Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier - Jones, Fassbaender, Popp, Ridderbusch; C. Kleiber. München, 1972

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Listen to a Sample:

In 1979, Carlos Kleiber would reassemble this cast in Vienna and create a now legendary video. This performance finds the trio of ladies in slightly fresher voice, which gives the entire performance a youthful energy that wasn't as present in the video.
Gwyneth Jones is mesmerizing as the Marschallin. She manages to convey all of the nuances of the the text with care, and there are moments of incredible music-making between her and Kleiber that are nothing short of perfection.
Brigitte Fassbaender was Kleiber's Octavian of choice for decades and you can hear why. Like Jones, she approaches the lyrics with a conversational quality without sacrificing the opulence of her voice.
Lucia Popp is weaves magic into Sophie's soaring lines.
The only complaint you could make about Karl Ridderbusch's Ochs is that the natural timbre of his voice is too elegant for this boorish Baron.