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Every week we offer 12 new titles available to stream for free
Castelnuovo-Tedesco: The Importance of Being Earnest (in Italian)
Andreolli, Misciano, Zanini, Adani; Campori. RAI, 1972
Compilation: Amy Shuard
Excerpts from Macbeth, Walküre, Götterdämmerung, Katya Kabanova, Tristan & more
Compilation: Anne Evans
Excerpts from Temistocle, Die Fledermaus, Dalibor, La Traviata, Lohengrin, Walküre, Elektra & Die Frau ohne Schatten
Compilation: Martina Arroyo in Concert
Amsterdam, 1967. BONUS: Martina Arroyo Sings Verdi
Mozart: Così fan tutte (In English)
Harwood, Baker, Curragh, Westi, Van Der Bilt, Shirley-Quirk; Gibson. Glasgow, 1969
Spotlight: George London
From Our Collectors
Five-Star Reviews
Opera lovers share their discoveries from the catalogue.
Revelatios
“This is a super performance and a good recording (the first 15 seconds aside).I missed seeing Ava June in the theatre and didn't know what to expect. She simply superb, as is Valerie Masterson, whose work I do knew well and because of whom I bought the set. These are world-class performances.It's a fun translation and the audience clearly love every minute. This is a lovely reminder of Sir Charles Mackerras's talent and his dedication to ENO. I would love to have attended this performance.”
Exciting Performance in Excellent Sound!
“I was expecting a rough-and-ready in-house recording, but this was taken from a broadcast. Not only are the voices very clear and focused, but at the end of the overture a pair of dueling announcers tell us about the performance and what to expect from the production. One even talks over the first few moments of the first act! They are not heard from again, but it's rather endearing.Bailey and Neblett are marvelous, both individually and together. Her high Bs are so secure Guadagno doesn't take the usual cut at the end of the second act (the three act edition is employed here). Bailey's diction and gruff, characterful voice are perfect for the Dutchman. Wildermann, as always, is a fine Daland with his distinctive voice and it's a pleasure to hear a young Grayson Hirst as the Steersman. Richard Kness is a vivid Erik and Carole Walters makes a strong impression as Mary. The chorus is very enthusiastic (one tenor accidentally gives us an extra "Hoyoho!" in the opening music!).All Dutchman fans and fans of the singers should hear this!”
Excellent Bayreuth Meistersinger
“This is a justly famous Meistersinger available for several years on the Orfeo label in slightly (and I mean "slightly") better sound. Theo Adam, who was a last minute replacement for the unnerved Walter Berry, is an excellent Hans Sachs, at turns tender and comical, yet authoritative when required. Waldemar Kmentt was better known for his Mozart but makes a very good Walther von Stolzing. His voice may lack tonal beauty, but he sings with such ardor and lyricism that his prize song puts many others sung by tenors possessing more attractive instruments to shame. But perhaps the best thing about this wonderful performance is the conducting of Karl Bohm. One only has to listen to his opening prelude, played with such flexibility and beauty, to know that great things are in store. This performance belongs in every serious Wagner collection.”
Dido and Aeneas with Janet Bake
“A superb performance from Dame Janet. Somehow, she seems more involved than either of her two studio recording which are both fabulous and involving. If this seems confusing, it won't to those who, like I, venerate Dame Janet. The present performance finds her in stupendous voice. Thomas Hemsley does take some getting used to as he sounds startlingly like Peter Pears. John Pritchard conducts what is obviously a loving performance. The sound is taken from a television video tape, so sometimes that low rumble from video tapes intrudes but does not in any way spoil such a magnificent performance. Purchase this, pour a glass of wine, sit back, enjoy and thank heaven this exists!”
One of the golden trio of Knappertsbusch Parsifals
“A lot of serious listening work has been done by Parsifal lovers to rank the top three recordings of all time, and many agree with the listing Kna1952, Kna1954, and Kna1951 in decreasing order. Some would put Kna1954 first. All three performances have the advantage of the genuine Bayreuth Bells (in fact, bass piano strings struck with a hammer) that Wieland Wagner unwisely replaced in 1955 with an electronic synthesizer that sounds odd. Here in 1954 Josef Greindl is a brilliant and sensitive Gurnemanz. Greindl was typecast as a "baddie" to sing Hagen or one of the Giants in Das Rheingold, which is a shame. His present interpretation is beyond wonderful. As a bonus Hans Hotter sings a fantastic Amfortas, without wobble (!!). The Klingsor is Gustav Neidlinger who in other years and other nights could sound bored or tired, but here he is in top form. A wonderful recording all around with acceptably fine sound.”
Beautiful
“Exciting, excellent recording of a provocatively fast-paced, dramatic performance. Among the principals, only Calio is ordinary, the others are all stellar, and Schröder-Feinen’s amazing Kundry by itself is worth the price of admission.”
MY GO-TO RECRODING of WAGNER's RING
“A most fortunate find! IMHO, (and experience) the finest performance by Madame Nilsson as Brunnhilde. She sings tirelessly, with total abbandon, and unbridled passion. She is equally matched by a cast of Wagnerian giants in the other roles. (what a treat to have Greindl as the Wanderer!) Maestro Bohm is more spontaneaous and impassioned than his more famous performances that were released commercially a few years later. AND the sound is excellent! This has become my "Go-to" recording of the RING for novices of Wagner's music and my friends. THANK YOU for preserving this performance and making it available.”
A bundle of fun and more besides!
“This was a special production which I saw and heard live several times. AS the product description implies, it stopped just short of high comedy and never lsot sight of Britten’s more subtle intentions and is full of human warmth as well. The cast was remarkable and formed a wonderful team, it was an unexpected treat to have Sena’s Lady Billows and very special to have it now, conserved for posterity - thankyou Opera Depot!”
ENO triumphs again!
“This is superb! I saw Margaret Curphey in many roles at the London Coliseum but had no idea that she had ever performed this role, and I can't imagine how I missed it. She performs the role beautifully with absolutely superb diction. I never heard Jon Weaving but he also is ideal in the role, also with perfect diction. I only ever saw Raimund Herincx at the very end of his career when the voice was faded, but here in his brief appearance as Wotan he is very impressive. As always Mackerras brings wonderful vigour to the performance. It's incredible to think that in the same year as this impressive performance I also saw the complete Ring cycle conducted by Goodall with the equally superb cast familiar from the commercial recording. The actual sound quality of this recording is terrific too. If only we had the rest of this opera, and the rest of the cycle with this cast too!”
something to add to my previous comment
“I posted a comment while I was still on vacation, and since then I have the recording and have listened to it. It's interesting to compare the recording to my memory (albeit from almost sixty years ago) of the performance. At the performance Souzay and the young Horne were definitely received by the audience as "stars", and Valletti was an also-ran, despite the elegance of his performance. The large hall (the pre-remodeled Northrup Auditorium at the University of Minnesota, where the orchestra played before its present hall was built) was not kind to him and his voice simply didn't have the presence in the room that Horne's and Souzay's did. Souzay also had a more flamboyant performance personality going for him, quite suitable to the Devil, and was clearly having a lot of fun--the Devil always has so much fun! It's interesting that on the recording Valetti (for me) comes off far the best, and Souzay's personality (and even some of his voice) doesn't come across, at least compared to my memory of the performance. To whomever did this recording, many thanks (and to Opera Depot). I was young and full of eagerness, and to get to sing in the chorus on stage with these soloists and orchestra was wonderfully exciting, and a strong experience in my then very young musical life. I had no idea the performance existed in a recording, and it's a real treasure for me to have.”
Beautiful Singing
“This is a great recording with perfect sound. Sukis sings "Song to the Moon" exceptionally well. The high notes are clear, and the low notes are round and full. All in all, a recording well worth owning.”
dramatic evening
“It is not only the great Leonie in splendid form; Berry is a real surprise as elegant, italian, forceful Scarpia an Uzunov shows the way for a heroic tenor to cope with Cavaradossi. In a later performance, also available thanks to Andy, he is Spoletta with Domingo, a Leonie past her prime and Theo Adam as another German bass-baritone you would not have expected to be so good as Scarpia.”
Rock
“Tinsley is another of those great singers who was under-recorded. UmbertoBorso’s only studio recording was Aida in the early 50s with Mary Curtis Vernaand Ettore Bastianini. (Now available on CD.) He had a big, golden voice.Don’t know why we didn’t hear more of him.Nice to hear Irene Dalis in an Italian role. Most of her recordings seem to beWagner. As Andy says, the pace of this performance is energetic.”
A VERY FINE "LA GIOCONDA"
“Another must: a very fine recording of Amilcare Ponchielli's masterpiece, "La Gioconda", featuring a starry cast (soprano Elena Souliotis, tenor Richard Tucker, mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias and baritone Cornell MacNeil), under the great baton of Bruno Bartoletti conducting The Teatro Colon Orchestra and Chorus in 1966... Highly recommended!”
Kevin Dunn
“Knappertsbusch's last year at Bayreuth, and this is a really exceptional recording. Vickers is a great Parsifal and Ericson (whom I'd never heard before) a gorgeously seductive Kundry. The other principals will be familiar from other Bayreuth recordings of the period, and all are on good form.”
Still to be beaten
“Excellent performance all round and Vickers must be the best Floretan of the modern era and Leitner one of the most under rated conductor of opera in that period. The sound could have been a little better but was not a distraction in any way.”
A magnificent Meistersinger
“A captivating performance, holding the attention and delight throughout its four/plus hours. The cast sang with convincing character and beauty, and the score was realised with unmatched tempos and dynamics by Kubelik and his orchestra. The best Meistersinger von Nürnberg I’ve had the pleasure to hear.”
Wagner at it´s best
“This is my 51 Ring Cycle, Nilsson & Windgassen vocaly it their Best, the recording transfer on the CD´s are exellent, comparible with the recordings in Bayreuth 1967 Böhm, 1968 by Maazel, and the recordings by Furtwängler 1953 Rai and the recording 1957 London by Kempe”
EXCELLENT, INTELLIGENT PERFORMANCE
“I'll only add to the judgments below (which I endorse) that this is an unusually intelligent and nuanced performance. The opera's action comes close to the usual Eurocentric portrayal of "exotic" but naive Asians (cf."Butterfly"), and this rendition happily avoids this stereotype. Most notably, Ruth Welting not only hits all the high notes, but portrays a Indian woman who is clearly aware of the issues of this mixed-culture romance. She is especially riveting in the last-act duet, when she becomes keenly aware that her lover Gérard has mixed feelings about staying with her when his regiment goes back to his "home." The excellent Robert Massard, too, portrays Nilakantha not as the usual native thug but as a loving brother, keenly aware of how the British Raj has injured his country and thus fearful for his sister's safety. This is a performance that gets past the vocal high-jinks to get you really thinking about the opera's views on colonialism. (Is it not significant that the Europeans are British, not French?)”
A wide range from Rossini to Wagner
“Eberhard Wächter was for many years the number one baritone at the Vienna State Opera. But there are only a few studio recordings with him, first and foremost “Figaro” and “Don Giovanni” under Giulini, both excellent reference recordings from 1961.It is therefore very worthy to show him in a broader spectrum at a time when he was at the peak of his vocal potency (1960-1977). He had both Italianità and comic talent, as he demonstrated in the Largo al factotum and the great performance of Dottore Dulcamara, and the gravitas that qualified him excellently for Wagner's medieval operas (Tannhäuser, Tristan, Parsifal). For this, Wächter deserves top marks. The low quality of the live recordings of Faust, Falstaff, Tosca and Butterfly is regrettable, but they are certainly of value as contemporary documents.”
Carlos Kleiber proves the apple doesn't fall far from the tree
“Carlos Kleiber's father Erich had the honor of conducting the world premiere of Wozzeck in 1925, and although the two brought a very distinct voice to the works they led, Carlos shows that he inherited his father's understanding of the Second Viennese School”
Michael Proctor
“Incandescent. I have downloaded a number of live recordings from OperaDEPOT.com and have enjoyed them mainly for curiosity reasons. However, this recording is so good - it is after all the 1977 production of the famous 76-80 productions at Bayreuth of which there is the 1980 CD and DVD - that this is now going to form an essential part of my listening to these great operas.”
The real Wagner's spirit: A Jubilation!
“Fantastic! Wonderful ! Both subtle and so powerful!Full of life , freshness and artistic accuracy !Although Fiescher-Dieskau has not Hotter's voice; Crespin has not Nilsson's one,of course! It doesn't matter here: All singers are so great artists ( and Talvella , Thomas, Ludwig, Ridderbusch etcetera have so magnificent voices!)Karajan is the best ; far ahead of any Solti , ahead of Bohm, even ahead of Knappertsbusch.For me this live Ring is the best ever recorded !!!”
One of the all-time great “Otellos”
“In the years 1970-80, the world had three top Otellos: in order of seniority, Jon Vickers, Carlo Cossutta, and Placido Domingo. They all sang more than one revival of the opera at Covent Garden; it was a luxury to compare them then, but now they represent a collective peak never subsequently matched. (Domingo’s Otello, new that decade, continued into the 1990s.) Cossutta’s voice was huge, virile, sexy, baritonal, passionate, and he was the only one of the three to bring Italian diction and placement to the part; I hear here why I adored him then, and surrender again. The surprise of this revival was that Te Kanawa, who had just sung Desdemona at the New York Met with Vickers, seemed to have a voice as large as both Cossutta and Cappucilli. It was the most vocally ample “Otello” I have ever known, and all three voices combined beauty with eloquence. This was the era when Cappucilli moved from his former dull efficiency to a new interpretative intensity: the dark power and easily biting diction of his Iago amazed. But the greatest factor here is Charles Mackerras. Listen to the astounding power of the whole orchestra under the “Sì, pel ciel” duet; and the phenomenal grace of the woodwind at many points; the conviction and sweep of the whole. Colin Davis and Carlos Kleiber conducted superb revivals in those years; I already knew my Toscanini and Serafin recordings; but I understand increasingly now why 1974 reviews said that this was the greatest “Otello” heard since De Sabata.”
A triumphant Welsh National Opera 'Die Walküre' under Sir Reginald Goodall (continued)
“The great Anne Evans was singing her first Brünnhilde. Kathryn Harries, who had only started singing operatic roles as a Flower Maiden in the WNO Parsifal the year before, was a strikingly youthful, good-looking, and well-sung Sieglinde. Although Phillip Joll was younger, higher-pitched, and less god-like in appearance and voice than Norman Bailey, he nevertheless offered a very coherent, convincing and youthful characterization and a very well sung performance, which fully came into its own in the final scene with Anne Evans. Warren Ellsworth (aged 34) was a show-stealing Siegmund (he generated much more presence and Vickers-like intensity in this role than did much-loved Alberto Remedios, who unfailingly sang this role very beautifully, but was always much more distinctive, engaging and characterful as Siegfried). His death from lymphatic cancer in 1993, aged only 42, was a very tragic loss. The singers, the WNO orchestra and Andrew Porter’s excellent English translation come across amazingly clearly and vividly. Aside from one brief gap/jump towards the end of Fricka’s big scene with Wotan in Act 2, the excellent stereo sound is almost completely fault-free. In a review of the first night, Rodney Milnes wrote: ‘every aspiring Wagner conductor across Europe should be corralled into Cardiff’s New Theatre to see how it should be done!’”
Ronald Dowd as Siegmund
“This was my first purchase from Opera Depot and made specifically to hear Ronald Dowd again (he left few if any recordings). He was the first opera singer I heard live (in 1958) and remained a favourite until he left the UK in 1972. I often worried his voice would be too light for the more heroic parts he took (Aeneas, Samson etc) but was invariably won over by his wholehearted performances. The same applied here and I was increasingly impressed by his committed singing. Amy Shuard and Michael Langdon are equally admirable and it was good to be reminded of Norman del Mar, a much underrated conductor. I have already listened to it several times.”
Reminiscence
“I purchased this recording because it is a reminiscence to my youth in Graz. I attendend many performances with Berislav Klobucar (at this time chief of opera) and also Gertrud Grob-Prandl (as guest from the Vianne State Opera). So I am very glad to have this Elektra in my list of recordings.”
MONUMENTAL PERFORMANCE!
“This Aida was part of the reopening of the Wiener Staatsoper in November 1955. From the prelude, the performance leaps from the speakers. Kubelik is in complete command of the colossal talents assembled, and his reading is one of the grandest and most atmospheric. Rysanek simply soars pianissimo to fortissimo. Hopf is heroic in timbre, sensitive to dynamics, possessing a welcome “squillo” on top. Madeira enters ready to rule Egypt with her column of sound. Dramatically, she all but loses her mind in Act 4! London’s vocally towering Amonasro reminds us who is king. Frick’s Ramfis leaves one longing for a lost aria, but the Temple scene is breathtaking. Oskar Czerwenka’s King of Egypt is overshadowed in this company. Anny Felbermayer sings the Priestess. Sound is excellent. Enjoy!”
Les grandes années de la Rossini Renaissance
“Abbado toujours exemplaire dans Rossini, Horne dans un de ses meilleurs rôles à une époque où elle ne charge pas encore, Dara une référence . Montarsolo moins formidablement équipé que d'autres Mustafa connait son Rossini sur le bout des doigts, Alva peut-être un peu sur la fin et un peu limité reste un interprète impeccable .”
You Should Meet This Isolde
“Although this performance is not complete (Act 3 is severely abridged) I would not want to be without it for the wonderful Isolde of Berit Lindholm. She has warmth, strength and femininity which make her a very compelling Isolde. She is an artist who should be much better known. Nuotio is less compelling as Tristan but quite good nonetheless. Minton and Cold are both very satisfying with strong solid vocalism and attractive timbres. Gielen conducts with feeling and it feels very organic. Good sound!”
Seek no farther
“Sir Michael Tippett's most accessilbe opera, "King Priam," is angular and fast-moving. However, it doesn't 'play itself,' as performances with lesser casts have demonstrated. For this world premiere, Covent Garden fielded its first team, headed by Forbes Robinson's stalwart protagonist. Richard Lewis is a standout as Achilles, and the combination of Marie Collier, Margreta Elkins and Josephine Veaaey in the female leads speaks for itself. John Pritchard tucks into the score with gusto and the result is a performer that ought to satisfy opera fans who think of Tippett as knotty and inscrutable (a reputation that he did a lot to perpetuate). Highly recommended.”
John Stanton
“This is a marvellous recording with a palpable chemistry between the two principles. Gigliola Frazzoni had a full bright lyric spinto, easy here to confuse with Tebaldi (I think), and her Minnie is a moving portrait with a toughness when needed. Corelli is the ideal Johnson, his voice at his peak, big handsome and sensual. His extraordinary facility for such a big voice to deliver beguiling smortzandos brings a gentleness and lovingness to his scenes with Frazzoni, that In my experience with this opera is unrivalled.Gobbi's is not in this class. His Rance is unrelentingly nasty, which makes it difficult to understand why Minnie would have anything to do with him. That hooty lock on the top of his voice that spoilt much of his singing is not so much on display here.The sound is excellent”
First rate performance from Arena di Verona
“This performance captures the artists at their absolute prime. All the singers deliver in spades but the reason I ordered this recording was to hear one of my favorite tenors as Faust, Carlo Bergonzi. His is a portrayal not duplicated in my experience. He brings all his wonderful vocal technique to the lyrical aspects of the role as well as the heroic heft when needed. What a gem! Sound is fine; only annoyance is the very enthusiastic prompter clearly audible throughout. If you favor this opera, hear this recording for certain.”
Bizet: Carmen (In German) Troyanos, Ilosfalvy, Donath, Braun; Böhm. München, 1969
“I am a fan of Ilosfalvy I have heard him several times in live. Comparing him with other tenors in the second part of the twentieth century I should state he was the very best among them!”
A Star was Born
“In 1957 Wieland Wagner ,after hearing Sandor Konya in multiple Italian and French Operas( in various Opera Houses in Germany ,like Hamburg,Berlin,Munich ,Dresden ) he was sure that this will be the right Lohengrin for his new Staging in Bayreuth in 1958.Konya was too busy and under Contract . In April of 1958 he finally went to Stuttgart to sing the main Sequences out of the Lohengrin Partitur.Wieland was sure he has his new Lohengrin.Konya's Debut in Bayreuth was the absolute Success ,and Wieland Wagner got what he was aiming for. Konya sung in the next Years to come more than 370 times Lohengrin all over the world. Until today he is one of the most exiting and enchanting Lohengrins. His Lyric Heroic Timbre made him very unique as the Swan Knight.Thank you Wieland to find him ,Thank you Sandor for your Art.”
Immediate and exciting
“This was a surprising set in that it was better than the commercial recordings issued 2years later. The tension in the performances makes for a more immediate impact on the listener. Everyone is in fresher voice as well. Eva Randova makes Hanna Schwarz sound over parted as Fricka, and having Rene Kollo and Jess Thomas as the Siegfrieds is a plus from the less exciting Manfred Jung. Some people complain about Gwyneth Jones’s singing. I’ve always admired her, and here, there is certainly nothing to grouse about. Her voice is fresh, strong and steady, while still executing the lovely piano tones of 10 years before. The tempi of Pierre Boulez is quicker than on the commercial set, contributing to the heightened state of the performances. The sound is excellent. This set, in so many ways, surpasses the commercial set of two years later.”
Der Rosenkavalier ENO 1975
“McDonall, Masterson and Barstow all superb and beautifully conducted by Mackerras in very good sound. It reminds one of what ENO was.... Also received Highlights from ROH 1954 (Fisher, Leigh and Shacklock) when they still sang in English though beautifully conducted by Kempe. Sadly it is recorded from the Prompt corner but if the rest of the performance exists I would buy it. Many thanks Neil Dalrymple”
Terrific Performance. Great Sound.
“I was surprised how engaged I got while listening to this recording. I've never heard Carrearas sound better anywhere. And, of course, Caballe was made for a role like this. Such control! The entire cast is in terrific form and it is a very tight production. Highly recommended.”
Frank
“Just purchased this opera. I agree the sound is outstanding. Koln radio captured a nice clear production with voices well balanced. The performance is very good considering the cast of virtual unknown, except for TSR and Wolfram. Stich Randall fans must have this disc.”
Brian Lowery
“I would recommend this recording for several reasons. First, hearing the opera in English is a revelation. Having listened to Macbeth in Italian for over 30 years, I thought I knew this opera completely. But I really don’t speak Italian, and hearing it in my own language gave me greater insight into my favorite opera. Secondly, Dame Gwyneth Jones gives a marvelous performance. If I would select a “dream cast”, she would be my Lady Macbeth. Drake is quite good as Macbeth, although he sounds a little Wagnerian at times. The rest of the singers are more than adequate. Finally, Wetherell’s tempo is to my liking, not too fast or too slow.”
michal
“Renata Tebaldi was previously scheduled to sing this performance of Adriana but because of illness she had to give up after dress rehearsal.So Magda Olivero replaced her in the last moment.”
Grateful for a new experience
“I remember my reaction the first time I saw Figaro in German: it was as if all the vowels and the consonants had been inverted. It seemed an almost comical perversion, not only of the text but of the music itself. However, I did not entirely avoid seeing other operas when they were in German. Fortunately in the late 1960s the practice was on the wan in Hamburg. Never having lived in Italy, I have not had occasion to see an Italian version of a German opera; nor was I interested. This recording is therefore a "first" for me, and I am very grateful to Operadepot for offering it as a free download, because it surely would not have occurred to me to buy it! But now I am glad for the experience. For aficionados (as many surely are who come to this site), this performance is well worth hearing. For Callas, of course; but Panerai, Christoff and in particular Gui's conducting are also of interest.If you know Italian or only German, I recommend the Italian/German libretto available at http://www.dicoseunpo.it/W_files/Parsifal.pdf”
Joseph Brand
“A most moving and monumental Walkure from when the production was new so several years before the commercial recording. It created a sensation in the theatre some of which comes across here. Ava June was a fine actress as well as marvellous singer and created an unforgettable impression. Remedios is possibly the most lyrical Siegmund ever (and was eventually to be a matchless Siegfried). Both Bailey and Hunter proved overwhelming and Ann Howard was a formidable Fricka. Unmissable (and a superb and idiomatic English translation by Andrew Porter).”
Sutherland Shines as always
“Being a big fan of Joan, any recording that comes to light is worth having. You cannot go wrong with this cast and as I have said any recording with Sutherland in it is worth every penny. Great sound for the year and please bear in mind someone sneaked in a tape recorder to get this, where would we be without these passionate fans.”
Marvellous Rossini
“Possibly one of the best things of the many highlights of my Operadepot collection. I rediscovered Bonisolli here thanks to Andy and he sings up a storm in this, as do the others. Caballé is in fine form and on her best behaviour too, with needle-sharp coloratura, fabulous legato, her trademark breath control and gorgeous tone. Altogether a thrilling performance and one I would encourage any bel canto lover to have.”
Very Much a Spinetingling Performance
“I obtained this a while ago and forgot to review it. I'm perplexed regarding another's review of the sound. I found no issue and, in fact, think it's more than acceptable. There was a while I wanted to hear no other. The singing is consistently committed and exciting and Keen's conducting creates quite a blaze. This is a great perfomance. It's also interesting to me that Stapp really delivers. My first experience with her was in the 70's as Anna Bolena in a New York City Opera ( at Lincoln Center ) She was great in that. This taken into account, I wonder what a Callas Elektra would have been?”
Very Fine Performance
“This is an excellent perfromance from 1955. Grummer is beautiful and Kozub is perfect as Tamino. Koth is her usual self as the Queen and Solti leads an energetic performance. Get this while you can.”
PHILIPPE GUILLON
“J'ai acheté cette version de Siegfried car je voulais connaître le Wanderer de Greindel. J'en suis très heureux. Bien sûr la voix est plus noire que celle d'un "Wotan habituel" et cela me fait penser au "Wotan-wanderer" de Uhde (Bayreuth 1960) que j'aime beaucoup. Greindl est un immense chanteur (grand Gurnemanz de Knappertsbusch 1954 par exemple et lieder de Schubert aussi). Et je trouve que c'est important d'écouter des versions un peu "alternatives" comme celle-ci, même si j'adore Hotter et aussi Hines bien sûr! Version à connaître!”
