Top of the line Abduction
James A. Quitslund | Bainbridge Island, WA United States | 06/20/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This opera has challenged quite a few of the most ambitious German sopranos of the post-war period; even Schwarzkopf tried to navigate the heroic arias Mozart wrote for Konstanze, but though she had the 'expression' she didn't have the technique. Conversely, those who had the coloratura didn't have the style. The tenor part of Belmonte is no easier, especially if the aria 'Ich baue ganz auf deine Staerke' isn't cut. Fritz Wunderlich sang it beautifully, but his Konstanze was basically a soubrette (Erika Koeth--on DG conducted by Jochum). Bruno Weil's cast is fantastic: Cheryl Studer has both the style and the technique, and so does the tenor Kurt Streit. Their German is beautiful too. Same for the others. The orchestra, not known for panache, plays beautifully under Weil. There is hardly a passage that doesn't sound more fully expressed than it has ever been heard before. Of all the Mozart opera recordings I've heard recently, this one is actually the only one that really sets a new standard."