Though I love Anja Silja very much I'm glad Gladys Kuchta got to replace her for this concert performance of Beethoven's opera. Kuchta didn't lack for work, but except for a studio recording of Fidelio (with Julius Patzak) she never had a commercial recording career and so she lives on through pirates of broadcasts and in-house tapes. She is very fine here though not perhaps in her best voice (the top Bs in the big aria are effortful). Andy gives us her recording of "Abscheulicher!" from a decade earlier as a filler and there she shows how special her voice really was. The rest of the cast is very satisfying. Robson sings Marzelline like an angel and Bohme is very effective as Rocco. Fliether is an expert Pizarro and John Dobson an adorable Jaquino. The chorus and orchestra perform very well under Solti's dynamic, elegant direction. The dialogue is performed very convincingly. As he did in Chicago years later, Solti cuts the dialogue between the end of Leonore's aria and the Prisoners' chorus. The sound is excellent. Andy treats to us to a mini Kuchta recital after the opera finishes, further showing us what an underrated singer Kuchta was.

It is very nice recording with good or excellent singers in all roles. Perhaps is noise to music ratio a bit high, however a welcome addition to my collection.

This recording is a very rare example for a recording of Fidelio under the baton of Sir Georg Solti. For Solti fans a must have!! The singers are all well and teh orchestra plays fine.