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Featured artist
Catarina Ligendza
This week we are looking back at the career of Swedish dramatic soprano Catarina Ligendza. Born in Stockholm to soprano Brita Hertzberg and tenor Einar Beyron, she went on to sing at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, La Scala and the Bayreuth Festival, where she became particularly admired for her Wagner roles, including Brünnhilde and Isolde. She was a favorite collaborator of Carlos Kleiber, particularly in the role of Isolde.
In celebration, we are offering 40% off all of her recordings.
Catarina Ligendza
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Free Streaming Recordings
Every week we offer 12 new titles available to stream for free
Compilation: Amy Shuard
Excerpts from Macbeth, Walküre, Götterdämmerung, Katya Kabanova, Tristan & more
Compilation: Anne Evans
Excerpts from Temistocle, Die Fledermaus, Dalibor, La Traviata, Lohengrin, Walküre, Elektra & Die Frau ohne Schatten
Compilation: Martina Arroyo in Concert
Amsterdam, 1967. BONUS: Martina Arroyo Sings Verdi
Donizetti: Maria Stuarda (In English)
Baker, Tinsley, Erwin, Garrard; Mackerras. London, 1973
Mozart: Così fan tutte (In English)
Harwood, Baker, Curragh, Westi, Van Der Bilt, Shirley-Quirk; Gibson. Glasgow, 1969
Spotlight: George London
From Our Collectors
Five-Star Reviews
Opera lovers share their discoveries from the catalogue.
Brilliant right from the start
“I believe this performance was the very first time that Callas ever performed the role of Medea, and her mastery of the role, both musically and dramatically, is extraordinarily complete. Nothing in any of her later recorded performances of the role surpasses what she achieves here, except for the extra venom she conveys in the Dallas performance at the end of the decade. Barbieri performs beautifully in the role of Neris, and it is interesting to hear Tucci performing in the same cast as Callas. Gui was outstanding in everything I have ever heard him conduct.”
White Hot Performance in Very Good Sound!
“I didn't expect this performance to be much more than a curiosity, but it's actually one of what I like to call Opera Depot's Sleepers. Eileen Schauler (who just passed away last April at the age of 92) was one of the NYCO's leading divas back in the 60's and 70's and rightly so. She gives a tremendous performance as Tosca, her voice rich and steady, the top blazing and confident. This Tosca is no push-over: the murder scene is ferocious and her scream when she discovers her lover's death rivals Birgit Nilsson's. She fudges the end of "Vissi d'arte" by running out of breath after the top B-flat, but she wouldn't be the first soprano who had that difficulty. Overall, a thrilling, diva-in-the-best-sense performance!Some young tenor named Placido Domingo sings a very fine Cavaradossi and Chester Ludgin is a snake-like Scarpia, another singer who, like Schauler had little, if any, recording career. The performance is very well conducted by R. Jensen. It sounds like there had been some rehearsal as the stage and pit are well-coordinated. The voices are very clearly heard and the English translation is a faithful and singable one. There are a few minor glitches in the tape source, but they are not really a problem.If you love Tosca and/or these singers, this is a necessary acquisition.”
Excellent. Was thinking of attending
“Excellent. Was thinking of attending when it was first announced. I'm a huge Resnik fan and she doesn't disappoint. Add King and Borkh at the top of their game under Solti and you get one truly memorable Frau. I'd have wanted the sound to be as memorable but it more than puts the excitement across”
La nouvelle dans l'équipe
“Böhm toujours incomparable champion de cette oeuvre qu'il a tant défendu . A son équipe fétiche de ses dix dernières années se joint, après que Christa Ludwig ait laissé la Teinturière, Schröder Feinen comète alors encore au sommet de ses considérables moyens dans une incarnation d'une sauvagerie stupéfiante puis d'une tendresse éperdue .”
Perfect( almost)
“An exceptional example of perfect coordination between these wonderful singers, chorus and the marvelous baguette of Bartoletti. Unexpectably good sound!!! Congratulations Opera depot!!!!!!”
"Tristan und Isolde" at Teatro alla Scala
“Another great surprise from our dearest friends at operadepot.com. Everything is at its best in this wonderful live. "Stellare cast" and "Ottimo cast". Very fine Wagner singing, playing and conducting. Nilsson, Windgassen, Hotter, Neidlinger, Teatro alla Scala, Milan (1959) and Karajan, in Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde", another "must".”
Even more satisfying than the studio recording
“This live version of Karajan's celebrated Salzburg production offers a vivid window into Karajan's music making without the help of engineering. The orchestral detail is exquisite and this cast cannot be beat.”
David Fetz
“This was a wonderful performance. All of the cast was superb. I still have favorites in other recordings but this one is excellent. The flower ladies were the best I have heard. Probably due to the leadership of Caballe.”
exact cast
“Thank you very much for this Performace. It was the time of the Cologne Mozart Cycle with the seven great Operas, all directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. I was there as a quite young fellow.But it must be the performance of June 8th 1975, in July that year, there was no "Così".Ferrando is sung by Rüdiger Wohlers and not by Peter Seiffert.How did you get other informations?Thanks again,Martin”
John Stanton
“Two of the best Verdian baritones of the 50's Pavel Lisitisan and Josef Metternich, The former Russian and the latter German. Metternich here is the MacBeth, the voice marvellously incisive and masculine, and his MacBeth communicates an intensity expressed with intelligent control.Martha Modl matches him in every way. One feels Verdi would have been pleased with the whole proceedings. Modl seems just the voice that Verdi ordered for Lady MacBeth: dark, dramatic, not for a moment concerned with "beautiful singing". Her sleepwalking scene is startling, unique in it's intensity. Her scene with Metternich after the murder is courageous in expression; occasionally leaving the realms of purely singing for the kind of singing Verdi asked for, but I have never heard quite like this before.Theo Herrmann is a solid and dignified Banquo, and Alfred Hulgert a plangent MacDuff.The sound, particularly for 1950, is almost unbelievably good.In spite of the unidiomatic German language this could well be my favourite version.”
Wonderful historic Figaro
“I'd heard about this performance for years, and am so glad I got to hear it. There are many well sung Figaros available on disk, but this is notable for the vivid characterizations. As a Frederica von Stade fan, this is a particular treasure!”
Dag Kyndel
“This cannot be bettered. And what a bonus! (see above). The Chrysotemis first asked to participate in Solti’s famous recording on Decca was Berit Lindholm; however she said no, thinking she had not experience enough. She also declined the offer to be Karajan’s Brünnhilde in DG:s Siegfried and Götterdämmerung – upholding she hadn’t sung the role enough many times!”
Excellent Sound! Gwyneth Jones in her early years, already huge voice and excellent coloratura.
“When they said that Gwyneth Jones could have been a legendary Verdi singer if she did not go the path of Wagner/Strauss... documents like these prove it. I have the same performance, bought from another source, which sounded very bad and there were missing parts (eg. Jones' coloratura at the brindisi were missing) so I tell you this one is best. Thank you for this gem!”
One of the all-time great “Otellos”
“In the years 1970-80, the world had three top Otellos: in order of seniority, Jon Vickers, Carlo Cossutta, and Placido Domingo. They all sang more than one revival of the opera at Covent Garden; it was a luxury to compare them then, but now they represent a collective peak never subsequently matched. (Domingo’s Otello, new that decade, continued into the 1990s.) Cossutta’s voice was huge, virile, sexy, baritonal, passionate, and he was the only one of the three to bring Italian diction and placement to the part; I hear here why I adored him then, and surrender again. The surprise of this revival was that Te Kanawa, who had just sung Desdemona at the New York Met with Vickers, seemed to have a voice as large as both Cossutta and Cappucilli. It was the most vocally ample “Otello” I have ever known, and all three voices combined beauty with eloquence. This was the era when Cappucilli moved from his former dull efficiency to a new interpretative intensity: the dark power and easily biting diction of his Iago amazed. But the greatest factor here is Charles Mackerras. Listen to the astounding power of the whole orchestra under the “Sì, pel ciel” duet; and the phenomenal grace of the woodwind at many points; the conviction and sweep of the whole. Colin Davis and Carlos Kleiber conducted superb revivals in those years; I already knew my Toscanini and Serafin recordings; but I understand increasingly now why 1974 reviews said that this was the greatest “Otello” heard since De Sabata.”
Les Troyens à Glasgow!
“What a shock! What a wonderful surprise! I always thought this production had not been recorded in full, and I'm sure I have read commentators bemoaning the fact that all there remained of this was the studio recording of a few excerpts. But here we have a wonderful recording of what was clearly a brilliant performance and memorable occasion. Don't be put off by it being in mono sound. Yes, the opening with orchestra and chorus is very mono! But as soon as Janet Baker enters - and she is on stage most of the time - you soon forget about the mono. The recording is very clear, and there are none of the usual bubble and squeaks of old mono recordings, neither are there the usual distortions at peaks and high notes. Janet Baker is on magnificent top form, with a brilliant cast with crystal-clear diction.Thank you, Opera Depot!”
Electrifying Elektra
“I don't often go into raptures over sublime performances........I had the privilege of hearing this live on tourshortly after this first night and was simply blown away. I still rate it amongst the top ten performances of opera I have ever heard. Tinsley danced around the base of a giant headless statue of Agamemnon swinging on ropes hanging from the statue a physical and a vocal tour de force. She was on stage from beginiing to end - I was recently told by one of the stage crew that night that she had a refreshing bottle of water concealed in one of the statue's legs. Richard Armstrong is a much underated conductor and excelled with Elektra and the cast with a young Anne Evans, a youthful and eloquently wonderful Willard White and Pauline Tinsley sweeping all before her. The performance was engrossing from beginning to end, unrelenting, indeed. It was only after the curtain call I discovered that the lady in the seat immediately behind me had collapsed and been helped out by first aiders. It was that spell binding. The 43 year oldrecording is good and is in stereo and vividly recreates such wonderful performances.It lacks nothing for being in english - one only has to listen to the exchanges in the recognition scene to understand the emotions - at this point the microphone(s) perhaps benefit Willard White more than Pauline Tinsley.Her Dyers Wife in Frau Ohne Schatten with WNO about 5 years later is also well cast and a great performance also from Opera Depot.”
Thomas E. Newby, Jr.
“Dear Sirs:In the process of looking opver your interesting catalogue, I cam upon this performance of BALLO. Since I was at the performance and I recorded it, I thought that I would compare your sound with my Uher recording. It appears that you sound is very similar to mine, with the voices being very clear and forward. However, this is definitely not the performance of 20 April 1976 because Johanna Meier did not sing that night. She was replaced by Betty Jones, and the voice on your recording is not Miss Jones. I have the recording to prove this.I am going to sample the rest of your catalogue, and I would consider making my private recordings of New York performances available to you in exchange for your CDs that interest me. For the most part, my recordings are not in circulation, and the sound is equal to the sound of this performance of BALLO.Yours truly,Tom Newby”
James Black
“Absolutely – certain roles are made for certain singers and Dame Gwyneth and Salome surely meshed absolutely. I didn’t see her on stage in the role until quite late in her career (1986) but she was still stupendous and, to quote the Musical Times, gave “perhaps the most comprehensive performance of the Dance of the Seven Veils I have ever seen.” She really found a way to match the choreography to her physical abilities and her awareness of her own beauty served merely to enhance her portrayal of Salome. I haven;t yet heard this Munich performance but do have the commercial set.”
A great opportunity to hear a masterpiece
“This opera is a truly neglected masterpiece. It is as great as Janacek’s other operas such as Jenufa, the Cunning Little Vixen and From the House of the Dead, and to boot the plot is as zany as they come, typical of the composer, with time and space travel, probably the first science fiction opera. I have the Jilek recording on Supraphon and the BBC recording on Deutsche Grammaphon, and this one is right there with them, no surprise given the man at the helm. I did not know this recording existed until I saw it listed with Opera Depot, but once known I had to get it. It’s great to hear it in English, not all operas transfer well to it, but I think this one works. The sound is excellent. While my favorite recording overall is the BBC one, that is getting harder to find, while OD makes this one readily available. If you enjoy Janacek, getting this opera is a must.”
Bel Canto Fan
“I tried to write a review earlier but it doesn't appear to have succeeded, so will try again.Very pleased to have found this version of an opera that appears to be under-recorded. Such a strong cast with these two Queens, Gencer and Verrett. Sound is not perfect, but still very good, and does not detract from the very good voices, Would highly recommend to anyone who likes Donizetti's operas.”
Solid
“So nice to hear a young, healthy, bright voice singing the title role in Elektra rather than an old, heavy, dull, wobbly one. Silja here reminds me of Inge Borkh who is just a ferocious Elektra. Very pleasantly surprised by Berit Lindholm's Chrysothemis. I had never heard her before, and Elektra is notoriously difficult to cast with its two dramatic soprano roles. This pair made a fine ensemble.Be forewarned that there's a little distortion at the very beginning, on Klytämnestra's hishest notes, and a little bauble in the Recognition Scene. Otherwise the sound is very good to excellent. A nice live Elektra for your collection.”
Cossotto comments
“It is interesting the comments that have been written here about Cossotto’s behaviour. Charles Craig told us a few years later that the two ladies were not on speaking terms during the rehearsals. He seems to have been used as a go between , which he thought was a bit like a comedy show.”
Great that you share this recording
“Wonderful! Especially as I created editions of Kozub and Watson with the Hamberger Archiv für Gesangskunst in the past. At this time this great recording that was completely missing. Best greetings! T.”
Magic
“Thanks a lot for giving us the opportunity of being buy listening it, in this world premiere !!!!! Strauss directing !!!!!The composer directing, the amazing singers choosen. A delightful moment listening it.Thank you so much !!!!!”
Richard Inverne
“I remember the Elliot-Craig-Glossop “team” coming to Bournemouth -must be about 1960. As a boy of 9 I was so impressed by their thrilling performances: Trovatore on Monday and Tosca on Wednesday – I knew the operas from my Dad’s LPs but this was my first time live. Amazing how I remember lots of detail! This Chenier is just amazing, isn’t it? Loved The Pearl Fishers with Craig/Glossop too.I saw both guys many times, and also picked up on Craig at ENO in the late 1970s & early-mid 1980s, when he had something of a resurgence into and beyond his 60th year: Norma, Pagliacci, Otello, Tosca, Aida come to mind…and still singing so well! Who (of similar type) followed?TENORS: Dennis O’Neill was/is fine on a good night but so erratic, either brilliant or plain boring. Then came David Rendall, whom I have admired almost as much as Craig for years, but he seems sadly to have retired since his nasty accident (Google him…)BARITONES: Well, there was Terence Sharpe, mainly in the ’70s and ’80s (WNO, ENO). Now there’s only one candidate…and it has to be ALAN OPIE – absolutely one of the greats, if not a true Verdi baritone like Glossop.- Anyone want to join in this discussion?”
Thrilling performance
“Horst Stein is sometimes thougth of as a safe but not the most exciting of conductors. Here however he strikes thrilling form. The performance takes off from the start. Thomas Stewart a wonderful Wotan and as his daughter Berit Lindholm is superb. Often singing at the same time as the mighty Nilsson were we inclined to overlook the glories of Lindholm ? Was there ever a more pasionate Sieglinde than Gwyneth Jones (dont think so) partnered with the excellent Helge Brilioth this recording should be in the collection of every Wagner lover. The sound is excellent.”
A must-buy
“Massenet feels the subject as a Frenchman, with the powder and the minuets” said Puccini, before composing his version of the Manon Lescaut story. “I shall feel it as an Italian, with desperate passion.” With this recording, we get the best of both worlds: Massenet’s fabulously rich score delivered with desperate passion and superlative singing by Freni and Pavarotti. Well, most of it: the Cours-la-Reine scene is deleted, with Obéissons inserted into Act 4 at the Hôtel de Transylvanie: no complaints from me. In fact, the work seems to benefit from it! The singing from the two leads really is miraculous: Freni is luscious and the very young-sounding Pavarotti is on fire. The stand-out arias are show-stopping, and the recorded quality is very good - this is a must buy!”
Theodore Shulman
“1. The only flaw--no not even a flaw, only perhaps a weakness--is Claire Watson, who is not a great Marschallin like Eliz Schwarzkopf or Kiri Te-Kanawa. Her ordinaryness is more than compensated for by world-history-class deliveries by the other three perfectly-cast principals, Topper, Koth, and Bohme, and by an impressive lineup of superstars in minor roles: the Divine Fritz as the Italian Singer, Gerhard Stolze as Valzacchi, Brigitte Fassbaender as Anina, Otto Wiener as Faninal, even Faninal's Haushofmeister is a very distinguished tenor from the preceding generation, Karl Ostertag. 2. Keilberth deserves special mention: he's the best conductor of this piece I have ever heard. Lively, precise, together, deep-feeling but also sensible, no trace of the gooeyness which insinuates itself into too many other performances of ROSENKAVALIER.”
Reinhold Föckersperger
“Ernst Kozub was one of the most important Heldentenors in the postwar aera, but he died prematurely. His voice was perfect for the interpretation of Tannhäuser! The live recording from Munich is therefore an important document. The other singers all are excellent, as it is usual in the Bavarian State Opera still today... Anja Silja sings the first scene and the duet of act two. Lindholm‘s Interpretation of Elisabeth‘s prayer in the third act is slightly overdramatic, the power of her voice is too great. The last words of Venus in my ears do not belong to Astrid Varnay as listed. It could be Marianne Schech? The voice sounds very different from Varnay‘s incomparable timbre.”
Brian Morgan
“This 1963 Concert Version for Cologne radio of "Il tabarro" is fascinating. Immediately, it reminds one of the 1966 studio recording of excerpts from the same composer's "Tosca," for Decca, also sung in Italian translation, with Anja Silja as the prima donna.Helga Pilarczyk, celebrated particularly for her important interpretations of the works of Schoenberg and Berg, is an unexpected choice for the rôle of the hapless Giorgetta, but is a success nevertheless. The Kammersängerin does not provide the visceral thrill and catharsis of the great Italian sopranos, like Magda Olivero and Renata Scotto, in this music. Rather, the German artist provides a searing psychological penetration of the character with a precise examination of the score. As with the aforementioned Decca recording of "Tosca," this performance has an Expressionistic slant which is intriguing and extraordinary.The Heldentenor Ernst Kozub, principally remembered for his Erik in Otto Klemperer's 1968 recording of "Der fliegende Holländer" (with Theo Adam and Silja) is a marvel as Luigi. Despite such a large, dark voice, he sings for far more dynamics than the average tenor, and Marcel Cordes roars splendidly, like the dragon Fafner, as Michele. The mellifluous voice of Erwin Wohlfahrt is heard in the secondary part of the Song-seller, and Alberto Erede conducts con slancio. Opera Depot's pressing is exemplary.”
Vintage performance
“1953 must have been one of the great Bayreuth seasons. The Krauss Ring and Parsifal are glorious and rightly celebrated, but this Tristan has maybe gone under the radar - undeservedly so. The sound is consistently excellent, allowing a considerable amount of orchestral detail to come through. Varnay is in astonishing voice and seems fully inside the part, though both she and Vinay very occasionally have to signal for the prompter. Vinay’s stamina is particularly welcome in Act 3, but there’s tonal beauty as well. Weber maintains a sense of anguished dignity throughout, and no collector is going to be unduly deterred by the one or two moments in Act 2 where his vocal pitch seems briefly to waver. I’d never heard Jochum in this work before, but it strikes me as a powerful and convincing reading. Huge thanks for making this available.”
A WARM, CLEAR, VIVID AND UPLIFTING PERFORMANCE AND RECORDING
“This is an outstanding performance of Die Frau ohne Scatten, thanks mainly to Norman Bailey’s warm, noble and moving Barak (on a par with his great portrayals of Hans Sachs, Wotan and Jupiter), Pauline Tinsley’s characteristically ardent, intense and charismatic performance as Barak’s wife, and Anne Evans’s warm, feminine, poised and precise Empress. Patricia Payne and Geoffrey Moses are also strong as the Nurse and the Spirit Messenger. Although Matti Katsu is no match for the likes of Jess Thomas, James King, Ben Heppner, Plácido Domingo, or (in the 1989 revival of this great production) Jeffrey Lawton, he manages not to let the side down. Indeed, he sounds considerably better here than in some of his other Strauss recordings. Richard Armstrong’s conducting is as assured and well judged as ever – sadly, far too little of his outstanding work for the WNO and Scottish Opera has remained available. The recording is warm, spacious and clear, allowing the performance to come across very vividly and intelligibly. Highly recommended to all Straussians and Wagnerites. Robert Bideleux”
Otrllo
“Superb. Great conducting. Domingo and Vickers were the two finest Otellos of my time and he is in great form here. Along with Tebaldi and Caballe Freni is one of the top three Desdemonas of my time. And Cappuccilli is a fine Iago. And Kleiber’s conducting is superb. A very special performance in fine sound.”
The stars aligned to capture Sutherland, Simionato and Rossini!
“Enough cannot be said to describe the vocal mastery that transpires here. Sutherland and Simionato, each is resplendent, together miraculous! Ganzarolli is excellent, dark and fluid throughout. Raimondi is so striking, the omission of his arias is regrettable. Several ensembles and choruses are also cut. Santini may lack “elan vital”, but he partners the singers with care. Sound is very good.”
LA RONDINE - Portland 1971
“This previously unknown recording is a most welcome addition to the list of recordings of LA RONDINE. Mary Costa brings superb vocalism and perfectly expresses Magda's changing emotions. Ruggero is sung by Giuseppe Campora, in particularly strong voice. The rest of the cast is quite good, also the pacing. This must have been a joy to watch.”
A Neblett show
“Excellent performance. Though Anton Guadagno was not a Wagner specialist, he was a good and experienced conductor who knows how to to manage an opera. The orchestra and especially the choir are not Bayreuth level but they made an acceptable job. William Wildermann is a good but not very good Daland and the two tenors are also fine. Fortunately there are two real stars who make this performance really extraordinary. Carol Neblett and Norman Bailey belong to the best Sentas and Dutchmen I have ever heard. Bailey’s voice is perfect for the Dutchman and he is able to express all the nuances of this role. But the true hero of this performace is Carol Neblett a few years before her MET debut in the same role. She is simple shining. A wonder. Listening her singing and acting I don’t understand why she didn’t become a superstar. Due to her production this performance is really a treasure. Highly recommended.”
SUPER
“Si la perfection existe alors cette représentation en fait partie. Il y a beaucoup d'enregistrements superbes du Trouvère mais celui-ci est au sommet. Le quatuor vocal est exceptionnel. Le son est excellent.”
The Other 1970 PARSIFAL
“After some detailed comparative sampling, I’d suggest this is essential – not just as an appendix to the DG issue of the same year but as, in at least one perspective, preferable to it. Although it’s not a matter of Live vs Studio, it’s nonetheless true that the contrast is between a single performance that is flawed but intense and a composite from several performances that is satisfyingly precise but rather less exciting. My guess is that not much of DG derives from 2 August. Crass behind and rushing to catch up in the Act I Verwandlungmusik; Stewart rough and approximate when revealing his wound in Act III; King not quite on the beat in a couple of places: these moments were obviously unusable. Yet both King and Stewart are in great voice, and the latter, completely inside his role, much more intense in his big moments than on DG. Even Crass (beautiful voice, dull interpreter) shows more emotion in Act III here than on DG – though his habit of skimping dotted notes at brisk tempos introduces a parlando element into his narratives. On DG Jones is superb in the last 10-15 minutes of Act II; here on 2 August there is extra electricity, and she is nothing short of sensational. It’s a wonderful combination of technical discipline and dramatic self-abandonment in a singer – exactly what’s required for Kundry in Act II – and it should provoke comparison with Mödl for Clemens Krauss (at similar tempos) in 1953.”
Martin Ramor
“Electric, dynamic, passionate conducting of Wolfgang Sawalisch. Great singers. Perhaps has Schroeder-Feinen some wobble at the end of Second Act, but what a performer. Calio is powerful but stylish and gentle. Adam, Crass, Moll and Nienstedt are all great in their parts. Audience in enthusiastic. No wonder why. My advice: grab it.”
A great Kempe performance
“This a great performance under one of the finest Strauss conductors of the 20th century (only two years before his tragically early death) and with a first-class cast. The recording quality is equally remarkable.”
Shostakovich: Katerina Ismailova
“Die Aufnahmequalität ist befriedigend und die Sänger hervorragend.Eine gute Einspielung, die ich empfehlen kann.The recording quality is satisfactory and the singers excellent.A good recording that I can recommend.”
Anja Silja, Salomé, Marie, Lulu and some others for ever
“Thanks to Andy for celebrating Anja Silja’s birthday. The catalog he offers is very interesting and is roughly representative of the artist's repertoire, at least between around 1960 and 1975. Anja Silja is a star in the opera world. She was said to be the German Callas. I do not believe so. Callas was a great tragedian who revived 19th century Italian romantic operas. But Anja Silja was above all the first modern singer and for a long time the only one. She is a great actress and has phenomenal vocal capacities, from the soprano colorature to the soprano dramatic. I think that since a decade, some singers who have some similar qualities: A Grigorian, C Schäfer, M Petersen and B Hannigan. But Anja Silja actually includes them all by her very wide repertoire. She has been accompanied my life when listening to the opera : Bayreuth’s broadcasts since 1961. Then Salomé, Walküre, Marie (Wozzeck), Emilia Marty (Aix and Lyon), Geschwitz, Kostelnika, die Ame (Die Frau), sister Marie, Erwartung, Schönberg’s lieder, Pierrot Lunaire (Aix and Lyon). I had the chance to have some exchanges with her. What a personality, a very clear understanding of her roles. One can add to Andy’s catalogue, the video of Wieland Wagner's Lulu, Fidelio and various sequences on YOUTUBE, recordings of Tristan in Naple and Salomé in Vienna and the remarkable recordings with Christoph von Dohnanyi of Wozzeck, Lulu and Erwartung. What an outstanding artist! Anja Silja… Salomé, Marie, Lulu forever. Ewig, ewig, ewig….”
David Inglis
“I am delighted to be able to listen to this historic performance. I find the whole performance deeply moving, especially that of Amy Shuard as Katya. I think Janacek is one composer whose works really demand that the listener is fluent in the language being sung. The intensity seems twice as great.”
Superb Performance - Terrible Sound
“Performance (with some cuts) is absolutely riveting. The sound, however, even for those days, is absolutely execrable. One has to listen through its deficiencies to really appreciate this great performance.Opera Depot doesn't tell you about the cuts until AFTER you've bought this set. The poor sound quality is a known given due to the fact so many of these pirate recordings have totally variable sound quality.But be warned on this one.Steve”
Great cast , poor sound
“I bought this mainly for Chiara as Elsa and the underrated Bernini as Ortrud; if you can listen through the poor sound it’s a great performance by all the cast and interesting to hear Wagner’s arguably most Italianate Opera in Italian . The sound seems As if it’s been run through a programme such as Goldwave to removebthe hiss butends up sounding very tinny. The recent free download of Parsifal from ( Stuttgart Opera in Paris) is another matter and sounds glorious for its age.”
Revelatory
“A fresh unvarnished performance cleaned of high Romantic excess. Swift tempi and transparent textures are part of a flexible woven fabric. The voices are prominent and with excellent diction though Braun and Treptow are both lighter voiced though rarely seem to be vocally overwhelmed due to Kleiber’s sense of balance. The sound is good for the era especially in FLAC.”
Excellent Performance in Very Good Sound!
“Gertrude Grob-Prandl was one of those terrific singers who worked steadily after WWII, but never seemed to get the promotions from the right people. The big publicity projects always went to someone else and Grob-Prandl had to take what was left over. There are two extant performances of her Isolde; both are worth hearing. She wasn't as textually specific as Varnay or Mödl and perhaps Nilsson had the more beautiful instrument - though not by much. Certainly Grob-Prandl's top notes are every bit as impressive as Nilsson's. Ultimately she lacked that last bit of interpretive spark; there's no one like her today.Rudolf Lustig was a good singer, a good Tristan. He knows what he wants to do in the role, but his voice wasn't meant for it. He speak-sings his way through an uncut Act 3, just making it to the end. At least he doesn't wobble all over the place. Milinkovic is an excellent Brangäne and Blankenheim sounds like Kurvenal to the life. Böhme brings his powerful presence and clear diction to Marke, also his rather flinty, hard voice. Julius Patzak and Hugo Meyer-Welfing bring decades of experience to their small, important roles. Cluytens conducts superbly. There is an urgency throughout the performance that heightens the drama. He plays the opera nearly complete, only making the traditional cut in Act 2.The sound is unusually clear for a 1956 broadcast. Tristan lovers must hear Grob-Prandl as Isolde and this one is in better sound than the La Scala performance.”
