Ariadne auf Naxos

[knight66]

This is a favourite opera of mine. Today I have been treating myself to a spin of the Karajan version with Schwarzkopf, Streich and Seefried as the three 'female' voices, Rudolf Schock is Bacchus. The Philharmonia is the orchestra. This was the first studio recording of the piece, 1954.

What a wonderful recording this is. The actual sound is amazingly fresh and detailed with voices sounding like they are in the room with you and the orchestra also well forward. Karajan's pacing is like quicksilver, lots of it is like heightened conversation and it flows like a wonderful fast river, though never rushed. It also has a very alive feel to is, everyone working white-hot at the top of their form.

The cast is so very strong top to bottom, Walter Legge had a great ear to cast his operas from a real depth of talent. The three dryads are Lisa Otto, Grace Hoffman and Amy Febermayer, all famous singers in small roles. Gerhard Unger is 'An officer' and Hughes Cuenod makes an early appearance.

Schwarzkopf's voice is darkened from how she uses it for Mozart and she makes Es Gibt ein Reich fly. Streich makes her long colluratura aria sound an easy delight. There are passages of such extacy and of great delicacy.

I have the Naxos edition, Mark Obert-Thorn is mentioned specifically and it is stated that the recording has been cleaned up. Nothing seems to suffer, it has not that digital glass sheen, it is all wonderful and rounded and rich. 

If all this is not a sufficent inducement; there are three further tracks as an appendex; Schwarzkopf singing the close of Capricco conducted by Otto Ackermann, marvelous music making.

Mike

[Michel]

I listened to this very opera last night and have owned it ages. Keep up!

[knight66]

What version?

Mike

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

My first exposure to 'Ariadne' was thirty years ago, with Böhm's historic recording (live) from 1944 (Reining/Noni/Seefried/Lorenz). I fell for it immediately. 'Es gibt ein Reich' impressed me enormously, the way it developed from darkness and introspection to radiance. After you hear that tremendous monologue, you feel as if you have experienced a lot. Wonderful.

[Michel]

What version?

Mike

EMI, but I've got Naxs too.

[Que]

I'm hooked on another Böhm recording (hooked on his Strauss operas in general!) - also live: Salzburger Festspiele 7th august 1954.
Luxuriously casted, as you can see.



Q

[knight66]

Paul, When you say EMI, do you mean Kempe with Janowitz or the Karajan one twice? Anyway, what did you think of it?


As to the aria, Es gibt....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ7tl6uHol8

I don't think it gets much better than this.


Mike

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Great link, Mike!

Goose bump material.

[Michel]

I'm being thick, I ust have the EMI one, sory.

[knight66]

Paul, I am very much enjoying you writing in tongues.

Mike

[Michel]

What is wirting in tongues?

[Siedler]

Well, I have the Kempe recording and I love it. Dresden SK sounds as glorious as ever under Kempe and so does Janowitz.  0:)

[Guido]

Where is the infamous pianissimo high C in Ariadne? The piano high note that springs to mind immediately for me is on the word licht in "Ein Schoenes War".

Page 20 here.
http://216.129.110.22/files/imglnks/usimg/2/2c/IMSLP46020-PMLP82221-Strauss_-_Ariadne_auf_Naxos_-_Overture__full_score_.pdf

Could someone point me to the high C?

The other parts are here: http://imslp.org/wiki/Ariadne_auf_Naxos,_Op.60_(Strauss,_Richard)

(And does anyone else find Ein Schoenes war more beautiful than Es gibt ein Reich?)

There's a certain consensus that seems to say that a beautiful and powerful voice is all that's wanted for Ariadne, since the words aren't that important. I completely disagree with this idea, and find such performances of the role deathly dull - it's the music that's not good enough to sustain that approach! I'm sort of joking (it's one of my all time favourite operas), but I adore Schwarzkopf in this role for the beauty of the sound AND her textual acuity (maybe my favourite recording of hers), and find Janowitz and Della Casa a tad dull. I'm also (naturally) in love with the Fleming excerpt on her more recent Four Last Songs disc, and am very partial to the Levine recording with Anna Tomowa-Sintow. The Levine, with Battle as Zerbinetta (astonishing) and Agnes Baltsa as the composer, is my favourite recording in modern sound, but for me the Karajan still reigns supreme.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Ein Schönes war is more tender. Es gibt ein Reich is a grand statement...


Don't know where that top C is either...

[Guido]

Referred to here:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bLDaqKzJF08C&pg=PT423&lpg=PT423&dq=pianissimo+high+C+aridane&source=bl&ots=wqkbTITexs&sig=m4e_IOob8pwze8r3NOcbwb0hctg&hl=en&ei=ZTFETuHTBcfLhAeJjfG6Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Referred to here as well:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/SandH/2000/apr00/ariadne.htm

I'm wondering whether they're talking about the point I linked to with the Bb and it's just become an urban myth that it's a high C!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Referred to here:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bLDaqKzJF08C&pg=PT423&lpg=PT423&dq=pianissimo+high+C+aridane&source=bl&ots=wqkbTITexs&sig=m4e_IOob8pwze8r3NOcbwb0hctg&hl=en&ei=ZTFETuHTBcfLhAeJjfG6Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Referred to here as well:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/SandH/2000/apr00/ariadne.htm

I'm wondering whether they're talking about the point I linked to with the Bb and it's just become an urban myth that it's a high C!

Later, at the climax of Es gibt ein Reich, there is a high Bb as well. Perhaps the octave leap is at the ecstatic end?

[Guido]

Does the end convince you? The first time I heard it, I was completely underwhelmed after all that had come before it, but since then I have grown to admire it, if not love it. It's not inspired, surprising for Strauss, who usually manages something very special for the ending of an opera (Salome, Rosenkav, Arabella, Daphne, above all, Capriccio), but it is pretty - I see this scene as being a sort of textbook for Korngold, Schreker and the like.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I like the ending, but I have always thought Strauss gave us the best music early on (like in Die Frau)...


P.S. Found a high A# later. But that's the same as Bb, so - no high C.

[Wendell_E]

I'm wondering whether they're talking about the point I linked to with the Bb and it's just become an urban myth that it's a high C!

Quaintance Eaton's book Opera production, a handbook, Volume 1 says the range of the role is from G2 to B-flat4:  http://books.google.com/books?id=OMcbZkHBSfQC&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=quaintance+eaton+opera+handbook+ariadne&source=bl&ots=IyZJ7k6iUh&sig=7iTxfu-_UtBS18L7hwxgy1rzm5k&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false  I'll look through my paper copy of the score when I get home, but I don't recall any high Cs.

[Guido]

Seems like my theory might be right...