Engelbert HUMPERDINCK (1854-1921)
Hänsel und Gretel (1893)
Hänsel – Elisabeth Grümmer (soprano)
Gretel – Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (soprano)
Gertrud, Mother – Maria von Ilosvay (contralto)
Peter, a broom-maker, Father – Josef Metternich (baritone)
The Witch – Else Schürhoff (contralto)
The Sandman & The Dew-Fairy – Anny Felbermayer (soprano)
The Philharmonia Orchestra, Choirs of Loughton High School for Girls, Essex & Bancroft’s School/Herbert von Karajan
rec. 27, 29, 30 June and 1, 2 July 1953, Kingsway Hall, London (Hänsel und Gretel); 7 October, 21 July and 21 December 1955 (Mozart); October 1955 (Strauss)
PRISTINE AUDIO PACO162 [2 CDs: 140:24]
Humperdinck’s Wagnerian fairy-tale opera has not exactly been short on recordings, from a 1944 set conducted by Artur Rother with Erna Berger as Gretel, to a 2015 DVD under Christian Thielemann as listed on German Wikipedia – and that list is selective. I have at least one DVD that isn’t listed among my good handful of recordings. The classic, ever since it was issued in 1953 is the one under consideration, and it was for quite some time the only alternative in the early LP catalogue, together with a DG set that appeared the following year, conducted by Fritz Lehmann and with the lovely Rita Streich as Gretel. Nominally she should have been a more natural choice for the role with her innocent sounding, fresh-as-dew glittering soprano, but Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in the early 1950s was a much more down-to-earth and spontaneous singer than her sometimes over-sophisticated self later in her career. Here she is truly girlish and with Elisabeth Grümmer’s suitably boyish Hänsel – with not a hint of matronly over-ripe tones – the prerequisites for stylish reading of the opera are distinctly present, in particular since the then youthful Herbert von Karajan with the original Philharmonia Orchestra is so sensitive and flexible. The rest of the cast is not unessential but they are basically comprimarios. But I’ll come back to them in a minute or two. Most readers will probably ask: is the restoration of the sound good enough to make this a worthwhile investment? After all it is a 65+ years recording and I have the Naxos issue, which is fairly good, considering the age.
I haven’t had the Naxos at hand for comparison, but I started my listening session unbiased and my reaction was: the sound is dated (it is still 65+), but it is clean and clear, the overture is a challenge to any sound technician with its Wagnerian carpets of sound. The smoothness of the Philharmonia strings is caught to perfection, instrumental details can be clearly heard and dynamics are very satisfying. Andrew Rose’s XR remastering has again created a depth of sound that gives the impression of being stereo, and the balance between orchestra and soloists is optimal. The best criterion for me, when I listen to recorded sound is that when all is well I don’t give a damn about technical things and just immerse myself in the music. This happened before the overture was over.
And then I could enjoy all the favourite melodies and rejoice at the joy of the children in Brüderchen, komm, tanz mit mir. Then Gertrud appeared, and Maria von Ilosvay’s contralto expressed so convincingly the mother’s despair over their poverty. Next entry: the father, Peter, in good humour, slightly tipsy perhaps, but in excellent voice. What else can one expect from Josef Metternich, a great baritone in his heydays but today largely forgotten, I’m afraid. After his 35 year-long singing career he taught singing at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne and counted among his pupils Jonas Kaufmann and Michael Volle. Reaching the end of Act I, I savoured the Hexenritt and scribbled down “Excellent sound” – high mark, indeed!
The forest atmosphere in Act II is so lovingly caught and the children’s singing riveting. And so is the Sandman’s, bright and beautiful. Anny Felbermayer had a long career with the Vienna State Opera as her basis. She often appeared in Hänsel und Gretel onstage in the dual roles of Sandman and Dew-Fairy, as she does here. In the third act we also meet the Witch, a role here entrusted to the oldest member of the cast, Else Schürhoff, who was in her mid-50s at the time. Nothing wrong with an experienced singer in the role, and she is expressive enough, even though she can’t erase memories of Peter Schreier and Elisabeth Söderström – the two supreme exponents of the role in the recordings I know.
Besides the opera proper there is also a substantial bonus with four Mozart arias and a duet, plus the final duet from Der Rosenkavalier, all in all more than 30 minutes of music. Elisabeth Grümmer sings marvellously throughout, but the highlights are Come scoglio and the Strauss duet, where she is partnered by a lovely Erika Köth.
After this traversal of an opera that always is a joy to return to, I can honestly say that the present recording retains its position as the “classic”, especially in its new sonic garb. To those fictive readers who in the first paragraph posed the question: “Is it worth the outlay?” my answer is an emphatic “Yes!”.
Göran Forsling
Bonus Tracks
CD 2
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756 – 1791)
Le Nozze di Figaro:
16. Porgi amor [4:15]
17. Che soave zefiretto* [2:48]
18. Dove sono i bel momenti [6:44]
Così fan tutte:
19. Temerari ... Come scoglio [6:04]
Die Zauberflöte:
20. Bald prangt, den Morgen zu verkünden [6:15]
Richard STRAUSS (1864 – 1949)
Der Rosenkavalier:
21. Ist ein Traum, kann nicht wirklich sein** [6:54]
Elisabeth Grümmer (soprano), *Erna Berger (soprano) (17), **Erika Köth (soprano) (tr. 21)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
