Schröder Feinen est bien sûr l'attrait premier, exaltée et risque-tout, généreuse et juvénile avec un aigu facile . Mais Kozub aussi est considérable, Meven et Wimberger excellents tout comme Marzelline et Jacquino . Un chef très compétent qui respire depuis toujours avec ce répertoire .

A wonderful performance and Ernst Kozub delivers quite one of the very best renditions I have ever heard of his aria!

Ursula Schroder-Feinen's career petered out in the late seventies when the pressure of singing too many heavy roles fractured her voice. The singer herself claimed she lost confidence and that that affected her ability to get her voice back into shape. She is not the only singer to whom this has happened, but it's a shame given her enormous potential. How lucky we are that someone preserved her performance in this Fidelio for posterity! Her voice is fresh and lovely here; there are no signs of any problems and her characterization is a positive, memorable one.Also of note is Ernst Kozub, a tenor who didn't have a big international career, but who was well-known in Europe. He sings an accurate, stirring Florestan, making the top B-flats of his aria sound easy. Peter Meven and Peter Wimberger were two fine German basses who always did a great job in whatever they were singing. Consequently, they tended to be taken for granted. They are both a true asset to this performance. The Jaquino, Wolf Appel, sang the Rheingold Mime for Boulez and Chereau at the Bayreuth Festival. He too is excellent. His Marzelline, Ingrit Lindeberg, is equally charming. Gunther Wich conducts a strong performance as well as an unexpectedly fine rendition of the Leonore #3 in the second act.The sound is good (probably from a broadcast), but you'll need to turn up the volume as this was transferred at a low level. Fans of Schroder-Feinen or Kozub shouldn't hesitate to acquire this.

This is an interesting performance of FIDELIO. It is a strong performance with good singers that one typically doesn't encounter. It is interesting to hear Kozub as Florestan. He is very good. I purchased the recording to hear Schroeder-Feinen and I love her. She has a very clean sound and has no trouble with the roles many demands. She also sounds very feminine (beautiful). It is a shame her career didn't last longer than it did because she was a real contender for this type of repertoire.