BaL 7.06.14 - Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30am
Building a Library: Strauss 150
Richard Osborne surveys recordings of Strauss's opera Der Rosenkavalier, as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations, and makes a personal recommendation.

Available versions:

VPO, Leonard Bernstein
Metropolitan Opera, Artur, Bodansky (download)
Staatskapelle Dresden, Karl Bohm (download)
Vienna State Opera, Karl Bohm (download)
Metropolitan Opera, Fritz Busch
VPO, Semyon Bychkov (DVD)
ROH, Sir Andrew Davis
VPO, Christoph von Dohnanyi
VPO, Robert Heger
Philharmonia, Herbert von Karajan
VPO, Herbert von Karajan (live and studio versions)
Bayerischen Staatsoper. Joseph Keilberth
Sachsische Staatskapelle, Dresden State Opera, Rudolf Kempe
Metropolitan Opera, Rudolf Kempe
Bayerischen Staatsoper, Carlos Kleiber (CD/DVD)
Vienna State Opera, Carlos Kleiber (DVD)
Munich Opera, Erich Kleiber
VPO, Erich Kleiber
Munich, Hans Knappertsbusch
VPO, Clemens Krauss
Opera Australia, Andrew Litton (CD/DVD/Blu-ray)
Staatskapelle Dresden, Fabio Luisi (DVD/Blu-ray)
RAI Orchestra & Chorus, Georges Pretre
LPO, Sir John Pritchard
Metropolitan Opera, Fritz Reiner
Rome Opera, Artur Rodzinski
ROH, Sir Georg Solti (DVD)
VPO, Sir Georg Solti
Metropolitan Opera, George Szell
Munchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann (CD/DVD/Blu-ray)
Duetsche Oper Berlin, Silvio Varviso
Netherlands Opera, Edo de Waart
Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Heinz Wallberg

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

With the early EMI Karajan having such a revered place in the catalogue, one might have hoped for something equally great in his DG remake. It's OK, but suffers from an unnaturally distant orchestral balance.

Bernstein's recording is interesting in that it was a Freddie Flintoft moment for John Culshaw, returning to produce one final recording.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

There are also DVDs of two Karajan-led productions - both with the VPO, the earlier with Schwarzkopf, the later from the same production that led to the CD set Alpie mentions in #2. I prefer this set; it was the version with which I got to know the opera (I played it on my very first car journey in my very first car a week after passing my test: Christmas 1984, travelling from London to Lancashire) and has the inestimable bonus (for me) of not having ... well, I won't mention her name, but she knows who she is! ... in the cast.

The Solti ROH film is lovely, too. I've heard it said that Dame Kiri can seem as if she's concentrating on a beautiful "line" at the expense of any psychological insight, but here she's at the very top of her not inconsiderable game. There's real warmth to Solti's conducting, too.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Not much interest in this thread so far, but I'm interested in hearing what the reviewer has to say about the Bernstein and the Solti.

This Gramophone review is revealing.

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/richard-strauss’s-der-rosenkavalier-which-recording-is-best

[Madame Suggia]

An interesting review Alp.

It's the 1960 Karajan with Della Casa for me.

[gurnemanz]

Not much interest in this thread so far, but I'm interested in hearing what the reviewer has to say about the Bernstein and the Solti.

In the face of the lack of interest in this thread, I can contribute a reminiscence: In the early 1970s some time my wife, then girlfriend, and I booked to see Rosenkavalier at the Staatsoper, East Berlin, Unter den Linden. When we turned up, it was announced that due to unexplained technical reasons they were doing Entführung aus dem Serail instead. This turned out to be a good evening nonetheless with the marvellous Peter Schreier on hand as Belmonte. The terrific character bass, Reiner Süss, was also on hand as Osmin and in his futile attempts to woo Blondchen reminded us of the opera we were meant to be seeing by bringing an improvised red rose on stage. The next time we actually got to see Rosenkavalier was the Jonathan Miller version at ENO a couple of decades later.

I'm afraid my only CD version is the predictable and inevitable Walter Legge/Schwarzkopf/Ludwig/Karajan show.

[amateur51]

Well in choosing RO to review I sense a certain amount of predictability. Imagine what David Owen Norris might have achieved

[umslopogaas]

I have two full versions (Solti, Karajan), one abridged (Heger) and two highlights (Neuhaus, Varviso). All are on LP and date from quite a long way back (Heger is pre-war), so although I dont particularly need another one, I'll be interested to hear what he thinks of more recent recordings. I might be tempted, its a marvelous opera.

[Richard Tarleton]

A second-hand reminiscence - a very old lady I knew whose parents were friends of Dame Nellie Melba remembered sitting in Dame Nellie's box at Covent Garden as a girl for a 1926 performance of Rosenkavalier with Lotte Lehmann and Elizabeth Schumann. At her first curtain call Elizabeth Schumann directed a deep curtsey to Dame Nellie's box.

One of my 3 favourite operas (alongside Meistersinger and Figaro) - I have Solti/VPO on LP and Karajan/Philharmonia on CD. Ms Crespin a much warmer Marschallin - I find Schwarzkopf hard to love in this role, however perfect she may be. A young Pavarotti is tucked away on the Solti as the Singer. My first live Rosenkavalier was pretty well perfectly cast - Sheri Greenawald, Susan Graham and Rebecca Evans.....The Strauss Heroines CD with Renée Fleming (and Susan Graham and Barbara Bonney for the Trio) is lovely, though Hugh Canning criticised Eschenbach's unusually slow tempi for the Trio.

[amateur51]

A second-hand reminiscence - a very old lady I knew whose parents were friends of Dame Nellie Melba remembered sitting in Dame Nellie's box at Covent Garden as a girl for a 1926 performance of Rosenkavalier with Lotte Lehmann and Elizabeth Schumann. At her first curtain call Elizabeth Schumann directed a deep curtsey to Dame Nellie's box.

I have Solti/VPO on LP and Karajan/Philharmonia on CD. Ms Crespin a much warmer Marschallin - I find Schwarzkopf hard to love in this role, however perfect she may be. A young Pavarotti is tucked away on the Solti as the Singer.

Schwarzkopf is hard to love I agree but my word her 'clock' sequence hits home and her ticking off of Ochs is ... chilling!

Wonderful Dame Nellie story - many thanks

[Richard Tarleton]

Schwarzkopf is hard to love I agree but my word her 'clock' sequence hits home and her ticking off of Ochs is ... chilling!

Indeed, and agreed - but it's also a question of who's more believable in the, er, rumpy-pumpy department in Act 1

[amateur51]

Indeed, and agreed - but it's also a question of who's more believable in the, er, rumpy-pumpy department in Act 1

Yes, poor Christa Ludwig

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Few singers had such a long operatic career as Christa Ludwig. She was still magnificent as Fricka in 1993.

[Petrushka]

I'm not really an opera fan, Wagner apart, but I do like Salome and Rosenkavalier. I have the inevitable EMI Karajan on LP and Karl Böhm live at Salzburg in 1969 with the VPO on CD.

Truth to tell, I find the opera too long and that's coming from one who loves Parsifal.

[verismissimo]

I've long had the Karajan/Legge on CD, the Karajan/Czinner film on video (which is very big on Karajan the Dictator) and Solti/Covent Garden on DVD. Of those, my preference is for the last. Not only is Kiri very fine as the Marschallin, but Anne Howells is also a tremendous Octavian. Solti is at his warmest and the production by John Schlesinger is perfection! I've also had for long time the abridged recording from 1933 with Lotte Lehmann, Elisabeth Schumann, Maria Olszewska and Richard Mayr with the VPO under Robert Heger. Such riches.

But quite recently I've acquired the first complete recording of the work in 1954 (Naxos transfer) - Maria Reining, Sena Jurinac, Hilde Gueden and Ludwig Weber with VPO/Erich Kleiber. It's absolutely magnificent, not least because Kleiber's way with portamento is quite fearless and natural. I speak, of course, as the founding Chairman of the Portamento Restoration Society, membership - 1.