Search - Georges Bizet, Emmy Destinn, Felix Dahn :: The First Recording of Bizet's Carmen

101 Years Old and Faaabulous !

James S. Eisenberg | 02/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an intense German language performance of CARMEN recorded in Berlin in 1908. Despite the antiquated sound, (fairly well cleaned up in this Aura Label edition) this is superbly sung and very involved dramatically. Emmy Destinn is a suave, sexy soprano Carmen and the supporting cast is equally strong. (Minnie Nast as Micaela, Karl Jorn as Don Jose and Hermann Bachmann as Escamillo) The persistent rumors that the unidentified conductor is none other than Gustav Mahler are probably not true. CARMEN was in his repertoire in Berlin and Vienna and he worked frequently with the above singers, some of whom followed him to New York. The rumors add to the allure of this truly historical performance. (Mahler had departed for America in 1908, and though it is not impossible that he returned briefly to Europe, for vacation or engagements, given travel conditions of the day, it is not likely.)

There is more life in this performance than many a more modern, better recorded one."