I am very grateful for RAI Italiana for their many fine concert performances of works ranging from the very familiar to works not often heard in Italy. That is the case here. RAI assembled a great cast with two wonderful ladies, an underrated tenor, and a fine bass. And then they had the good sense to engage Sawallisch as well. He gives us an exciting reading of a score familiar in Germany, but less well-known elsewhere. Price sounds like an angel with her passionate Agathe and Donath is a charming Annchen with excellent diction and trills. King sings with beautiful, fervent tone as Max and Ridderbusch is a terrific Kaspar, equal to the scalework he must sing in his Act One aria. The rest of the cast is very good, the Samiel frightening in his brief role. Only a little dialogue is included here, just enough to connect the musical pieces. I was a little surprised that Sawallisch allowed Price and Donath to add a top C to the end of the opera - well, it was Italy and we all love high notes!The sound is stereo and is very good. There is a glitch in the opening chord of the overture, but fortunately that is the only one. If you love Freischutz, you need this!

The duo of Margaret Price and Helen Donate is a particularly happy partnership in this performance of Weber's ground breaking and beautiful opera. Price presents a beautifully sung Agathe, the voice seamless and fruity. There is an alergaic note to the performance which sits well with the spiritual spookey nature of the opera. The bright bubbly Helen Donath is the perfect foil.James King brings an heroic ring to Max, and he is in fine voice. I prefer a more innately lyrical sound in this role, and perhaps he is a little more Wagner than Weber.Kari Ridderbusch is a marvellous Kaspar and thankfully the spoken dialogue is cut to a minimum.The sound is excellent

Excellent. Well done.

wonderful performance due to Sawallisch

from the golden age of RAI...Sawallisch conducted many excellent performances , like Meistersinger, Ring and Parsifal, also in Opera Depot