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Operetta Favourites
- Arias and Duets from operettas in three acts Franz LEHÁR (1870-1948) (1) “Die Lustige Witwe” (1905)
[15:13]; (2) “Der Land des Lächelns” (1929) [15:33] Johann STRAUSS II (1825-1899) (3) “Eine Nacht
in Venedig” (1883) [8:52]; (4) “Wiener Blut” (1899) [9:24];
(5) “Die Fledermaus” (1874) [12:42]; “Der Zigeunerbaron”
(1885) [13:32]
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano) (1-6); Erich Kunz (baritone) (1,
2, 3); Nicolai Gedda (tenor) (2,4,5,6); Helmut Krebs (tenor) (5);
Karl Dönch (baritone) (5); Gertrude Burgsthaler-Schuster () (6);
Philharmonia Orchestra (1-6); Otto Ackermann (conductor) (1-3, 5,
6); Herbert von Karajan (conductor) (4)
rec. London, 1953 (1, 2), 1954 (3, 4, 6), 1955 (4)
No texts or translations included
Detailed track-list at end of review
REGIS RRC1291 [75:11]
All lovers of Viennese operetta should be grateful to Walter Legge
for fulfilling his dream of recording the major stage works of
Johann Strauss and Franz Lehár. Fulfillment came between 1953
and 1955 with artists familiar with the music and its style. This
disc includes excerpts from all of them, and in so doing celebrates
in particular the artistry of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. However even
given the quality of these performances, this does mean that the
disc runs a risk of monotony as all twenty-two items feature the
same singer, albeit sometimes in ensemble. There’s also the fact
that necessarily the disc cannot give an adequate summary of the
overall virtues of each recording. The former is especially a
potential problem with a singer like Schwarzkopf where what one
listener hears as appealing characteristics another hears as irritating
mannerisms. My own preference in principle would be for a more
balanced selection from each operetta, including a few solos for
other singers. That said I found myself very quickly settling
back to enjoy what was there rather than lamenting what might
have been. Although Schwarzkopf does not suggest much in the way
of individual character for each of these roles, she is very much
aware of the characterisation of the individual numbers. As a
result what we have is in effect a series of rich bon-bons, each
very enjoyable but perhaps somewhat too much if taken more than
a few at a time.
Regis’s
presentation is just about adequate, with all-too-brief notes
by James Murray setting the scene for each number. These are
helpful but even with works as well known as these they are
no substitute for the full words and a translation. The re-mastering
has resulted in a somewhat faded and occasionally distorted
sound which I do not remember from the originals, although
I admit that memory is not necessarily a reliable guide and
I no longer have the discs to hand. However it did not take
me long to forget about the sound quality or presentation
and simply to enjoy the performances. These are of immensely
high quality in themselves – the contributions of Erich Kunz
and Nicolai Gedda are just as much a highlight as those of
Schwarzkopf herself. Some critics, especially those who prefer
a tenor in this role, have found the former too mature for
the part of Danilo. For me this is inspired casting, emphasizing
the very individual character of this operetta, dealing as
it does with two middle-aged people without any false romance.
Here and in each work except “Die Fledermaus” Otto Ackermann
conducts with affection and understanding and no making of
false points or any unnecessary lingering. Karajan adopts
a similar approach in “Die Fledermaus” which is equally successful.
No doubt no two listeners would be equally satisfied with
the choice of numbers. Personally I would have preferred more
of “Der Zigeunerbaron” and less of “Der Land des Lachelns”
but this is not a serious criticism if you accept the basic
approach of choosing items in which Schwarzkopf takes a part.
As
you may gather, I very much enjoyed this disc despite my initial
concerns over the choice of material, presentation and re-mastering.
It is quite simply too good to carp over.
John Sheppard
Detailed track-list:
Die Lustige Witwe Bitte meine Herren [3:09] Viljalied [5:18] Heia, Mädel aufgeschaut [3:02] Ganz a Pariser art [1:41] Lippen schweigen (Waltz song) [2:03] Der Land des Lächelns Ich danke fur dies Huldigung … Ger, gern wär’ich
verliebt [3:21] Es ist nicht das erstemal [2:32] Bei einem Tee en deux [2:52] Wer hat die Liebe uns in Herz gesenkt [4:54] Ich möchte einmal [1:54] Eine Nacht in Venedig Frutti di mare [2:18] Annina! Caramello [2:51] Was mir der Zufall gab [1:45] Hör mich, Annina [1:58]
Wiener Blut Grüss dich Gott, du liebes Nesterl [3:46] Wiener Blut [5:38]
Die Fledermaus Mein Herr, was dächten Sie [2:44] Diese Anstand, so manierlich [5:10] Klänge der Heimat (Czardas) [4:48] Der Zigeunerbaron So elend und so true… O habet acht (Zigeunerlied)
[5:34] Schatzwalzer [3:26] Wer uns getraut [4:32]
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