R. Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos (Vienna State Opera/Karl Bohm, 1976) [CD]

This is one of the works I love the most, and when Orfeo released the 1982 Salzburg performance based on this production, I thought it couldn't be bettered. Of course Kempe, Levine, Masur and Bohm already held exalted positions in my affections, and I would be loathe to part with any of them, but the Sawallisch was to me on a different level, and I have reviewed it as such.
Now Orfeo have released the premiere of this Fillippo Sanjust production, still in repertory, from the Vienna State Opera in 1976 under Bohm.
I apologise immediately to anyone who bought the Sawallisch on my recommendation-because they now have to go and buy the Bohm. This is simply one of the greatest recorded opera experiences I have ever had, and I am still wiping away tears of joy. The remastered recording is superb-full rich and detailed, with no hiss, and plenty of "headroom" for the voices. The sound picture is as if one were sitting in about row 3 of the Parkett (stalls), and the ambience and perspective of this house, one I know well, is perfectly caught.
Stage and audience noise are minimal, and not a distraction, though just before the final bar finishes, there is a premature ejaculation of applause, stifled by audible collective shushing!
Bohm was possibly the most renowned Strauss conductor of all, Karajan notwithstanding, and his no-nonsense style is familiar-but not here. This is the most affectionate, lovingly shaped and beautifully textured reading I have yet heard, at times passionate, nostalgic, playful, lively and funny in short order.
It is also very moving, and the musicians of the Staatsoper play with passion and commitment-the beauty we take for granted.
The cast features some of the greatest exponents ever of these roles in their prime. Janowitz adds more maturity and vocal heft to her portrayal familiar from the Kempe, while losing none of the silverine purity in her voice.
"Es Schones War" and "Es Gibt Ein Reich "are just magical, and she combines with an outstanding James King to transform the love duet to a thing of majesty-yes King has to snatch a few notes in his terrifyingly difficult role, but this matters not.
I have never quite understood the unbridled admiration of others for Edita Gruberova's Zerbinetta-until now. This assumption has all the surety of upper register, catches the touching pathos and the impish humour of the role, and crucially, IS sexy in a way that I had always found slightly lacking in her other recordings. She produces a trill in her great soliloquy that made my hair stand on end. Similarly, Baltsa is a superb and incredibly idiomatic Komponist, capturing the Viennese accent in flawless German, and singing with beauty and commitment. The remaining roles are cast from a roster of "Dream Castings!" Walter Berry's harassed Music Master, Zednik's unflappable Dance Master-and the Comedia Dell'Arte Troupe of Barry McDaniel's mellifluous Harlequin, Manfed Jungwirth, Kurt Equiluz and Gerhard Unger could not be bettered, and the same applies to the group of Naiads and Echo. Erich Kunz is a fast-talking, supercilious Major-Domo whose arguments with Berry are a real joy for once.
The recording is made at quite a low level-but a volume boost does not bring any resultant problems. There is applause at times, but this adds to the exceptional sense of occasion that this recording creates.
There is a liberal selection of b/w photographs, but as ever no libretto.
So there we have it-a must for lovers of this work, a must for lovers of great singing and conducting, a must for all lovers of great operatic music making.
I cannot express enough my joy at being able to experience this recording-it is THE recording to have bar none. Limitless Stars. Stewart Crowe

Having been rather underwhelmed by the 1982 live recording under Sawallisch in the Kleines Festpielhaus (now renamed the Mozart Haus) in Salzburg, I am delighted that I able to be far more enthusiastic about this one under Karl Böhm, also a live recording but of the premiere of the production in the Wiener Staatsoper six years earlier.

This has several significant advantages over that later one, not least the lighter, sprightlier touch of its conductor who, in my opinion, shone brightest in Strauss. His manner with the music is almost instantly recognisable in comparison with Sawallisch's more earthbound, less mercurial direction and makes all the difference to the mood of the proceedings. Other great improvements include three singers in possession of younger, more flexible and tonally more alluring voices than was the case in 1982: Walter Berry, James King and Edita Gruberova. Agnes Baltsa, with her gutsy and impassioned Composer, bringing real distinction to a part in which Trudeliese Schmidt is merely pleasant and the supporting cast of Commedia dell'arte characters comprise several celebrated singers who were far more than mere comprimario artists, such as Kurt Equiluz, Gerhard Unger, Manfred Jungwirth and Barry McDaniel. Furthermore, even the spoken role of Haushofmeister is more wittily and pointedly played by veteran singer Erich Kunz than his 1982 Salzburg equivalent.

But of course, I've saved the clincher till last: the sublime Gundula Janowitz is so much more impressive than the adequate Anna Tomowa-Sintow as the Prima Donna, Ariadne. Her silvery soprano makes such a pleasing contrast to Baltsa's vibrant, resinous mezzo; those two artists alone make this set essential to any Strauss aficionado. Of course, you can hear Janowitz in the excellent Kempe studio recording but I think this live performance has the edge over that one. Listening to Janowitz here in live performance, one is reminded that for all its delicacy, she had the power to sing the more lyrical Wagner roles. Being usually no fan of Gruberova's acidic, pulsing vocal production, I must overcome that involuntary resistance to her charms in order to recognise her pre-eminence in the role at Salzburg over many years and applaud her virtuosity.

This is an "Ariadne" which seems more completely than any other I know to capture the bitter-sweet spirit of this extraordinary and original opera. The sound is marvellous; so good that you don't give it a thought, so absorbing is the theatrical experience.

Readers of the first review of this recording to be posted may have felt its author inclined to hyperbole. Not a bit of it. I have over 30 recordings of this wonderful opera (and have seen it `live' many times), and this version is absolutely outstanding. Böhm's conducting is inspired, constantly bringing out fresh details, and moulded lovingly to the variety of moods captured by Strauss's music. The superlative cast, most of whom have recorded their interpretations in studio versions of `Ariadne', are caught with that extra edge which only a live recording can generate; and the sound, though sometimes a bit fierce in the climaxes, isn't as `boxy' as some recordings from this venue.

The Sanjust staging has been preserved in a Deutsche Grammophon DVD with a cast almost identical to this one: unfortunately, however, the DVD soundtrack was recorded in the studio, and is very inferior to these CDs. If only the performance caught here had been filmed as well ... but we may be thankful to have two mementoes of an interpretation of `Ariadne' that must remain normative.