The Best Recording Of Die Frau Ohne Schatten?

[Conchis]

This is my favourite Strauss opera, most of the time. It is an astonishing achievement by both composer and librettist. Frankly, I can't get enough of it!

I have the following recordings:

Bohm, 1955
Keilberth, 1962
Karajan, 1964
Bohm, 1977
Sawallisch, 1987
Solti, 1992

They are all of an extremely high standard (record companies seem to have understood that there is no point in stinting on resources when recording this one) but all - apart from Sawallisch and Solti - feature 'traditional' cuts, which I can't honestly claim bother me too much. The Solti was the first one I heard and for a long time I went along with the majority opinion that it was the best - but, latterly, I'm not so convinced by Domingo's unidiomatic Kaiser and the general feeling that it somehow adds up to less than the sum of its parts.

The pioneering Bohm recording from 1955 (the work's first) sounds like it was recorded at least ten years later than it actually was.

The Sawallisch doesn't make a big impression on me: it's some years since I last listened to it and I can't remember my impressions.

Karajan is probably ruled out of court, because he had the temerity to re-arrange the order of scenes.

I haven't heard the Sinopoli recording, which I believe is more than usually heavily cut. Some people praise it highly.

I'd be interested in other forumites' opinions, both of the work itself, and the recordings of it.

[verismissimo]

I've had Bohm on LP for many years and more recently acquired Sawallisch on CD, which I've yet to audition. Will report back!

Planning to go to it at Longborough next summer.

[Dave2002]

I saw the WNO production many years ago in Bristol. I have a few versions - one in a box set, and I think Solti's in an MP3 or iTunes collection which I acquired for not a lot. I thought the conventional "wisdom" was that Solti's was the one to have, and I always meant to get it on CD, but never did. I'll have to review this in due course, but it's not going to be high on my priority list. I still have a considerable number of live opera performances to attend in the next few months - Zaza, Rita and La Clemenza being fairly soon.

[Pianorak]

I have the Solti with Behrens and Domingo on CD, and Solti with Studer and Moser on DVD.
I'm sure Frau ohne Schatten is a masterpiece - but I find it thoroughly depressing, especially Act Two.

[Pianoman]

I love Die Frau, but do agree with some critics that the inspiration does tail off towards the end. Act 1 is thrilling, but Strauss really was fired up by Hofmannsthal's libretto, then we get a long drawn-out period of gestation and by the end I think Strauss's enthusiasm has flagged. Nevertheless, I think it contains some of his greatest music. I do tend to stick to Solti on cd, though I know what people mean about Doming's German; still, as a non-German speaker it's never really bothered me over much, and the voice is in glorious shape, better than Moser on the dvd. I have the Sinopoli, and it's really worth it for the Dresden playing and Heppner's Kaiser, but it is live and the recording is slightly poorly focussed in places. Sinopoli is predictably less 'hysterical' than Solti, and the many chamber-like moments come through with amazing clarity and sensitivity, so well worth hearing. The old Bohm is marvellous too, but the dvd of Sawallisch on tour in Japan with the Bavarian forces is worth seeing - a production that uses the Japanese Noh as its starting point and makes sense of some of the more absurd elements that plague stage productions.

[Pulcinella]

The Solti version is of course the one in the big bargain box that many of us are still hoping will turn up on our doorsteps one day.

[Conchis]

I love Die Frau, but do agree with some critics that the inspiration does tail off towards the end. Act 1 is thrilling, but Strauss really was fired up by Hofmannsthal's libretto, then we get a long drawn-out period of gestation and by the end I think Strauss's enthusiasm has flagged. Nevertheless, I think it contains some of his greatest music. I do tend to stick to Solti on cd, though I know what people mean about Doming's German; still, as a non-German speaker it's never really bothered me over much, and the voice is in glorious shape, better than Moser on the dvd. I have the Sinopoli, and it's really worth it for the Dresden playing and Heppner's Kaiser, but it is live and the recording is slightly poorly focussed in places. Sinopoli is predictably less 'hysterical' than Solti, and the many chamber-like moments come through with amazing clarity and sensitivity, so well worth hearing. The old Bohm is marvellous too, but the dvd of Sawallisch on tour in Japan with the Bavarian forces is worth seeing - a production that uses the Japanese Noh as its starting point and makes sense of some of the more absurd elements that plague stage productions.

The current ROH production (seen back in 2014) is a Freudian affair; I much preferred the previous production, with designs by David Hockney. I'm too young, alas, to have seen the first ROH production, premiered under Solti in 1967 (the director was, I think, Ande Anderson), the subject of one of Bernard Levin's most famous rave reviews.

[ARBurton]

I've had Bohm on LP for many years and more recently acquired Sawallisch on CD, which I've yet to audition. Will report back!

Planning to go to it at Longborough next summer.

Ariadne auf Naxos!

[Pianoman]

Thought it seemed a tad ambitious for Longborough...)