Beethoven-Fidelio-My Favorite Recordings

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stenka razin
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Beethoven-Fidelio-My Favorite Recordings

Post by stenka razin » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:21 pm

Beethoven's powerful and strikingly magnificent opera is a favorite of mine. I have multiple recordings on CD and had probably twice as many on LP. If you are looking for a recording of this towering masterpiece, just look below. 8)
Please let us know what your favorite recordings are?

****-excellent
***1/2-very good
***good
**1/2 fair
**passable
*poor
+Extraordinary


1-Klemperer-Philharmonia-EMI-1962-Reissued 1989-****+
Vickers and Ludwig are sensational, as are Frick and Berry.

2-Rattle-Berlin Philharmonic-EMI-2008-**
Held is very good.

3-Toscanini-NBC Symphony-RCA-1944-reissued 1991-***
Peerce is pretty good.

4-Haitink-Dresden State Orchestra-Philips-1990-***
Norman is wonderful,

5-Bohm-Dresden State Orchestra-Decca-1969-Reissued 2005-***
King is good.

6-Bernstein-Vienna Philharmonic-DG-1971-Reissued 2005-***1/2
Janowitz is amazing.

7-Maazel-Vienna Philharmonic-Decca-1964-Reissued 1996-***
Nilsson and McCracken are larger than life.

8-Knappertsbusch-Bavarian Stae Orchestra-DG Westminster-1962-Reissued 2001-***
Jurinac is magnificent.

9-Mackerras-Scottish Chamber Orchestra-Telarc-1998-***
Rolfe-Johnson is excellent.

10-Halasz-Nicolas Esterhazy Sinfonia-Naxos-1999-**1/2
Inga Nielsen is very good.


P.S. The winner by a mile is Klemperer. Buy it, if you do not have this wonderful opera. It is truly a GROC(Great Recording of the Century).


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Brendan

Post by Brendan » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:50 pm

I like Fricsay myself. As good as Klemperer IMHO.
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stenka razin
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Post by stenka razin » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:54 pm

Brendan wrote:I like Fricsay myself. As good as Klemperer IMHO.
I had the DG Fricsay on LP and it is wonderful. Thank you for reminding me. 8)
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Post by Chalkperson » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:54 pm

I enjoy the Andante issue with two Live Performances from Furtwangler in 1953 and Bohm from 1944...

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Fidelio ... 21&sr=1-36
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stenka razin
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Post by stenka razin » Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:04 pm

The 1997 DG reissue is only available in the USA as an import at a list price of $42................:shock:

P.S. Leonie Rysanek is supurb in the Fricsay. I heard her Leonore in person many years ago and she almost blew me away..... :!: :!: :!: :!:
I am familiar with the Furtwangler and it is excellent. 8)


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Post by Chalkperson » Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:13 pm

stenka razin wrote:I am familiar with the Furtwangler and it is excellent.
Oh, I agree about Klemperer by the way, it has never been bettered...
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val
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Post by val » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:22 am

Klemperer is the best to me. He was some sort of expert in Fidelio and used this opera, around 1930, as a manifesto of the aesthetic of the New Objectivity, in the Berlin Krol Oper.

His version has an extraordinary balance, conceiving this opera in block, more attentive to the global work than to the details.
Ludwig, Vickers, Frick and superb.
With Klemperer this opera becomes less theatrical but shows a greatness, even a spirituality, that I find very impressing.

Furtwängler left a very dramatic perspective of Fidelio, in special in the version with Flagstad and Patzak, but never reaches Klemperer's greatness.
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TopoGigio

Oldies

Post by TopoGigio » Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:51 am

I have 10 but I want add four
Böhm 43(Vox)
Toscanini
Böhm 44,WienPO,live
Walter 44, Met, live
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AntonioA
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Post by AntonioA » Sat Apr 26, 2008 4:19 am

My favorites are :

Klemperers Covent Garden recording from 1961 and Furtwänglers 1953 EMI studio recording. Quite different from each other, but I love both.
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Lance
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Post by Lance » Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:16 pm

I love Beethoven but FIDELIO is not one of my favourite works by him, nor a favourite opera period. I do enjoy some of the music nevertheless. I have many recordings and if I had to choose a few that might be considered "favourites," it would be the ones asterisked (***) below, in red. [Impossible to choose just one!] These are the ones I have, on LP or CD:
  • ***EMI - Poell, Edelmann, Windgassen, Modl, Frick, Jurinac, Schock; Vienna Satate Opera Chorus, Vienna PO, Furtwängler, conductor
  • Hungaroton - Various soloists with Hungarian State Opera Chorus & Orchestra, Klemerer, conductor (live 1948)
  • Met Records - Flagstad, Maison, Kipnis, M. Farell, Huehn, H. Janson, Laufkoetter, Darcy, Gurney; Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra, Bruno Walter, conductor (Live 02-22-1941)
  • British Decca - Behrens, Hofmann, T. Adam, H. Sotin, Chazarian, Kuebler, Howell; Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Solti, conductor
  • ***DGG - Rysanek, Seefried, Engen, Fischer-Dieskau, E. Haefliger, Frick, Lenz; Bavarian State Opera Orchestra/Chorus, Ferenc Fricsay, conductor
  • Private (MRF) - Flagstad, Patzak, Schwarzkopf, Schoeffler, Dermota; Salzburg Festival Orchestra/Chorus, Furtwängler, conductor (live August 5, 1950)
  • RCA - Peerce, Bampton, Moscona, H. Janssen, S. Belarsky, Steber, Laderoute; NBC Symphony Orchestra/Choris, Toscanini, conductor
  • MCA/Westminster - Jurinac, Peerce, Stader, M. Dickie, Neidlinger, Ernster, F. Guthrie; Bavarian State Opera Orchestra & Chorus, Knappertsbusch, conductor
  • ***Gebhart - Metternich, Frick, Anders, L. Otto, H. Werth; Suisse Romande Orchestra, Fricsay, conductor (live 1951)
  • ***Opera d'Oro - B. Nilsson, Hopf, Frick, etc.; Erich Kleiber, conductor (live 1956)
What I would be interested in, however, is to hear an opera fanatic's recommendation of the the best, in other words, one that SHOULD be in a collection without reservation. It could be a commercial- or live recording.
Lance G. Hill
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When she started to play, Mr. Steinway came down and personally
rubbed his name off the piano. [Speaking about pianist &*$#@+#]
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Post by Lance » Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:25 pm

Stenka Razin:

I noticed that you did not mention any performance by Wilhelm Furtwängler—unless I missed it in looking over your list. Is there a reason?

For me, this is an opera where Birgit Nilsson reigns supreme, just her kind of repertoire. Also Jurinac. I have avoided the commercial releases of Klemperer because so much of what he has recorded is done at strange tempi (except Beethoven's 6th Symphony!). I don't particularly find him alluring as a conductor. He does use grand soloists, nonetheless. Conductors such as Furtwängler, Erich Kleiber, Toscanini, Knappertsbusch have more or less made this their opera. Again, it's not an opera I play with any frequency. It, along with the Missa Solemnis, are not top-drawing attractions for this listener - not yet, anyway :!:

Speaking of the DGG/Ferenc Fricsay - I have it only on LP. Does anyone know whether that performance was ever issued on CD?
Lance G. Hill
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stenka razin
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Post by stenka razin » Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:19 am

stenka razin wrote:The 1997 DG reissue is only available in the USA as an import at a list price of $42................:shock:

P.S. Leonie Rysanek is supurb in the Fricsay. I heard her Leonore in person many years ago and she almost blew me away..... :!: :!: :!: :!:
I am familiar with the Furtwangler and it is excellent. 8)


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Lance, here is the Fricsay CD set. It is available by import and costs much more than it should.
I like the Furtwangler and had the performance you spoke of on LP. Sadly my LP collection is gone and I have not purchased a replacement set yet. :D

P.S. Lance, I am an opera fanatic and I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend the EMI Klemperer as the supreme recording of Fidelio. Vickers and Ludwig are truly sensational and Klemperer makes this peformance a must have. ****+
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TopoGigio

Post by TopoGigio » Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:32 am

Of course, those white&yellow "DG Dokumenten" of Fricsay...i have that.
(I see that now in poor double cheap,previous post) :lol:

I envy the 1951, Fricsay before Fricsay!Image

The three Furt' i (and everybody) have aare:
5 August 1950 (WFE354, later EMI)
12 October 1953 (Virtuoso/Rodolphe/Cetra)
13to17 October 1953 (EMI)
Perhaps exists the fourth Furt` ? A war piece?

And the Kleiber was MP448 before OperaDOro...
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