BaL 21.11.20 - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K620

[LeMartinPecheur]

Unless I missed such, again there was no consideration of DVD options. Why change the name from CD Review to Record Review then ignore recordings on DVD? I'm rather fond of the ROH/Colin Davis DVD recording, for instance, albeit that it's not of the HIPP variety.

IIRC the explanation given for the name-change was that 'CD' appeared to exclude recordings now only available as downloads. I don't recall any mention of, or explicit commitment to, DVDs.

[visualnickmos]

Thank you Bryn.

[Wolfram]

Klemperer thrown out because Sarastro’s aria too slow - what superficial reviewing .

Very superficial. Everybody knows that Klemperer's tempi are on the slow side - but not as slow as they were to become later - but the point is they don't sound slow. Klemperer keeps everything rhythmically alive, so his reading doesn't drag. Davis in comparison, and at very similar speeds, sounds turgid and bogged down. I did agree with her about Edda Moser though, who did sound truly terrifying.

The trial by irritation category was quite witty, and had us laughing out loud in the car. But it was Jacobs who failed the test, not Solti. What irritated me most in the clip played was the usual Jacob's trademark abrupt, disconcerting and seemingly random changes of tempo. Some might call it fresh and innovative; I just find it wilful. And yes, the Pa-pa-pa exchange was likely to have the neighbours banging on the bedroom wall! There's a massive amount of dialogue and aural business on the Jacob's recording; you need to have some to hold the musical numbers together, but here there is just too much to keep the attention of non-fluent German speakers.

She was right to single out Margaret Price; but no discussion of Janowitz, Popp and Wunderlich? No real discussion of conducting styles either; as has been mentioned above already the likes of Bohm and Fricsay were not counted. I suppose the job of encompassing everything that merits discussion is now too great for the 45 minutes allocated.

Glad the first Solti was honoured though. Like his Meistersinger I much prefer his first thoughts to the later remakes. Burrows, Lorengar and Talvela are all excellent. I like Burrows almost as much as Wunderlich - the QOTN is a bit of an acquired taste though. But as he is not much faster than Klemperer, it makes the dismissal of Klemperer all the more puzzling.

Having said all that, I did enjoy it though. How boring would it be if we agreed with everything all the time?

[Bryn]

IIRC the explanation given for the name-change was that 'CD' appeared to exclude recordings now only available as downloads. I don't recall any mention of, or explicit commitment to, DVDs.

Yet prior to the name change DVDs were fairly often included for consideration, and DVD is, after all, a record, though there are those who seem to think only 78s and vinyl analogue discs are 'records'.

[makropulos]

Yet prior to the name change DVDs were fairly often included for consideration, and DVD is, after all, a record, though there are those who seem to think only 78s and vinyl analogue discs are 'records'.

Yes, strictly speaking a DVD is a kind of record. But the obvious snag with Zauberflöte is that there are more than 50 versions on CD alone. Whittling that down is bound to be a nightmare without adding another dozen or more performances on DVD. And you can't describe a DVD using the same criteria either –since the look of the production really has to be discussed (or at least mentioned). Cramming that into 45 minutes would make it an impossible task.

I was very happy that Flora ended up with the first Solti set as one of her choices – it's always been one of my favourite versions. Several others didn't make it at all but under the circumstances I can see why. It's strange how I've never quite been convinced by Jacobs (for a HIPP performance I may be the only person on the planet who actually rates Norrington's EMI Zauberflöte –I still think it's one of the best of his EMI records). No mention of several my other 'essential' Flutes, not least the English-language conducted by Mackerras with Simon Keenlyside as Papageno, John Tomlinson as Sarastro and so on. Of the oldies-but-goodies, I've always liked Fricsay's recording on account of some glorious singing, not least Rita Streich's Queen of the Night.

[gurnemanz]

There's a massive amount of dialogue and aural business on the Jacob's recording; you need to have some to hold the musical numbers together, but here there is just too much to keep the attention of non-fluent German speakers.

You certainly do not need all the dialogue on a recording. Full dialogue takes Jacobs to 3 CDs with a duration of 2hrs 46 (as listed at Presto). The three I have are on 2CDs: Beecham 2 hrs 09, Böhm 2 hrs 27 and Östman 2 hrs 35. I have for a while remained quite content with the recordings I have, but you've slightly nudged me into thinking I should hear Jacobs, not only for the performance but also for its completeness. It is, after all, a play with singing (Singspiel) not an opera. I am pretty fluent in German and it will certainly be of interest to hear the text (at least once) as Schikaneder intended, even if much of it is generally not on the highest literary level. It can be read online but I have not ever been moved to do so.

I believe the plot does make more, if not complete, sense if you hear/read the whole lot. More background details are revealed. Until recently it had not really occurred to me that the Queen of the Night must have a husband (an unenviable position, I'd have thought). Apparently, he actually made the magic flute. I like to picture him at work in their garden shed.

[Bryn]

Yes, strictly speaking a DVD is a kind of record. But the obvious snag with Zauberflöte is that there are more than 50 versions on CD alone. Whittling that down is bound to be a nightmare without adding another dozen or more performances on DVD. And you can't describe a DVD using the same criteria either –since the look of the production really has to be discussed (or at least mentioned). Cramming that into 45 minutes would make it an impossible task.

I was very happy that Flora ended up with the first Solti set as one of her choices – it's always been one of my favourite versions. Several others didn't make it at all but under the circumstances I can see why. It's strange how I've never quite been convinced by Jacobs (for a HIPP performance I may be the only person on the planet who actually rates Norrington's EMI Zauberflöte –I still think it's one of the best of his EMI records). No mention of several my other 'essential' Flutes, not least the English-language conducted by Mackerras with Simon Keenlyside as Papageno, John Tomlinson as Sarastro and so on. Of the oldies-but-goodies, I've always liked Fricsay's recording on account of some glorious singing, not least Rita Streich's Queen of the Night.

As it happens, you are not alone.I purchased the Norrington back in 2006 and on CD it has remained by 'go to'. Indeed, a year or so later I bought a second copy when I saw it, in the Virgin boxed set with Don Giovanni, in, of all places, a room above a tatoo parlour in Windsor for £3. I had noted a hand-written sign by the entrance stairs announcing a record sale upstairs. The Mozart set stood alone among a wide variety of popular music. One good thing about the lack of general enthusiam for the recording is that it can be found in good condition at very low prices.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/June05/Mozart_flute_4-82073-2.htm

There's also the usual hilariously trolling review from St. Bernard on amazon.co.uk. That may also have helped to keep the price down.

[Don Basilio]

I listened to this by chance. With so many prestigious recordings you can't really go wrong. But I was delighted to listen to Flora Wilson, eloquent, informed, enthusiastic without being gushing and critical without being snide. A pleasure to listen to her. And dear Andrew was not intrusive - he just read out the lines he had been given in advance which was a change from his usual intrusiveness.

[makropulos]

As it happens, you are not alone.I purchased the Norrington back in 2006 and on CD it has remained by 'go to'. Indeed, a year or so later I bought a second copy when I saw it, in the Virgin boxed set with Don Giovanni, in, of all places, a room above a tatoo parlour in Windsor for £3. I had noted a hand-written sign by the entrance stairs announcing a record sale upstairs. The Mozart set stood alone among a wide variety of popular music. One good thing about the lack of general enthusiam for the recording is that it can be found in good condition at very low prices.

Very glad I'm not alone (and I'd not seen the musicweb review which I think is very fair-minded). As you say, it's also easy to pick up cheaply. I don't actually know Norrington's Don Giovanni set, though I much enjoyed his conducting of it at ENO in the 80s. That Virgin box with Zauberflöte/Don still seems to be around very reasonably so I'll probably let myself by tempted.

[kernelbogey]

I listened to this by chance. With so many prestigious recordings you can't really go wrong. But I was delighted to listen to Flora Wilson, eloquent, informed, enthusiastic without being gushing and critical without being snide. A pleasure to listen to her. And dear Andrew was not intrusive - he just read out the lines he had been given in advance which was a change from his usual intrusiveness.

[LHC]

As it happens, you are not alone.I purchased the Norrington back in 2006 and on CD it has remained by 'go to'. Indeed, a year or so later I bought a second copy when I saw it, in the Virgin boxed set with Don Giovanni, in, of all places, a room above a tatoo parlour in Windsor for £3. I had noted a hand-written sign by the entrance stairs announcing a record sale upstairs. The Mozart set stood alone among a wide variety of popular music. One good thing about the lack of general enthusiam for the recording is that it can be found in good condition at very low prices.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/June05/Mozart_flute_4-82073-2.htm

There's also the usual hilariously trolling review from St. Bernard on amazon.co.uk. That may also have helped to keep the price down.

I have the Bohm, Klemperer, Haitink, Davis, Ostmann, Abbado and Nezet Seguin (probably the worst of his Mozart opera cycle so far) sets on CD, and the Levine and Davis on DVD, but had somehow missed the Norrington. The cast looks very good, and on the strength of your recommendation, I have just picked this up for the princely sum of £2.84!

From the excerpts I heard yesterday, and especially that awful final duet, the Jacobs isn't for me.

[Nick Armstrong]

Quite fun to listen to, this BAL, but it felt like a few snapshots rather than anything approaching a panoramic survey. With the usual random omissions and inclusions these days. Only minimal use as any sort of guide to available recordings...

Why, for instance, play Schreier only to slag him off and not even mention Fritz Wunderlich?

Exactly

[Goon525]

Quite fun to listen to, this BAL, but it felt like a few snapshots rather than anything approaching a panoramic survey. With the usual random omissions and inclusions these days. Only minimal use as any sort of guide to available recordings...



Exactly

Yes, that’s a pretty fair description of how it is now. Not quite useless, still often entertaining and with erudite contributors, but no real attempt made to survey the field.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Only minimal use as any sort of guide to available recordings...



Exactly

They rely on us for that.

[gradus]

With popular works it must often be impossible to survey all the available versions. Why not limit it to the new recordings since the last BAL on the work in question plus the winner from the last time.
It is the reviewer's preference that is being shown - how could it be anything else in the time available and how often that preference is challenged here by others with their preferences. Has there been a time when a BAL reviewer has recommended a real Lemon of a recording; I can't bring an instance to mind.
A better way of comparing recordings was abandoned years ago but Interpretations on Record remains the gold standard for this kind of programme.