Search - Lehar, Rothenberger, Gedda :: Merry Widow

The Three Widows

An Opera Goer | Southern Califorina, USA | 07/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are many Widow albums. If nothing more than just a mind-set, the one that led by Schwarzkopf can be considered as setting a standard. In a review given to that album, "A music fan" brought up an alternative. He compared the Schwarzkopf album to a newer EMI album, in which Edda Moser was the Widow. After weighting all the pros and cons, he then concluded that both versions are equally good. I think he is absolutely right. But, I just acquired another version that I found in the Amazon catalog. That is this 1967 Willy Mattes version. Here, Anneliese Rothenberger, Nicolai Gedda, Erika Koth and Robert Ilosfalvy are the four principals. After listening to all three sets, it comes to no surprises; this set is just as good as the other two, in my opinion. Among these three sets, the three Widows were at their best. They all were great sopranos of their time. Also important is that the other three principals in each set are equally strong. There is no week link in any set. However, if you had heard the first two versions, and you fall for Moser's power, or insist on the precision of Schwarzkopf, Rothenberger's Hanna might seem too mellow for you. But don't count her out yet; she would not be called the Queen of Operetta for no reason. You might even like it. In essence, what makes this set significantly differ from the other two is the tenor. For which I mean in this set Count Danilo was sung by a tenor as the composer originally intended. So I am urging everyone to check it out. In fact, I think everyone should check all three versions out. You won't regret it.

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