There are four big box sets of historical material
under review, containing no fewer than 33 CDs, so I’m going to
be concise and note that I listened to the whole lot except for the
Edda Moser set, to which I listened selectively - but not too skimpily.
Three of the sets are devoted to opera highlights in German, recorded
largely in the period between 1954 and 1966, though most come from early
in the time-frame, 1954 to 1957.
After years spent reviewing not a dicky bird by conductor Wilhelm Schüchter,
I now find myself in a position of glut in these sets. I’m on
the rebound from his Tokyo Dvořák symphonies, live concert
broadcasts material issued by King International (superb), and I am
extremely well disposed toward him - which is just as well as he was
given a lot to conduct here. The journeyman tag that seems to have adhered
to his name may in part have been generated precisely because these
were highlights sets, often with the Berlin Symphony but he did have
a raft of top level German singers to work with.
The first set is called
Schöne Nacht, du Liebesnacht.
Of the seven discs, usually LP lengths, except where German EMI has
added bonus tracks, four are of Italian opera and three French. In
The
Barber of Seville Richard Holm makes a genial but hardly idiomatic
Almaviva, whilst Hermann Prey, amusing ‘Figaros’ apart,
is just a touch stolid as the lead. Erika Köth evinces good coloratura
whilst Gottlob Frick, alpha-plus personality-wise, tends to overact
vocally. Except when she’s taxed at the very top of her voice,
Köth - a first call for these taxing roles throughout - shines
as Norina in
Don Pasquale. Marcel Cordes is in combative form
as Malatesta, and Josef Traxel - whilst not possessing an especially
beautiful voice
per se - proves yielding of tone and with fine
instincts for the curve of the line. Wilhelm Strienz is solid.
The vocal company in these excerpts revolved largely around Köth,
Rudolf Schock, Frick, Hermann Prey and Josef Metternich. Most appear
in
Lucia di Lammermoor where Köth’s coloratura is
again a sizeable feature. Metternich and she form a good pairing; Schock,
who has an album to himself amongst the four that I’m reviewing,
proves invaluable too.
Madame Butterfly - there is another highlights
set in the Schock box (reviewed below) - is presided over by Giuseppe
Patanè, who ensures some finely expressive string playing in
these sets of excerpts. Gedda is Pinkerton, or ‘Linkerton’
in the German, and his tonal breadth and intelligence are notable assets.
Butterfly is Anneliese Rothenberger, much admired for her performances
in
Rosenkavalier, but whose Italian repertoire - whilst not so
exalted - was also recorded, as here, and shows a fine musical mind
at work. Sieglinde Wagner, another admired member of the cast who makes
several appearances in the boxes, is Suzuki, a role she reprises on
the Schock disc.
Adolphe Adam’s
Der Postillon von Lonjumeau - it sounds
good in German - is headed by Gedda. The ear is also drawn to Ruth-Margaret
Pütz as ‘Frau von Latour’ who sings with distinction.
Franz Crass swaggers comically. Fritz Lehan, not a well-known name,
conducts efficiently, in Munich, and gets the wind arabesques just right
in the second act. There are two
Tales of Hoffmann in the boxes
I’m reviewing. This one stars Schock, and Rita Streich doubling
Olympia and Giulietta - in the other set the roles are separated. The
casting is good, Schüchter directs competently, and there are some
bonus features. Schüchter conducts overtures by Offenbach (
Die
schöne Helena and
Blaubart) and Cordes sings an aria
from
Hoffmann. Lastly there’s Gounod’s
Margarethe
with a real all-star cast list: Moser, Gedda, Fischer-Dieskau and Kurt
Moll. The conductor is, again, Patanè. Gedda’s elegance
and Moll’s brimstone communicativeness are the high points.
Box two is called
Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren. Austro-German
repertoire is the focus of this one, in recordings spanning 1953 to
1977. Some of these are rather easier to deal with than in the previous
box, where the level of consistency was somewhat higher. There’s
a thin-sounding chamber orchestra for Mozart’s
Bastien und
Bastienne. The older boy singers are more confident than the youngest,
whose pure tone is pleasing to hear, though he can be rather unsteady.
There’s a bonus of Rafael Kubelik’s Philharmonia Mozart
overture recordings of 1952. Incongruous, yes, but substantial. I wasn’t
greatly taken by Gluck’s
Orpheus. Hermann Prey is rather
inert - it’s just not his sort of role - and his Wagnerian blustering
doesn’t much help matters. Horst Stein is a slack conductor here,
unfortunately. Things look up for Nicolai’s
Merry Wives of
Windsor. Köth displays her formidable technical skills once
again and Frick is a sepulchral Falstaff. Fischer-Dieskau is Fluth,
and though he has a good voice, Horst Wilhelm shows just a few signs
of strain as Fenton. Schüchter is on the rostrum. There are a series
of bonuses here to bulk the playing time to a creditable 70 minutes.
Otto Ackermann, Kurt Graunke and Patanè are on hand with extracts.
Two operas share disc four in this box. The first is Lortzing’s
Der Waffenschmied. Köth isn’t here but Lisa Otto is,
enjoying the work’s comic blandishments and showing a Köth-like
turn of heels, vocally speaking. Gerhard Unger is an elegant tenor.
The companion work is Conradin Kreutzer’s
Das Nachtlager in
Granada. We only hear a bare six or so minutes from Act I, and 11
minutes from Act II. It’s a bold romantic work, from this hearing
and Prey is very much at home, wiping memories of his Gluck. There’s
a lovely first act chorus conducted by Schüchter, whilst the other
two extracts are directed by Martin Mälzer at a different time.
It’s a composite performance. We also hear a little from Victor
Ernst Nessler’s
Der Trompeter von Sackingen with Prey once
more and a few more little bonuses in the shape of overtures.
Wilhelm Kienzl’s
Der Evangeliman dates from 1894 and is
a slightly post-Wagnerian folk-opera. There are 51 minutes of extracts
and the music is revealed as genial - and often more than that; decidedly
attractive. Gedda’s lyric warmth is a real bonus. Robert Heger,
who was something of a dab hand at Lortzing, conducts like the old pro
he was.
Hansel and Gretel is conducted by Arthur Grüber
in 1958. Lore Hoffmann and Erika Köth star. There is only about
15 minutes’ worth of extracts here, though they’re persuasively
done. To bulk the disc we get Rudolf Kempe’s arrangement of the
suite from the music, conducted by himself and played by the RPO in
1961. Finally, there’s
Der Rosenkavalier with Rysanek,
Neidlinger, Grümmer, Köth and Sieglinde Wagner. The fine Josef
Traxel is the Italian singer. Schüchter gets the Berlin Philharmonic
for this one - de luxe casting in good 1955 mono. Neidlinger is the
epitome of the boor as Ochs, whilst Köth and Grümmer, as Sophie
and Octavian respectively, make a fine pairing. Leonie Rysanek is perhaps
rather less inspired than one might have hoped, but this is one of the
best of these excerpt sets, again directed by Schüchter.
Rudolf Schock, in addition to the performances already noted,
has a 10-CD box all to himself for his operatic excerpts. Many of the
same singers from the expansive German repertory company of major artists
appear. Gottlob Frick is an irrepressible Osmin in
Die Entführung
aus dem Serail, and there is good vocal contrast between Blonde
(Lisa Otto) and Konstanze (Erna Berger) and so too between Shock’s
Belmonte and Berger.
Adolphe Adam’s
Wenn ich Konig wär’
- as we shall call it - reveals quite a wide range of expressive potential
for Schock who moves between lyricism and agitation nimbly, and convincingly,
egged on by conductor Ernst Märzendorfer. Very occasionally he
can sound a touch strenuous but it sounds as if it’s in the interests
of dramatic unity. Stina-Britta Melander is the coloratura specialist
here and excellent, except for an insecure trill … and she’s
not alone there - hardly anyone can trill these days).
Carmen
is dominated by Sieglinde Wagner in the central role - a touch staid
and not very sensual. In fact as Micaëla, Anny Schlemm has rather
more personality. Metternich is a solid Escamillo, and Shock’s
Don José well sung. I referred earlier to the Schock
Hoffmann
and here it is, directed by Berislav Klobučar, the Zagreb-born
conductor who was later to conduct at Bayreuth. There are more extracts
and a bigger cast, for this particular disc. All sing well, notably
Schock, his Olympia, Ruth-Margaret Pütz and the Antonia of Pilar
Lorengar. Some German productions of
The Bartered Bride are about
as funny as a barrel of maggots, but when things go well, they go really
well. I wouldn’t say that Schüchter’s excerpts album
is on Kempe’s level - to note just one - but I took to it. Gottlob
Frick is very bluff as Kezal, whilst Berger’s Marie may lack the
Bohemian nuance but is sympathetic. The bonus features here are two
Czech opera arias sung by Elisabeth Lindermeier with Kempe and the Berlin
Philharmonic in 1957. She has a nice voice but it’s inclined to
be fluttery in the famous
Rusalka extract.
Klobučar returns for
Tosca where
Shock gulps a little
unconvincingly as Cavaradossi. Lisa Della Casa is Tosca, Metternich
a powerful but not snarling Scarpia. Italian opera reigns as we move
onto
Madame Butterfly. Berger is a good Butterfly and Shock an
ardent if tonally hardly refulgent Pinkerton - or ‘Linkerton’.
Marcel Cordes reappears for a couple of appropriate arias from Giordano
and Leoncavallo. Without them, the disc would have struggled to fill
35 minutes. It’s good to hear the youthful vocalism of Schock
and Berger in
La Bohème. One could hardly suggest
they’re the most Italianate of voices - clearly not - but in the
context of this performance they are effective, and Prey and Fischer-Dieskau
(as Marcel) are heard briefly. The singers sound rather more at home
here than in
Cavalleria rusticana, without doubt. Rysanek and
Schock sound a bit challenged by the tessitura and even stylistically.
Metternich hectors too much. Leoncavallo’s
Der Bajazzo
is very closely recorded and it’s unkind to Metternich’s
voice. Traxel is the Canio. There is no role for Schock here; indeed,
it’s a Schock-free zone. Back he comes for the final disc in this
box devoted to his art:
Ariadne auf Naxos. Alberto Erede directs
the Berlin Philharmonic in 1959. The extracts last about 47 minutes;
the remainder is taken up with Ludwig Weber and Dagmar Hermann in
Rosenkavalier
in an eleven and a half minute extract from 1949 directed by Otto Ackermann
in Vienna. Ariadne is taken by Della Casa - good, except there’s
a bit of abrasive singing when she goes high, a resinous edge. Schock’s
Bacchus is a valuable though far from extensive example of his considerable
musicianship.
As I noted before, the 9-CD box devoted to
Edda Moser is the
set to which I’ve listened least, though I’ve covered most
of the ground. Unlike the other three, this is the only one of the boxes
to have any kind of notes. In this case there’s a brief interview
between her and Thomas Voigt, presented in both German and English.
The discs themselves, as is the case for all four of the boxes, come
housed in reproduction LP card, a feature that has become especially
fashionable of late.
Moser was an especially accomplished Strauss singer. Disc one conjoins
his Op.68
Brentano lieder with songs by his near-contemporary
Pfitzner. Perhaps it says something for chronology, expectation and
musical fashion that in my mind I always think of Pfitzner as older
than Strauss. In fact he was five years younger. Moser had a very personalised
vocal production, seldom if ever opulent, never - in my experience -
creamy. That was simply not her aesthetic or vocal imperative. Thus
some of her Strauss songs can be a little hard-edged, indeed on occasion
raw, but it is often the case that her high intelligence can compensate
for perceived shortcomings here. Her Pfitzner is valuable; in fact
An
die Mark is more limpid than anything in her Strauss. We also hear
Brahms, Wolf and Schumann in the second disc.
Frauenliebe und -leben
strikes me as somewhat inconsistent in tone but maybe that is Moser’s
own expressive take on it, a kind of mini psycho-drama reflected in
peaks and troughs of intensity. There are sufficient changes of colour
and rubato in her singing of
Er, der Herrlichste von allen to
warrant that suggestion. She essays the Mignon songs of Wolf with a
tremendous sense of drama - sometimes, indeed, almost too much but it’s
heroic musicianship. She also sings a selection of Brahms songs, a composer
to whom she returns in the third disc, where he’s conjoined with
Richard Strauss. Again, she’s something of an interventionist
singer in this repertoire, though her partnership with Christoph Eschenbach
is notably successful.
Of her Schubert, we hear ten items of which
Klage der Cerers,
D323 is by far the longest. In
Licht und Liebe she’s joined
by Peter Schreier. Leonard Hokanson is the pianist and the recording
was made in 1983. One of her most regular pianists and collaborators
was Erik Werba, who did the honours in discs one and two. He returns
for the conviviality of Schumann’s
Spanisches Liederspiel,
Spanische Liebeslieder,
Liebesfrühling and
Minnespiel.
She could hardly want for more congenial partners than Hanna Schwarz,
Nicolai Gedda and Walter Berry. It remains true, though, that when Moser
and Schwarz get together there’s a certain razory quality to the
ensemble. Her opera recital with Peter Schneider conducting the Munich
Radio Orchestra in 1985 covers a number of expected things such as Weber’s
Oberon and Wagner’s
Tannhäuser though she can
also be heard in Gluck’s
Iphigénie and as Armida
in Act II of Handel’s
Rinaldo. Her Gluck
Alceste
extract sounds strenuous
. Her Mozart album mixes and matches
- operatic arias, concert arias, and religious music in the form of
the Mass K317 and Vespers K339 - one extract each in those two cases.
Her Queen of the Night is scorching but borders on the uncomfortable.
These recordings are, in one sense, anomolous, as they are the only
compilations in the set. Everything else derives from a particular LP,
but this one is bewilderingly disaparate and spans thirteen years. Her
conductors are Jochum, Sawallisch, Schmidt-Isserstedt, Peter Schneider
and Leopold Heger. The last, ninth disc is a 74 minute interview, naturally
in German. If your language skills are up to it - mine really aren’t
that good - you’ll learn a lot about her repertoire and life.
I said a while back that I’d be concise. I suppose it depends
on what one means by concision. Still, there are a lot of CDs here,
and there’s much to interest, entertain and on which to ponder.
For the most part the main constituency for
Schöne Nacht
is German-speakers with an enthusiasm for voices of the 1950s and 1960s.
Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren has wider interest because the operas
are German-language ones. In both you get a repertory company of distinguished
singers. The Schock box offers examples of both German and non-German
language operas with a substantial overlap of those repertory singers
and the same conductors. This is for admirers of the singer, not necessarily
the works, although some of the performances are very fine indeed. One
should also note that a number of these singers can be heard in full-length
opera recordings of works covered in these extracts, in both studio
and live conditions, either in German or in the original language. The
Edda Moser box is different. It’s largely non-operatic, concentrating
on lieder. It’s more recently recorded and features wholly different
singers. It offers a fine slice of her art on disc.
Finally, there are no notes or translations in any of these boxes. There
are discographic details on the card sleeves.
No more opera for me for a fortnight.
Jonathan Woolf
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Schöne Nacht, du Liebesnacht; Opera Highlights in German
Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
The Barber of Seville [46:16]
Almaviva - Richard Holm
Bartolo/Basilio - Gottlob Frick
Rosine - Erika Köth
Figaro - Hermann Prey
Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
rec. 1957, Berlin
Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797-1848)
Don Pasquale [50:28]
Don Pasquale - Wilhelm Strienz
Malatesta - Marcel Cordes
Ernesto - Josef Traxel
Norina - Erika Köth
Lawyer - Helmut Winkenstern
Choir of the Berlin State Opera/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Werner Schmidt-Boelcke
rec. 1957, Berlin
Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797-1848)
Lucia di Lammermoor [47:34]
Henry Ashton - Josef Metternich
Lucia - Erika Köth
Ravenswood - Rudolf Schock
Bucklaw - Manfred Schmidt
Bidebest - Gottlob Frick
Alisa - Hertha Töpper
Choir of the Berlin State Opera/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/ Wilhelm Schüchter
rec. 1957, Berlin
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Madame Butterfly [51:33]
Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) - Anneliese Rothenberger
Linkerton - Nicolai Gedda
Sharpless - Hermann Prey
Goro - Hans Günter
Suzuki - Sieglinde Wagner
RIAS Chamber Choir/Orchestra of the German Opera, Berlin/Giuseppe Patanè
rec. 1966, Berlin
Adolphe ADAM (1803-1856)
Der Postillon von Lonjumeau [43:04]
Chapelou (St Phar) - Nicolai Gedda
Madeleine (Madame Latour) - Ruth-Margret Pütz
Bijou (Alcindor) - Franz Crass
Marquis de Corcy - Franz Klarwein
Choir of the Bavarian State Opera/ Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera
/Fritz Lehan
rec. 1965, Munich
Jacques OFFENBACH (1819-1880)
The Tales of Hoffmann [60:11]
Hoffmann - Rudolf Schock
Olympia/Giulietta - Rita Streich
Dapertutto - Josef Metternich
Niklaus - Sieglinde Wagner
Antonia’s mother - Margarete Klose
Choir of the Berlin State Opera/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/ Wilhelm Schüchter
rec. 1954, Berlin
Bonus; Die schöne Helena overture; Blaubart overture; Intermezzo
and Barcarolle from Hoffmann; extract from Hoffmann - Ja geht!¹
North-West German Philharmonic Orchestra/ Wilhelm Schüchter; Marcel
Cordes
Berlin Symphony Orchestra/ Wilhelm Schüchter¹
rec. 1954, Berlin and Bielefeld except ¹ rec. 1958, Berlin in stereo
Charles GOUNOD (1818-1893)
Margarethe (Faust) [69:32]
Faust - Nicolai Gedda
Mephisto - Kurt Moll
Valentin - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Margarethe - Edda Moser
Siebel - Ursula Groenewold
RIAS Chamber Choir/Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/Giuseppe Patanè
Bonus; Ballet Music (Act V) ¹
North-West German Philharmonic Orchestra/ Wilhelm Schüchter ¹
rec. 1973, Berlin except ¹ rec. 1955, Bielefeld
Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren; Opera Highlights in German
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Bastien and Bastienne K50 [60:41]
Soloists of the Vienna Sängerknaben/Vienna Chamber Orchestra/Edouard
Lindenberg
Bonus; Mozart overtures; Don Giovanni; Die Entführung aus dem Serail;
La clemenza di Tito; La finta giardiniera; Der Schauspieldirektor
Philharmonia Orchestra/Rafael Kubelík
rec. 1957, Vienna, and 1952, London (overtures)
Christoph Willibald von GLUCK (1714-1787)
Orpheus and Eurydice [54:38]
Orpheus - Hermann Prey
Eurydice - Pilar Lorengar
Amor - Erika Köth
RIAS Chamber Choir/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Horst Stein
rec. 1962, Berlin
Otto NICOLAI (1810-1849)
The Merry Wives of Windsor [70:44]
Falstaff - Gottlob Frick
Fluth - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Mrs Fluth - Erika Köth
Fenton - Horst Wilhelm
Choir and Orchestra of the Berlin State Opera/Wilhelm Schüchter
rec. 1955, Berlin
Bonus; Weber - Abu Hassan and Oberon overtures; Lortzing - Die Wildschütz;
‘Funftausend Taler’ and Zar und Zimmermann ‘O sancta
lustitia!’ Arias; Nicolai - Merry Wives ‘Als Büblein
klein’ aria; Tchaikovsky Eugen Onegin ‘Ein jeder kennt die
Lieb’
Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne/Otto Ackermann (Weber overtures), rec.
1957, Cologne
Kurt Moll/Bavarian State Opera Orchestra/Kurt Graunke (Lortzing arias),
rec. 1977, Munich
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/Giuseppe Patanè (Tchaikovsky),
rec. 1973, Berlin
Albert LORTZING (1801-1851)
Der Waffenschmied [64:09]
Hans Stadinger - Gottlob Frick
Marie - Lisa Otto
Ritter Graf von Liebenau - Hermann Prey
Georg - Gerhard Unger
Irmentraut - Emmy Hagemann
Choir/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Wilhelm Schuchter
Conradin KREUTZER (1780-1849)
Das Nachtlager in Granada (brief extracts)
Ein Jäger - Hermann Prey
Choir and Orchestra of the German Opera Berlin/Wilhelm Schüchter
and Martin Mälzer
Victor Ernst NESSLER (1841-1890)
Der Trompeter von Säckingen
Werner Kirchhofer - Hermann Prey
Conradin - Karl Christian Kohn
Marie - Helga Hildebrand
Choir of the German Opera Berlin/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
Friedrich von FLOTOW (1812-1883)
Martha - overture¹
Albert LORTZING (1801-1851)
Undine - overture¹
North-West German Philharmonic Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter¹
rec. 1953-58, Berlin and Bielfeld¹
Wilhelm KIENZL (1857-1941)
Der Evangelimann [51:21]
Friedrich Engel - Benno Kusche
Martha - Anneliese Rothenberger
Magdalena - Marga Höffgen
Johannes Freudhofer - Franz Crass
Mathias Freudhofer - Nicolai Gedda
Xaver Zitterbart - Jürgen Förster
Anton Schnappauf - Benno Kusche
Hans - Friedrich Lenz
Die Stimme des Nachtwächters - Benno Kusche
Kinder-Singkreis St. Wolfgang, München-Ost/Choir and Orchestra
of Bavarian State Opera Munich/Robert Heger
rec. 1965, Munich
Engelbert HUMPERDINCK (1854-1921)
Hänsel und Gretel [41:01]
Hänsel - Lore Hoffmann
Gretel - Erika Köth
Sandmännchen - Helga Hildebrand
Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Arthur Grüber
rec. 1958, Berlin
Hänsel und Gretel - Suite
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Rudolf Kempe
rec. 1961, London
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Der Rosenkavalier [56:05]
Die Feldmarschallin - Leonie Rysanek
Baron Ochs - Gustav Neidlinger
Octavian - Elisabeth Grümmer
Sophie - Erika Köth
Annina - Sieglinde Wagner
The Italian Singer - Josef Traxel
Choir/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
rec. 1955, Berlin
Rudolf Schock - Original Opera Highlights 1952-61
CD 1
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Die Entführung aus dem SerailK384 [51:41]
Konstanze - Erna Berger
Belmonte - Rudolf Schock
Blonde - Lisa Otto
Pedrillo - Gerhard Unger
Osmin - Gottlob Frick
Choir/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
rec. 1953, Berlin
CD 2
Adolphe ADAM (1803-1856)
Wenn ich Konig wär’ [67:08]
King - Georg Völker
Princess Néméa - Stina-Britta Melander
Prince Kadoor - Thomas Stewart
Zéphoris - Rudolf Schock
Zélide - Ursula Schirmacher
Piféar - Karl-Ernst Mercker
Zizel - Peter Roth-Ehrang
Issalim - Leopold Clam
Choir and Orchestra of the State Opera, Berlin/Ernst Märzendorfer
rec. 1960, Berlin
Bonus: Boieldieu; Kalif von Bagdad overture and Thomas; Mignon overture
North-West German Philharmonic Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
rec. 1958, Bielefeld
CD 3
Georges BIZET (1838-1875)
Carmen [53:57]
Carmen - Sieglinde Wagner
Don José - Rudolf Schock
Escamillo - Josef Metternich
Micaëla - Anny Schlemm
Frasquita - Lisa Otto
Mercédes - Rosi Schaffrian
Choir of the State Opera, Berlin/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
(Artur Rother on two tracks)
rec. 1952-58, Berlin and Bielefeld
CD 4
Jacques OFFENBACH (1819-1880)
The Tales of Hoffmann [54:20]
Hoffmann - Rudolf Schock
Olympia - Ruth-Margaret Pütz
Giulietta - Hildegard Hillebrecht
Antonia - Pilar Lorengar
Dapertutto/Coppelius/Mirakel - Marcel Cordes
Nathanael/Cochenille/Pitichaccio - Karl-Ernst Mercker
Niklaus - Sieglinde Wagner
Antonia’s mother - Betty Allen
Crespel - Georg Wieter
Spalazani/Schlemihl - Leopold Clam
Choir of the Berlin State Opera/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Berislav Klobučar
rec. 1961, Berlin
CD 5
Bedřich SMETANA (1824-1884)
The Bartered Bride [51:34]
Marie - Erna Berger
Hans - Rudolf Schock
Katinka - Christa Ludwig
Kezal - Gottlob Frick
Micha - Theodor Schlott
Agnes - Marga Höffgen
Kruschina - Hanns-Heinz Nissen
Choir of the Landestheaters Hannover/North-West German Philharmonic
Orchestra/Wilhelm Schuchter
rec. 1955, Bielefeld
Bonus: Smetana; Bartered Bride - Endlich allein! and Dvorak; Rusalka
- Song to the Moon
Elisabeth Lindermeier/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Rudolf Kempe
rec. 1957, Berlin
CD 6
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Tosca [49:04]
Floria Tosca - Lisa Della Casa
Mario Cavaradossi - Rudolf Schock
Baron Scarpia - Josef Metternich
Der Mesner - Wilhelm Streinz
Spoletta - Erich Zimmermann
Sciarrone - Josef Völk
Ein Scliesser - Hanns Pick
Choir of the German Opera Berlin/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Berislav
Klobučar
rec. 1959, Berlin
CD 7
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Madame Butterfly [46:34]
Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) - Erna Berger
Linkerton (Pinkerton) - Rudolf Schock
Sharpless - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Goro - Erich Zimmermann
Suzuki - Sieglinde Wagner
Women’s Chorus of the State Opera Berlin/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Wilhelm
Schüchter
rec. 1954, Berlin
Bonus: Giordano - Andrea Chenier; Als Feind and Leoncavallo; Der Bajazzo
- Schaut her
Marcel Cordes/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
rec. 1957, Berlin
CD 8
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
La Bohème [51:18]
Rudolfo - Rudolf Schock
Schaunard - Hermann Prey
Marcel - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Collin - Gottlob Frick
Mimi - Erna Berger
Musette - Erika Köth
Alcindor - Walther Hauck
Chorus of the State Opera Berlin/Children’s Choir/Berlin Symphony
Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
rec, 1954, Berlin
CD 9
Pietro MASCAGNI (1863-1945)
Cavalleria rusticana [77:47]
Santuzza - Leonie Rysanek
Turiddu - Rudolf Schock
Lucia - Johanna Blatter
Alfio - Josef Metternich
Lola - Lieselotte Losch
Choir of St. Hedwigs Cathedral, Berlin/Chorus and Orxchestra of the
State Opera Berlin//Wilhelm Schüchter
rec, 1955, Berlin
Ruggero LEONCAVALLO (1857-1919)
Der Bajazzo
Canio (Bajazzo) - Josef Traxel
Nedda - Anneliese Rothenberger
Tonio - Josef Metternich
Silvio - Hermann Prey
Chorus of the State Opera Berlin/Berlin Symphony Orchestra/Wilhelm Schüchter
rec, 1956-57, Berlin
CD 10
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Ariadne auf Naxos [59:07]
Ariadne - Lisa Della Casa
Bacchus - Rudolf Schock
Najade - Lisa Otto
Dryade - Nada Puttar
Echo - Leonore Kirschstein
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Alberto Erede
rec. 1959, Berlin
Bonus Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier; Da lieg’ ich!
Baron Ochs - Ludwig Weber
Annina - Dagmar Hermann
Chorus/Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Otto Ackermann
rec. 1949, Vienna
Edda Moser - Electrola Recitals; Opera and Lieder
CD 1
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Lieder op. 68 Nr. 1-6 (nach Clemens von Brentano)
1 Nr. 1 An die Nacht
2 Nr. 2 Ich wollt ein Sträußlein binden
3 Nr. 6 Lied der Frauen
4 Nr. 4 Als mir dein Lied erklang
5 Nr. 3 Säusle, liebe Myrthe
6 Nr. 5 Amor
Hans PFITZNER (1869-1949)
1 An die Mark op. 15 Nr. 3
2 Venus mater op. 11 Nr. 4
3 Verrat op. 2 Nr. 7
4 Unter den Linden op. 24 Nr. 1
5 Ich und du op. 11 Nr. 1
6 Sonst op. 15 Nr. 4
Edda Moser with Erik Werba (piano)
rec. 1972, Berlin
CD 2
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Frauenliebe und -leben op. 42 (Liederzyklus nach Gedichten von Adelbert
von Chamisso)
1 Seit ich ihn gesehen
2 Er, der Herrlichste von allen
3 Ich kann's nicht fassen, nicht glauben
4 Du Ring an meinem Finger
5 Helft mir, ihr Schwestern
6 Süßer Freund, du blickest
7 An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust
8 Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan
Hugo WOLF (1860-1903)
Mignon I (Heiß mich nicht reden, heiß mich schweigen) (Goethe)
Mignon II (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt) (Goethe)
Mignon III (So Laßt Mich Scheinen Bis Ich Werde) (Goethe)
Mignons Lied (Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn) (Goethe)
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Es träumte mir op. 57 Nr. 3
Die Mainacht op. 43 Nr. 2
Ständchen op. 106 Nr. 1
Von ewiger Liebe op. 43 Nr. 1
Edda Moser with Erik Werba (piano)
rec. 1975, Berlin
CD 3
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Die Nacht op. 10 Nr. 3
Ruhe, meine Seele! op. 27 Nr. 1
Caecilie op. 27 Nr. 2
Heimliche Aufforderung op. 27 Nr. 3
Morgen! op. 27 Nr. 4
Frühlingsfeier op. 56 Nr. 5
Schlagende Herzen op. 29 Nr. 2
/a>
Mein Auge op. 37 Nr. 4
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
An eine Äolsharfe op. 19 Nr. 5
Der Schmied op. 19 Nr. 4
Geheimnis op. 71 Nr. 3
Liebestreu op. 3 Nr. 1
Am Sonntag Morgen op. 49 Nr. 1
Nicht mehr zu dir zu gehen op. 32 Nr. 2
Wenn du nur zuweilen lächelst op. 57 Nr. 2
Wie komm' ich denn zur Tür herein
Vergebliches Ständchen op. 84 Nr. 4
Edda Moser with Christoph Eschenbach (piano)
rec. 1982, Berlin
CD 4
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Des Mädchens Klage D 191b
Die Götter Griechenlands D 667
Klage des Ceres D 323
Die junge Nonne D 828
/a>
Im Abendrot D 799
Nacht und Träume D 827
Delphine D 857
Himmelsfunken D 651
Licht und Liebe (Nachtgesang) D 352 ¹
Berthas Lied in der Nacht D 653
Edda Moser with Leonard Hokanson (piano)
Peter Schreier (tenor) ¹
rec. 1983, Dresden
CD 5
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Lieder op. 74 Nr. 1-9 (Spanisches Liederspiel)
1 Erste Begegnung
2 Intermezzo
3 Liebesgram
4 In der Nacht
5 Es ist verraten
6 Melancholie
7 Geständnis
8 Botschaft
9 Ich bin geliebt
10 Der Contrabandiste (Anhang)
Lieder op. 138 Nr. 1-10 (Spanische Liebeslieder)
1 Vorspiel
2 Tief im Herzen
3 O wie lieblich ist das Mädchen
4 Bedeckt mich mit Blumen (Duett)
5 Flutenreicher Ebro (Romanze)
6 Intermezzo (Nationaltanz)
7 Weh, wie zornig ist das Mädchen
8 Hoch, hoch sind die Berge!
9 Blaue Augen hat das Mädchen (Duett)
10 Dunkler Lichtglanz, blinder Blick (Quartett)
Tragödie op. 64 Nr. 3 (Heinrich Heine)
1 Entflieh mit mir
2 Es fiel ein Reif
3 Auf ihrem Grab, da steht ein Linde
Edda Moser with Hanna Schwarz, Nicolai Gedda, Walter Berry and Erik
Werba (piano)
rec. 1976-77, Berlin
CD 6
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Lieder op. 37 Nr. 1-12 (Liebesfrühling, Lieder und Duette nach
Rückert)
1 Der Himmel hat ein Träne geweint
2 Er ist gekommen in Sturm und Regen
3 O ihr Herren!
4 Liebst du um Schönheit
5 ich hab' in mich gesogen
6 Liebste, was kann uns denn...
7 Schön ist das Fest des Lenzes
8 Flügel! Flügel! um zu fliegen
9 Rose, Meer und Sonne
10 O Sonn', o Meer, o Rose
11 Warum willst du andre fragen
12 So wahr die Sonne scheinet
Lieder op. 101 Nr. 1-8 (Minnespiel aus Rückerts Liebesfrühling)
1 Meine Töne, still und heiter
2 Liebster, deine Worte (Gesang)
3 Ich bin dein Baum (Duett)
4 Mein schöner Stern
5 Schön ist das Fest des Lenzes (Quartett)
6 O Freund, mein Schirm, mein Schutz
7 Die tausend Grüße (Duett)
8 So wahr die Sonne scheinet
Edda Moser with Hanna Schwarz, Nicolai Gedda, Walter Berry and Erik
Werba (piano)
rec. 1976-77, Berlin
CD 7
Richard WAGNER (1813-1883)
Tannhäuser (Oper in 3 Akten) (Auszug)
1 Dich teure Halle grüß' ich wieder
Carl Maria von WEBER (1786-1826)
Oberon (Oper in 3 Akten) (Auszug)
2 Ozean, du Ungeheuer
Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Ariadne auf Naxos op. 60 (Oper in 1 Prolog und 1 Akt) (Auszug)
3 Es gibt ein Reich
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Fidelio op. 72 (Oper in 2 Akten) (Auszug)
4 Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin
Christoph Willibald von GLUCK (1714-1787)
Alceste (Oper in 3 Akten) (Auszug)
5 Divinités du Styx
Georg Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Rinaldo Hwv 7 (Oper In 3 Akten) (Auszug)
6 Ah! Crudel
Christoph Willibald von GLUCK (1714-1787)
Ifigenia in Tauride (Iphigenie auf Tauris, Oper in 4 Akten) (Auszug)
7 Non, cet affreux devoir - Je t'implore et je tremble
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
La Clemenza di Tito KV 621 (Titus, Oper in 2 Akten) (Auszug)
8 Ecco il punto... - Non più di fiori
Edda Moser with Munich Radio Orchestra/Peter Schneider
rec. 1985, Munich
CD 8
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Die Zauberflöte KV 620 (Oper in 2 Akten) (Auszug)
1 Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen
2 O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn - Zum Leiden bin ich auserkoren
Die Entführung aus dem Serail KV 384 (Oper in 3 Akten) (Auszug)
3 Martern aller Art
Don Giovanni KV 527 (Oper in 2 Akten) (Auszug)
4 Crudele? - Non mi dir, bell'idol mio
Idomeneo KV 366 (Oper in 3 Akten) (Auszug)
5 Tutte nel cor vi sento
6 Idol mio, se ritroso
7 Oh smania! oh furie! - D'Oreste, d'Aiace
La Clemenza di Tito KV 621 (Titus, Oper in 2 Akten) (Auszug)
8 Ecco il punto, o Vitellia - Non piu di fiori vaghe catene
9 Popoli de Tessaglia! - Io non chiedo, eterni Dei
10 Ma che vi fece, o stelle - Sperai vicino il lido
Messe C-Dur KV 317 "Krönungsmesse" (Auszug)
11 Agnus Dei
Vesperae solennes de confessore KV 339 (Auszug)
12 Laudate Dominum
Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera Munich/Wolfgang Sawallisch
Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera Munich/Leopold Heger
Staatskapelle Dresden/Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt
Munich Radio Orchestra/Peter Schneider
Bavarian Radio Chorus/Josef Schmidhuber; Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Eugen
Jochum
rec. 1973-86
CD 9
Interview
1 Einleitung
2 Erste Mozart - und Musikkontakte
3 Erste Mozartpartie / Bühne
4 Kontakt mit Hans Werner Henze
5 Herbert von Karajan
6 Debüt an der Met
7 Vorsingen an der Met
8 Zauberflöte an der Met
9 Schallplattenaufnahme der Zauberflöte
10 Moser im Weltall
11 Die letze Königin der Nacht
12 Schallplattenaufnahme des Idomeneo
13 Nicolai Gedda
14 Regisseure und Bühne heute
15 Schüler
16 Leopold Hager - Konzertarien - Entführung aus dem Serail
17 Die Donna Anna in Mozarts Don Giovanni
18 Sängerkollegen
19 Ein Schlusswort zu Mozart
