Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (Complete)
List Price:
Our Price: $8.53
You Save: $8.45 (50%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Music CD
See more CD details
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
CD Details
Composer: Richard StraussConductor: Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra: Wiener Phlharmoniker
Performer: Christa Ludwig
Performer: Lucia Popp
Performer: Walter Berry
Performer: Placido Domingo
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2009-08-04
Music Label: Sony Classical UK
Music reviews of Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (Complete)
Music Review: Weltzschmerz und Schlag
Rating: 4 Stars
I approached this 1971 recording with some trepidation but was encouraged by previous reviewer Stewart Crowe and I thank him for his assurance that I would enjoy it - he was so right. I do not claim that it is perfect or that it necessarily supersedes previous admired versions, but it takes its place amongst my favourites and has some things to offer found nowhere else. It will not suit all tastes, but as a Bernstein fan I was neither surprised by nor disappointed with Lennie's treatment of this miraculous score: he does what I hoped, which is to milk it for all its worth without allowing it to become so soupy that it loses its edge or charm.
Let's start with its undoubted strengths: first and above all, the enchanting, silver-voiced Sophie of the incomparable Lucia Popp. Hers is simply the finest Sophie on disc. For those of us unable to accept the muddy sound and infamous, very flat last, climactic note from Popp in the concluding trio on the live Salzburg set conducted by Dohnanyi, this is the answer if you want a souvenir of her artistry in this role. Secondly, and if you like it, Bernstein's coaxing of the Vienna Philharmonic to produce a gorgeous noise. The 15 minutes performance cuts traditional at that time are duly observed and I cannot say that I am too bothered by that in such a long score; all the moments of heart-stopping Schmalz are there intact and this operaphile hippo is happy to wallow along with Bernstein. Finally, the sound is superb for its - or any - era.
We enter more controversial territory with the casting of the other two leading ladies. Personally, I find that I like Ludwig's Marschallin almost as much as I do her Octavian; the slightly matronly smokiness in her tone makes her as apt as Crespin for the role, even if she doesn't have quite the same allure. Her voice is in top condition and despite the richness of her middle and lower range, the high notes come easily, too. She does not play with the words with the same subtlety as Schwarzkopf or Crespin but it's a grand performance. Walter Berry is not the first bass-baritone to make a success of Ochs: his bumpkin accent and lubricious inflections are very characterful. Even though he can hit the low notes reasonably comfortably, they do not resonate and rumble as they do with a true bass like Kurt Moll, but that is a minor complaint. The supporting cast are terrific, featuring some Viennese regulars. Casting Placido Domingo as the Italian tenor ought to have been a coup, but he sounds stretched and a bit grey of tone compared with Pavarotti in the 1969 Solti recording, for all that he is perfectly acceptable.
Finally we come to what is for me the real crux of the debate regarding the merits of this recording: Gwyneth Jones' Octavian. Frankly, after all the hoo-hah I had read, I was expecting her to sound much rockier and more worn than is in fact the case. Yes, the voice spreads a bit at times but she brings a very welcome masculine toughness, and is often very expressive indeed; it would be absurd to claim as some commentators do that she utterly ruins the ensembles. It is a very big voice, intrinsically lovely of tone, and I derive much pleasure from her sincere, open-hearted singing, the odd wobble not withstanding. Lennie grunts and groans throughout but his vocal obbligato is not as obtrusive as the contributions of Barbirolli or the Colin Davis of latter years and I can live with it.
This reissue on the bargain Sony Opera House series label is absurdly cheap and thus constitutes a painless addition to my various versions of this seminal Richard Strauss opera. Of course, there is no libretto. In other moods, I shall still want to hear the brilliant Solti set, the classic Kleiber and the superb and sophisticated Karajan but this is a worthy account which sits very well with a glass of wine and a penchant for indulgence.
More Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (Complete) free music reviews:
1
1
Description of Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (Complete)
All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.Classical CDs
Music Genres
Similar CDs
Pierre Boulez - Berg: WozzeckRelease date: 2009-03-31; Music CD
Best price: $7.09
Price in other shops:
Charpentier: Louise (Complete)Release date: 2009-08-04; Music CD
Best price: $8.31
Price in other shops:
Strauss: Die Frau ohne SchattenRelease date: 1992-04-14; Music CD
Best price: $29.79
Price in other shops:
Der Rosenkavalier: The FilmRelease date: 2010-11-16; DVD
Best price: $16.24
Price in other shops:
Eve Queler - Massenet: Le CidRelease date: 2009-03-31; Music CD
Best price: $7.43
Price in other shops:
Erich Leinsdorf - Strauss: Salome - The Sony Opera HouseRelease date: 2011-10-04; Music CD
Best price: $9.06
Price in other shops:
Valery Gergiev - Massenet: HerodiadeRelease date: 2009-03-31; Music CD
Best price: $6.71
Price in other shops:
Debussy: Pelléas et MélisandeRelease date: 2009-08-04; Music CD
Best price: $8.44
Price in other shops:
Rosenkavalier (24BT)Release date: 2008-02-04; Music CD
Best price: $25.18
Price in other shops:
Verdi: Don Carlo (Complete)Release date: 2009-08-04; Music CD
Best price: $9.08
Price in other shops: