Search - Jules Massenet, Richard Bonynge, Alfredo Kraus :: Werther

The missing Werther: Kraus and Crespin

Gustavo Demarco | Buenos Aires | 11/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is a number of excellent recordings of Werther: the historical of Thill-Vallin (1931), Kraus-Troyanos, Carreras-von Stade and more recently Alagna-Georgiu and Vargas-Kassarova. What does this Met live recording of 1979 add?: First, Kraus is so well as in the studio recording, but here he was some years younger; second, it has the 'living' spontaneity of a 'live recording', with the contagious enthusiasm of the public bursting into applauses; third, as far as I know, it is the only extant full recording of Régine Crespin in the role of Charlotte: she was an authority in French opera and one of the greatest sopranos of all times; four, you can enjoy the sparkling singing of Kathleen Battle as a very young Sophie; fifth, the rigorous and precise conducting of Richard Bonynge; sixth, if you do not have enough reasons, the price is incredibly low for the quality of the recording. Even if you already have any of the excellent other versions, you should not resist the temptation of having this as a second one. ..."