Search - Beethoven, Flagstad, Furtwangler :: Fidelio

A legendary performance

Laon | moon-lit Surry Hills | 05/29/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This performance is a legendary event: a practically ideal cast, including Flagstad in her prime, and one of the greatest Beethoven conductors of the last century with the VPO. I used to have it on scratchy lps, for which I paid well over the odds in a 2nd hand shop where the owner knew what he was selling. The opportunity to have this performance in cleaned-up sound in CD format is one that no-one who likes Beethoven, or Flagstad, or Furtwangler should turn up.This is a great, compelling, organic and symphonic (though it includes spoken dialogue) performance of _Fidelio_. It may not be your first _Fidelio_; the absence of stereo, and some very minor drawbacks in sound quality do tell against it. For a first _Fidelio_ I might recommend the classic but in good-stereo Klemperor, or the more recent Haitinck set, graced with Jessye Norman and superb sound and musicianship all round. But this is one of the greatest performances (as opposed to recordings), and once you're in the market for another, historical _Fidelio_, this is the must-have. Note: there are two Furtwangler recordings of _Fidelio_ with Flagstad, and much the same cast, one live and one studio; my remarks above apply to the live recording in particular, but are equally true of the studio recording. A year later, Furtwanger recorded _Fidelio_ again, with Martha Mödl unsatisfactory as Leonora - too fruity and with at times a horrible wobble. However, that recording features Wolfgang Windgassen's first recording in a major role, as Florestan. His "Gott, welch Dunkel hier!" makes that set worth buying; suffering and courage, the heroism of weakness, have never been more movingly conveyed. Julius Patzak is very good as Florestran in the recordings with Flagstad, but Windgassen is something else again. Pity Furtwanger never got the two singers together in the one recording. In sum all the Furtwanger _Fidelio_ recordings are recommended, but especially the sets with Flagstad. Explore and enjoy. Cheers!Laon"

A disc that lovers of Fidelio cannot afford to miss.

12/20/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although she made her name in Wagner Kirsten Flagstad always insisted that Fidelio was her favourite opera.Her voice and artistry was still good and her performance has got to be one of the most unforgetable moments on record. Equally memorable is the Florestan of Julius Patzak.If for no other reason this recording is worth hearing just for that. Worth hearing is the Marzelline of Elizabeth Schwarzkopf. The recording is of a live performance given at the Salzburg festival of 1950 and although the original tapes of the broadcast were destroyed the performance comes of a tape which was owned by Madame Furtwangler. Furtwangler conducts a brilliant performance and although the recording is old it has remarkable presence making you feel that you are in the theatre. A point of interest is that Furtwangler conducts the Leonore overture No.3 which seems to fit in well with his performance although it is customery these days not to perform it. Altogether this is a great artistic experience thatI can't recommend highly enough.Jim Troy."