Search - R. Strauss, Crespin, Gueden :: Der Rosenkavalier Hts

The Best Marschallin - EVER!

Isnogud-der-Grosswesir | Hamburg, Germany | 09/03/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a pity that amazon.com does not carry Decca's complete recording of the opera (anymore?) with Solti and the one and only Marschallin, whose intelligent and deep-felt interpretation of the complex role will sing anyone else - including Schwarzkopf - up the wall! By no means this excerpt is worse - Söderström, who sings just as beautifully and intelligently as always more than makes up - bur try get the complete Decca recording - it will beat any Marschallin you have ever heard!"

Magnificent Crespin

Good Stuff | 10/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Record companies used to be willing to record a highlights album of an opera to showcase certain singers known to excel in certain roles. The thinking, in those days, was that a complete multi-LP recording might not sell enough copies to justify the production costs, but a single LP would. This was especially true if said record company already had a complete recording of the opera in their catalog they didn't want to detract sales from.Hence this recording. Regine Crespin was renowned for her Marschallin, and had sung it in virtually every major opera house on the planet. While I'm not sure of the exact recording date, I think it safe to say it was probably recorded five or so years before she would record the role complete on the now legendary version conducted by Sir Georg Solti. While one would be hard pressed to fault the complete set, Mme. Crespin was, if anything, in even better voice for this recording. Having heard her in the house many times, I can say, without hesitation, the representation of her voice here most closely resembles how she actually sounded in the house: powerful yet intimate, involved, musical, beautiful.She is joined by the great, but under-represented swedish soprano Elizabeth Soderstrom, as well as the much loved Hilde Gueden.The sound is outstanding, much better than on the original LP. And for those familiar with the LP, be advised that, while mentioned nowhere, this CD contains a considerable amount of additional music that, probably due to the time limitations of the LP format, has not been released before.All in all, a priceless memento of a time gone forever, and the artistry that was the late, great Regine Crespin."

Beautifully sung highlights from Strauss gem

Good Stuff | 05/17/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As far as I know, this album was specifically recorded as a highlights album and does not derive from any complete set. More's the pity, since this disc offers some really lovely things. Regine Crespin makes a magnificent Marschallin -- conversational and sexy, much more spontaneous than Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Her opening phrase in the final trio is ravishing. Elisabeth Soderstrom makes a fine soprano Octavian, sounding lighter and more youthful than the standard mezzo usually heard in the role. Hilde Gueden in the mid-1960's had gained more fullness in her tone; there's none of the thinness that seemed to plague some of her earlier recordings. She manages to float some lovely phrases and to give her characterization youth and innocence without being flighty (Her voice is suprisingly similar to Soderstrom's, allowing them to blend well but creating some confusion in the conversational passages). Silvio Varviso may not be one's first choice as a Strauss conductor, but he controls ensemble well and lets his singers display their gifts. A definite recommendation!"