Mozart: Die Zauberflöte

by Otto Klemperer, Nicolai Gedda, Gundula Janowitz

Overview

General listeners may wonder why this 1964 album was named by the BBC as one of its 50 greatest recordings of all time. By current standards, this Philharmonia Orchestra recording is a rather heavy reading of Mozart's final opera, Die Zauberflöte, K. 620 ("The Magic Flute"), and even in the mid-'60s Otto Klemperer was the first choice of few as a Mozart conductor. The dialogue, a crucial part of the flow even for those who do not speak German, is omitted, but ask an opera buff, and all will become clear. The recording presents a true stars' gallery of the realm of German opera at the time, shepherded together by the legendary producer Walter Legge. There isn't a weak point in the bunch, but here are a few high points. Lucia Popp's furious Queen of the Night aria "Der Hölle Rache" has a strong claim to be the greatest of all time, perfectly controlled in the vocal extremes. The young Gundula Janowitz as Pamina never sounded as fresh and graceful in her quick vibrato as she does here, and the mystic bass arias of Sarastro are perfect: rich but never murky in the readings by Gottlob Frick. One could go on with the truly high-powered trio of Ladies -- Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, and Marga Höffgen -- but one will have gotten the idea. This is a gift for the opera lover in one's life. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	11/24/2023
Label:	WARNER CLASSICS
UPC:	5054197604935

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Otto Klemperer   Primary Artist,Conductor
Gundula Janowitz   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist,Soprano (Vocal)
Nicolai Gedda   Primary Artist,Vocals,Tenor (Vocal),Featured Artist
Philharmonia Orchestra   Orchestra
Heinrich Schmidt   Glockenspiel
Gottlob Frick   Vocals,Bass (Vocal),Featured Artist
Karl Liebl   Vocals,Tenor (Vocal),Featured Artist
Franz Crass   Vocals,Bass (Vocal),Featured Artist
Gerhard Unger   Vocals,Tenor (Vocal),Featured Artist
Philharmonia Chorus   Choir/Chorus
Lucia Popp   Featured Artist,Soprano (Vocal),Vocals
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf   Vocals,Featured Artist,Soprano (Vocal)
Josephine Veasey   Vocals,Featured Artist,Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal)
Walter Berry   Vocals,Bass (Vocal),Featured Artist
Anna Reynolds   Vocals,Featured Artist,Soprano (Vocal)
Ruth-Margret Puetz   Vocals,Featured Artist,Soprano (Vocal)
Marga Hoeffgen   Vocals,Featured Artist,Contralto (Vocal)
Agnes Giebel   Vocals,Featured Artist,Soprano (Vocal)
Christa Ludwig   Vocals,Featured Artist,Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal)

Technical Credits

Christina Burton   Photography
Suvi Raj Grubb   Producer
Richard Osborne   Liner Notes
Allan Ramsay   Digital Remastering
Andrew Walter   Digital Remastering
Josee Malamoud   Design
Mike Ashman   Liner Notes
Peter Andry   Producer,Executive Producer
Michel Roubinet   Translation,Liner Note Translation
Godfrey MacDomnic   Photography
William S. Mann   Liner Notes
Eckhardt van den Hoogen   Translation,Liner Note Translation
Jim Endicott   Cover Illustration
Robert J. Gooch   Balance Engineer
Peter Branscombe   Synopsis
Emanuel Schikaneder   Librettist
Peter Quantrill   Booklet Editor
Jean-Victor Hocquard   Liner Notes
Carlos Fernandez Aransay   Liner Note Translation
Lorenz Vogel   Portraits
Georgina Curtis   Design
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   Composer