Richard Strauss - opera recordings

[Karafan]

Richard Strauss's operas, up until recently, have not been overly represented in my collection. Elektra and Salome (the former with Nillson/Solti, ditto the latter plus HvK) and Rosenkavalier (HvK x 2, Solti, Kleiber, Lenny). I also added the Reining/Böhm Ariadne from 1944 and have enjoyed that greatly.

I am interested in adding Daphne, Die Frau ohne schatten, Capriccio and maybe alternative copies of some of those I have already listed. My interest has been piqued by the various live Böhm recordings on DG.

Views and thoughts welcomed!

Karafan.

[Nick Armstrong]

Of those, I would not be without Capriccio, pure spun gold from start to finish. The Schwarzkopf recording conducted by Sawallisch is often placed top of the pile, but there's something about the set that has always left me cold.

For me the most cherishable set is - guess who? - Böhm, on DG with the incomparable voice of Gundula Janowitz suiting the music a treat http://www.amazon.co.uk/R-Strauss-Ca.../dp/B000001GMV

For Frau ohne Schatten, it's the Solti set with Domingo that I have. A bit of a monster of a piece!

[Parry1912]

The Bychkov 'Daphne' with Renee Fleming can currently be had for £10.99 + P&P on Amazon Marketplace. I've bought a copy but haven't got around to playing it yet but it was very well reviewed. As to 'Die Frau ohne Schatten' it has to be Solti. Not exactly cheap but truly outstanding. The only other complete (i.e. uncut) recording is Sawallisch's. Funnily enough I was listening to it on Spotify today. It's very good and is cheaper. If you fancy a adding a more modern 'Ariadne' then Sinopoli's excellent version is available on Brilliant Classics.

It's a shame that some of the lesser known operas are so poorly represented on record. Hopefully EMI will reissue more of the ones in their vaults. A nice big, bargain box of their Sawallisch/Karajan/Haitink/Janowski/Kempe opera recordings would be very well received.

[Parry1912]

Some great sections

That's a bit of an understatement!

[Karafan]

Thanks for the pointers - I shall look into those.

I was interested to see the rather unfairly maligned HvK digital Rosenkavalier has been reissued at a giveaway price. And Tomowa-Sintow is a delight in it, for those allergic to Mme Schwarzkopf as the Marschallin!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0048IDR46/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_d0_g15_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1936ZMS9JX3F7QXC4RQD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294

[Chris Newman]

I am very fond of Arabella, unjustly neglected, though I know not why. Two fabulous soprano roles, a good baritone heavy and a tuneful if rather wet tenor role. I have two recordings with overlapping casts:
Josef Keilberth's (Decca) version with Lisa Della Casa, Annaliese Rothenberger, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Kurt Ruesche, Otto Edelmann and the VPO

Georg Solti's (Opera Depot) Lisa Della Casa, Joan Carlyle, Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, Alexander Young, Michael Langdon (live from the ROH in 1965)

Swings and roundabouts. Keilberth is beautiful whilst Solti is in your face. Alexander Young for once makes Matteo sound interesting. It has a frisson that the superb sound of Solti's Decca recording lacks. I saw and heard the ROH version with Joan Carlyle, Heather Harper and Alex Young (I forget who Mandryka was). The two sopranos regularly swapped roles at the toss of a coin before curtain up. I wish Heather Harper's Arabella had been caught on record.

[Parry1912]

I am very fond of Arabella, unjustly neglected, though I know not why.

I remember William Mann, in a Gramophone review of Sawallisch's EMI recording, describing it as "the Strauss opera everyone loves best after Der Rosenkavalier" (although adding "not me, I have other favourites"). Times have clearly changed.

Incidentally, he liked the Sawallisch recording (with Julia Varady and Fischer-Dieskau) best of all.

[Biffo]

For a stereo Ariadne try Kempe/Dresden/Janowitz etc.

Rosenkavalier is a very long way from my favourite Strauss opera and I would rather have my toenails pulled out with red hot pliers than sit through Arabella again. I suppose it would be odd if we were all the same; Arabella never failed to move one of my closest friends to tears.

[Belgrove]

Haitink's version of Daphne with the radiant Lucia Popp in the title role is on Amazon for £9.99. You could not go wrong with this recording, in my view. I listen to this more than any other Strauss nowadays.

Solti's Frau Ohne Schatten is something of a sonic tour de force, but Bohm's version with Vienna State Opera is, perhaps, more approachable.

Bohm has a version of Capriccio if you are allergic to Schwartzkopf with Janowitz, Fischer-Dieskau, Schreier, Prey, Ridderbuscch and Troyanos - a pretty starry cast.

Karajan's Ariadne has Schwartzkopf in the title role, which may be a problem, but is distinguished for having Hermann Prey as the most suave and mellifluous Harlequin of all the recorded versions.

[martin_opera]

I love the Sinopoli recording of Salome with Cheryl Studer and Bryn Terfel. For me it beats the Solti recording with Nilsson.

[vinteuil]

there is a big 35 CD brilliant box - soon to be available on amazon.uk - already available and even cheaper on amazon.fr - which for some 45 euros gives you the nine CDs of the Kempe/Dresden orchestral works - 9 CDs of chamber/piano works - the EMI Karajan Rosenkavalier - the DG Sinopoli Elektra - the 1970 Bohm Salome - the DG Sinoploi Ariadne - the 1963 Keilberth Frau ohne Schatten - Friedenstag - 3 CDs lieder -

It is, I think, what the French call 'un must... '

[Biffo]

there is a big 35 CD brilliant box - soon to be available on amazon.uk - already available and even cheaper on amazon.fr - It is, I think, what the French call 'un must... '

Not if you already own the Kempe/Dresden contribution and don't rate Sinopoli. I would be interested in the chamber/piano works separately though.

[Parry1912]

I would be interested in the chamber/piano works separately though.

Your wish is Brilliant Classics command!

http://www.brilliantclassics.com/release.aspx?id=FM00392473

Incidentally, I see that a copy of "Die Schweigsame Frau" (Janowski on EMI) just went on ebay for £41. Too rich for me but hopefully someone at EMI will have noticed and be encouraged to re-release it (some hope).

Was the successful bidder a member of this forum?

[Biffo]

Parry1912: Thanks for the link. I hadn't realised that Strauss wrote so much chamber music.

You can pick up the Janowski set from Amazon for only £37.99 (Used - like new) or £20 if you don't mind it on a used set of LPs.

[Roehre]

Parry1912: Thanks for the link. I hadn't realised that Strauss wrote so much chamber music.

Please note that many of these pieces are chamber arrangements of orchestral pieces, like the violin/piano version of the violin concerto