The true star of this performance is the Staatskapelle Dresden, whose playing combines unabashed sentimentality with refined taste. Given that the work premiered just 39 years earlier, it's tempting to imagine that some of the musicians may have had direct ties to its origins. Tiana Lemnitz, well into her 50s at the time, brings a smoky richness to the title role that is both vocally secure and deeply expressive. Kurt Böhme, better known for his later character roles, impresses here in his prime with a sonorous and musically deft portrayal of Baron Ochs—an all-too-rare luxury in this part.