This recording preserves a classic 1962 Covent Garden production under Otto Klemperer’s direction. The stately Overture reading leads one to expect a slow, solemn rendering of the whole work, but the conductor (as he often did in his last years) surprises with a quick-moving pace to the vocal pieces, with tempos never lagging but appropriate to the singers and the fast-changing situations. Much of the opera is presented through two- and three-voiced ensembles, and here the company excels. Many of the cast had previously sung in contemporary British works in which it was crucial that words and action be put across clearly to the audience. Lewis and Sutherland had sung the leads in the 1955 premiere of Michael Tippetts’ “Midsummer Marriage,” (Carlyle took the soprano role in the 1968 revival.) Lewis also sang in Benjamin Britten’s operas, as did Carlyle and Geraint Evans. So the feel of this “Magic Flute” is clear and audience-focused, as indeed Mozart had wished in his day. As the fairy-tale couple Lewis brings a bright, expressive tenor, while Carlyle offers a crystal-clear vocal tone and considerable emotional depth. Evans is a great crowd-pleasing Papageno, getting huge laughs and performing his folksy songs with fluid expression. Even the Monostatos, Robert Brown, is excellent, with Klemperer keeping the orchestra so soft that (as Mozart directed) the music seems “coming from far away.”The only serious weak link is David Kelly (another regular in contemporary opera productions) as Sarastro. His warm upper voice gives the character likeable character, but Mozart wanted those deep basso profundo passages to count. Kelly has the notes, but they are soft and tentative when they need to be solid, even scary. By contrast, Hans Hotter does a superb job as “Der Sprecher” in a crucial Act 1 scene. Hotter, a legendary Wotan, richly inhabits this eerie advocate for Masonry, and he pronounces the deep descending final line, “So bald dich führt,” with total authority. One wishes that Covent Garden had cast him as Sarastro.Oh, Sutherland? She’s good, but, alas, the transpositions make her great aria into “Der Hölle Rache” Lite. She gets a warm hand from the crowd, but Carlyle soon gets more love for “Ach ich fühls” and Evans then brings the house down with “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen.” Perhaps such a second-tier fate is inevitable and good reason for famous sopranos to avoid the role. In the end, the value of hearing this performance is Covent Garden’s deep casting and ensemble work, plus Klemperer’s alert conducting.

Dame Joan sings "O zittre nicht" down a half tone, "Der Holle Rache" down a whole step. She didn't want to sing the role, but the Covent Garden management insisted. The transposition of "Der Holle Rache" down a whole step is not without precedent: Fritzi Jogel sings it that way on her early recording as does Tetrazzini on one of her recordings of the aria. Josephine Antoine used the same transposition at the Met when she sang the Queen at the Met in the early 40's.

It must be a great performance but unfortunately the sound is not the best. I find Klemperer always better live than in the studio.

I listened to the live broadcast at the time, being a Joan Sutherland fan. By the end of the performance I was a Joan Carlyle fan,too!There was once available a tape which had Sutherland sing her arias at the correct pitch. To achieve this , someone had raised the whole performance in pitch until after the Queen’s second aria. It was torture to listen to what was done to the other voices.I am so pleased to have the performance in its correct and wonderful form.