Here are the items that we found.
Featured Artist
Sylvia Fisher
This week, I came across a fascinating series of recordings featuring the great Australian soprano Sylvia Fisher.
Fisher was beloved for her gleaming, silvery soprano, ideally suited to the demands of Richard Wagner, as well as for the clarity of diction that made her an ideal proponent of Britten’s operas, particularly in the title role of Gloriana. Her recorded legacy is comparatively limited, making surviving broadcasts and live performances especially valuable documents of an important dramatic soprano.
Sylvia Fisher
New Titles Added
120 New "Coming Soon" Titles
I have added 120 new titles to our “Coming Soon” collection, including several recordings that have never been available before.
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Bach (J.C.): Lucio Silla
Gaifa, Geszty, Varady, Hermann; Kehr. Schwetzingen, 1974
Britten: Albert Herring
MaCDonald, Fischer, Sinclair, Vyvyan; Davies. English Opera Group, 1962
Britten: Gloriana
Fisher, Hillman, Garrard, Hammond-Stroud, Andrew; Bernardi. Aldeburgh, 1968
Charpentier: Louise
Neblett, Alexander, Devlin, Bible, Riegel, Densen; Wendelkon-Wilson. 1971
Massenet: Thaïs
Pilou, Edwards, Riegel; Buckley. Miami, 1976
Spotlight: Ernst Kozub
From Our Collectors
Five-Star Reviews
Opera lovers share their discoveries from the catalogue.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
“This is a fascinating issue, most particularly for Oberlin's idiosyncratic Oberon: a rather self-indulgent performance and not the voice for which Britten wrote, but undeniably effective. Joan Carlyle is a full-voiced Tytania, quite different from Jennifer Vyvyan's creation of the role. It is also good to have Geraint Evans complete account of Bottom: he would later record the first commercially available extract from the opera, a few months before Britten's complete classic set. The Lovers are varied but the Mechanicals are an excellent team. Overall, well worth the purchase.”
Cologne 1972, not far away from Bayreuth
“The performance from the Ring des Nibelungen in Cologne in 1972 is in no way inferior to that of the Green Hill in Bayreuth, which was created there at same time.Zoltan Kelemen gives a naive Alberich, which the Rhine daughters in the Rheingold do nicely, Jef Vermeersch gives a deeply believable Wotan and Wanderer in parts of the ring, especially to be emphasized in the Valkyrie scene with Br�nnhilde, which Helga Dernesch excellently portrayed in parts except the Rheingold and was a hit. Neither the conducting by Hans Wallat nor the performance of the G�rzenich Orchestra Cologne allow any flaws at any time. The conducting is stringent and both the singing and the orchestral music merge without dominating, which means that the singing can be heard without any problems.Now to the CD production by OperaDepot, it is my 3 ring production by you, I already have the two Buenos Aires rings from 1962 under Wallberg, as well as the ring from 1967 under Leitner, and you can hardly tell whether the pressings of a CD manufacturer or you were pressed onto CD, and I believe I can form an opinion, because the K�lner Ring is my 55 complete edition of the work.It is always a pleasure to do business with you, the delivery from the USA to Germany was made within 8 working days.”
William Fregosi
“I bought this Lohengrin specifically for Victoria de los Angeles whose Elsa I had wanted for some while and I wasn't disappointed. She presents a very young, sweet girl, a traditional Elsa (this was 1964 -- the Elsas who ask the forbidden questions boldly and then embrace Ortrud in the last scene were decades away), and she is in beautiful voice, the top soaring.”
JÁNOS KÁDÁR
“beautiful performance due to the great singers. As it is expected Tebaldi is not really adequate in the first act but breathtaking in the further parts. Her "Un bel di vedremo" is one of the most wonderful performances I have ever heard. Both Raimondi and Valdengo are excellent in their roles. Angelo Questa leads a brisk and dramatic performance”
AMONG THE 3 BEST BAYREUTH RINGS!
“In the decades following Wieland Wagner’s death, Stein was a huge stabilizing factor at the Bayreuth Festival. After Böhm and Nilsson withdrew from Wieland’s RING, Wolfgang’s earlier one was revived in 1970, and Stein played the rescuer as he frequently did during his underpublicized career. He leads a swift, exciting cycle that’s often more cleanly executed than the familiar Böhm recordings issued by Philips—compare the shapeless string crescendi in the latter’s Rhine Journey.As for Stein’s cast, it’s likewise better balanced, the old hands always impressive here: Höffgen’s Erda was still the most sonorous around, Neidlinger’s Alberich even richer and firmer than on Decca’s pioneering SIEGFRIED (try “dann zittre der Helden”). Meanwhile Ridderbusch has taken over Fasolt, Hunding & Hagen, and it’s a relief to hear him call up the vassals with quality singing rather than Greindl’s belting and blaring. Two others from the later generation are also remarkable. In his 4th Bayreuth season as Wotan, Stewart offers an array of valuable assets: stamina … volatile temperament … handsome midrange … ringing top … lucid diction … lovely mezza-voce effects (e.g., “Wen ich liebe” in SIEGFRIED II) ... and power exactly where needed, from D4 to F4 in the ragings of WALKÜRE III ii; here he rides the orchestra with a fire and security beyond heavier voices (contrast the Teldec set, where Tomlinson is strained, under pitch, and behind the beat). In sum Stewart is the nearest thing to an all-embracing Wotan since Hotter in the 1940s. Lindholm (Brünnhilde) was Stein’s second ace in the hole—a true hochdramatisch soprano in prime estate and an authentic alternative to Nilsson: fluent top notes, centered intonation, plus a rounder, warmer sound with an enriching yet well-regulated vibrato. Compare her “Heil dir, Sonne!” with Nilsson’s on Philips: Lindholm is better tuned, steadier, more radiant, all characteristics of her work back then. True, her low notes are wiry at times, and her career achievement can’t match Nilsson’s, but her 1970 Brünnhilde is the genuine article and a continual pleasure. The other newbies are less exceptional though still of interest. Gwyneth Jones’s vocal problems began in 1970, both with Kundry on DG’s PARSIFAL under Boulez and here with Sieglinde. She’s restrained and lovely until I iii, then the upper middle turns tremulous when she pushes (e.g., the F#5 on “bis zum Heft”), and in Act II she can be screechy and scratchy, regaining some control in Act III. In the main she’s no less listenable than Rysanek, “Du bist der Lenz” and “O hehrstes Wunder” being largely attractive, but the firm, fresh instrument of the 1960s was never to return.Cox (Siegfried) has similar problems around the passaggio—raw tone on open vowels plus scooping and sliding. Elsewhere he is bright in timbre, energetic, phrases smartly, and woos Brünnhilde with plenty of voice left; and while Windgassen regularly made a hash of “Schmiede, mein Hammer,” Cox is vastly more adroit as both blacksmith and percussionist. Among the other tenors, Kollo is deluxe casting as Froh … Paskuda has patches of sagging pitch but furnishes more actual singing than many a Mime … Esser (Loge) owns a B-list heldentenor with, even so, more sound than the demigod often gets … and Brilioth’s Siegmund is intense and imaginative, through squeezing and struggling at the climax of the Todesverkundigung. Finally, we’re blessed with several major voices in minor roles: Bailey and Martin as the Gibichung siblings, Reynolds as a shrewdly etched Fricka and Waltraute, Bode as a full-throated Woodbird, the young Rundgren as a Fafner with all the low notes. In short this is a rousing, tightly knit, potently sung cycle, among Bayreuth RINGs superior to the erratically cast Philips set, and, thanks to its Wotan and Brünnhilde, in a class with Keilberth 1955 and Krauss 1953. Opera Depot’s sonics—mono in the first two works, stereo in the rest—are clear but without atmosphere or aroma. However they’ll do till Orfeo gets around to an audiophile issue of the Bavarian Radio tapes. For the performance alone this easily rates 5 stars.—F. P. WalterAlbuquerque”
Zeani and Rossi-Lemeni are a Power Couple as Tatian and Onegin
“This is a treasure. Zeani pours her heart out as Tatiana and brought me to the edge of my aural seat. As a basso Onegin, Rossi-Lemeni is her equal, bringing just the right amount of haughtiness to his interpretation. Though sung in Italian, I did not find the translation a problem. Sanzogno's conducting is sensitive and keeps the action moving along.”
GIACOMO PUCCINI'S MADAMA BUTTERFLY
“SOPRANO RAINA KABAIVANSKA AS CIO-CIO-SAN AND TENOR BRUNO PREVEDI AS PINKERTON ARE DEFINITELY THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS GREAT LIVE... A GREAT MADAMA BUTTERFLY! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! A MUST!”
Robert Calder
“I was working in the theatre for a period including this production, but not present on the night this was broadcast live. The great deficiency was simply that Alberto Remedios had to cancel -- what he did in the role can be heard in a recording from the Met with Caballe. Almost certainly this was Dernesch's best performance during the run, she was a victim of what Nicolai Gedda refers to as Karajan's habitual regarding singers as disposable commodities and she should not have sung Isolde, even with the incredible care manifest on a recording available from this site. Much to be preferred in the role was the alternate, Linda Esther Gray, whose career was cut short. She was a great Isolde too, as well as stunning in this role. Baker was an even better actress than a singer, and as regards the comment about soprano roles I remember from when she retired the account of her problem, which was an unusually wide break, or passagio, so that she had originally to decide between trying for a career as high soprano, with problems as the voice approached the mezzo and contralto range, or (as she did) a career as mezzo-soprano, with a great deal of work on the problematic middle range. When it started to widen she could sing soprano songs, occasionally, but the middle was too problematic. Ms. Gray retired following problems due to abdominal surgery. Her Isolde with Remedios under Goodall was an amazing experience. He merely had some sort of throat infection, which was bothering him on the performance two days before the broadcast one. He thought it might be catarrh and in fact (it would now be illegal) came on stage smoking a cigarette, as if that was part of the role. Norman White was particularly good among the singers of smaller parts (in his case a somewhat inflated one, padded out as a fat man). Nan Christie was remarkable -- the ideal earthy coloratura, with displays of sisterly concern for the distressed heroine.”
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?”
Wonderful Otello in Russian!
“This performance was once available on the Ponto label and it's a distinct blessing that Opera Depot has made it available again for future generations. Some opera lovers will cry "Foul'" because it's not sung in the original Italian. Who cares?!? Singing in ther native tongue, these singers convey the characters far more convincingly than they would had they been strait-jacketed with the Italian.Atlantov and Vishnevskaya are both heard here at their freshest. Vishnevskaya truly sings beautifully throughout, especially in the last act where her elegiac tone and superb legato combine for a heartrending Willow Song only to be crowned with an exquisite pianissimo A-flat at the end of the "Ave Maria". She even screams where the composer asks her to at the climax of the murder scene (most contemporary sopranos don't bother.) Atlantov cont”
A frontrunner among recorded Don Giovanni's
“The performance took place either in late September or October 1975 at the Palais Garnier (Théâtre National del’Opéra), Paris. The cast was the best that could be gathered for this work at that time. Nobody disappoints, and Te Kanawa even exceeds one's expectations with her nuanced characterisation and at times quite subtle and meaningful word pointing (as in the recitative preceding "Mi tradi"), while Burrows is heard here at his very best as Ottavio, mellifluous yet ardent and virile (both his arias won huge ovations), surpassing their own selves in the Philips studio recording conducted by Colin Davis. Charles Mackerras let the singers apply appoggiaturas at the appropriate places as well as ornamentations. His traversal is marked by flexibility of tempos and rhythmic acuity, allowing enough room for the singers to breathe and make their expressive points. Raimondi, Te Kanawa and Moser would appear a few years later in the film directed by Joseph Losey, but here they are heard in fresher voice and more vivid, spontaneous vein. The sound is excellent for a live recording of this vintage, with the voices having a clear and forward presence. Overall, a great buy and a frontrunner among recorded Don Giovanni's.”
Wagner/Lohengrin/Salzburg 1976
“5 gold stars = equivalent to Excellent. Quality of the product, service and attention = Very very good... Perfect! I am totally satisfied. Please accept my warmest congratulations.Thank you so much!From Spain ; Ángel Crespo López.”
Memories
“I have the Mackerras performance which I like very much. But the prremiere premiere performance has a sense of occasion about it -a certain tension- that makes an emotional impacty for me. The sound is a bit distnt but very clear. The r I eason I wanted this performance is that I heard it on a short wave radio days after the first performance and I participated in the US premiere in Cincinnati-I think with Inge Borkh and Eugene Connely, the conductor was Joseph Krips Hearing the 1st performance brought back a lot of memories”
Why write anything if you do not understand the work ANTHONY WILLIS
“Writing a review which really has no content is better left out. ANTHONY WILLIS says himself he does not like/understand Janacek so why write an review, just silly.There are few singer why performed with such intensity as Pauline Tinsley who nails this performance. Armstrongkeeps the tension going and Barstow sings a great vulnerable Jenufa. A recording as good, if not better, than any other commercially recorded version”
Germaine, at last!
“The main interest of this record is to hear, at last, the voice of Germaine Hoerner, the most hatred rival of Germaine Lubin. And Germaine H is quite a nice artist and beautiful voice. It is really a pity that she always refused to record any disc.”
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.”
Very exciting performance
“I was immediately struck by how exciting this performance is. The singing, conducting and playing are all first rate. It’s too bad there was not a commercial recording with this cast. But fortunately, we have this live recording in perfectly acceptable sound. Other reviewers have commented on Cristina Deutekom. It’s true that the way she produced her coloratura is a little odd, but I have always found her thrilling. I don’t know how I missed this recording until now.”
Rousing
“Solti shines in this compilation. The first disc is all overtures, which are in excellent sound. They get a little repetitive after the tenth one, as I began to long for the human voice. But his pacing, dynamics and overall shaping of the music is magnificent. On the vocal disc, there are great performances, lots of Wagner, Parsifal and the Ring. Highly recommended.”
Karajan on the top
“This is an interesting document of Maestro von Karajan‘s Salzburg TRISTAN. His conducting and the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic are fabulous! The musical texture of this incomparable masterwork is transparent in a way that makes astonish.Vickers is a wonderful Tristan, but at the end of act three his voice is nearly at an end. Dernesch makes great impression with her Isolde, but is not able to hold on the last note of the Liebestod, which is very disappointing.Ludwig and Berry are top, so is Ridderbusch as Marke.Luxury is also present at the small parts with perfect performances of Peter Schreier, Gerhard Unger and Bernd Weikl.The sound is good.”
John Stanton
“This is a particularly good Das Rheingold, and a major contribution to that is that the Alberich, Gustav Neidlinger is a 'singing' Alberich, eschewing the gulps and barks that often pepper the performance of this music. It is something of a luxury to have the great heldentenor Wolfgang Windgassen singing Loge, and Thomas Stewart's beautiful voice takes some of the unpleasant edge of Wotan, probably the most obnoxious character in all opera. Janis Martin's Frika is beautifully sung and somewhat restrained, making her a more sympathetic character than she can be. Josef Greindl brings some dignity to Fafner with his finely focused attractive instrument. Helge Dernesch's, big full voice though,does suggest a Freia quite capable of looking after herself.An excellent recording in excellent sound.”
Bellini : I Capuleti ed I Montecchi
“I have already a mono tape recording of the 1966 Amsterdamperformance with Margherita Rinaldi as Giulietta. Unfortunatly,the recording is rather bad and I was very pleased with your offer because your recording is so much better technically and so is also the performance with young Pavarotti in ottima forma.is”
Mitreißende Aufführung
“Sicher, der Sound der 1970er Aufnahme ist besser als bei dieser aus dem Folgejahr, die Stimme der Lindholm kräftiger als die der Ligendza. Und doch packt mich die 1971er Aufführung mehr, vor allem die Paarung Cox-Ligendza steigert sich am Ende zu einem fulminanten Finale.”
Aragal excels in Amico Fritz
“Good sound, wonderful performance by all principals. I wish Opera Depot would issue a retrospective on Aragall. He is one of my favorite singers. Beautiful, well produced sound which lasted well into his '70s. It would be so good to enjoy a series of live excerpts from a great tenor whose career deserves to be celebrated.”
So excited to see this here!
“I was so thrilled to see this recording become available on OperaDepot. I've been a fan of this recording for several years, having stumbled upon this on YouTube. Caballé delivers a truly out of this world performance and I can only imagine what it was like to be in the audience for this. Thank you again for brining this gem to us!”
Best all round recording
“This performance was the highest recommendation of M. Owen Lee in his met opera talks and his book on the Meistersinger. I was not disappointed by this purchase. The sound is phenomenal the singers are without exception excellent and the conducting Beautifully recorded recorded”
YOU ARE THE BEST!
“Thank you again for your 1. Excellent quality- you clean up the sound and provide a time listing as to tracks of arias. Your competitors do not.2. Speed of Delivery- I always receive my orders within a matter of days. Your competitors typically take months. THANK YOU!”
The Cast is Terrific, the Music...
“I confess I bought this for Sills' contribution. She mentions the opera less than favorably in both of her autobiographies. The other singers are also very good. In fact, all the performing forces are great. Maderna was a specialist in modern scores and I think he's gets everything there is to get from Nono's wild, angry, defiant score. I've heard music like his before so I wasn't shocked. In fact, I think it all sounds like a film score, a film where graphic depictions of human devastation and intolerance could be shown. It's very effective as background music. Though I read the plot synopsis on Wikipedia I still have little idea of what was going on in the individual scenes. There is little attempt by the composer to engage the listener emotionally in the narrative or the characters (maybe that's the point).I have to hand it to Sills: her crystalline, high soprano is terrific as is Laurence White's protagonist. I'm not sure what parts the other singers play because I couldn't differentiate their characters. Though given in an English translation few of the words are comprehensible. In addition, we hear Italian, perhaps French, maybe one of the Asian languages. Sills writes in her first book about the difficulty of singing the line "The screaming voices of Hiroshima" the way Nono set it; I listened for it, but I couldn't make it out. Sills was right.The sound is fine for what this is. I doubt I'll listen to this again, but I'm glad I've heard it at least once.”
Walter Hartman
“This is a grand slow moving but moving (musically / histrionically) performances of the opera. Barbro Ericson (not a very familiar voice to Americans) is an excellent Kundry. She is secure, rich of voice and in control of both the music and the character. Vickers is in great form as Parsifal. Hotter, very communicative as Gurnemanz with Stewart and Neidlinger , experts in their roles.”
Daniel Zara
“If you forget about it being Wagner, you can enjoy this as a wonderfully tuneful, very dramatic, robustly sung Italianate 5-acter. The less than state-of-the-present-art sound somehow adds a certain attractive clunky panache to the proceedings, a sort of street-band oompah. All the singers sound at high peak, with Di Stefano especially stentorian, rock-steady, and full out.”
Michelle
“Wunderlich was great in this role, but here he spreads out all of his beautiful sounds, and it seems that the other singers, at his example, deploys new talents. And where can we find such an intelligent mozartian as Kertész ?”
TERRIFIC!
“At his entrance, Windgassen employs a haunting “mezza voce” to differentiate his mystic nature from the heroics of his mission. Nilsson’s Elsa is a guileless creation, her tone round and warm. Varnay is Ortrud to her core. Place any other beside her to pale. Uhde’s vocal prowess and control encompass Telramund’s daunting range, steeped in malice and misery. Adam, here promoted from Bayreuth’s 4th Noble to King, is all benevolent legato. Fischer-Dieskau, in his Bayreuth debut, is splendid, youthful and clarion in his declarations. Jochum’s romanticism is unabashed in a nod to the opera’s Italian cousins.”
Another piece of the Jigsaw
“The sound isn't brilliant but it cannot disguise the great performances of Leonie Rysanek as Sieglinde and Gunther Treptow, the Siegmund also on Furtwangler's Ring Cycle at La Scala in 1950, which I also have in my collection. I love live recordings and have most of the performances broadcast by Bavarian Radio from Bayreuth over the years. I have a complete Das Rheingold (Karajan), Siegfried (Karajan) and Gotterdamerung (Knappertsbush) from the 1951 season but only an Act 3 from Die Walkure also conducted by Karajan so to have this fragment from Act 1 is so valuable. Maybe one day a complete Walkure will appear but for now this a great addition to the collection. Thanks for finding it.”
Don't miss this!
“Even if you have several performances of Die Walkure in your collection you will want to hear this one. The cast is close to ideal with tenor Kolbjorn Hoiseth the real surprise as Siegmund. His is a more lyric voice than usually heard in this role but the youthful timbre and vigor of the performance are truly special. Ase Nordmo Lovberg, usually a rather dull interpreter, is here fresh voiced and more involved dramatically while Arne Tyren as Hunding has the darkest most sinister instrument you are likely toever hear in this role, he scared me. As for the rest, they are all in superb form under Michael Gielen's assured conducting, and with all in excellent sound, this performance does Stockholm proud.”
Magnificent!
“This is a rare and worthy addition to whichever Karajan Ring you possess - studio and/or live.Ticho Parly is a little ordinary in Act One and seems just a tiny bit overparted but not enough to deduct a star. In Act Two he is sensitive, poetic, heroic...everything one wants in a Siegmund. He responds especially well to Kniplova's (in places slightly squally yet still excellent) Brunnhilde. Janowitz's familiar Sieglinde is exquisite (and better live than in the studio). Christa Ludwig and Martti Talvela are predictably first-class.Walter Berry has been commented upon thoughtfully by other reviewers. I completely disagree with Mr. Shulman's comments (although he is -of course- entitled to his opinion). I agree with David R. and Ralph M. in finding Berry generally splendid - a very satisfying performance and we are lucky to have it preserved.Add Karajan and his forces at their best and you have a very valuable document!By the way, here is the list of Valkyries in this performance:Gerhilde: Liselotte RebmannOrtlinde: Carlotta OrdassyWaltraute: Ingrid StegerSchwertleite: Lilo BrockhausHelmwige: Gerda ScheyrerSiegrune: Barbro EricsonGrimgerde: Cvetka AhlinRoßweiße: Helga Jenckel”
Aida/Colon/1971
“Excellent broadcast sound, as the Teatro Colon's normally are, which finds the soloists in fine voice. James King may not be ideal as Radames but his musical intelligence wins out. Martina Arroyo left several broadcast documents of her well-known Aida, and each reminds us what a fluid verdiana she was in her heyday. Cossotto, a famous Amneris, is powerfully declamatory, as expected, and her husband is at her side, as Ramfis. Mastromei is a baritone not as well-known on this side of the Atlantic, but sings strongly. Highly recommended.”
Brian Morgan
“Here is a truly historic recording, of excerpts from the world première of Richard Strauss' "Capriccio," in 1942, starring Viorica Ursuleac, the composer's favorite soprano, and conducted by her husband, Clemens Krauß.Ursuleac is sublime in the rôle of the Countess. Her unconventional voice alternates between sounding congested and squally, then a top note will appear with steady brilliance. But it is as musician and singing-actress that she scores a triumph; the kaleidoscope of colors the Kammersängerin utilizes are bewitching.The work itself is charming and sophisticated, though, as has been noted before, this delicacy was served to the German public whilst World War II was raging. What happened to the composer who had penned the towering masterpieces "Salome" and, especially, "Elektra"?Ursuleac heads a magnificent ensemble that includes Hans Hotter, and Krauß's comprehension of the composer's æsthetic is most evident.”
Sheer delight
“I have known this performance since I taped it in 1975 and it shows the ENO at its very best. Every performance has character and vocal quality stamped all over it, and although it is in English, it has a real sense of Viennese laughter and danger about it beautifully balanced by Charles Mackerras and the orchestra. Anne Evans is a generous voiced Rosalinde (she went on to sing Brunnhilde at Bayreuth) and with the likes of Alan Opie (Beckmesser at Bayreuth), John Brecknock (ENO's spectacular Rossini tenor) and Ann Hood in support, there are no weak links. The crowning jewel is however Valerie Masterson's Adele - she would go on to sing Rosalinde at the ENO in later years - and she is a delight to hear, with a great sense of fun and a gorgeous Mein herr Marquis. Listen out for her altering of the text in her third act aria! Sound (apart from an early blip in the overture, which was the same as on my tape) is great - just get this, sit back and enjoy the very best of the ENO which can rival any performance anywhere!”
Snippets of an incommensurable artist
“Everyone who has heard of Anja Silja will probably know that the fascination of this singer is not conveyed by acoustic means only & even less so by a compilation or ‘recital’. Therefore this well chosen disc will mainly prove the common knowledge.But even if you have been not so lucky to have seen A.S. on stage, nothing will have prepared you for the immediacy, ‘devil-may-care’ intensity & fun of the short excerpt from Die Walküre (I highly recommend the complete recording, here at Opera Depot) the searing, heart-breaking scenes from Wozzeck or the desperation of Cassandre - all delivered in a way that, for the moment, you can not think it ever done differently (even though it can of course!). The early coloratura arias are interesting in this context if musically & vocally less compelling but they show already the same single mindedness which is so overwhelming in everything A. S. ever did. Her performances are an object lesson in why opera is not a concert in costume but only to be experienced as a whole. I hope that one day we’ll get one of her great Janaček portrayals (is there not her Katya Kabanova from San Francisco somewhere?) a composer who played such a great role in her post wagnerian repertoire, or her Katerina Ismailovna (San Francisco as well). Thank you O.D. again, to remind us of this extraordinary artist!”
giovanni martini
“Interpretation vivid and dramatically superb voice cast and orchestra subjugated by perfect freedom granted by the Master, the intrinsic value of each singer and instrumentalist, fully exercised in the compactness of an Absolute: that of Herbert von Karajan!”
Superb cast & recording
“The cast, the conductor, and the sound quality are all superb. I am reminded of what an absolute stage animal Janet Baker was. It amazes me when people refer to her as a remote, cool, grand, and rather restrained artist. I once saw a review of her performances at the ENO claiming that she always sounds as if she doesn't enjoy singing! While I regret that she never took on the role of Sesto, it is wonderful to have her as this passionate, fiery Vitellia. Yvonne Minton is equally strong, and in fact there isn't a weak member of the cast, although Stuart Burrows on the commercial recording does have a slight advantage over Hollweg. I recommend this set with great enthusiasm.”
John L.
“I enjoyed this performance very much. It is light, fleet, and transparent, with a very balanced cast. While I liked all of the singers, I was pleasantly surprised by Mariella Adani's Despina. I had only heard this singer as Musetta on the Boheme recording with Gedda and Freni. I would recommend this recording to anyone who likes Mozart that is crisp and clean and sung with much style and grace.”
Extraordinary: contrast of Heldentenor and baritone highlists
“Ramón Vinay became famous as a heroic tenor, for many years he impersonated Wagner's heroes in Bayreuth, and was also Verdi's Otello. Toscanini chose him for his recording of Otello, it is the only recording of a complete opera in a studio with Vinay. Opera Depot's CD combines recordings from the 1950s, when Vinay was Heldentenor, with recordings from the 1960s, when he had switched to baritone. The arias and duets are not arranged chronologically, but according to the operas' country of origin - from France (Bizet, Saint-Saëns) to Germany (Wagner) to Italy (Puccini, Verdi). Thus, the recordings jump back and forth between tenor and baritone several times.The recordings from the 1950s are of the highest quality, both in terms of Vinay's vocal artistry and the technical side. As a baritone, he can certainly hold his own with the best singers in the field: His Holländer (the recording is unfortunately technically not good) and his Scarpia (both duets with Birgit Nilsson) are powerful. Vinay was a voluminous baritone - in contrast to Placido Domingo, for example, who in his recordings as a baritone presented a rather lamentable picture.”
Historical Opera at its best
“This is a swift, dark and expressionistic performance, and one of the most exciting I’ve heard. Whilst the cast range from solid to stellar, the real star of the show is Thomas Beecham, who’s unfussy yet colourful conducting brings us a truly vital Electra that all Strauss fans should hear. Whilst the sound is okay, it is perfectly listenable and surprisingly good for 1947”
A must-hear, must-own, must-listen-many-many-times-and-study-every-syllable performance
“Gustav Neidlinger was typecast for the "howling-and-spitting" villain-roles very early in his career. Everyone thinks of Alberich and Klingsor when his name is mentioned. But he was in fact a versatile, smart singing actor equally capable of singing buffo parts and playing benevolent nice-guys. His Hans Sachs retains his characteristic massive vocal power, dark tone, and, his spontaneity, his uninhibited singing straight from the gut. His nasty side works well when he's "marking" Beckmesser, but he's also astonishingly tender when he talks with Eva in Act 2, and his monologues and avuncular interactions with David. The only flaws in this performance are his occasional tendency to rush a phrase, reaching the end of the line a little sooner than the orchestra; also, he runs out of gas a little bit during the singing lesson with Walther in Act 3.Tenor Walter Geisler is a big surprise, sweet, smart, and powerful. Everything else Andy said is right, about Eliz Grummer and Gerhard Stolze, but Andy neglected to mention that Josef Greindl has one of his best nights as Pogner, a role he first sang at Bayreuth in 1943 and apparently never got tired of. Andre Cluytens' conducting is very smart and sensitive.”
James Mertins
“This was one of the great performances from Solti during his time at the ROH, it showed the company had the goods. This performance is better than the later recording with Solti on Decca.”
Ken
“I have to agree with the above comments about Pauline Tinsley. I saw her as Lady Macbeth with WNO in the 60′s and she was stunning.Also saw her in Moses (Rossini) at Sadlers Wells with WNO. A wonderful singer with a wonderful voice. She formed part of my early opera going experience. I have never forgotten her. Thank you Pauline Tynsley!”
An first-rate Elektra
“There is a more well-known version of this recording from Vienna with almost the same cast. This performance, however was from a tour to Montreal. Nilsson, Rysanek and Resnik prove to be the definitive (dysfunctional) family, each bringing a unique approach to these three very different roles. Great recording”
