The performance was very good but the sound quality is not the same levelBut I enjoyed it whatever!

This is a lively performance from 1959 at the famous French festival. Holm is a fine light voiced Tamino and I enjoyed his stylish singing. I love Kunz as Pappageno though he is a little dry in spots. Otherwise, he is one of my favorites in this role. Silja apparently made her debut as Queen of the Night here. She is good but does not replace Koth or Lipp in this role. It is interesting to hear her sing her difficult arias. I bought this disc to hear my favorite soprano Teresa Stich Randall. She sings beautifully as I expected as she sang in many Aix performances during this era. The sound is clear for the most part with some strange background noises in certain arias. Otherwise, voices are appropriately forward in the solos. I do not associate Erede as a Mozart conductor but I loved his pacing here. A very enjoyable live performance I am happy to have.

This performance from July 15, 1959 suddenly showed up one day last autumn on YouTube. The lightning is a little dim, but the picture and sound are adequate. Andy has given us the soundtrack and it holds up well against the considerable competition. Stich-Randall may not be to everyone's liking; her straight, vibrato-less tone is a bit of an acquired taste, yet her Pamina is lovely with an exceptionally well-sung "Ach, ich fuhl's". The nineteen year old Anja Silja is a very good Queen who hits all her top Fs and manages her coloratura well. The triplets and high staccati of the second aria are sung confidently and accurately. Her voice at this early stage had not developed the wobble that came later on. She abandoned the coloratura repertoire as quickly as she could and became an extraordinary singing actress who only recently retired.Holm sings sweetly as Tamino and Kunz shows again why he was so well-known as Papageno. He includes several spoken phrases of French so that the French-speaking audience enjoys him even more. Frederick Guthrie is a fine Sarastro with strong low Fs. The supporting cast (especially the Three Ladies) is equally excellent. Erede conducts a spirited performance that flows with ease.The sound is pitched correctly and is good most of the time though there are some occasional noises from the original master in the first hour or so. They're not all that intrusive and don't prevent from enjoying the performance.