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Die schweigsame Frau (The Silent Woman), opera, Op. 80 (TrV 265)
Composed by Richard Strauss
with Cornelius Hauptmann, Barbara Kilduff, Cyndia Sieden, Kurt Moll, Alfred Kuhn, Iris Vermillion, Reinhild Runkel, Deon Van der Walt
Conducted by Pinchas Steinberg
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Written between 1934 and 1935, this opera is vintage late Strauss and contains some of his most beautiful music. The text is by the eminent Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, who became Strauss's librettist after the death of Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Their collaboration was extraordinarily harmonious, but Zweig was a Jew, and when the Nazis seized power, Strauss was compelled to terminate their partnership. However, the opera was premiered in Dresden, Germany, in 1935 with Hitler's approval and scored a resounding, though short-lived, success. Strauss fell into disfavor with the regime, and the work was dismissed as inferior and not performed again in Germany until 1946. Thus, its neglect is due entirely to its troubled political history.
Much of this music is obscure; most listeners will only recognize the famous Italin tenor's aria form the first act of Rosenkavalier. But Heppner makes it all worthwhile thanks to his unsurpased vocalism. Davis helps the pace by inserting four orchestral selections between the five long arias (the Guntram selection is 12 min., the one from Frau ohne Schatten 11 min.) For anyone who hasn't heard Heppner as the Emperor, this last is a great treat. The recorded sound is a bit too bright but not so much that listening is unpleasant. Overall, this unique album is one to be deeply grateful for.
SOUND: Fairly decent, AM broadcast-quality mono, better than most Salzburg Festival recordings from the 1950s--which isn't saying much. There is a considerable amount of stage noise, much of it specifically intended by the librettist and composer. The audience is well-disciplined, interrupting the natural flow of the opera only once with a little flurry of applause for the first entrance of Gueden and keeping its inevitable coughs well muffled. From time to time, a performer turns away or finds a dead spot on stage an his or her voice fades slightly. As for the orchestra, the narrowed sonic range of this recording is not as much of a problem for this relatively lightly-scored opera as it would be for more lushly-written Strauss works.
CAST: Sir Morosus, a wealthy gentleman with an aversion to noise - Han Hotter (bass-baritone); Henry Morosus, a long-lost nephew in a noisy profession - Fritz Wunderlich (tenor); The Barber, an absolutely untrustworthy confidant - Hermann Prey (baritone); The Housekeeper, a woman who bangs around Sir Morosus' home but a truer friend than he shall ever realize - Georgine von Milinkovic (mezzo-soprano); Vanuzzi, an operatic impresario - Karl Doench (bass-baritone); Aminta, an opera singer - Hilde Gueden (soprano) Isotta, an opera singer - Pierette Alairie (soprano); Carlotta, an opera singer - Hetty Pluemacher (soprano); Morbio, an opera singer - Josef Knapp (baritone); Farfallo, an opera singer - Alois Pernerstorfer (tenor). CONDUCTOR: Karl Boehm with the Wiener Philharmoniker und Chor der Wiener Staatsoper.
DOCUMENTATION: Libretto in German and English. Track list showing timings and identifying singers. Portraits of Richard Strauss, Karl Boehm, and production shots from the 1959 Festival.
TEXT: This is a heavily cut performing text. Purists who regard every written note as pure gold and every preliminary thought as expressed genius, turn away right now. This is not for you. However, it might be noted that Karl Boehm was Richard Strauss' go-to man whenever he wanted someone to conduct the premiere of one of his operas. He conducted the two performances of the piece allowed under the Nazi regime and he was a lifelong friend of the composer. I regard him, of all people in the world, as the one most likely to know Strauss' intentions with regard to "Die Schweigsame Frau." This was a festival performance; there was no commercial need to shorten it. I think, therefore, that this is the version of the opera that Strauss himself would have decreed to be the authentic final text.
THE STORY: Old Morosus,, rich from capturing ships in the recurring wars with Spain, has profitably retired. He hates noise. With his barber, Mr. Cutbeard, he discusses finding a wife--provided that she can maintain blessed silence. With the arrival of his long-lost nephew Henry Morosus, the old man puts such thoughts aside--until Henry reveals that he has become an opera singer and that he has brought his whole opera company to stay in his uncle's house until the London season begins. Morosus threatens to disinherit Henry on the spot. He orders the whole opera company out of his house. The noisy invaders repelled, Morosus orders the barber to find a suitable bride. The barber goes straight to Henry. They hatch a plot. Vanuzzi and the men will pretends to be priests and notaries. The women will be marriage candidates. Old Morosus is enchanted with the demure and silent Aminta. A false marriage ceremony is performed on the spot. Immediately after that, Aminta displays both a voice and a shrewish disposition. Quickly the new Mistress makes the old man's life a noisy hell. He wants nothing so much as a divorce and he seeks Henry's help to procure one. In the end, Aminta admits that she was never married to old Morosus because she was already married to Henry. The old man is so relieved to be free of the shrew that he takes it all in good humor and everything ends happily.
COMMENTARY: The story of "Die Schweigsame Frau" is ostensibly based on "Ipicoene, or The Silent Woman" by Ben Jonson. There are certainly similarities. Jonson's Morose hates noise. He has a scapegrace nephew, Dauphine Morose whom he threatens to disinherit. At the conniving of his barber, he marries Ipicoene who instantly turns into a noisy shrew. Morose seeks for ways to obtain a divorce. In the end, Ipicoene turns out to be in disguise and it is revealed that there never was a marriage, much to the relief of old Morose. But consider this, Don Pasquale considers taking a young bride. He threatens to disinherit his scapegrace nephew. With the conniving of Dr. Malatesta, he marries Norina who instantly turns into a noisy shrew. Don Pasquale seeks for ways to end the marriage. In the end, Norina turns out to be in disguise and it is revealed that there never was a marriage, much to the relief of old Don Pasquale.
Now, it is remotely possible that librettist Stefan Zweig did not know any better, but Strauss must have been perfectly aware that he was re-writing Donizetti--just as he must have known that he was re-visiting "The Marriage of Figaro" with "Der Rosenkavalier." Aminta's form of disguise is essentially the same as Norina's but entirely different from Ipicoene's (whose disguise was uniquely suited to the Elizabethan theater.)
"Die Schweigsame Frau" is a very decent Strauss opera. It's talky but basically sound. I like it. But it is not as good as "Don Pasquale." It is not even half as good as "Don Pasquale." Line the two up together and you find the work of an earnest plodder beside that of a casual genius. Strauss once described himself as "a first-class second-class composer." He was perfectly correct.
As for the performance, look at the cast, Hotter, Wunderlich, Prey, Gueden, and the conductor, and the orchestra--gold, pure gold. Of course it's worth five stars.
But it's not as good as "Don Pasquale"!
The libretto perhaps does leave some to be desired, although it is quite funny and works as a very entertaining story. It is really the music, though, that makes this opera great. The orchestration is brilliant and colorful, and Strauss did a masterful job at creating the characters through his witty music. It is also one of the masterpieces of Strauss's conversational operas (along with Capriccio). There are several brilliant scenes that rank among the greatest in any Strauss Opera (for example, the scene in the first act with Morosus complaining to the Barber about the bells).
If one is convinced of the quality of the opera itself, it follows naturally that one would want this recording. The first reason, of course, is that it is essentially the only one availible.
More importantly, the performance is a live one from the Salzburger Festspiele in the year 1959. The sound is mono, but the orchestra and singers are quite sonorous and the microphones never distort or clip the sound (in fact, it really sounds best at its loudest moments). There is very little in the way of audience noise, some from the stage action (although that is supposed to be there, so it's really quite effective) and the only harmful sounds are some creaking of floors etc. There are occasional moments when singers are obviously further away from the center of the stage, but again that is to be expected from a live recording, and the singing and speaking is always clear.
The singers are tremendous--one could scarcely ask for a better cast. Hermann Prey gives a masterfully clever performance as the Barber (oddly enough, he also did that for Karl Bohm as the more famous Barber, Figaro). Hans Hotter gives a great performance as the irritable but tender hearted Morosus, and the inimitable Wunderlich plays the part of Henry. Hilde Guden is Aminta, the Schweigsame Frau, and it seems to me to be a strange performance... I'm not sure quite what to make of her (at times she almost sounds like the deliberate clodhopper incarnation of Octavian from Rosenkavalier). The Wiener Phil is of course perfect (when aren't they) and Bohm gives the finest reading the opera will probably ever get. Every line is clear, every sonority full and every color vivid. Like the live Rosenkavalier (also from the Salzburger), every note and line is perfectly articulated.
Deustche Grammophon has done a great job preparing this recording. It is a miracle of sound coming from a radio broadcast in the 50's, and I'm not sure if the Radio Austria has brilliant technicians or DG engineers are magicians, but what we have is a high quality document of an incredible moment in time. It is very highly recommended.
When he applies that intelligence to arias, he gives an intimate and very effective lustre to the vocal line. Even with arias one has heard many times before, an immediacy comes through. I felt as though I were hearing the Weber and the Wagner for the first time - that same joy in the newness and wonder of such superb music alighted on me.
With the Lortzing, I feel the official review above is unfair. They were delightful to listen to, and Lortzing is sufficiently able as a composer to produce works of worth and originality. One may not - one does not - put him into the same rank as Beethoven, Weber, Wagner, etc. - but then we are speaking of giants of the Romantic period. Between genius and mere competence lies a HUGE field, and Lortzing is well into the plus side of that field. That Thomas Quasthoff sings the Lortzing arias magnificently, one takes for granted.
I am happy to place Quasthoff into the same category of "must-have" baritone/bass-baritone singers as Fischer-Dieskau, Olaf Bär, Bryn Terfel (although Terfel is not quite the word-painter that the others are), and so on. We are blessed at the moment with several extremely good male Lieder singers, and Quasthoff is most definitely one of them. I am busily searching for all of his recordings.
I found the album delightful, and thoroughly recommend it.
What we have on this CD is a combination of two talents of cosmic proportions. Quasthoff and conductor Christian Thielemann bring us some of the most fascinating music ever written with ardor and determination of discoverers. Of particular interest are arias by Albert Lortzing. What one might have dismissed as lighter works (Zar und Zimmermann) had anyone else performed it, is transformed into a sparkling and delightful set of arias, emphasizing the artists' keen sense of humor.
Luckily, most of us are familiar enough with Tannhauser, so we don't have to look at the handy translation booklet to appreciate the beauty of the "Evening Star". If you listen to the same aria sang by Bryn Terfel on his CD with James Levine, you'll have two very different and very beautiful renditions; Terfel's soulful, reflective, yet very much in charge, and Quasthoff's ethereal, mystical one.
What impressed me about this entire recital, is gentle, unobtrusive, yet very much imaginative support of Thielemann's orchestra here. There's a beautiful dialogue happening, particularly between the low strings and Quasthoff's surprisingly bright bass-baritone in "Gar viel und schon ward hier in dieser Halle".
It's difficult to convey even 1% of the music's beauty in a couple of paragraphs. Get it immediately and find out for yourself.
Written between 1934 and 1935, this opera is vintage late Strauss and contains some of his most beautiful music. The text is by the eminent Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, who became Strauss's librettist after the death of Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Their collaboration was extraordinarily harmonious, but Zweig was a Jew, and when the Nazis seized power, Strauss was compelled to terminate their partnership. However, the opera was premiered in Dresden, Germany, in 1935 with Hitler's approval and scored a resounding, though short-lived, success. Strauss fell into disfavor with the regime, and the work was dismissed as inferior and not performed again in Germany until 1946. Thus, its neglect is due entirely to its troubled political history.
The libretto is based on Ben Jonson's comedy about a crotchety, rich old admiral whose damaged eardrums demand a quiet house. Finding that his nephew has joined an opera troupe, he disinherits him and is tricked into a fake marriage to the nephew's beautiful young wife, who is disguised as a timid girl who promises to be "silent" but instead assaults him with noise. His anger at discovering the deception turns to amused relief, leading to reconciliation with the young couple. Zweig redeemed this improbable plot with his verbal virtuosity and radiant poetry, retaining its mordant wit but humanizing the characters. Strauss found the result extremely congenial, and indeed, from the introduction (called "Potpourri") to the old man's final hymn praising quiet contentment, his inspiration never flagged. He used every operatic convention: spoken words, splendid ensembles, love duets, and arias of beguiling beauty.
The score abounds with tantalizing echoes of Strauss's own operas as well as those of Monteverdi, Rossini, and Mozart; the orchestration is masterful, rich yet transparent. The vocal writing is ecstatic but fiendishly difficult; the soprano's acrobatic coloratura goes up to high E. Cyndia Sieden sounds a bit shrill but negotiates it admirably; tenor Deon van der Walt is a lovable hero, and baritone Elke Wilm-Schulte a suave intriguer. In the demanding central role, bass Kurt Moll sings beautifully and makes the transitions from uncontrolled irascibility to hesitant tenderness and warm-hearted generosity utterly believable.
Unfortunately, this excellent recording has an incomprehensible major flaw: it is clear from the libretto that the work has been heavily cut. --Edith Eisler
Richard Strauss: Die schweigsame Frau,Alfred Kuhn,Cornelius Hauptmann,Kurt Moll,Richard Strauss,Pinchas Steinberg,Iris Vermillion,Barbara Kilduff,Cyndia Sieden,Deon Van der Walt,Koch Schwann (Germ.),Classical,Classical Music,German/Austrian Romantic Opera,Opera,Opera / Operetta / Oratorio
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Ben Heppner Sings Richard Strauss
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ASIN: B00000DQD9 Release Date: 1995-01-01 |
Tracks:
- Guntram: 'Ewig einsam - Wenn du einst die Gauen'
- Feuersnot: Love Scene
- Die Frau ohne Schatten: Act II Scene Change And 'Falke, Falke, du wiedergefundener'
- Intermezzo: No. 10b Traumerei am Kamin
- Die Liebe der Danae: Orchestral Introduction To Act III And 'In Syriens Glut...'
- Daphne: 'Was erblicke ich?'
- Die schweigsame Frau: Potpourri
- Der Rosenkavalier: 'Di rigori armato il seno'
- Intermezzo: No. 10d Frohlicher Beschluss
Customer Reviews:
Heppner's glorious tenor in operatic Strauss.......2006-01-09
Much of this music is obscure; most listeners will only recognize the famous Italin tenor's aria form the first act of Rosenkavalier. But Heppner makes it all worthwhile thanks to his unsurpased vocalism. Davis helps the pace by inserting four orchestral selections between the five long arias (the Guntram selection is 12 min., the one from Frau ohne Schatten 11 min.) For anyone who hasn't heard Heppner as the Emperor, this last is a great treat. The recorded sound is a bit too bright but not so much that listening is unpleasant. Overall, this unique album is one to be deeply grateful for.
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Die Schweigsame Frau
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ASIN: B000001GMS Release Date: 1994-08-16 |
Tracks:
- Potpourri - Vienna PO/Karl Bohm
- Act One: Ei, die Ehre, die Ehre! - Georgine von Milinkovic/Hermann Prey
- Act One: Da eine in deine Takelage - Fritz Wunderlich/Hermann Prey
- Act One: Ah! Mein Stock!-Gnadiger Herr! - Hans Hotter/Hermann Prey/Georgine von Milinkovic/Fritz Wunderlich/Karl Donch/Josef Knapp/Pierette...
- Act One: O Gott, war das ein saurer Empfang! - Fritz Wunderlich/Hilde Guden/Alois Pernerstorfer/Josef Knapp/Karl Donch/Hetty Plumacher/Pierette...
- Act One: Nicht an mich, geliebter, denke - Hilde Guden/Fritz Wunderlich/Karl Donch/Josef Knapp/Alois Pernerstorfer/Pierette Alarie/Hermanne...
- Act One: Sehr rechtschaffen gedacht, junger Herr - Hermann Prey/Pierettte Alarie/Hetty Plumacher/Hilde Guden/Karl Donch/Josef Knapp...
- Act One: Seid ihr bereit?-Finale - Hermann Prey/Hilde Guden/Fritz Wunderlich/Pierette Alarie/Hetty Plumacher/Josef Knapp...
- Act Two: Den Paraderock mit den versiberten Schnuren! - Hans Hotter/Georgine von Milinkovic
- Act Two: Euer Gnaden gehorsamster Diener! - Hermann Prey/Hans Hotter
- Act Two: Werte Damen, seid willkommen! - Hans Hotter/Hermann Prey/Hetty Plumacher/Pierette Alarie
- Act Two: Sir Morosus wird Euch dankbar sein - Hermann Prey/Hans Hotter/Hilde Guden/Hetty Plumacher/Pierette Alarie
- Act Two: So stumm, mein Kind - Hans Hotter/Hilde Guden/Hermann Prey
Tracks:
- Act Two: Anhiero gestatte ich mir - Hermann Prey/Karl Donch/Josef Knapp/Hans Hotter/Hilde Guden/Georgine von Milinkovic
- Act Two: Potz Deubel, so hat die alte Hur' - Alois Pernerstorfer/Hans Hotter/Hilde Guden/Georgine von Milinkovic/Hermann Prey/Josef Knapp...
- Act Two: Nehmt's nicht so streng - Karl Donch/Hermann Prey/Hilde Guden/Hetty Plumacher
- Act Two: Du bist so still - Hans Hotter/Hilde Guden
- Act Two: Was geht hier vor? - Fritz Wunderlich/Hans Hotter/Hilde Guden
- Act Two: Du suster Engel - Fritz Wunderlich/Hilde Guden/Hans Hotter
- Act Three: Einleitung - Vienna PO/Bohm
- Act Three: Hier die Spiegel, die Konsolen - Hilde Guden/Georgine von Miliankovic/Fritz Wunderlich/Hans Hotter/Alois Pernerstorfer
- Act Three: Sento un certo non so che - Hilde Guden/Frtiz Wunderlich/Hans Hotter/Alois Pernerstorfer/Georgine Von Milinkovic
- Act Three: Seine illustre Lordschaft - Hermann Prey/Hans Hotter/Georgine von Milinkovic/Karl Donch/Hilde Guden/Alois Pernerstorfer...
- Act Three: Willst du wirklich mich nicht kennen? - Frtiz Wunderlich/Hilde Guden/Karl Donch/Hermann Prey/Pierette Alarie/Hetty Plumacher...
- Act Three: Finale: Teurer Ohm! Nicht langer kann ich - Frtiz Wunderlich/Hans Hotter/Hilde Guden
- Act Three: Finale: Alles Frohe, alles Schone - Hans Hotter/Georgine von Milinkovic/Hermann Prey/Fritz Wunderlich/Hilde Guden/Pierette Alarie...
- Act Three: Finale: Wie schonist doch die Musik - Hans Hotter
Customer Reviews:
Good Strauss (but second-rate "Don Pasquale").......2007-01-25
SOUND: Fairly decent, AM broadcast-quality mono, better than most Salzburg Festival recordings from the 1950s--which isn't saying much. There is a considerable amount of stage noise, much of it specifically intended by the librettist and composer. The audience is well-disciplined, interrupting the natural flow of the opera only once with a little flurry of applause for the first entrance of Gueden and keeping its inevitable coughs well muffled. From time to time, a performer turns away or finds a dead spot on stage an his or her voice fades slightly. As for the orchestra, the narrowed sonic range of this recording is not as much of a problem for this relatively lightly-scored opera as it would be for more lushly-written Strauss works.
CAST: Sir Morosus, a wealthy gentleman with an aversion to noise - Han Hotter (bass-baritone); Henry Morosus, a long-lost nephew in a noisy profession - Fritz Wunderlich (tenor); The Barber, an absolutely untrustworthy confidant - Hermann Prey (baritone); The Housekeeper, a woman who bangs around Sir Morosus' home but a truer friend than he shall ever realize - Georgine von Milinkovic (mezzo-soprano); Vanuzzi, an operatic impresario - Karl Doench (bass-baritone); Aminta, an opera singer - Hilde Gueden (soprano) Isotta, an opera singer - Pierette Alairie (soprano); Carlotta, an opera singer - Hetty Pluemacher (soprano); Morbio, an opera singer - Josef Knapp (baritone); Farfallo, an opera singer - Alois Pernerstorfer (tenor). CONDUCTOR: Karl Boehm with the Wiener Philharmoniker und Chor der Wiener Staatsoper.
DOCUMENTATION: Libretto in German and English. Track list showing timings and identifying singers. Portraits of Richard Strauss, Karl Boehm, and production shots from the 1959 Festival.
TEXT: This is a heavily cut performing text. Purists who regard every written note as pure gold and every preliminary thought as expressed genius, turn away right now. This is not for you. However, it might be noted that Karl Boehm was Richard Strauss' go-to man whenever he wanted someone to conduct the premiere of one of his operas. He conducted the two performances of the piece allowed under the Nazi regime and he was a lifelong friend of the composer. I regard him, of all people in the world, as the one most likely to know Strauss' intentions with regard to "Die Schweigsame Frau." This was a festival performance; there was no commercial need to shorten it. I think, therefore, that this is the version of the opera that Strauss himself would have decreed to be the authentic final text.
THE STORY: Old Morosus,, rich from capturing ships in the recurring wars with Spain, has profitably retired. He hates noise. With his barber, Mr. Cutbeard, he discusses finding a wife--provided that she can maintain blessed silence. With the arrival of his long-lost nephew Henry Morosus, the old man puts such thoughts aside--until Henry reveals that he has become an opera singer and that he has brought his whole opera company to stay in his uncle's house until the London season begins. Morosus threatens to disinherit Henry on the spot. He orders the whole opera company out of his house. The noisy invaders repelled, Morosus orders the barber to find a suitable bride. The barber goes straight to Henry. They hatch a plot. Vanuzzi and the men will pretends to be priests and notaries. The women will be marriage candidates. Old Morosus is enchanted with the demure and silent Aminta. A false marriage ceremony is performed on the spot. Immediately after that, Aminta displays both a voice and a shrewish disposition. Quickly the new Mistress makes the old man's life a noisy hell. He wants nothing so much as a divorce and he seeks Henry's help to procure one. In the end, Aminta admits that she was never married to old Morosus because she was already married to Henry. The old man is so relieved to be free of the shrew that he takes it all in good humor and everything ends happily.
COMMENTARY: The story of "Die Schweigsame Frau" is ostensibly based on "Ipicoene, or The Silent Woman" by Ben Jonson. There are certainly similarities. Jonson's Morose hates noise. He has a scapegrace nephew, Dauphine Morose whom he threatens to disinherit. At the conniving of his barber, he marries Ipicoene who instantly turns into a noisy shrew. Morose seeks for ways to obtain a divorce. In the end, Ipicoene turns out to be in disguise and it is revealed that there never was a marriage, much to the relief of old Morose. But consider this, Don Pasquale considers taking a young bride. He threatens to disinherit his scapegrace nephew. With the conniving of Dr. Malatesta, he marries Norina who instantly turns into a noisy shrew. Don Pasquale seeks for ways to end the marriage. In the end, Norina turns out to be in disguise and it is revealed that there never was a marriage, much to the relief of old Don Pasquale.
Now, it is remotely possible that librettist Stefan Zweig did not know any better, but Strauss must have been perfectly aware that he was re-writing Donizetti--just as he must have known that he was re-visiting "The Marriage of Figaro" with "Der Rosenkavalier." Aminta's form of disguise is essentially the same as Norina's but entirely different from Ipicoene's (whose disguise was uniquely suited to the Elizabethan theater.)
"Die Schweigsame Frau" is a very decent Strauss opera. It's talky but basically sound. I like it. But it is not as good as "Don Pasquale." It is not even half as good as "Don Pasquale." Line the two up together and you find the work of an earnest plodder beside that of a casual genius. Strauss once described himself as "a first-class second-class composer." He was perfectly correct.
As for the performance, look at the cast, Hotter, Wunderlich, Prey, Gueden, and the conductor, and the orchestra--gold, pure gold. Of course it's worth five stars.
But it's not as good as "Don Pasquale"!
An excellent recording.......2004-10-19
The libretto perhaps does leave some to be desired, although it is quite funny and works as a very entertaining story. It is really the music, though, that makes this opera great. The orchestration is brilliant and colorful, and Strauss did a masterful job at creating the characters through his witty music. It is also one of the masterpieces of Strauss's conversational operas (along with Capriccio). There are several brilliant scenes that rank among the greatest in any Strauss Opera (for example, the scene in the first act with Morosus complaining to the Barber about the bells).
If one is convinced of the quality of the opera itself, it follows naturally that one would want this recording. The first reason, of course, is that it is essentially the only one availible.
More importantly, the performance is a live one from the Salzburger Festspiele in the year 1959. The sound is mono, but the orchestra and singers are quite sonorous and the microphones never distort or clip the sound (in fact, it really sounds best at its loudest moments). There is very little in the way of audience noise, some from the stage action (although that is supposed to be there, so it's really quite effective) and the only harmful sounds are some creaking of floors etc. There are occasional moments when singers are obviously further away from the center of the stage, but again that is to be expected from a live recording, and the singing and speaking is always clear.
The singers are tremendous--one could scarcely ask for a better cast. Hermann Prey gives a masterfully clever performance as the Barber (oddly enough, he also did that for Karl Bohm as the more famous Barber, Figaro). Hans Hotter gives a great performance as the irritable but tender hearted Morosus, and the inimitable Wunderlich plays the part of Henry. Hilde Guden is Aminta, the Schweigsame Frau, and it seems to me to be a strange performance... I'm not sure quite what to make of her (at times she almost sounds like the deliberate clodhopper incarnation of Octavian from Rosenkavalier). The Wiener Phil is of course perfect (when aren't they) and Bohm gives the finest reading the opera will probably ever get. Every line is clear, every sonority full and every color vivid. Like the live Rosenkavalier (also from the Salzburger), every note and line is perfectly articulated.
Deustche Grammophon has done a great job preparing this recording. It is a miracle of sound coming from a radio broadcast in the 50's, and I'm not sure if the Radio Austria has brilliant technicians or DG engineers are magicians, but what we have is a high quality document of an incredible moment in time. It is very highly recommended.
Great.......2003-09-19
cosmic etherial comic opera.......2003-03-17
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Matti Salminen Opera Arias
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ASIN: B0000016HE Release Date: 1994-10-12 |
Tracks:
- 'O Isis Und Osiris'
- 'In Diesen Heil' Gen Hallen'
- 'Wer Ein Liebchen Hat Gefunden'
- 'Solche Hergelauf' Ne Laffen'
- 'Ha! Wie Will Ich Triumphieren'
- 'Hat Man Nicht Auch Gold'
- 'Come Dal Ciel Precipita'
- 'Il Lacerato, Spirito'
- Ella Giammai M'amo'
- 'La Calunnia'
- 'Vecchia Zimarra'
- 'Lyubvi Vsye'
- 'Mogst Du, Mein Kind'
- 'Wie Schon Ist Doch Die Musik'
Customer Reviews:
Bravo!.......2003-03-10
Magic power.......2000-06-25
Salminen sings both Rossini, Wagner and Strauss as if they all were his favorite composer, showing no weakness in any kind of the very mixed repertoire of this recording. He is funny when called for, and in the most powerful (and tragic)parts he is extremely thrilling. Emotionality and caracterization are parts of Salminens great strength as a opera singer.
If you're a fan of bass-singing, this is a must for you to have. Even if you're not, it is very fun to be able to hear some of the greatest bass-arias, which othervise oftenly are neglected on opera-collections.
The orchestral playing of the Lahti forces is also very good.
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Opernmonologe
Manufacturer: Orfeo D'or ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Mussorgsky
| Mussorgsky, Modest
| ( M )
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| Strauss, Richard
| ( S )
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All Works by Verdi
| Verdi, Giuseppe
| ( V )
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| Wagner, Richard
| ( W )
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| Rossini, Gioacchino
| ( R )
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Hotter, Hans
| ( H )
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ASIN: B00000IMTY Release Date: 1999-04-01 |
Tracks:
- Der Fliegende Hollander: Die First Ist Um
- Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg: Wie Duftet Doch Der Flieder
- Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg: Wahn, Wahn Uberall Wahn
- Der Barbier Von Sevilla: Die Verleumdung, Sie Ist Ein Luftchen
- Don Carlo: Ella Giammai M'Amo
- Boris Godunow: Mein Ist Die Hochste Macht Jetzt
- Boris Godunow:Grossmacht Ger Herr Und Zar - Hans Hotter/Lorenz Fehenberger/Dorthea Siebert
- Boris Godunow: Gschwind Ruft Meinen Sohn - Hans Hotter/Dorothea Siebert/Chor Des Bayerischen Rudfunks
- Die Schweigsame Frau: Wie Schon Ist Doch Musik
Customer Reviews:
Tonal splendor plumbs the spiriutal depths!.......2006-02-28
Hotter greatness at its peak.......2000-02-24
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Strauss - Die Schweigsame Frau / Grist · Mödl · McDaniel · Grobe · Böhme · Bayerische Staatsoper · Sawallisch
Richard Strauss , Wolfgang Sawallisch , Reri Grist , Martha Mödl , Barry McDaniel , Benno Kusche , Donald Grobe , Bayerischen Staatsorchester , Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper , Kurt Böhme , Lotte Schädle , Glenys Loulis , Albrecht Peter , and Max Proebstl Manufacturer: Orfeo D'or ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
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ASIN: B00001R3DY Release Date: 1999-11-29 |
Average customer rating:
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Evening Star: German Opera Arias
Albert Lortzing , Richard Strauss , Richard Wagner , Carl Maria von Weber , Christian Thielemann , Christiane Oelze , and Thomas Quasthoff Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Lortzing
| Lortzing, Albert
| ( L )
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| Strauss, Richard
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| Wagner, Richard
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| Weber, Carl Maria von
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ASIN: B00005YS1Q Release Date: 2002-03-05 |
Tracks:
- Zar Und Zimmerman: O Sancta Justitia! Ich Mochte Rasen
- Zar Und Zimmerman: Den Hohen Herrscher Wurdig Zu Empfangen
- Zar Und Zimmerman: Sonst Spielt Ich Mit Zepter, Mit Krone Und Stern
- Der Wildschutz: Funftausend Taler! Traum Oder Wach Ich?
- Der Wildschutz: Lass Er Doch Horen!-Bei Diesem Schlimmen Fall
- Der Wildschutz: Wie Freundlich Strahlt Die Holde Morgensonne
- Euryanthe: Wo Berg Ich Mich?-Schweigt, Gluhnden Sehnens
- Tannhauser Und Der Sangerkrieg Auf Wartburg: Gar Viel Und Schon Ward Hier In Dieser Halle
- Tannhauser Und Der Sangerkrieg Auf Wartburg: Wie Todesahnung Dammrung Deckt Die Lande-O du, Mein Holder Abendstern
- Die Schweigsame Frau: Wie Schon Ist Doch Die Musik
Customer Reviews:
This is an Evening Star to shine on the landscape of the soul.......2005-12-31
When he applies that intelligence to arias, he gives an intimate and very effective lustre to the vocal line. Even with arias one has heard many times before, an immediacy comes through. I felt as though I were hearing the Weber and the Wagner for the first time - that same joy in the newness and wonder of such superb music alighted on me.
With the Lortzing, I feel the official review above is unfair. They were delightful to listen to, and Lortzing is sufficiently able as a composer to produce works of worth and originality. One may not - one does not - put him into the same rank as Beethoven, Weber, Wagner, etc. - but then we are speaking of giants of the Romantic period. Between genius and mere competence lies a HUGE field, and Lortzing is well into the plus side of that field. That Thomas Quasthoff sings the Lortzing arias magnificently, one takes for granted.
I am happy to place Quasthoff into the same category of "must-have" baritone/bass-baritone singers as Fischer-Dieskau, Olaf Bär, Bryn Terfel (although Terfel is not quite the word-painter that the others are), and so on. We are blessed at the moment with several extremely good male Lieder singers, and Quasthoff is most definitely one of them. I am busily searching for all of his recordings.
I found the album delightful, and thoroughly recommend it.
Supreme Mastery!.......2003-02-07
What we have on this CD is a combination of two talents of cosmic proportions. Quasthoff and conductor Christian Thielemann bring us some of the most fascinating music ever written with ardor and determination of discoverers. Of particular interest are arias by Albert Lortzing. What one might have dismissed as lighter works (Zar und Zimmermann) had anyone else performed it, is transformed into a sparkling and delightful set of arias, emphasizing the artists' keen sense of humor.
Luckily, most of us are familiar enough with Tannhauser, so we don't have to look at the handy translation booklet to appreciate the beauty of the "Evening Star". If you listen to the same aria sang by Bryn Terfel on his CD with James Levine, you'll have two very different and very beautiful renditions; Terfel's soulful, reflective, yet very much in charge, and Quasthoff's ethereal, mystical one.
What impressed me about this entire recital, is gentle, unobtrusive, yet very much imaginative support of Thielemann's orchestra here. There's a beautiful dialogue happening, particularly between the low strings and Quasthoff's surprisingly bright bass-baritone in "Gar viel und schon ward hier in dieser Halle".
It's difficult to convey even 1% of the music's beauty in a couple of paragraphs. Get it immediately and find out for yourself.
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Strauss: Preludes & Intermezzos
Manufacturer: Koch Schwann (Germ.) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Strauss
| Strauss, Richard
| ( S )
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ASIN: B00005B5NE Release Date: 2001-06-26 |
Tracks:
- Guntram: Prld Act 1 - Bamberger SO/Karl Anton Rickenbacher
- Guntram: Prld Act 2 - Bamberger SO/Karl Anton Rickenbacher
- Feuersnot: Love Scene - Bamberger SO/Karl Anton Rickenbacher
- Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme: Prld Act 1 - Munchener Kammerorchester
- Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme: Prld Act 2 - Munchener Kammerorchester
- Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme: Act 2 - Munchener Kammerorchester
- Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme: Prld Act 3 - Munchener Kammerorchester
- Interludio Zu ,Idomeneo' - Bamberger SO/Karl Anton Rickenbacher
- Arabella: Prld Act 3 - Bamberger SO/Karl Anton Rickenbacher
- Capriccio: Intro (Sextett) - Bamberger SO/Karl Anton Rickenbacher
- Capriccio: Moonlight Music - Bamberger SO/Karl Anton Rickenbacher
- Die Schweigsame Frau: Potpourri - Bamberger SO/Karl Anton Rickenbacher
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Richard Strauss: 4 Symphonic Interludes from Intermezzo; Sextet from Capriccio; Potpourri from Die Schweigsame Frau; Prelude from Guntram; Symphonic Fantasy from Die Frau ohne Schatten
Manufacturer: EMI/Angel/Virgin/Imports ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Classical
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ASIN: B000005GK1 Release Date: 1996-11-27 |
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Strauss: Lieder
Manufacturer: Berlin Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Strauss
| Strauss, Richard
| ( S )
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Chamber Music
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ASIN: B00000AG5L Release Date: 1998-09-15 |
Average customer rating:
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Strauss - Die schweigsame Frau / Scovotti, Adam, Burmeister, T. Schmidt, Staatskapelle Dresden, Janowski
Richard Strauss , Chor der Staatsoper Dresden Marek Janowski Staatskapelle Dresden , and Annelies Burmeister, Trudeliese Schmidt Jeanette Scovotti Theo Adam Manufacturer: Angel ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Opera & Vocal
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ASIN: B000005GT8 Release Date: 1997-12-02 |
Customer Reviews:
Delightful Strauss Comedy!.......2003-07-20
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- Rossini, Verdi, Bizet and others
- Simon Boccanegra
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- Ten Top Mezzos
- The Mozart Experience ~ The ultimate opera collection / Dam-Jensen · Dawson · D. Jones · Rolfe Johnson · Le Roux · ROH Covent Garden · McGegan
- The Three Penny Opera
- Tre Storie in una Stanza
- Treasures of Operetta III
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