Thanks a lot for giving us the opportunity of being buy listening it, in this world premiere !!!!! Strauss directing !!!!!The composer directing, the amazing singers choosen. A delightful moment listening it.Thank you so much !!!!!

Andy's cast list above suggests that there is far more music here than what there actually is. We hear Flamand, Olivier, the Countess, La Roche, and the Majordomo. In the comments below, Jeffrey has basically described what selections are heard on this disc so I don't need to elaborate any further. While I wish the entire opera had been preserved, I am grateful for what we have. Strauss greatly admired Ursuleac and she was a big star in Europe. I admire her too, but also suspect she was one of those singers you had to see in person to truly appreciate. Some of her magic got lost in recordings. The voice sounds rather ordinary, but then she will throw out a high note that is like a gleaming shaft of light in the gloom. Her articulation of the text is sensitive, yet not as profound or as colorful as some of her successors in this role. Hann sings up a storm as La Roche and his diction is superb. We are fortunate that his entire ten minute monologue was recorded; he certainly lives up to his reputation.The sound is good for the period. This disc of highlights is for Straussians who are already familiar with this opera: they will find much to enjoy.

This is of historic interest for Straussians, though the performance falls well short of modern standards, though the pressures of wartime make it remarkable. Sound is of surprisingly good quality, presumably recorded to magnetic tape, and the voices leap out of the speakers with great presence. Krauss is a loving conductor, but execution of the new score is imprecise. Ursuleac had great intelligence, but her tremulous soprano is not a pleasure. The young Hotter as Olivier is a highlight among the rest of a good ensemble cast.

The excerpts included consist largely of the exchanges by and between Flamand, Olivier and Countess Madeleine. Also included are the monologue of La Roche, the stage director, and the Countess' final monologue. Thus, we have the crux of Cappriccio: "Prima la musica, dopo le parole" ossia "Wort oder Musik?"

The birth of any work is fascinating - it's splendidly performed

Here is a truly historic recording, of excerpts from the world première of Richard Strauss' "Capriccio," in 1942, starring Viorica Ursuleac, the composer's favorite soprano, and conducted by her husband, Clemens Krauß.Ursuleac is sublime in the rôle of the Countess. Her unconventional voice alternates between sounding congested and squally, then a top note will appear with steady brilliance. But it is as musician and singing-actress that she scores a triumph; the kaleidoscope of colors the Kammersängerin utilizes are bewitching.The work itself is charming and sophisticated, though, as has been noted before, this delicacy was served to the German public whilst World War II was raging. What happened to the composer who had penned the towering masterpieces "Salome" and, especially, "Elektra"?Ursuleac heads a magnificent ensemble that includes Hans Hotter, and Krauß's comprehension of the composer's æsthetic is most evident.

beautifully sung and excellent sound for the time of the performance

The very thought of having a recording of a world premiere of an opera is something moving in itself; that it should sound so good is pretty amazing. Thank you.