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Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Antonia Act - In German) - Kmentt, Lotte Rysanek, Wiener, Jahn, Stolze; Pleyer. Wien, 1973
Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Antonia Act - In German) - Kmentt, Lotte Rysanek, Wiener, Jahn, Stolze; Pleyer. Wien, 1973 Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Antonia Act - In German) - Kmentt, Lotte Rysanek, Wiener, Jahn, Stolze; Pleyer. Wien, 1973

Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Antonia Act - In German) - Kmentt, Lotte Rysanek, Wiener, Jahn, Stolze; Pleyer. Wien, 1973

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Listen to a Sample:

 

Pros:

  • This recording is a tantalizing glimpse of a spectacular performance of Les Contes d'Hoffmann from the Vienna State Opera.
  • I am guessing that the person who decided to isolate the Antonia act did so because they were a fan of Lotte Rysanek, and you can hear why. Rysanek spins the most ravishing pianissimos (similar to her younger sister Leonie) and meets all the demands of the opera, culminating in a thrilling C-sharp at the end of the trio.
  • As Hoffmann, Waldemar Kmentt doesn't get as much to do in this act, but he shines in "C'est une chanson d'amour", displaying a burly, yet lyrical instrument capable of grace and delicacy.
  • Gerhard Stolze's Franz is over-the-top and makes for a nice palate-cleansor amidst an otherwise gloomy act.

Cons:

  • None to mention.

In Mono

BONUS:
Lotte Rysanek sings "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante" from Carmen

OD 12072-1