mozart's duet 'Su l'aria; Che soave zeffretto' wafts over the buildings and yards. People are stopped in their tracks as they listen in rapt attention. It is a plot device, probably would never happen, but watching the film it seems not just believeable, but I also entered that rapt space of peace and as in the film itself, the feeling was sustained after the duet was finished.

The recording used was Bohm, the singers Janowitz and Mathis. That duet was timed at 3.13, a blissful 3.13. How does this new recording do against that?

Well, total failure in my books, but then possibly the drama and flow of the act is better served by the relatively pedestrian treatment, it is more integrated, but no magic that I can detect in the 2.55 it takes. I don't think this is just about the speed, 18 seconds shorter, but the phrasing is penny plain, the tone on the notes is not developed within the longer notes. I am not looking for treacle, do we now think that is what Bohm and his ilk poured over Mozart? There is no heartstopping beauty and I think this music ought to convey that very thing. Look at the words, it is about whispering, gentle breezes.

It does not help that the countess has a voice I actively dislike. Gens is much admired, but her top notes are hooted, her middle notes sound thick. I don't think her voice is integrated. Her two main arias are I think the least satisfactory of the entire performance...(well, apart from the Barbarina, acidic tone and the notes bulge). So, those elevated moments that I look for are absent almost entirely. I would have much preferred Ciofi as the Countess. I don't respond positively to Gens at all. What is it that gains her her reputation? Does anyone here get something out of her voice that I cannot hear?

Most of the tempi are very sane, some are a push for comic reasons and the singers cope well. The men are a strong team, if not having the kind of immediately identifiable voices I prize so much. I like the overall pacing, the orchestra sound is fresh, I like the acoustic. The voices are nicely forward.

Another litmus test passage is the act 4 reconciliation ensemble, a stunning piece that should melt the heart. Track 21 at 3.15 here. Well it is beautifully poised, but I hear Gens as being out of tune! The hush, the pacing all there.

What does it boil down to then...I am old fashioned, I don't like one choice of casting, I can't get 'with' the less artful approach now adopted.

Could be.

But I will persist and I will listen again, and again.

Mike

[DavidRoss]

Quite understandable, Mike.  We listen for different things, value and respond differently according to our interests.  What I prize most about Jacobs's Mozart is the sound and "attitude" of the orchestra.  To me he's first rate--exciting and beautifully judged...and the singers are good enough--though I definitely prefer Bonney and Auger, or Schwarzkopf & Moffo.  The same with his Cosi: as much as I enjoy others--especially Böhm's with Schwarzkopf & Ludwig--Jacobs's orchestra beats every other that I know. 

You, as a singer, weight things differently.  The vocal performances take precedence.  Perhaps we ought keep one anothers' predilections firmly in mind when weighing their judgments. 

BTW, I just listened to a few recordings of Su l'aria, all under 3 minutes, and though I find magic in them all, none quite match the otherworldly beauty I recall from the recording in the film you mention.  And though I understand how important it can be that a favorite passage measure up, I feel that the outstanding qualities in this 3 hour recording more than outweigh occasional disappointments. 

[knight66]

That all sounds like sense to me David. I agree the orchestra is excellent.

Mike

[Elgarian]

Dark Angel sang the praises of this earlier in this thread:



I've just finished watching it, and I am stunned. Surely one of the best two or three opera DVDs I have ever seen. The acting is superb - I believed in those people; their responses seemed perfectly to cohere with the drama, and with the music - generating laughter one moment, but tears never being very far away.

Beautifully sung; beautifully acted; sets that are simple but wonderfully atmospheric. I shall watch and listen to this again and again.

Try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wi7UsXW1As&feature=related

and this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuhHb2ElpCA&feature=related

(There are lots more samples on youtube.)

[DarkAngel]

Elgarian
A great find indeed......

The important thing for me is having a great DVD version of the opera now makes all my CD versions make
much more sense since I can visualize the scence of each aria, a reference to assist with CD listening

I need to post more info in this thread, I must have purchased 20+ Mozart operas last few months......

[Daidalos]

Dark Angel sang the praises of this earlier in this thread:



I've just finished watching it, and I am stunned. Surely one of the best two or three opera DVDs I have ever seen. The acting is superb - I believed in those people; their responses seemed perfectly to cohere with the drama, and with the music - generating laughter one moment, but tears never being very far away.

Beautifully sung; beautifully acted; sets that are simple but wonderfully atmospheric. I shall watch and listen to this again and again.

Try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wi7UsXW1As&feature=related

and this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuhHb2ElpCA&feature=related

(There are lots more samples on youtube.)

Yeah, I love that interpretation as well. Initially, I acquired it through -- ahem! -- somewhat less than legal methods, but having realised just how great the interpretation was (and how garbled the audio and video happened to become in the middle of Despina's first aria), I despaired for a short while and then ran out to buy it on DVD. Well spent money, I say.

[DavidW]

It was either this thread or the dedicated Magic Flute thread but one or both led me to purchase the Bohm recording of The Magic Flute with this amazing list of great artists including DFD, Hans Hotter, Wunderlich, etc and the performances are stellar.  By letting the music breath, I feel that it's dramatic and the BPO's playing is very nuanced.  So thank you for that, it is a cool bargain find!

However... the sound is dated, quite dated.  Perhaps this is the result of my listening so much through headphones but I find the lack of clarity and the high noise floor annoying.  So let me bring this thread back to life once again to ask what recordings would you rec for The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni that are

(a) in modern sound
(b) affordable, that is to say not $50
(c) has the emotional depth of Bohm (I make no mention of tempo, something faster or slower can be just as engaging if insightful)

If you are in the camp of Bohm is stodgy, tell me what I'm missing because I only have two other Mozart operas in my collection.

[knight66]

I don't really consider Abbado to be a great Mozartian, but I do enjoy his Magic Flute. I have plugged it earlier on in this thread and did write a long review, but cannot find it now. Perhaps it was on the old site, though surely time cannot pass as quickly as that.

For me the Abbado has it all, except for the Queen of the Night. She is well thought of, but I find the singer to be generalised in expression. But that is a superb modern set with young sounding, fresh voiced singers. It is not performed with a HIP orchestra, though the Mahler Chamber Orchestra are alert and lithe.

If you could contemplate a version in English, I cannot write too highly of the Mackerras on Chandos, first rate all round.

My other favoured sets are of the Bohm vintage: Klemperer and Fricsay, though Marriner has a lot going for him.

For Don Giovanni: There is the Abbado, good on paper, but somehow a pretty faceless performance. I keep listening to it, but it simply has not the personality of the Giulini, Kubelik or the live early Karajan on Orfeo. So perhaps someone else can suggest a sound-state of the art version.

Mike

[DavidW]

Your review must have been on the Magic Flute thread, I think I now remember it vaguely.  I bet I can find it again.

I have Giulini in the Marriage of Figaro, great music making as I recall.  I can't remember the sq since it's been a few years since I listened, I'll put it out of my collection, if it's the same time frame and sounds good, I might also enjoy him in Don Giovanni then.

I watched Don Giovanni on dvd, it was Levine/Met, and I don't know if it was the extravagant costumes or Terfel's performance but I loved it!  It's just not on cd to my knowledge, and thus not really a portable answer for me.

[Opus106]

I watched Don Giovanni on dvd, it was Levine/Met, and I don't know if it was the extravagant costumes or Terfel's performance but I loved it!  It's just not on cd to my knowledge, and thus not really a portable answer for me.

Despite missing one "Ah, padron," the a cenar teco from that production was the singular reason which made me put opera DVDs [actually, opera anything] on my wish-list -- albeit it's limited to the Da Ponte-Mozart collaborations at the moment.

[mc ukrneal]

It was either this thread or the dedicated Magic Flute thread but one or both led me to purchase the Bohm recording of The Magic Flute with this amazing list of great artists including DFD, Hans Hotter, Wunderlich, etc and the performances are stellar.  By letting the music breath, I feel that it's dramatic and the BPO's playing is very nuanced.  So thank you for that, it is a cool bargain find!

However... the sound is dated, quite dated.  Perhaps this is the result of my listening so much through headphones but I find the lack of clarity and the high noise floor annoying.  So let me bring this thread back to life once again to ask what recordings would you rec for The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni that are

(a) in modern sound
(b) affordable, that is to say not $50
(c) has the emotional depth of Bohm (I make no mention of tempo, something faster or slower can be just as engaging if insightful)

If you are in the camp of Bohm is stodgy, tell me what I'm missing because I only have two other Mozart operas in my collection.

If you liked Giulini's MOF, you might like his Don Giovanni as well. It is often regarded as the standard. I don't know if the sound is good enough for you. I find it to be the weakest link, but perhaps not so bad for you?

Personally, I think the version conducted by Sir Colin Davis is the one to get. The cast is outstanding (Te Kanawa, Arroyo, Freni, Burrows, Wixell, Ganzaroli, Van Allen, etc. ) and in good modern sound.

I have both of these and generally favor the Davis on all counts. Though both are good.

[DavidRoss]

If you liked Giulini's MOF, you might like his Don Giovanni as well. It is often regarded as the standard. I don't know if the sound is good enough for you. I find it to be the weakest link, but perhaps not so bad for you?

Personally, I think the version conducted by Sir Colin Davis is the one to get. The cast is outstanding (Te Kanawa, Arroyo, Freni, Burrows, Wixell, Ganzaroli, Van Allen, etc. ) and in good modern sound.

I have both of these and generally favor the Davis on all counts. Though both are good.

Agree, for non-HIPIsh recordings.  IIRC, I prefer Giulini's drive but Davis's cast.  On the other hand, as a HIPster, my heart once belonged to Gardiner but Jacobs stole it away.  Wish Gardiner's Gilfrey had the title role in Jacobs's production, however....

[Scarpia]

Your review must have been on the Magic Flute thread, I think I now remember it vaguely.  I bet I can find it again.

I have Giulini in the Marriage of Figaro, great music making as I recall.  I can't remember the sq since it's been a few years since I listened, I'll put it out of my collection, if it's the same time frame and sounds good, I might also enjoy him in Don Giovanni then.

I watched Don Giovanni on dvd, it was Levine/Met, and I don't know if it was the extravagant costumes or Terfel's performance but I loved it!  It's just not on cd to my knowledge, and thus not really a portable answer for me.

There also a Met dvd of Zauberflote which is good, but this is my preferred video version:



A highlight is the pair of big arias by Queen of the Night, which are musically great, with acting which is campy in a good way.

[cosmicj]

If you liked Giulini's MOF, you might like his Don Giovanni as well. It is often regarded as the standard. I don't know if the sound is good enough for you. I find it to be the weakest link, but perhaps not so bad for you?

Personally, I think the version conducted by Sir Colin Davis is the one to get. The cast is outstanding (Te Kanawa, Arroyo, Freni, Burrows, Wixell, Ganzaroli, Van Allen, etc. ) and in good modern sound.

I have both of these and generally favor the Davis on all counts. Though both are good.

I consider the sound quality of both classic Giulini recordings (Don, Figaro) to be excellent and I am picky about these things.  They have a sweetness about them that always makes me wonder what the big deal is about digital.  If anything, the sonics of these two recordings is a strength, and not a weakness.

A few months ago, I was listening to both the Davis and Giulini versions of Don Giovanni and think that the latter is just clearly superior in terms of interpretation.  But I want to emphasize that the sonics of the Davis performance are a major negative (and I admit that the digital remastering may be at fault - but the end result is the same). 

[cosmicj]

I love the Figaro scence where the love struck rogue Cherubino serenades Contessa with aria Voi Che Sapete
Have watched almost every available Voi Che Sapete video on You Tube, love the Cherubino character!

DarkAngel - That aria is a particular favorite of mine.  Love it.