Search - Strauss, Silja, Wunderlich :: Salome

Silja's wonderful... counterparts!

Ha-De Nguyen | Paris, France (Europe) | 11/13/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This recording of Salome long was thought lost but finally finds here a good remastering thanks to MYTO (personally I still hope they will find the Della Casa's at Munich!). Silja was young and wild and.. a unique dancer as certainly was Salome. On stage, she must have been fabulous but reduced to vocal acting, she cannot be compared to Welitsch, Varnay or Borkh. Even one would prefer Nilsson in those sixties to get at least some exciting top notes! Silja's interpretation is a little anonymous without the energy she provided to her wagnerian roles. A deception! But one must buy those CDs to get the unique interpretation of Varnay, perhaps a little overplayed but so theatrical! Stolz is as characterful although one can prefer a true heldentenor voice for this role. Wächter is wonderful, sounding young in a typical Vienna way (lost since). The best interpretation is that from Wunderlich, but so beautiful a voice in so small a part! But probably the true Straussian listener will buy these CDs for the second alone. First, one of MYTO's engineer has tried to get a pseudostereo ( whilst first CD is in mono!), which gives much more relief to Silja's final scene (try it with a headphone!). And additional excerpts given at the end are fabulous! Varnay gives her outstanding and last interpretation from Salome in a better sound than the integral reissued by Orfeo. Borkh is as characterful but less disciplined with her vocal technique and Welitsch gives her last studio recording with Reiner in 1949. The Salome of the century here had already lost her internal fire intensity although the voice still was in good condition (go back to EMI's studio with Karajan in 1947 or live again with Reiner at the Met in 1949, both a legend! but avoid 1952 again with Reiner at the Met!). Let you deep inside Salome's final scene 4 times during an hour!"