Search - Richard [1] Strauss, Herbert von Karajan, Karl Böhm :: Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten

Wonderful Générale! (not the Première with Rysanek)

Ha-De Nguyen | Paris, France (Europe) | 07/27/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"All connoisseurs wished this recording had existed and here it is at last! In 1964, Karajan gave his own vision of that opera for the season re-opening. A famous recording with nearly the same cast excepted Rysanek, Ludwig and Berry is available now under DG label. That was the Première (after it, Karajan offered the role of Salome to Rysanek for the coming Salzburg festival that she refused!). This set recorded during the Générale cannot be replaced as it offers Janowitz in her prime and in this role never recorded officially. She was a pure Straussian singer with a unique seraphic timbre but maybe much more appropriate to the 4 last songs rather than to the theatre. But here, she had to make her breakthrough after many Parsifal's Blumenmädchen in Bayreuth, in Vienna... Doubling Rysanek was a true challenge but she succeeded! Yes, she lacks some power and some assurance in the role but how noble and memorable she is! Kuchta and Wiener are on a lower level (compared to Ludwig with Berry during the Première) but are very interesting indeed! I would say the women ensemble together with Hoffman is clearer than Rysanek + Ludwig, sounding too dark, too alike. Finally the sound is much more natural than in the official DG version but with Karajan himself a little less involved dramatically."