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
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