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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.
"THE" BORIS TO HAVE!
“This is such an epic artistic achievement, that it will demand repeated listening. Kubelik creates a vast seamless embroidery of musical and dramatic detail. Christoff, Resnik, Kraus, Rouleau cannot be rivaled. The cast, a Who’s Who of Covent Garden principals, is an embarrassment of riches! The Chorus is excellent. Sound on the whole is very good (becomes veiled briefly). For educational study and research purposes only, here is a link to the version of the score used for this performance.http://imslp.org/wiki/Boris_Godunov_(Mussorgsky,_Modest)”
Terrific Don Carlos in Excellent Sound!
“This is a great performance of Don Carlos. Prevedi sounds in better voice here than he does in the Covent Garden performance also available from Opera Depot. The pitch problems that plagued him there are largely absent and he characterizes the neurotic young man very convincingly. Gencer is tremendous. Not every sound she makes is beautiful, but that was always the case. She shapes and colors Elisabetta's music with such skill that you hardly know she's doing it. She is regal and passionate without being a wallflower: she stands up to Phillip in their scene together with almost fierce pride. Similarly, her "Tu che le vanita" has many complex, specific emotions, not just a pastel shade of melancholy. Her competitive streak shows itself when she holds the final high B much longer than Verdi wrote it.Ghiaurov in his prime sounds like a god. His Act Four aria is wildly cheered as it should have been. Cossotto almost steals the show with her thrilling singing and Bruscantini is a superb Rodrigo who includes the written trills in his music. Roni is a terrifying Grand Inquisitor and Pugliese is an extremely good Friar. Previtali leads the five act version, but cuts the second verses of Rodrigo and Elisabetta's Act Two arias (Eboli gets all of the Veil Song.) The prison scene ends with Rodrigo's death.Excellent sound marred, however, by file corruption at the end of the second disc. As a bonus, Gencer is heard in Lady Macbeth's three big scenes from a performance in 1960.”
Rare work deserving an audience
“Knew nothing about this opera. Bought it to expand my horizon and was not disappointed. Music is lush and singers give good performances. Recommend to anyone wishing to encounter new work.”
David Fetz
“This is with out doubt the most intense recording of Macbeth I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. There is not a weak voice in the cast. The chorus of witches are spine tingling. Milnes is outstanding in the title role.. Christ Ludwig sings Lady Macbeth with a sweetness that is scary. Having Karl Ridderbusch as Banco makes the big Duet between he and Macbeth in the first act Stunning. Bohm leads an outstanding Vienna orchestra through it all. Don't miss this one if you like big, bold opera SINGING!”
Corelli als Jose ist immer ein Erlebnis
“Corelli als Jose ist unübertroffen und hier ist eine von seinem besten späteren Carmen.Cortez und Bruscantini machen tolles Job auch, Oliviero De Fabritiis ist ,wie immer, absolut perfekt.Sound ok( es gibt keinen besonderen Wahl - entweder sind die Sängern gut oder ist das Sound gut. Seltener trifft das sich zusammen)”
John Stanton
“Debussy's opera is a work of unusual and distinctive beauty. The distinguished cast here serves it well. Victoria de Los Angeles is a wonderful Melisande, gentle,with a potent sense of a fey, other worldliness. Her Pallas, Pierre Mollet is expressive and gentle. Joseph Rouleau is a steady and dignified Arkel, his voice resonant even in the lowest reaches of the low tessiture of this role. Julian Hass is dramatically rough Goulard, though capable of softening his tone when needed.The sound is very good”
Theodore Shulman
“A very beautiful, note-perfect MEISTERSINGER. Gundula Janowitz is like no other Eva, unbelievably beautiful, like the sound you get when you dip your finger in wine and then stroke the edge of the glass, that eerie, penetrating harmonic. Franz Crass as Pogner is also very beautiful, lyric. Sandor Konya completes the poetical, lyric-sounding cast”
Martin Ramor
“Great singers in all roles. Tatum and Hines were very interesting, because I heard them for the the first time. Hines is very noble with beautiful, "rounded" voice. Tatum is appropriately hysterical as Odabella, indeed. Cossuta is elegant and enough powerful Foresto. Even Glossop sings with ease and beautiful voice. Audience is estatic (no wonder why). Pritchard, orchestra and chorus are on the same high level as the singers.”
Sublime Thomas Allen
“I purchased this recording to listen to Thomas Allen singing Paolo and it was well above expecations. His wonderful English diction and artful, knavish interpretation never let you down. Only 27 years-old at this time, his artistry is already reaching at its highest.”
Richard Meads
“Excellent virile performance by the fiery Solti. Fine singing by a stellar cast. Wonderful to hear the true bass of Mike Langdon-a masterly Ochs, coached by Alfred Jerger in Vienna in 1960.”
A powerful "Budd"
“Intentionally or otherwise, this 1960 BBC broadcast served as a dry run for Benjamin Britten's recording of "Billy Budd" for Decca. Peter Pears and Michael Langdon would reprise their roles as Captain Vere and John Claggart, and are equally as eloquent as the recording angel of the tragedy and the jet-black-toned embodiment of evil in this earlier rendition. Choice of the album may swing on Joseph Ward's light-baritone Billy. To this listener he comes across more as naive than innocent and lacks a distinctive voice. Robert Kerns on Georg Solti's Covent Garden broadcast (Opera Depot) is to be preferred, IMO. However, the ensemble caliber of this radio performance is very high and Britten, for all his misgivings about his conductorial skills, leads with unmistakable authority. The sound is pin-drop clear. Strongly recommended.”
Handel would love it.
“For me, the operas of Handel should always be heard TODAY with modern instruments. There is nothing to argue against it. Under the right conductors (like Bonynge) you get the real intent and import of the music. I own a lot of "original instrument" recordings of baroque operas and they are consistently AWFUL. Minnie-mouse, vibrato-less freaks and toy instruments DO NOT deliver this music fairly. This recording from Hamburg DOES.”
A wonderful, neglected opera
“This is a wonderful opera with no commercial recordings that I can find. (At least none at a reasonable price.) If you love great bel canto singing, you'll love this. This particular recording is a gem. It's available as a pseudo-commercial recording on several different labels, but the recording that's available here is essentially identical to all of them, except for the tracking. I've fallen in love with "Ah non Partir", which begins the second act. Unfortunately Scotto is hard to hear over the orchestra. I don't know whether the fault is in her singing or in the recording. (I assume the latter.) Nevertheless, I strongly recommend this recording. Buy it! You'll love it!”
Exciting
“A really entertaining performance, with Bergonzi on wonderful form after a bit of warm up in Act I. Cruz-Romo is a marvelous Maddalena, her voice the right weight and texture for the role (better than some of the commercially recorded competition). I had to hit repeat for the ""Ora soave" duet in Act II, they were so good together. Manuguerra is also exactly on point, and there are some good supporting performances as well. I wonder where this performance took place; but anyway, it's well worth hearing.”
Jim Lieberthal
“I was surprised by the tempi throughout the performance. It was more measured and monumental than I have been used to in the past. Maestro Sanzogno conducts in a manner that reminds me of DeFabritis and Erede. Erede's performance from 1974 Vienna is very slow in some spots, yet the tempi here did not inhibit the singers. In fact, it seemed to release them in a way that gave them plenty of space to really dig deeply into their roles. The audience adored Stella and di Stefano, and I do love their work here too. Shades of the old 1951 Cetra recording, there is no duet between Federica and Rodolfo in Act 1 scene 2. The chorus comes on with a snap and bounce and then the audience applauds as the scene is over! Very strange, especially considering how wonderful Oralia Dominguez is in the part. Her work in Act 2 is wonderful. The a capella quartet is compelling in a way I rarely have heard. The 3rd act is just WONDERFUL. They are chewing the scenery with every phrase to compelling effect. The sectional approach to the duets gave me a different idea of their structure and I appreciated that much. Both basses, Arie and Campi are terrific. I love their voices and their compelling characterizations. And then there is the magnificent Cornell MacNeil. He has a tremendous performance all the way through. GET THIS ONE.”
A Rare Widow
“I am delighted to find this treasure available at last. Maestro Bonynge and Dame Joan loved operetta and in 1976 presented exciting performances of The Merry Widow in Vancouver. The cast has great fun while not all being quite vocally equal. Margareta Elkins is memorable in her brief role. But no one matches Sutherland in the singing department. She is in superb voice and performs the title role with larger-than-life vocal gestures as it were. Bonynge understands this music and leads the performance with authority. Recommended.”
Thank you !!!!
“What a beautiful distribution for this opera of Richard Strauss !!!! The best we could dream for it !!!!An amazing version with the best singers of the moment.Thanks a lot for that great pleasure”
James Nickoloff
“This “Norma” is excellent, but does not reach the mountaintop that Callas and Del Monaco, joined by Giulietta Simionato, attained six months later for the opening night of the Scala season, Dec. 7, 1955. While the great student of Callas, John Ardoin, generally sees Serafin as far superior to conductor Antonino Votto, in these two performances Votto outshines Serafin who had a tendency to conduct things at a tediously slow tempo. Note the difference in the finale of Act II (“Perfido, or basti!”). Votto is clearly aware of the unparalleled dramatic moment Bellini intends whereas Serafin is pedestrian in his approach. And for her part, in December 1955 Callas underlines the heart of Norma’s predicament (betrayed by Pollione but still in love with him) in a way which she never achieves on any other recording. Listen to the difference between her performances of “Qual cor tradisti” in June 1955 (Serafin) and December 1955 (Votto), especially the way she sings “con me” and “con te.” The contrast between the two is astounding. I once had the honor of playing this passage for John Ardoin–and he agreed with me!”
MISSING SECTION RESTORED - AT LAST!!
“Following my posting 5 June 2023, please note that I have now received a file from Andy, containing the missing section (Act Two finale). Thus one can assume that it has now been restored to the master files......and -my goodness- it was worth waiting for!!!”
Beautiful performance
“When I first became aware of Peter Hofmann in the 1980s, well after the noticeable wobble had started, so for me this 1976 performance was a revelation of what his voice had been capable of: secure through the range, with a youthful lyricism backed up with the power when needed. And no wobble. Bernd Weikl was to me an admirably elegant singer, and I was fortunate to see him in several roles at the Metropolitan Opera, including Amfortas. As he was only 34 years old here is Amfortas has less of the world-weary King and more of the "fear of the unknown" to me, but still glorious singing. Eva Randova is surprisingly good as Kundry -- I guess I am used to her more as Kostelnicka -- and her high notes are secure. I was good to hear Heinz Zednik, one of my favorite character-role tenors. i agree with the other reviewer that the sound is excellent in Acts Two and Three, but the Act One sound is like listening through a large, gauze bandage covering both ears.”
Anonymous
“This live-performance is as ideal as my all-time favorite Don Giovanni recording, Joseph Losey' film soundtrack conducted by Maazel (1979). Young R.Raimondi as the title-role (later he appeared in the above film version also), Kurt Moll' formidable Commendatore, three great sopranos and Sawallisch' lively conducting...What a beautiful and brilliant performance! Near perfect!”
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.”
A VERY FINE "LA GIOCONDA"
“Another must: a very fine recording of Amilcare Ponchielli's masterpiece, "La Gioconda", featuring a starry cast (soprano Elena Souliotis, tenor Richard Tucker, mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias and baritone Cornell MacNeil), under the great baton of Bruno Bartoletti conducting The Teatro Colon Orchestra and Chorus in 1966... Highly recommended!”
Brian Crim
“This is a fantastic recording overall. Sound quality is excellent for a live recording, the singers are in great voice, and though there are a couple of noticeable track cuts, the rest of the recording is seamless. This is a great opera, and a welcome addition to my collection!”
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.”
Wonderful on several fronts
“When one collects multiples of any opera on record there comes a time, for me anyway, to ask myself "will I want to listen to this specific recording again? For many recordings here the answer is "probably not" - simply because I don't have storage space. I WILL listen to this one again, though. Gencer, who could be fabulous or so-so on any particular night, turns in a fabulous performance here, in spite being slightly under pitch in parts of "Pace, pace". Siepi, Carturan and DiStefano are also fabulous. Here DiStefano is superior to his commercial recording; what a voice he had on a good night. The sound is first rate for what I assume to be a radio performance and, although there are lamentable cuts, there is more music here than on some others recorded performance.If you are interested in any of these singers or this opera, you should listen to this recording.”
Luise with an E
“A striking find. Von Einem creates electric dialogue-in-music, supported by vigorous, atmospheric orchestral writing. A distinguished multigenerational cast delivers vivid character portraits. Not every voice is easy on the ear exactly, but this is hardly bel canto. As a strait-laced bourgeois mother who knows her station, the legendary Marta Mödl turns her battle-scarred instrument to expressive advantage. The source, of course, is the same Schiller play that Verdi adapted, more freely and in his own language, as Luisa Miller. The heroine, a courageous innocent beset by manipulators, finds an ideal interpreter in Anja Silja, who projects simplicity of heart, quiet despair, and ultimately an understated yet radiant clarity of purpose. Brigitte Fassbaender shines in a more glamorous mode as her aristocratic rival. In the role of Ferdinand, the man these ladies love, the baritone Bernd Weikl bears an uncanny resemblance in timbre, attack, and accent to the young Jonas Kaufmann, difference in Fach be damned. The sound quality is high, with excellent balance between the stage and the pit—so much so that a listener conversant with German should be able follow the opera as easily as a radio play.”
None
“I cannot review it as of this time because I haven’t listened to it yet and have no idea about when I will do so. It may be a month or years. I have hundreds of CDs I haven’t listened to yet.”
AMONG THE 3 BEST BAYREUTH RINGS!
“Stein's 1970 cycle is swift, taut, often more cleanly played than the Philips set under Boehm--compare the shapeless string crescendi in the latter's Rhine Journey. Also its cast is better balanced: among the oldsters Neidlinger (Alberich) and Hoeffgen (Erda) are still robust, and 3 of the newbies are superb--Stewart's all-encompassing Wotan, unique for his trenchant line readings, handsome midrange, and ringing top; Lindholm's warm, hochdramatische Bruennhilde, her "Ewig war ich" actually steadier and better tuned than Nilsson's on Philips; Ridderbusch's Hagen, calling the vassals with quality singing instead of Greindl's belting and blaring.The others are worthy if less notable. Jones (Sieglinde) is restrained and lovely early on, then tremulous when pushing at the break (e.g., the G5 on "bis zum Heft"). Cox's Siegfried also has passaggio issues: scooping and raw tone on open vowels. Otherwise he's bright in timbre and a smarter percussionist than Windgassen, who regularly made a hash of "Schmiede, mein Hammer." Elsewhere Paskuda has patches of sagging pitch but sings more decently than many a Mime; Brilioth's Siegmund is intense and imaginative, though taxed by the Todesverkundigung; Esser offers more sound and vigor than Loge often gets. Plus we have major voices in minor roles: Bailey and Martin as Gibichungs, Reynolds as Fricka & Waltraute, Bode as the Woodbird.In sum a potent, tightly knit RING, topping the Philips set and rivaling Krauss 1953 and Keilberth 1955!”
Simon Estes only Hagen?
“I was there for the live performance in 1977. McCray was a fine singer, legato and lyric, but a bit underpowered for Siegfried (who isn't.) The rest of the veteran Seattle Ring cast was first rate. (I was also there for the first Seattle Ring in 1975. Many of the cast in this performance were old hands in the production by 1977.) Hagen gets my vote for the most engrossing character in opera, so often being seen as a one-dimensional thug and sung that way. A totally erroneous view. Thus hearing the great Simon Estes at his peak really sing the role is worth more than the price of the recording. I bought the flac format; the sound quality is very fine. I had no recollection that these performances were recorded in such excellent sound; a treasure to me.”
Kenneth Sherrill
“It takes a while to get used to Aida in German. Carmen in Italian is easy to listen to but this translation can sound grotesque. The amazing thing is that it doesn't matter. Rysanek, Madeira, London, and Frick give amazingly intense and committed performances. Madiera rips the place up in the Judgement Scene. Rysanek soars over the chorus and orchestra in the Triumphal Scene and then floats exquisite pianissimi in the Nile Scene and Tomb Scene. London is magisterial and Frick is amazing. Hopf not so good but not bad. Kubelik.s conducting is wonderfully dramatic and the orchestra plays beautifully.”
An excellent Ring with a top-notch cast
“This Ring with Karl Bohm conducting will invite comparisons with the commercial release on Phillips issued in the 1960s. The principals are a fine group of Wagnerian singers, with Birgit Nilsson as the premier Brunnhilde of her time, a mature Wolfgang Windgassen as SIegfried, at very good Theo Adam as Wotan, and Leonie Rysanek and James King as the Walsung twins. The recording quality is pretty good.”
Joseph Brand
“This is as fine a Tristan as is possible. Following it with a full orchestral score one is amazed, firstly, by the accuracy of all concerned. The drama in Shuard’s interpretation draws you in to the character immediately, the narration and curse quite hair raising, the Liebestod ineffably lovely and moving. Dowd sings his role magnificently rising to all the challenges. Encouraged by the thrilling conducting of Davis the passage in act two when the two lovers rush into each other’s arms is overwhelming – I don’t think I’ve ever heard better. Add to that near perfect renditions of Brangaene, Kurwenal, Marke and the shepherd and the playing of the BBCSO and very good recording quality this is unmissable.”
Excellent recording of a neglected opera
“La Battaglia di Legnano is not, in fact, "early-period" Verdi; it was first performed in 1849, after Macbeth (1847), a few short months before Luisa Miller (1849), and not long before Rigoletto (1851). The score is masterful throughout, and I suspect the libretto alone explains the opera's current lack of popularity. This is the best of all the recordings I have heard so far. Bastianini is superb, so is Corelli, and Antonietta Stella (in general not one of my favourite singers) gives a very fine performance as Lida. I still wish Callas had been available to sing the role in 1961, but given the state of her voice at the time, maybe she wouldn't have been an ideal choice after all. Disc 2 concludes with excerpts from another performance with a different cast -- I think Leyla Gencer sings Lida (very beautifully, as one would expect).”
Performance très belle
“Je connaissais déjà l'enregistrement du 3eme act de Die Walküre par Karajan et Astrid Varnay; cet enregistrement que j'ai acheté est vraiment beau et ce Ring donne des frissons plus que l'enregistrement en studio. Je l'ai beaucoup apprécié.”
Pauline Tinsley's first Elektra
“Stunning! Her first Elektra albeit in an English translation at Cardiff. I saw it later in London and Pauline was outstanding. One of the best if not the best interpreter of the role I ever saw. Later she sang in in German, in the Netherlands and Germany and rose to even great heights. Hopefully the performance from Amsterdam will be issued where she is joined by Anny Schlemm and Willard White! She is easily equal to if not greater than Birgit Nilsson in the role. Such a huge voice from a comparatively small woman!”
One for the ages
“I bought this recording largely on the strength of Mr Reynolds’s review below, and concur with every word. Hard to believe that sound this good comes from 1963, and embarrassing to find that Hoiseth and Tyren (both magnificent) were until now completely absent from my collection. I wonder if Tyren ever performed Sarastro. Nilsson is at her imperious best, projecting character as well as complete vocal control. Orchestral weaknesses are audible, particularly in the horn and oboe sections, but are unlikely to disturb the listener for long. This is unmissable - and makes one wonder whether this was part of a complete cycle. Andy, once again, puts Wagnerians hugely in his debt.”
Leyla Gencer pushes the boundaries.
“Without doubt: Leyla Gencer is the only soprano to touch Maria Callas in terms of interpretation and character symbolism and projection. Out of the cast of vocals you know it's Leyla Gencer, the dark sombre that comes and falls at your knees. It's 57' and Leyla is in excellent voice. Even Leylas' 80s material is worth listening to because she makes every effort to convey the composer's medium. Leyla Gencer listened to all of Callas's recordings because you can correlate the line and extensions in vocal interplay when studying each recording.”
Powerful Requiem
“We found this a very involving performance by all concerned. The microphones favour Jessye Norman’s lovely voice, making the other soloists sound a little distant. Still, all sing well in a work suited to their talents. There are many recordings available of Verdi’s Requiem but this full-blooded performance is one I shall return to more often than some of the more recent commercial offerings.”
Maliponte-Serene
“This is one of three finest opera recording I own. The performance is strongly sung answers more. Maliponte's voice has deeply sensuous overtones which create an unparalleled mad scene. The voice is darkly coloured yet flexible and easily lightened in order to create the otherworldliness demanded by a mad scene.”
Excellent performance
“Most of the cast rarely or never sang in North America, so they aren't as well remembered as they deserve.Even if they are not as dramatically strong as say Hotter and Varnay at the time, they all have strong voices and play well to the microphone, whispering some of their lines.It is a radio broadcast with no audience in near studio level sound.Recommended.”
Walter Hartman
“This is a wonderful performance of Fanchiulla del West. Limarelli may not be the greatest of tenors but he has his moments and always is committed. The lower voice doesn't have much quality but the upper voice convinces more than not. Colzani is wonderful as Rance. He has a very strong characterization and his voice is up to all the demands of the music. He is utterly believable and gives the other cast members a lot to react to. I always find Stella "Live" much more exciting and spontaneous than Stella "Studio". She is excellent here. The voice does all she wants (including many great high notes) and offers a completely believable dramatic performance. One of my favorite Fanciulla's so far. De Fabritiis knows the style and how to make the score flow. Highly recommended.”
Truly great evening
“Maazel sometimes unpredictable is in huge inspiration here and he knows the Orchestre National . Nurmela, who died too early, is an extremely fine and subtle Iago . Vickers in great form and probably inspired by an angelic and paradisiac Zylis Gara (the Desdemona he prefered) .”
Exciting Performance in Very Good Sound!
“The obvious reason for this release was the Margarita/Elena of the 25 year old Carol Neblett. She is indeed terrific, girlish and hopeful as Margarita with the coloratura and trills of "L'altra notte" characterfully despatched, and then sensuous and tragic as Elena. Harry Theyard is also tremendously good as Faust, interpolating a strong top C at the end of his duet with Mefistofele in their first scene and then providing ardent vocalism in Act Four.Yet Norman Treigle's force of personality can be heard clearly in every scene he's in. Listen to his snide, contemptuous sarcasm in the Prologue or his howls of despair as he desperately tries to win over Faust in the final scene. The rest of the cast is equally good with Bernard Fitch standing out again as Wagner. Rudel leads a white-hot performance, preserved in good sound. Sometimes the voices get a little recessed when they're upstage, but most of the big moments are right on mic.Thank you for making this available, Opera Depot!”
Exciting Aida
“Without going into much detail, this is an exciting live performance of Aida. Gavazzeni moves the show at a good clip and keeps the action flowing. Arroyo is incredible as Aida and I loved James King. The sound is excellent, as others have commented. The rest of the cast is also very fine and the chorus sings with great spirit. This performance is definitely a must-have.”
Robert Dean
“A wonderful document - like an intimate concert in a village hall, the difference perhaps being some stunning singing from the three singers and Britten going hell for leather (not always accurately but suitably impassioned) on the piano.”
Sängergeneration der 1970-er Jahre
“Eine sehr schöne Stereo-Aufnahme. Horst Stein dirigiert sehr tempramentvoll undzügig und das Orchester folgt ihm. Manchmal wäre mehr Zeit gerade in der Walküre vortelhaft. Neben den Leistungen von Gustav Neidlinger und Marga Höffgen ist besonders Theo Adam zu nennen. Er singt stimmgewaltig, textverständlich und überzeugt durch eine kraftvolle Interpreteation den Wotan. Helge Brilioth ist weniger strahlend hat hinreißende aber auch anfechtbare Momente ganz im Gegensatz zu Gwyneth Jones. Karl Ridderbusch singt mit warmer herrlich ströhmender sonorer Stimme bleibt aber die Dimension hintergründiger Größe des Hagen schuldig. Catarina Ligendza ist für die erkranke Berit Lindholm im ersten Ring-Zyklus eingesprungen und eroberte sich mit der Partie den internationalen Durchbruch mit einer jugendlichen, weniger typisch hochdramatischen Stimme. Zuverlässig und rollendeckend singt Jean Cox den Siegfried.”
How did I miss this one for so long?
“This is a terrific performance. All the singing is excellent as is Pretre's conducting. The cuts do not disfigure the performance. It's wonderful to hear Gedda, Horne, and Verrett in these roles with which they are not regularly associated. It would be nice to know the rest of the cast as Narbal, Panthee, and Hylas are not credited and are quite good. I'm glad I finally caught up with this recording.”
