Search - Sir Georg Solti, Lisa Della Casa, Hilde Gueden :: Solti Strauss ~ Arabella / della Casa, Gueden, Dermota, London, Wiener Phil.

One of the greatest ever

01/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some people don't like Solti, it seems, on the grounds of cold-blooded ruthlessness; others (myself included) may call it vigour and find it exciting. If you do like him, then this is a 5-star performance. Not only do you get Lisa della Casa, you get her with the marvellous Hilde Gueden. As a result, the great Act 1 duet is an object lesson in Viennese ensemble singing. You even get the under-recorded Mimi Coertse in the bizarre role of Fiakermilli, a bonus if ever there was one. If you ever wondered what rubato meant, now's your chance to find out, and hear it perfectly controlled by singers used to singing together, totally on top of their roles, with supreme Viennese style. This is, to me, one of the greatest Strauss recordings ever, and I'm glad to see it's available again for others to revel in."

Exciting

10/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Arabella has achieved a legendary status through the years. When I heard this Arabella, I was literally blown away. First of all, the singers are magnificent. Lisa Della Casa and Hilde Gueden were hot favorites of the Vienna Ensemble at the Vienna State Opera in the 1950s and 1960s. Solti is miraculous when he conducts Strauss. If you like his Rosenkavalier, you will like his Arabella. He keeps the music moving along, and there is never a dull moment!! Unlike other conductors who linger and slow down until the music comes almost to a standstill, Solti does not make this mistake. He moves along and you are kept interested all along. The same goes for his Rosenkavalier - he moves the music along so that unlike other Rosenkavaliers where you get bored by certain sections, you don't get bored in Solti's Rosenkavalier. You also do not get bored in Solti's Arabella.But the most stunning thing about this set, is, surprise surprise, the sound quality. This was recorded in 1957 but Culshaw worked very hard. And the sound on this set beats many digitally recorded operas in the 1990s HANDS DOWN!!! I mean it. Lazy recording techniques have ruined many of the operas that were recorded in the 1990s and 2000s. Amazing. I name this set "The best Arabella ever on record"."

The men are great too

Theodore Shulman | NYC | 01/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The previous reviewer neglected to mention that the male singers in this recording: George London, Otto Edelmann, and Anton Dermota, were among the most intelligent and powerful singing actors alive at the time and their musicianship and acting are exceptional. This may be the only available recording of George London singing Strauss."