Search - Strauss, Studer, Sawallisch :: Die Frau Ohne Schatten

Die Frau Ohne Schatten
Strauss, Studer, Sawallisch
Die Frau Ohne Schatten
Genre: Classical
 

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Strauss, Studer, Sawallisch, Bavarian Radio Sym
Title: Die Frau Ohne Schatten
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Capitol
Release Date: 5/1/1990
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 077774907422
 

CD Reviews

Excellent Die Frau
09/13/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the few note complete Die Frau Ohne Schatten. It is an excellent performance. While Christa Ludwig in Karajan's 1964 Die Frau Ohne Schatten (Deutsche Grammophon) is still supreme in the role of the Dyer's wife, Ute Vinzing makes a compelling Dyer's Wife in this recording. Cheryl Studer is absolutely superb in the role of the Empress. While Studer does not possess the vocal opulence and vocal heft of the Empress of all Empresses, Leonie Rysanek, Studer does bring something of her own to the role. Her beauty of tone and line makes this Empress an absolutely lovely one to listen to - sheer perfection of its own kind. Hanna Schwarz is terrific in the difficult role of the Nurse. Kollo is an excellent Emperor though not in the league of the greatest Emperor of the past generation, James King. Alfred Muff is excellent as the Barak but again does not replace Walter Berry. All told, this is a superb achievement that will work as a sole and first recommendation.If you want a simply electrifying performance and you must have Sawallisch conducting, the 1976 Munchen version under Golden Melodram is indispensable. There, you have Birgit Nilsson as the Dyer's Wife is electrifying form. Her voice is bright and powerful, even at age 58!! Amazing!! Her dramatic outbursts are extraordinarily powerful and they hit you like a gigantic tsunami. Fisher Dieskau as the Barak brings the sensitivity of a German Lieder singer to bear in the role. James King is in absolutely top form as the Emperor, his rich and powerful voice ringing out gloriously in all his big scenes. James King was the most sought after Emperor in his time and the 1976 recording is possibly his best Emperor on record. Astrid Varnay is incredible and suitably malevolent as the Nurse. Bjoner, a lesser known singer, has an incredibly powerful voice as the Empress. While also lacking the vocal opulence of Leonie Rysanek, Bjoner has plenty of vocal heft and sounds like Birgit Nilsson at times in her great moments. Sonics is not as good as this studio recording, opera is not given complete and the recording is pricier but I think the electricity of that performance is worth it - I would certainly choose that version over this one."
The Complete Best Die Frau Ohne Schatten
pascalnewman | Los Angeles USA | 02/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are only 2 complete Die Frau Ohne Schattens on the market. The Solti and the Sawallisch. It is fashionable to say that the Solti is the best. No, that is not true.The reason people like to say the Solti is the best is that Decca advertised that it had ploughed $1 million into the Solti recording - the most expensive opera set ever at that time. But if you read the Solti cast carefully, NONE of Solti's 5 principal singers ever sung their roles on stage. Varady, Behrens, Domingo, Van Dam, Runkel - all 5 NEVER sung their roles on stage. On the other hand, the Sawallisch set was produced in conjunction with real performances at the Bavarian State Opera. The end result? It shows very clearly in the performance. While the Solti is excellent, it is the Sawallisch that truly captures the incandescence of a 'live' performance and the true spirit of Die Frau Ohne Schatten. The names on the Solti set is more famous - Domingo, for instance, who is the most recorded opera singer in the history of opera recording. But this is all marketing gimmick! If you want to listen to a REAL Die Frau Ohne Schatten, get the Sawallisch - this one truly has the 'live' feeling to it!"
The best complete recording of Die Frau Ohne Schatten
The Cultural Observer | 04/12/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is unfortunate that this recording of Frau Ohne Schatten is out of print, for it really does feature a wonderful team assembled around this beautiful opera. For starters, it is a complete recording, and it also features singers who have had a lot of experience with their roles onstage. Wolfgang Sawallisch is also one of the best Straussian conductors, and he recorded it with the lovely Bavarian radio. The musi has vertical and horizontal clarity, beauty of tone, well-judged tempi, and a drive absent from the plodding Solti recording. It reveals all the beauty in Strauss' score and a sophistication absent from many recordings of the work.



The highlight of this recording is perhaps the perfect Kaiserin of Cheryl Studer. Not only does she have the diaphanous voice that characterizes this very difficult role, but she also has the vocal agility to carry out the coloratura. This, along with her Salome, is probably Studer's best recorded performance. I would rank her along with the greats of Rysanek, Janowitz, and Voigt, and I'm glad she took this role to the studio.



The other highlight of this recording is the perfectly nuanced and sung Nurse of Hanna Schwarz. While she doesn't have the dark, blood-chilling timbre of a contralto, she makes up for it with her intelligent interpretation of the part, turning what seems like a vocal disadvantage into a definitive Amme.



Rene Kollo is a handsome-sounding Kaiser, and even if he doesn't have James King's dark timbre, his voice works very well for the high-lying music of the Emperor. The Barak, Alfred Muff, is competent for the job, although I wish Franz Grundheber had recorded the part.



The only drawback to this recording is Ute Vinzing's Färberin. I don't like her tone...I think it is ugly for a woman who is supposed to be beautiful according to how Strauss wanted her. Where were Gwyneth Jones and all those other better hochdramatisches when this was recorded!!?!



Anyways, I would recommend that you buy this recording. It is the best performance of Frau you will ever hear in a studio atmosphere."