I hadn't heard this performance of Der Fliegende Holländer in decades when I decided to listen to it again this afternoon. It was everything I remember it being and then some. Krauss' conducting immediately throws the freezing, salty ocean water in your face from the first moments of the overture. Everything is well-paced. The conductor follows his singers when necessary, then spurs them onto even greater heights, especially as the opera draws to its conclusion.Hotter is simply superb, here caught in his freshest voice. He clearly delineates the Dutchman's anguish, aided by superb diction: a classic portrayal. Ursuleac is an exciting Senta who projects her obsession without vocal compromises. The role's many high Bs are negotiated with a security that is thrilling. No wonder Hotter called her "unvergleichlich" (incomparable). Except for Rysanek and a few other sopranos, she is.Hann is a terrific Daland, singing with that steady, dark bass-baritone of his. Willer actually makes something of Mary (I love her cranky "Ich spinne fort!" in Act 2). Ostertag is a beautiful, lyrical Erik, Klarwein a winning Steersman. The orchestra and chorus perform as if their lives depended on it (maybe they did - remember when this was recorded!).Opera Depot got hold of an excellent transfer, pitched correctly throughout.

Viorica Ursuleac is the Senta of her generation

In March of 1944, a Concert Version of "Der fliegende Holländer" was performed over Munich radio, starring Viorica Ursuleac and Hans Hotter, conducted by Clemens Krauß. Hotter is the classic Dutchman; his portrayal is quite the greatest on commercial recordings.Incontestably, the most controversial element of the set is the Senta of Ursuleac. When this recording was published by Mercury, in 1950, it was the first complete opera to be issued with the diva, and the reception was not very positive, even though it was also the first recording of this opera to be published on LP records. At this distance, we can reconsider Ursuleac's account. The prima donna turned fifty years old the month of this performance, but even in her earliest recordings, one realizes she never had a conventionally-beautiful instrument. Rather, she was a great musician (it is well known that she was Richard Strauss's favorite soprano) and actress. She is sublime in the duet with the Dutchman, passionate in her encounters with Erik, and rises to great, even incomparable, heights in the final scene. As Hotter wrote in his Memoirs, she was simply "incomparable." The next month, the Kammersängerin was to sing another Concert Version, as the Marschallin in "Der Rosenkavalier," with Krauß, in Munich. That rich performance was first issued by Vox, in 1952, and it is dearly hoped Opera Depot will forthwith reissue that fantastic account!