Böhm: Mozart – Die Zauberflöte (2 CD, FLAC)

Performer: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Karl Böhm
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Audio CD
SPARS Code: A-D
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 699 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), opera, K. 620
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
with Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Karl Bohm

Disc 1:
01. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 – Overture
02. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe! (Tamino, Die drei Damen)
03. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Dialog “Wo bin ich?” (Tamino)
04. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja (Papageno)
05. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Dialog “He da!” (Tamino, Papageno, Die drei Damen)
06. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön (Tamino)
07. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Dialog “Rüste dich mit Mut und Standhaftigkeit” (Die drei Damen, Tamino)
08. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – “O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn”
09. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Ist’s denn Wirklichkeit, was ich sah? (Tamino)
10. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Hm! hm! hm! hm! (Papageno, Tamino, Die drei Damen)
11. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Du feines Täubchen, nur herein (Monostatos, Pamina, Papageno)
12. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Dialog “Bin ich nicht ein Narr”
13. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen (Pamina, Papageno)
14. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – “Zum Ziele führt dich diese Bahn”
15. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – “Wie stark ist nicht dein Zauberton”
16. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Schnelle Füße, rascher Mut (Pamina, Papageno, Monostatos, Chor)
17. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 1 – Es lebe Sarastro! Sarastro lebe! (Chor, Pamina, Sarastro, Papageno, Monostatos, Tamino)

Disc 2:
01. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Marsch der Priester
02. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Dialog “Ihr eingeweihten Diener der Götter Osiris…”
03. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – O Isis und Osiris (Sarastro, Chor)
04. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Dialog “Eine schreckliche Nacht”
05. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Bewahret euch vor Weibertücken (Erster Prister, Zweiter Priester)
06. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Dialog “He, Lichter her!” (Papageno,Tamino)
07. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – “Wie? Wie? Wie? Ihr an diesem Schreckensort?”
08. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Tamino! Dein standhaft männliches Betragen..
09. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden (Monostatos)
10. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Mutter!
11. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (Königin der Nacht)
12. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Dialog “Morden soll ich?” (Pamina, Monostatos, Sarastro)
13. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – In diesen heil’gen Hallen (Sarastro)
14. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Dialog “Hier seid ihr beide euch allein überlassen” (Sprecher, 2. Prister, Papageno, Tamino, Weib)
15. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – “Seid uns zum zweiten Mal willkommen”
16. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Dialog “Tamino, wollen wir nicht speisen?”
17. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Ach, ich fühl’s, es ist verschwunden (Pamina)
18. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – O Isis und Osiris (Chor)
19. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Tamino, deine Haltung war bisher männlich
20. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Soll ich dich, Teurer, nicht mehr sehn? (Pamira, Sarastro, Tamino)
21. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Tamino! Tamino!
22. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen (Papageno)
23. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Dialog “Da bin ich schon, mein Engel” (Weib, Papageno, Sprecher)
24. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Bald prangt, den Morgen zu verkünden (Die drei Knaben, Pamina)
25. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – “Der, welcher wandelt diese Straße voll Beschwerden”
26. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Tamino mein, o welch ein Glück (Tamino, Pamina, die Geharnischten)
27. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – “Papagena! Papagena!”
28. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Nur stille, stille, stille, stille!
29. Die Zauberflöte, K.620 / Act 2 – Die Strahlen der Sonne vertreiben die Nacht (Sarastro,Chor)

Still holds its own

I have known this recording of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote” for more than 45 years, since I acquired it as a college undergraduate,and it has held up well over the years. My 1st and 2nd vinyl recordings deteriorated so badly over time that its advent on CD was a great moment for me. The sound has transferred beautifully, as well as any transfer I’ve ever encountered (and that’s quite a few now.)

The outstanding voice on the recording is Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino; this is one of the performances that bring home his early death as a terrible tragedy for the operatic world. Franz Crass is a superlative Sarastro. Roberta Peters’ Queen of the Night is less dramatically effective than vocally; the Queen of the Night was one of the first roles she was ever hired to sing, when she was only twenty, and it seems time had taken a toll on her voice by the time this recording was made. The idea that she’s singing offkey is absurd; that her tone appears harsh may be true, but find me another soprano (apart from Nathalie Dessay) who could hold that high F in “O zittre nicht” the way Peters could.

The recording has only 2 flaws that are worth mentioning. The first, and perhaps most important, is that the spoken dialogue has been subjected to very deep cuts and, in many instances, rewriting. I assume this was done to allow the recording to fit on 2 vinyl disks. The cuts are unfortunate for one primary reason: they do Papageno a good deal of damage, since the spoken dialogue is more important to that character than to any of the others. As it is heard on this recording, the dialogue barely suffices to convey the story line, and that’s regrettable. (And yes, the dialogue is spoken by actors, with the exceptions of Fritz Wunderlich and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau—whose voice in the dialogue is as unmistakable as it is in the vocal passages. The use of actors was acknowledged in the pamphlet to the original vinyl release, which is not 100% reproduced in the pamphlet to the present CD version.) I have always very much liked the way the actresses voicing The Three Ladies overlap their scolding of Papageno as they appear just after he has taken credit for killing the serpent. Too bad that bit of business hasn’t been taken over for more stage productions.

The second problem is Evelyn Lear’s Pamina. Though she was justly renowned for her singing in 20th-century opera, I don’t think her heart (or her voice) were attuned to Mozart. Her top register is constricted and forced; she is little at ease at any point in the proceedings. This is especially noticeable, and regrettable, at moments when she should sound full of confidence and determination—most unfortunately when, as Sarastro approaches at the end of the 1st Act, Pamina urges Papageno that they must tell “Die warheit! Die warheit!” She sounds here as if she really isn’t at all convinced of the wisdom of telling the truth.

There are a few minor problems, not least of which is the decision to have adult women sing the Three Boys. In a recording, this makes it difficult to distinguish between the Genii and the Three Ladies. (That, of course, is not a problem in a stage production.) With the resources of the Vienna Boys’ Choir available, it’s surprising that a different course was not taken.

Otherwise, it’s clear that this recording/performance has held up and continues to please, even after so many decades. The orchestral and vocal sound is clear and crisp, and I am delighted to see that the original album art, with its stunning rendition of Papageno, appears on the cover. (It isn’t, of course, a portrait of Fiescher-Dieskau, who recorded Papageno at least twice to my knowledge, but never performed it on stage, for the simple reason that his size and bulk would have made him look ridiculous in such a costume as we see on the cover of this release.)

Very well worth your attention, and highly recommended.