As usual, a great live performance! A must! Highly recommended!

Fast and professional

I was looking forward to hearing Janowitz and Popp in this performance from Vienna. Hollreiser was a house conductor in Vienna and he does a reasonable job in this performance. The problem is the sound: it appears to be recorded by someone sitting in the audience-the voices are poorly miked and the singers sound far away. Too bad, as this could have been a nice alternative to your favorite studio performance. I'd look elsewhere for your live Arabella. Try the 1977 performance with Varady from Munich

The cast of this performance is almost self-recommending. Janowitz and Popp as the sisters are glorious, each knowing their role intimately and blending exquisitely in their big Act One duet. Janowitz provides class and composure, Popp charm and vulnerability. Wachter is past his best vocal years, but knows how the role is supposed to go. I'm sure he was handsome to look at onstage as well. The parents are none other than Czerwenka and Cvejic and some young soprano named Gruberova gives us the Fiakermilli's coloratura yodels with great aplomb. Dallapozza is a very good Matteo (such a thankless role.) Hollreiser leads his forces in a memorable performance. This was taken from an in-house tape and the voices are a little recessed, but certainly audible. The big problem here (gone unmentioned by previous reviewers and by Andy's comments above) is that two sections are missing from the second act. The entire scene between Zdenka and Matteo that sets up the major conflict in the opera is missing as are the last couple minutes of the act. Hollreiser didn't cut these scenes. It's seems they were lost when the tape had to be turned over or ran out.Nevertheless fans of the opera and the singers will really enjoy this!

Excelent! !!!!!!

Janowitz's clarion sound is lovely as ever, Popp is superb and Gruberova's brief appearance is lovely.

This is a recording that one of the major studios should have made at this time. The casting is perfect. Janowitz, Popp and Wachter are right at the top of the list of performers that did these roles. The opera, not one of Strauss's that plays itself, does move and hold the audience with these very "right" feeling performers. Janowitz went on to make a film of this role but her singing here is much warmer than in that soundtrack.

Nice performance, but mushy sound. I could barely tell the three sopranos apart.