I have often stated that when asked of my "favourite" operas or composers... I couldn't include Mozart. His work has such a special place in my life that I tend to hold him up at a level above all the others. So when asked, I would give you a list of my favourite operas, and then a list of my favourite Mozart operas. His brilliance is something that just cannot be compared with any other; he is his own separate entity of art.
With that said, on days when I am feeling a little bit down or gloomy or despondent I tend to turn on the wonderfully quixotic Die Zauberflöte to bring my spirits up again, and it always seems to do the job. Beethoven himself regarded this opera more highly than even Don Giovanni. He felt The Magic Flute dealt more seriously with the ideal of love whereas Don Giovanni focused more on human weakness and hypocrisy.
This work, premiered in Vienna, 1791, has been very well documented on disc but for a very long time, I wasn't entirely satisfied with any recording I knew of. I had many good ones that I enjoyed. Namely:
The 1964 set Conducted by Böhm with:
Roberta Peters - die Königin der Nacht
Fritz Wunderlich - Tamino
Evelyn Lear - Pamina
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - Papageno
Franz Crass - Sarastro
The primary draw for me to this recording is Karl Böhm and his magnificent Mozart proclivity. Also, the one and only Fritz Wunderlich. He is, very arguably, the most perfect Tamino to ever grace the world of opera. He has the most quintessential German tenor voice in my book and the world of opera will never come out of mourning for losing this superb artist so young (1930-1966). He and Böhm alone are enough reason to buy this really, excellent set. On the other hand, Peters coloratura is too beautiful. I don't hear the shrill edge of evil in her voice that I think is needed to make a good Queen of the Night and while I adore Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with all my heart and soul, Papageno is NOT his role. He does an admirable job but never sang it on stage. It's not a good fit. But for non-singers who are looking for simply the music that is being made, Böhm is never beaten and rarely equalled in Mozartean repertoire. His approach to this young, eccentric Austrian's music is impeccable. For any young conductors out there, if ye want a lesson in Mozart's tempi. Listen to Böhm's recordings they NEVER miss (Levine actually has pretty perfect tempi too).
I also very much like the Klemperer disc also from 1964 with:
Lucia Popp - die Königin der Nacht
Nicolai Gedda - Tamino
Gundula Janowitz - Pamina
Walter Berry - Papageno
Gottlob Frick - Sarastro
It is a wonderful cast and Klemperer's slightly slower, heavier tempos give the work a grandeur that plays very nicely. Popp's coloratura is somewhat sharp and shrill which works beautifully, Gedda's style is impeccable as always, Janowitz's tone is warm and sensitive and Berry is a wonderfully light-hearted Papageno. Possibly the best there ever was, who knows? The three ladies consist in part of Schwarzkopf and Ludwig, and Frick brings his Wagnarian roar to Sarastro to give him a sense of pomp and splendor. But this recording has ZERO dialogue. Another set which has cut the dialogue entirely is the otherwise beautiful, delicate 1950 set by Karajan.
Wilma Lipp - Königin der Nacht
Anton Dermota - Tamino
Irmgard Seefried - Pamina
Erich Kunz - Papageno
Ludwig Weber - Sarastro
Musically, this is definitely one of my personal favourite recordings. Similarly to Böhm, Karajan has a grasp on Mozart that is hardly ever matched. He is from the composer's hometown of Salzburg, and I believe there to be a cosmic connection between the two artists. Seefried glides though the opera with a silvery soprano that compliments Dermota's thicker, darker, flexible lyric tenor. Kunz is a great Papageno. Playing to his strengths of intellectually grounded comedy. To the occasional extent of being almost bubbly at times. But even with all that joviality, he maintains a somewhat dignified, entirely likable little bird catcher. Weber's lows make us wish the world still had true basses and Wilma Lipp negotiates the stratosphere with such effortlessness the listener forgets that it is among the most virtuosic roles in the repertoire. The young, budding Karajan gets the Wiener Philharmoniker to play with an eminence that they were NOT known for at that time. But again... NO DIALOGUE! Even in the face of these beautiful recordings, I continually find myself listening to another:
The 1959 recording live from the Salzburger Festspiele conducted by George Szell.
Erika Köth - die Königin der Nacht
Léopold Simoneau - Tamino
Lisa della Casa - Pamina
Walter Berry - Papageno
Kurt Böhme - Sarastro
Graziella Sciutti - Papagena
Karl Dönch - Monastatos
Hans Hotter - Sprecher
Frederike Sailer, Hetty Plümacher, Sieglinde Wagner - Ladies 1, 2, 3
Wiener Philharmoniker and Chor
Many recordings offer much better sound than this relatively low quality mono recording.
But the reason I turn to this one is simply the elegance of the approach and the gravitas of the subject matter. George Szell is certainly one of the most renowned conductor's of Mozart and while I don't necessarily love his interpretation as well as Böhm or Karajan's, he understands the piece inside and out. His swift, spry tempi and crisp articulation brings out the most refined of details and textures. While certain moments, like the act II Trio, "Soll ich dich teurer nicht mehr seh'n" can feel a bit rushed and almost frantic, he does know to stop and let the piece breath at times. The sensitivity he gives in Pamina's aria allows her phrasing to soar through her broad phrases. And even in his moments where one might disagree with his choices, under his baton is the Wiener Philharmoniker in their golden years to make up for it. They truly were one of the musical wonders of the world.
Erika Köth is not the most astounding Queen of the Night. She portrayed this role throughout Europe constantly, but her coloratura can get sloppy and unclear, her performance on this disc, can't rival those of Lucia Popp's or of the more recent Diana Damrau. However she manages to keep up with Szell's brisk tempi like a champ.
Kurt Böhme may lack some of the wanted power on his lows, but his admired acting abilities and musicianship make up for it. Not as good as Frick, but I really have few complaints. His textual elegance in the act I finale is delivered with wisdom and gentle fortitude.
Walter Berry is a fresh and unaffected Papageno. He is charming, delightful and much more youthful sounding than Erich Kunz (although another wonderful proponent of the role). His dialogue is marvelously comic and engaging. I couldn't ask for a better recorded Papageno.
He is joined at the end by Graziella Sciutti, the queen of soubrettes, as Papagena. She is beautiful, delightful, coquettish and funny with a very intelligent approach to every line and phrase. It is no wonder to anyone that she had the market cornered on just about every soubrette role at that time.
But on to the main attractions...
Léopold Simoneau may not be as quintessential as Wunderlich in the role, but he is a paragon of Mozartean style and elegance. While the French-Canadian tenor can't compete in the dialogue with a native German speaker, he soars through the score with a silver, ardent voice of pure classicism. With amazing taste he portrays Tamino as a heroic yet very young and human Prince, sophisticated enough for his love, sung by the one and only Lisa della Casa.
The Swiss, always exquisite soprano, Lisa della Casa, embodies a Pamina like no other. She is THE Pamina, as Wunderlich is THE Tamino. Her subtle acting and honest sincerity portray a character of total conviction. Her serious approach to this role, so often frowned upon by contemporary girls, sings with an appropriately forthright tone throughout. If my other arguments have not swayed you, this wonderfully luxurious soprano should. The innate beauty of her tone reminds our current generation of over-trained singers what singing opera is all about. In Mozart and Strauss, della Casa is unbeatable.
The performance is for all intent and purpose, complete in music and dialogue, and even with a poor sound quality, the performance is live, which gives the listener (even at home) and energy that you just cannot recreate in the studio. While I admit the reading is a bit "old school", from a time when they viewed the work as heavenly sublimity rather than earthly comedy, I think it is a set that any lover of Mozart should hear. Perhaps this shouldn't be your first or only recording of Die Zauberflöte, but definitely worth a listen. It is unlike all the others.
-Christopher Michael Kelley
