Here we have another disc from the burgeoning "Rysanek Files": some intrepid Rysanek fan recorded all of her part from somewhere in the house - in this case, the prompter's box. One hears him whispering cues and it is the orchestra that sounds distant for a change. There is some unpleasant overloading in the Act Two finale, but the voices are very clear. There is also someone talking during "Abscheulicher". Then there is the matter of the clicking that invades a couple of tracks in the second act like annoying crickets (Andy calls it skipping). It doesn't last that long (2 minutes or so) and is worth enduring for the performance. Rysanek is terrific as is her sister Lotte as Marzelline. McCracken is over the top in his dialogue, but sings well. Be aware: his aria is not included here. Hotter sounds vocally exhausted; he's still an intimidating Pizarro. I enjoyed these excerpts and recommend this disc to Rysanek fans (either Leonie's or Lotte's).

Despite Opera Depot's assertion the sound is far from ideal, I thought that the sensation of voices ringing out in the acoustic of the Staatsoper was well caught, something I have often found with in-house material from that source. True, there are skips and some horrendous overloading in the final scene, but it would have been worth mentioning that, in a huge anticlimax, the final scene fades out seconds before the end of the opera. Also, McCracken fans beware; Florestan's aria is missing. Perhaps these excerpts should be called Leonore, since they include almost all of Leonie Rysanek's uniquely feminine yet powerful interpretation, and sister Lotte's Marzelline, also unusually sympathetic, both are simply wonderful in dialogue. Hotter's Pizarro, admittedly caught late in the day, remains authoritative and Krip's conducting feels unobtrusively right and subtly supportive. OK, the sonic thrills are limited, but this is a fascinating and important document from the great years of the Staatsoper and as a great admire of theViennese ensemble - and Rysanek - I'm delighted that Opera Depot has unearthed this recording.