Beethoven: Fidelio / Halasz

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Beethoven's sole opera hardly wants for good recordings. The old Vickers/Ludwig set under Klemperer, for one, has been remastered and is magnificent. But this new set fills a nice gap. Unlike Klemperer (and Furtwängler, for that matter), conductor Michael Halasz takes a less enormous, less romantic view of the opera, emphasizing the intimate moments. Tempi tend to be fleet without drawing attention to themselves, and the spoken dialogue has been kept to a minimum. In keeping with his viewpoint, Halasz has opted for lightish voices for his two protagonists. Gösta Winbergh is a superb Mozartian, but he has also grown into a fine Lohengrin. His Florestan here is beautifully drawn: lyrical and introspective but able to rise to the heroic moments as well. Much the same is true of Inga Nielsen, a bright-toned soprano with a keen mind for the drama and a voice capable of getting up, down, and all around Leonore's difficult music. Indeed, when these two sing "Namenlose freude," every note is sung on pitch and clearly. Alan Titus's Pizarro is nice and nasty, and the fine bass Kurt Moll infuses Rocco with real feelings. The rest of the cast, except for the Don Fernando, who sounds old enough to have sung at the original 1814 performances, is fine, and the orchestra (slightly reduced, it appears) and chorus are excellent. And look at that price! Highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Tracks:

Lohengrin: Bridal Chor
The Merry Wives of Windsor: O Susser Mond
The Flying Dutchman: Sailors' Chor - Budapest Radio Chor
The Abduction from the Seraglio: Final Chor
Der Freischutz: Huntsmen's Chor
The Flying Dutchman: Summ und brumm - Budapest Radio Chor
Tzar and Carpenter: Hoch lebe die Freude
The Magic Flute: O Isis und Osiris - Hungarian Festival Chor
The Mastersingers of Nuremberg: Wach auf!
Der Freischutz: Bridesmaids' Chor
Fidelio: Prisoners' Chor
Tannhauser: Freudig begrussen wir
The Magic Flute: Final Chor - Hungarian Festival Chor
Tannhauser: Pilgrims' Chor

Customer Reviews:

Attention German Opera Buff!!.......2000-10-28

If u are, like me, a fan of operatic chorus, in this case, German opera, this cd is the right one for you. The vocal talents and ensembles are well-performed and the orchestration is deemed excellent. Here are excerpts from some of the world's most renowned operas in the repoirtaire of German romanticism. Chorus from Wagner operas(Lohengrin,The Flying Dutchman, Tannhauser and the Maistersanger), operas by Mozart (Abduction from the Seraglio and The Magic Flute), Carl Maria Von Weber (Die Freischutz) as well as Beethoven's only opera Fidelio. The choruses are magnificent and entertaining. I love the rollicking Chorus of the Janissaries in Mozart's Abduction, the Huntsmen's Chorus from Freischutz as well as Wagner's Flying Dutchman Sailors and Spinning Chorus and the beautiful Tannhauser Pilgrim's Chorus. This is a must have for German opera fans. In addition, the cd contains the libretto and translation for the German words being sung. The label of Naxos, of which this is from, is a remarkable and quality cd label. Enjoy this cd!! I know i did.

Attention German Opera Buff!!.......2000-10-28

Nominations for the Gramophone Awards 2000

Average customer rating:

Nominations for the Gramophone Awards 2000

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Te Deum | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Opera & Vocal | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004WMXC
Release Date: 2000-11-14

Tracks:

Moderato From Cello Concerto - Tim Hugh
Lento From Symphony No. 3 - Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Allegramente From Piano Quartet - Peter Donohoe
Allegro Ma Non Troppo From Symphony No. 1 - Marin Alsop
Te Deum In C - Christopher Robinson
Mir Ist So Wunderbar From Fidelio - Michael Halasz
Scherzo: Allegretto - Paul Daniel

Average customer rating:

A Superb, Fresh Fidelio
A bargain-priced, New School "Fidelio"
English translation of the libretto IS available...
Beethoven's Fidelio on Naxos
Superb

Beethoven: Fidelio / Halasz
Inga Nielsen , Gosta Winbergh , Michael Halasz , Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia , Kurt Moll , Alan Titus , Edith Lienbacher , and Herwig Pecoraro
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Beethoven: Chamber Music for Horns, Wind & Strings
Beethoven: Fidelio
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 3 & 4
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs

ASIN: B000031WHI
Release Date: 1999-11-30

Tracks:

Fidelio, Op.72: Overture - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 1 Duet: Jetzt, Schchen, jetzt sind wir allein (Jaquino, Marzelline) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, Dialogue: Armer Jaquino (Marzelline) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 2 Aria: O w ich schon mit dir vereint (Marzelline) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, Dialogue: Marzelline? Marzelline? (Rocco, Marzelline, Janiquo, Leonore) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 3 Quartet: Mir ist so wunderbar (Marzelline, Leonore, Rocco, Jaquino) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, Dialogue: HFidelio ! (Rocco, Marzelline) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 4 Aria: Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben (Rocco) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, Dialogue: Ihr habt recht, Vater Rocco (Leonore, Rocco, Marzelline) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 5 Terzetto: Gut shen, gut (Rocco, Leonore, Marzelline) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 6 March - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, Dialogue: Drei Schildwachen auf den Wall (Pizarro, Rocco) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 7 Aria and Chorus: Ha! welch ein Augenblick! - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, Dialogue: Hauptmann ! Besteigen Sie mit eimen Trompeter (Pizarro, Rocco) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 8 Duet: Jetzt, Alter, jetzt hat es Eile ! (Pizarro, Rocco) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 9 Recitative and Aria: Abscheulicher ! wo eilst du hin ? (Leonore) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, Dialogue: Marzelline ! Marzelline !! (Jaquino, Marzelline, Rocco, Leonore) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, No. 10 Finale: O welche Lust (Chorus of Prisoners) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, Nun sprecht, wie ging's ? (Leonore, Rocco, Marzelline, Jaquino, Pizarro) - Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act I, Leb'wohl, du warmes Sonnenlicht (Prisoner, Marzelline, Leonore, Jaquino, Pizarro, Rocco) - Beethoven

Tracks:

Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, No. 11 Introduction and Aria: Gott! welch' Dunkel hier (Florestan) - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, No. 12 Melodrama and Duet: Wie kalt ist es (Leonore, Rocco) - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, Dialogue: Er erwacht! (Leonore, Rocco, Florestan) - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, No. 13 Terzetto: Euch werde Lohn in bessern Welten (Florestan, Rocco,Leonore) - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, Dialogue: Alles ist bereit (Rocco, Florestan, Leonore) - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, No. 14 Quartet: Er sterbe! (Pizarro, Florestan, Leonore, Rocco) - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, No. 15 Duet: O namenlose Freude! (Leonore, Florestan) - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, No. 16 Finale: Heil! Heil sei dem Tag! (People and Prisoners) - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, Des besten Ks Wink und Wille (Rocco, Pizarro, Leonore, Marzelline, Florestan) - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fidelio, Op.72: Act II, Wer ein holdes Weib errungen (Florestan, Leonore, Marzelline, Jaquino, Rocco, Don Fernando) - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Amazon.com

Beethoven's sole opera hardly wants for good recordings. The old Vickers/Ludwig set under Klemperer, for one, has been remastered and is magnificent. But this new set fills a nice gap. Unlike Klemperer (and Furtwängler, for that matter), conductor Michael Halasz takes a less enormous, less romantic view of the opera, emphasizing the intimate moments. Tempi tend to be fleet without drawing attention to themselves, and the spoken dialogue has been kept to a minimum. In keeping with his viewpoint, Halasz has opted for lightish voices for his two protagonists. Gösta Winbergh is a superb Mozartian, but he has also grown into a fine Lohengrin. His Florestan here is beautifully drawn: lyrical and introspective but able to rise to the heroic moments as well. Much the same is true of Inga Nielsen, a bright-toned soprano with a keen mind for the drama and a voice capable of getting up, down, and all around Leonore's difficult music. Indeed, when these two sing "Namenlose freude," every note is sung on pitch and clearly. Alan Titus's Pizarro is nice and nasty, and the fine bass Kurt Moll infuses Rocco with real feelings. The rest of the cast, except for the Don Fernando, who sounds old enough to have sung at the original 1814 performances, is fine, and the orchestra (slightly reduced, it appears) and chorus are excellent. And look at that price! Highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

A Superb, Fresh Fidelio.......2007-06-17

Gramophone: "[I]n absolute terms, its most notable predecessors are matched, if not surpassed, by this daring newcomer." The Rough Guide to Classical Music: "[A] performance that flares into life as if for the first time." The reading is straight from the page. Halasz avoids the temptation to subject Fidelio to an over-dramatising, over-Romanticising, "performance-enhancing" interpretation. Beethoven - direct to the listener. No fuss. Extraordinarily well done. Great price.

A bargain-priced, New School "Fidelio".......2007-05-05

SOURCE: Studio recording made at Phoenix Studios, Budapest, November 7-10 and 14-18, 1998.

SOUND: Good late 1990s digital stereo. Purely as a matter of personal taste, I would prefer the more forward placement of the voices typical of older recordings, but the point is a minor one.
CAST: Leonore, the wife of Florestan who is disguised as a boy named Fidelio while she searches for her husband - Inga Nielsen (soprano); Florestan, a prisoner unjustly held in darkness, now near his breaking point - Goesta Wingbergh (tenor); Don Pizarro, governor of the prison, Florestan's ancient enemy and distinctly not a warm and cuddly guy - Alan Titus (baritone); Rocco, the senior jailer of the prison - Kurt Moll (bass); Marzelline, Rocco's daughter, who is falling in love with Fidelio - Edith Lienbacher (soprano); Jaquino, a jailer who loves Marzelline and feels he is being cut out by Fidelio - Herwig Pecoraro (tenor); First Prisoner - Peter Palinkas (tenor); Second Prisoner - Jozsef Moldvay (bass); Don Fernando, a government minister, friend to Florestan and deus ex machina - Wolfgang Glashof (bass).

CONDUCTOR: Michael Halasz with the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia and the Hungarian Radio Chorus.

TEXT: As in many performances, the spoken words of the drama have been cut. In this case, however, the cuts have been done with the dullest of axes. The most obvious and painful example, one which displays an appalling lack of dramatic commonsense, occurs toward the end of Scene 1, Act II. Florestan has been saved. He and his wife are left alone on stage. Beethoven, the musician of musicians, chose to express this supreme moment and the true resolution of the opera in a few simple, spoken words:
. FLORESTAN: O meine Leonore, was hast du fuer mich getan? (O my Leonore, what have you done for me?)
. LEONORE: Nichts, nichts, mein Florestan! (Nothing, nothing, my Florestan!)
It is only after those affecting words have filled the opera house that Beethoven plunges into the ecstatic duet, "O namenlose Freude" (O nameless joy.) In this recording, alas, all that is transformed into the plodding
. FLORESTAN: Leonore. (Pause)
. LEONORE: Florestan. (Pause)

FORMAT: Disk 1 - Act I, tracks 1-20, 69:28. Disk 2 - Act 2, tracks 1-10, 45:21. The longer dialogue passages are on tracks kept separate from the music.

DOCUMENTATION: Libretto in German only, which reflects the slashed text used in the recorded performance. Short essay on Beethoven and the creation of the opera. Lengthy summary of the plot tied into the track numbers. Track list that provides timings and identifies the singers. Thumbnail biographies of the performers.

COMMENTARY: This is a recording with virtues. The Good Grey Gramophone Magazine positively gushes over it with this: "a taut reading of a desperate story, strongly and purposefully accented, with orchestral forces well balanced and every detail heard." And this, "Even in absolute terms, its most notable predecessors are matched, if not surpassed, by this daring newcomer."

Well, yeah, maybe.

This is very much a New School approach to "Fidelio." The Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia is "a hand-picked chamber orchestra, drawn from the Hungarian State Symphony," or so the Gramophone tells me, and I have no reason to doubt it. The cast is largely populated with fresh, young voices. The overall approach is light on its feet, and free of the moldy old "romantic, quasi-philosophical mode of Furtwangler or Klemperer." For those who follow the precepts of the New School, all this and the pleasingly low, budget price would more than justify a full five star rating.

I am not an adherent to the New School with regard to "Fidelio" (or almost anything else, for that matter.) The romantic, quasi-philosophical mode of Furtwangler or Klemperer is not only a better way to approach "Fidelio," it is the only way. Beethoven was almost a student of Mozart and was certainly a student of Haydn, but by the time he got around to "Fidelio" he had shed the last vestiges of Classicism and become a full-fledged, brooding, thundering Romantic.

There is nothing about "Fidelio" that is naturally light on its feet. It is high, even exalted drama as conceived by a composer who was not a true man of the theater. Mozart, a real theater man, would fully have fleshed out the comic potentials of Rocco, Marzelline and Jaquino. Verdi would have brougt Don Pizarro to full, snarling life as the center of the piece. Beethoven had little interest in people but much in archetypes: married fidelity, suffering nobility, malignant evil.

There is a great deal of drama in "Fidelio," but little of it is on the stage. After the great confrontation near the end of the first scene of Act II, for example, the villain simply walks away. The drama is in the music, exactly where one might expect it from such a composer. He deals in grand passion, even as Wagner does in "Tristan und Isolde," but he is far more direct and to the point. Nothing in Wagner matches the efficient--even terse--impact of "O namenlose Freude" or the big "Retterin" finale. I have seen "Fidelio" in both staged and concert versions. In some ways I prefer the latter, for in that form it is the greatest oratorio ever written.

The young singers are musical, well-schooled, meticulously prepared and generally uninteresting. An earlier Amazon reviewer referred to Gosta Winbergh as "a winsome Florestan." That is about as damning a comment as I can imagine for someone singing the archetype of nobly suffering humanity.

I readily acknowledge that Inga Nielsen could be impressive in many roles, but she is just too light in voice for Fidelio-Leonore. And throughout the first act, she is far too girlish for what is, after all, a pants part. The great quartet seems to have two Marzellines in it. She utterly and absolutely fails to rise to the magnificent test of "Toet' erst sein Weib!" (First kill his wife!) She turns it into a squeak. (When I finished with this recording, I hastened to Flagstad and Furtwangler for that passage, just to restore the balance of the universe.)

The Marzelline and Jaquino are all right, but they make no headway against the general idea that theirs are throwaway parts. (I once saw a performance in which the Marzelline stole the show with a terrific performance of her one big aria. That's never going to happen for Ms. Lienbacher.)

Among the older generation, Kurt Moll is obviously the designated adult in the cast. He is the only one who really digs into his part; unfortunately, Papa Rocco wasn't written with much depth. Alan Titus is adequate as Don Pizarro. That he became a principal Wotan at Bayreuth is simply more proof, it any were needed, that we live in a time of drought for great singers. Wolfgang Glashof is deplorable, just deplorable, in the thankfully small part of Don Fernando.

"Fidelio" is one of the great choral operas. The Hungarian Radio Chorus is cut from much the same cloth as the younger soloists, well-schooled, well-prepared and dead wrong. They sing too prettily. The heartbreaking Prisoners' Chorus sounds positively ... sweet. To my ear, the men's chorus has too many tenors--a very rare thing--and all of them sweetly lyric ones, too. The full chorus simply misses the required power for the great choral coda.

Rating this "Fidelio" is difficult. My own personal opinion is that this is just an adequate performance, almost a textbook example of a three-star piece. On the other hand, I am fully aware that I am out of step with most potential buyers. The New School approach, the young singers, the excellent sound, the budget price, all exert an upward pull. I'll compromise with four stars.

English translation of the libretto IS available..........2005-05-03

...as part of the Black Dog Opera Library edition of "Fidelio", which is available at Amazon under "Books" (search for "Black Dog Opera Library"). It came out in spring of 2002, along with a very good edition of "Flying Dutchman", also from Naxos.

The best feature of The Black Dog Opera Library series is that it is essentially a book of the libretto, both in the original language and in English, with some introductory material. The CDs (only 2-CD operas have been done so far) are on the inside covers of the book, which is hardcover.

So, those who want the Naxos "Fidelio" with an English translation of the libretto can find it! And for about the same price as this item!

Beethoven's Fidelio on Naxos.......2003-12-30

Beethoven had an extraordinarily difficult time in the composition of Fidelio, opus 72, his only opera. He first worked on Fidelio during 1803-1804. The opera received its first performance in Vienna in 1805 but closed after only three performances. Beethoven was urged to shorten the opera, and reluctantly he agreed. The revised version was produced in 1806 but closed after only one performance. Finally, Beethoven revisited Fidelio in 1814 and spent months of heavy effort in revising it yet again. The revised version was performed in 1814. This time it succeeded, and the work has been part of the opera repertory ever since.

When he revised Fidelio in 1814, Beethoven remarked: " I could compose something new far more quickly than patch up the old... I have to think out the entire work again." Anyone who has done substantial writing or editing can understand Beethoven's difficulties.

For all its difficulties, even in the final version, Fidelio is inspired music and one of the essential works of Beethoven's maturity. Beethoven worked heroically to compose his opera, and Fidelio is heroic in its themes. It tells the story of a young woman named Leonore who disguises herself as a man with the name of Fidelio and risks her life to rescue her husband, Florestan, from a dungeon where he has been held two years as a political prisoner. The work opens with a background of human suffering and ends in triumph as Leonore succeeds in entering the prison and rescuing Florestan, at the last moment, from murder by Pizarro, the governor. The work is celebrates human freedom and the treasures of winning a loving wife, both themes dear to Beethoven. It also celebrates the wise ruler who appears in the person of Don Fernando in the final scene of the opera to set matters aright. As the work progresses, it becomes less and less a characterization of specific people, Leonore and Florestan, and more an idealization of human freedom and of matrimonial love.

Fidelio is full of music both heroic and lyrical. Beethoven's lyricism, and his writing for the human voice difficult as it is, are often underestimated. Beethoven wrote four overtures for his opera. His final attempt, the "Fidelio" overture, was written for the 1814 performance and masterfully sets the stage for what follows. There is a beautiful "canonic" quartet early in the opera (no. 3) and a moving chorus for the prisoners at the end of the first act when Leonore prevails upon the prison guard to allow them into the courtyard for air (no 10) Each of the major characters in the opera has a solo aria, and there is a collection of duets, trios, and two quartets. Florestan has a long, moving aria at the beginning of the second act (no. 11) lamenting his fate and recalling happier days with Leonore. There are rousing choruses of triumph in the final scene after Leonore has rescued Florestan.

There are many recordings of Fidelio featuring famous conductors and soloists, but I found this Naxos CD first-rate. The opera is performed by a small chamber orchestra, the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, conducted by Michael Halasz. (The Esterhazy Sinfonia has also recorded very well the nine Beethoven symphonies on Naxos, but I found this Fidelio more impressive than the symphonies.) Soprano Inga Nielsen sings Leonore and performs with clarity and nobility. The role does not present an easy vocal line and Ms. Nielsen signs believably. Tenor Gosta Winbergh sings Florestan. His voice is rather light, but he brings passion and force to his great aria at the beginning of act 2. The scene in the dungeon where Leonore reveals her identity and comes to her husband's aid against Pizarro is dramatically effective. Alan Titus, baritone, as the villanous Pizaro brings the character to life in his aria in the first act (no.7)

For listeners new to opera or to Beethoven, this is an ideal place to start. The Naxos version sells for a budget price which should add to the incentive to explore this music. I also think there is something to be gained by coming to the music through a fine performance by relatively unknown artists. It helps the listener, particularly the new listener, focus on the score and on the singing and not worry a great deal about comparing this version with others. I think that the first priority in listening to a work of music should be -- the music. This CD may encourage new listeners to get to know Fidelio and then, if they are so inclined, to explore other versions and other music.

The CD includes a full libretto in the original German but no English translation. There is a full synopsis of each number, sufficient to allow an appreciation of the action and the arias. Altogether,this is an excellent performance of a great and inspirational work of Beethoven's maturity.

Superb.......2003-08-20

I was hesistant to buy this Fidelio set at first. Naxos is a budget brand so I thought that the quality would not be so good. But then I read the rave reviews about this set. And so I thought, why not buy it since the price is great - 2 CDs for the price of one mid-priced CD? I was stunned to hear the results. This is no second class Fidelio. This Fidelio stands with the great Fidelio recordings of the past. No, it doesn't replace the classic Klemperer set with Christa Ludwig and Jon Vickers. But at times, I think that Halasz tempi are more appropriate than Klemperer's. And although Inga Nielson is a lesser known soprano and has a smaller voice than Hildegard Behrens or Gundula Janowitz, I think she is more successful than either one of them. She doesn't 'overforce' her voice like Janowitz (who sounds strained at the climaxes in the Bernstein set). She is not as careless as Behrens (in Solti's set) in negotiating the fearsome passages in Leonore's lines. Unlike Klemperer, whose Fidelio is a large scaled and monumental reading with highly dramatic voices like Jon Vickers and Christa Ludwig, this reading is a lighter reading with lighter voices. Yet it works!! This is a thrilling Fidelio. I would rank it above the Bernstein set with Deutsche, or Maazel (with Birgit Nilsson) with Decca. In my opinion, the conducting here is better than Bernstein's or Haitink's (with Jessye Norman). The advantage that Haitink has over this set is his Leonore (Jessye Norman). Halasz' conducting is more exciting than Haitink (who sounds staid at times) or Bernstein's (who sometimes go too slow and sometimes go too fast). Jessye Norman's thrillingly rich and ravishing voice outshines Inga Nielsen. I am a great admirer of Birgit Nilsson's prodigious vocalism but somehow, when she made Fidelio with Maazel, she was rather careless with the lines. Yes, her voice is more thrilling than Inga Nielsen's but Maazel doesn't quite hold the opera together as well as Halasz. (As a side comment, if you realy want to hear Birgit Nilsson in the role of Leonore, you should get the 1956 Cologne version conducted by Erich Kleiber just a few weeks before he died. It is available under Koch Schwann in wondrous super clear sound. I don't know about the sound quality in other labels. That recording was made before Nilsson became world famous. And it seems then that she phrases and characterizes her Leonore better. Or perhaps it was Kleiber's inspiration.) Kurt Moll is a wondrous Rocco, few better. His deep resonating bass has few peers. Gosta Winbergh is a winsome Florestan. He sings his lines without strain at the top unlike the Goldberg in Haitink or Peter Hoffman in Solti's set.

Yes, the classic Klemperer is unsurpassed. Yes, this is a reading with lighter voices. But - IT WORKS! IT WORKS! IT WORKS! There are better Leonores than Inga Nielsen from a purely vocal viewpoint. But Inga Nielsen's smaller voice FITS in with this exciting reading. And I think the biggest star is Halasz who manages to hold everything together in a most exciting and thrilling way despite not having the advantage of "brand-name" and starry casts, and despite having to work with a tight budget. Thank you Naxos, for showing that there are still good conductors and good singers in this world who can carry the weight of Beethoven's magnificent opera. The only disadvantage is that there is no English libretto (an oversight on Naxos's part) but Beethoven's music is magnificent enough to listen to without understanding the words so I wouldn't worry about that.