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Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier

Box Set, 3 CD, Live

Richard Strauss (Artist) Format: Audio CD
4.2 out of 5 stars 33 ratings
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Audio CD, Live, Box set, October 2, 2012
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Track Listings

Disc: 1

1 Introduction - Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
2 "Wie Du Warst!" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
3 "Marie There's'!" - "Octavian!" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
4 "Quinquin, Es Ist Mein Mann!" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Franz Hawlata, Wilfried Gahmlich, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
5 "Selbstverständlich Empfängt Mich Ihro Gnaden" - Renée Fleming, Franz Hawlata, Wilfried Gahmlich, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
6 "Hat Sie Schon Einmal Mit Einem Kavalier" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Franz Hawlata, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
7 "Nein, Er Agiert Mir Gar Zu Gut!" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Franz Hawlata, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
8 "I Komm' Glei" - Sophie Koch, Catherine Veillerobe, Angela Rudolf, Nina Amon, JÖRG Schneider, Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
9 "Di Rigori Armato Il Seno" - Jonas Kaufmann, Franz Hawlata, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
10 "Als Morgengabe" - Renée Fleming, Franz Hawlata, Lynton Black, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
11 "Mein Lieber Hippolyte" - Renée Fleming, Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Franz Hawlata, Jane Henschel, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
12 "Da Geht Er Hin, Der Aufgeblasene Schlechte Kerl" - Renée Fleming, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
13 "Ach! Du Bist Wieder Da!" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
14 "Die Zeit Ist... Mein Schöner Schatz... Ich Werde Jetzt" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
15 "Ich Hab' Ihn Nicht Einmal Geküßt - Renée Fleming, Ilker Arcayürek, Jens Waldig, Manfred Hanakam, Michael Schwendinger, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann

Disc: 2

1 Introduction - "Ein Ernster Tag" - Franz Grundheber, Irmgard Vilsmaier, Wilfried Gahmlich, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
2 "In Dieser Feierlichen Stunde" - Diana Damrau, Irmgard Vilsmaier, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
3 "Mir Ist Die Ehre Widerfahren" - Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
4 "Ich Kenn' Ihn Schon Recht Wohl" - Diana Damrau, Sophie Koch, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
5 "Jetzt Aber Kommt Mein Herr Zukünftiger" - Diana Damrau, Franz Grundheber, Franz Hawlata, Sophie Koch, Irmgard Vilsmaier, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
6 "Eh Bien! Nun Plauder Sie Uns Eins" - Franz Hawlata, Diana Damrau, Franz Grundheber, Sophie Koch, Irmgard Vilsmaier, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
7 "Wird Sie Das Mannsbild Da Heiraten" - Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Wilfried Gahmlich, Irmgard Vilsmaier, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
8 "Herr Baron Von Lerchenau!" - Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Jane Henschel, Franz Hawlata, Diana Damrau, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
9 "Mord! Mord! Mein Blut!" - Franz Hawlata, Diana Damrau, Sophie Koch, Jane Henschel, Irmgard Vilsmaier, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
10 "Herr Schwiegersohn! Wie Ist Ihm Denn?" - Franz Grundheber, Franz Hawlata, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
11 "Blamage! Mir Auseinander Meine Eh'" - Franz Grundheber, Diana Damrau, Sophie Koch, Franz Hawlata, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
12 "Is Gut! Is Gut! Ein Schluck" - Franz Hawlata, Franz Grundheber, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
13 "Da Lieg' Ich!" - Franz Hawlata, Philharmonia Chor Wien, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
14 "Ohne Mich, Ohne Mich, Jeder Tag Dir So Bang" - Franz Hawlata, Jane Henschel, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann

Disc: 3

1 Introduction and Pantomime - Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
2 "Hab'n Euer Gnaden Noch Weitre Befehle?" - JÖRG Schneider, Ilker Arcayürek, Manfred Hanakam, Franz Hawlata, Jorg Espenkott, Max Sahlinger, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
3 "Nein, Nein, Nein, Nein! I Trink' Kein Wein" - Sophie Koch, Franz Hawlata, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
4 "Es Ist Ja Eh All's Eins" - Sophie Koch, Franz Hawlata, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
5 "Da Und Da Und Da Und Da" - Franz Hawlata, Jane Henschel, Sophie Koch, JÖRG Schneider, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
6 "Halt! Keiner RÜHRT Sich!" - Sophie Koch, Andreas HÖRL, Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Franz Hawlata, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
7 "Zur Stelle! Was Wird Von Mir Gewünscht?" - Franz Grundheber, Franz Hawlata, Andreas HÖRL, Philharmonia Chor Wien, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
8 "Sind Desto Eher Im Klaren" - Franz Hawlata, Andreas HÖRL, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Renée Fleming, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
9 "Bin Glücklich Über Massen" - Franz Hawlata, Sophie Koch, Renée Fleming, Diana Damrau, Andreas HÖRL, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
10 "Laß Er Nur Gut Sein Und Verschwind Er" - Renée Fleming, Franz Hawlata, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Andreas HÖRL, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
11 "Leopold, Wir Gehn!" - Franz Hawlata, Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Jane Henschel, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
12 "Mein Gott, Es War Nicht Mehr Als Eine Farce" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
13 "Marie There's'!" - "Hab Mir's Gelobt, Ihn Lieb Zu Haben" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Franz Grundheber, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann
14 "Ist Ein Traum, Kann Nicht Wirklich Sein" - Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Münchner Philharmoniker, Christian Thielemann

Editorial Reviews

Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier / Fleming, Koch, Damrau, Munich Philharmonic . Release Date: 10/02/2009 Label: Decca . Catalog #: 478 1507 . Spars Code: DDD . Composer: Richard Strauss . Performer: Franz Grundheber, Jonas Kaufmann, Jane Henschel, Diana Damrau, ... Conductor: Christian Thielemann . Orchestra/Ensemble: Munich Philharmonic Orchestra . Number of Discs: 3 . Recorded in: Stereo . Works on This Recording: 1. Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 by Richard Strauss Performer: Franz Grundheber (Baritone), Jonas Kaufmann (Tenor), Jane Henschel (Mezzo Soprano), Diana Damrau (Soprano), Rene Fleming (Soprano), Sophie Koch (Mezzo Soprano), Franz Hawlata (Bass) Conductor: Christian Thielemann Orchestra/Ensemble: Munich Philharmonic Orchestra Period: Romantic Written: 1909-1910; Germany . Notes and Editorial Reviews From the January 2009 Baden-Baden Festival, Rene Fleming appears in one of her greatest rolesthe Marschallin, in Richard Strausss magnificent comedy of ever-changing love, Der Rosenkavalier. Her peerless performance is supported by a galactic cast (conductor Christian Thielemann), which includes Diana Damrau, Sophie Koch, Franz Hawlata and Jonas Kaufmann as the Italian Tenor.

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Yes
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.67 x 4.96 x 0.94 inches; 7.97 ounces
  • Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Decca
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 028947815075
  • Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2012
  • Date First Available ‏ : ‎ September 21, 2011
  • Label ‏ : ‎ Decca
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00507ZQX4
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 3
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 33 ratings

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4.2 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Robin Hames
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Renee's rendition is marvellous. As always.
    One person found this helpful
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  • P. Sartau Jensen
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    It is a quite good edision. It miss a little room in the recording, but it is recomendable.
    One person found this helpful
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  • STEWART CROWE
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not quite 5 stars for this amiable, joyous and angst free recording!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2012
    It's somewhat surprising that with the release of this recording, there have only been 3 newly recorded sets issued since the beginning of the Digital Recording era, though there have been plenty of welcome reissues and first time issues of live performances from the past. Considering the work's popularity, one would have expected more. Just as surprising is that considering her "bankability" as a recording artist, especially in the USA, there has been no complete recording of Renee Fleming's Marschallin- though there are plenty of extracts on various discs. (That's not quite true-there is a live 2000 Met performance under Levine available from Celestial Audio in Australia-a superb performance with very good if not great sound quality processed from radio broadcasts, but that is not in wide circulation.)
    I first bought this performance on its release as a Blu-ray, and I have to say that though I am not a particular fan of this medium for opera, it is one of the most successful I can recall. I immediately thought again that Universal (Decca, DG etc.) were missing a trick, as they have for so long with the Carlos Kleiber Vienna DVD, in not releasing a purely audio version, and finally, a couple of years later, here it is-and very fine it is too.
    Recorded in 2009 in the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, a luxury venue which is to be the new home of the Berlin Philharmonic's Easter Festival from next year, the sound is vivid, detailed and with plenty of perspective. The acoustic is neutral, typical of modern venues, and if there is a lack of resonance this is offset by no dryness either. This allows a very realistic sound picture for orchestra and singers alike. The audience appears to be absent, so unobtrusive are they-the clapping after the Italian Tenor's aria is onstage.
    I haven't enjoyed Thielemann's Strauss much in the past, especially not his recordings with Fleming, which I found to be stodgy, overblown and glutinous.
    Happily, just as the stage production is a glorious and glamorous romp, so is his reading of the work-swift, pointed, affectionately drawn out when required, plenty of portamento employed, charming and witty by turns-just what the authors wanted! He is aided by a lush Munich Philharmonic, who may not have played this work often in its entirety, and this shows in occasional minor imprecision-but nothing of concern.
    Sophie Koch's rich, vibrant mezzo is a superb contrast the exquisite floated tones of Diana Damrau's Sophie. Damrau more than demonstrates why she occupies the exalted position held by Popp and Janowitz in their early careers in Mozart and Strauss. Hawlata is a genial Ochs-a comic buffoon, and not a threatening bully or a thug as Rydl portrays him in the disappointing Haitink, a recording I don't much care for. This is a stage performance, with vocal clowning, but plenty of rich full tone in the big moments. His act 2 soliloquy-uncut for a change-is wonderful, and the duet between Ochs and Anina as she reads the letter from "Mariandel" is sublime, helped by the best Anina I can recall. Grundheber's Faninal wobbles vocally but is funny, and this set has one of the best supporting casts of all, with the Duenna, Anina as already mentioned, and Valzacchi of Ablinger-Sperrhacke particularly well portrayed.
    The original casting of the Italian Tenor was Rolando Villazon-but as so often these days, he had to withdraw at the last moment. Fortunately Jonas Kaufmann stepped in to save the day. His wonderful assumption recalls the recording made by Richard Tauber (conducted by Korngold), with his baritonal tenor maybe not idiomatic, but just wonderful to hear-a real highlight.
    This leaves Fleming's Marschallin, and it is very fine, but perhaps a little too late in her career to catch her at her best in this role. All the rich creaminess of her lower and middle range is superbly caught, but there is just a tad of awkwardness in reaching the higher notes, which are not as pure as they once were. She looks stunning on stage of course, but as a purely audio experience, there are signs of her being in the autumn of her career. Of course, I'm being ultra forensic here, and it's important to say that by any standards this is a great performance, and she acts wonderfully catching all the bitter sweetness of the role. Her act one soliloquy where she muses wistfully on the passing of time is exquisite, and she again takes the breath away in the final scene and famous trio.
    So all in all, it's very good and I'm pleased to own it.Stage noise is minimal-I hardly noticed any-and audience applause has been excised.
    Of course, there are 3 totally different and equally magnificent recordings to choose from at mid-price-in no order of preference-Solti, Karajan (Vienna) and Bernstein.
    All three offer boundless pleasure in their respective ways, and I would say that this one falls just a bit short of that-but rest assured, anyone who loves this work will enjoy this recording, and fans of Fleming need not hesitate-it's unlikely we'll get a better performance of her in this role in first class sound.
    What a pity they wasted opportunities recording Daphne and Rusalka before Rosenkavalier. Not quite 5 stars-but a good 4 and a half! Stewart Crowe.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Huntley Dent
    4.0 out of 5 stars A winning theatrical event, despite the vocal flaws
    Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2013
    If Decca had carried through with a complete Rosenkavalier to showcase Fleming in 1999, we might have gotten a glowing, brilliant account instead of a single "Strauss Heroines" CD. But its final trio with Susan Graham and Barbara Bonney, who are superlative as Sophie and Octavian, remains a treasure. Unfortunately, it also throws into glaring relief the shortcomings of this complete live performance. Ralph Moore has already applied a fairly kind scalpel to the cast's vocal shortcomings. Koch's Octavian sounds middle-aged, and the luminous Fleming, who turned fifty the year this recording was made, isn't her younger self, even though her middle to upper range is beautifully preserved (in an interview Fleming commented on her good fortune that her vice hasn't darkened with age but actually lightened in some ways, allowing her to undertake a late-career Violetta in La Traviata).

    If you can limit your focus to Fleming's complete embodiment of the Marschallin as a character, abetted by Thielemann's strong orchestral work - he deserves his reputation as the leading Strauss opera conductor of the day - this CD version of a filmed DVD contains a great deal of liveliness and thrust. By comparison, quite a few prestigious Rosenkavaliers of the past, where the singing cast is impeccable, feel dramatically inert: Haitink and the remake by Karajan come to mind. Here, you are in the theater watching vital characters caught in vexing comic predicaments. After initial disappointment with the singing in the opening boudoir scene, I perked up once Ochs entered - this is a performance where the public action is better than the intimacy, although Fleming makes a moving personal triumph out of the Marschallin's monologue on time in Act I (to be ranked up there with Reining, Schwarzkopf, and Crespin on recordings).

    Unlike Mr. Moore, who notices Franz Hawlata's vocal flaws, I find him an amusing, domineering Ochs, an earthy aristocrat who could care less than he's the bull in anyone's china shop, and he alone brings us the echt Viennese tone that was once synonymous with this opera - on disc, the perfect embodiment of Ochs was a delicious choice between Ludwig Weber for Erich Kleiber and Otto Edelmann for Karajan in the classic, I might say immortal, version on EMI. For decades one couldn't speak of Rosenkavalier without bowing to those two sets, and time hasn't dulled their majesty, even with brave forays from Carlos Kleiber and Solti.

    Diana Damrau seems to make a brilliant stage impression wherever she appears, but I've never seen her and can only judge the voice, which she uses dramatically and vivaciously; I greatly admired her CD of Strauss orchestral songs, also under Thielemann. But if examined for purity, evenness, and security of tone, Damrau's lyric soprano can't stand comparison with most of her predecessors. This bothers Mr. Moore considerably, and I see his point, but if you can accept what she is offering, Damrau's Sophie makes a strong impression, very different from the tremulous girl-bride we usually hear. As recorded here, unfortunately, the top notes carry a sting.

    I've tried to describe with some objectivity what I hear on these discs, but in reality everyone who loves Der Rosenkavalier relates to it with a tender heart. I'm so grateful for a sincere, ardent performance of this caliber that I can forgive a good deal that others might not. You'll have to judge for yourself if the whole is greater than the sum of its imperfect parts.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Joan G.
    2.0 out of 5 stars Cracked Jewel Case
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The recording itself is, of course, wonderful, but the jewel case was quite smashed and came apart at the spine. I am having to use a rubber band to keep it all together. Is there any way to get a replacement jewel case?

    Joan Gregoryk
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Leonard Y
    1.0 out of 5 stars Damaged. Returned.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Damaged. Returned.
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Translate all reviews to English
  • Diego b
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sonido espectacular. La producción moderna a tener.
    Reviewed in Spain on January 16, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Sonido espectacular, de pegada, limpieza y brillo como solo Decca parece saber ofrecer antes y ahora (salvo excepciones todos los discófilos estamos casi de acuerdo en que es la casa de discos que mejor grababa y sigue grabando)

    Los entendidos en voces opinarán que el reparto no es comparable a los históricos presentes en las grabaciones de Karajan y Kleiber padre, y seguramente tengan razón. Yo del reparto presente y ciñéndome a los papeles principales solo le pongo reparos al bajo Hawlata, carente de graves y con una curiosa sonoridad hueca, áfona en su voz, pero que en contrapartida dota al Barón de una vivacidad extraordinaria sin caer en lo bufo. Muy bien Fleming y las otras dos damas. Lo peor el cantante italiano de Kaufmann, engolado hasta las cejas, mal.

    Muy bien Thielemann, con el punto justo entre lo nostálgico o melancólico y lo bullicioso o bufo sin caer de este último lado como había leído. No me lo ha parecido. La filarmónica de Munich suena espectacular, brillante, con pátina, y yo, sin sugestiones y con los ojos cerrados no añoro a sus compañeros vieneses.

    Para tener junto a las clasicas de Karajan I, Knappertsbusch, Kleiber padre e hijo y por qué no, Solti.

    diego b
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  • STEWART CROWE
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not quite 5 Stars, but a very fine recording of a genial and good natured performance-no angst!!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    It's somewhat surprising that with the release of this recording, there have only been 3 newly recorded sets issued since the beginning of the Digital Recording era, though there have been plenty of welcome reissues and first time issues of live performances from the past. Considering the work's popularity, one would have expected more. Just as surprising is that considering her "bankability" as a recording artist, especially in the USA, there has been no complete recording of Renee Fleming's Marschallin- though there are plenty of extracts on various discs. (That's not quite true-there is a live 2000 Met performance under Levine available from Celestial Audio in Australia-a superb performance with very good if not great sound quality processed from radio broadcasts, but that is not in wide circulation.)
    I first bought this performance on its release as a Blu-ray, and I have to say that though I am not a particular fan of this medium for opera, it is one of the most successful I can recall. I immediately thought again that Universal (Decca, DG etc.) were missing a trick, as they have for so long with the Carlos Kleiber Vienna DVD, in not releasing a purely audio version, and finally, a couple of years later, here it is-and very fine it is too.
    Recorded in 2009 in the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, a luxury venue which is to be the new home of the Berlin Philharmonic's Easter Festival from next year (i.e 2013), the sound is vivid, detailed and with plenty of perspective. The acoustic is neutral, typical of modern venues, and if there is a lack of resonance this is offset by no dryness either. This allows a very realistic sound picture for orchestra and singers alike. The audience appears to be absent, so unobtrusive are they-the clapping after the Italian Tenor's aria is onstage.
    I haven't enjoyed Thielemann's Strauss much in the past, especially not his recordings with Fleming, which I found to be stodgy, overblown and glutinous.
    Happily, just as the stage production is a glorious and glamorous romp, so is his reading of the work-swift, pointed, affectionately drawn out when required, plenty of portamento employed, charming and witty by turns-just what the authors wanted! He is aided by a lush Munich Philharmonic, who may not have played this work often in its entirety, and this shows in occasional minor imprecision-but nothing of concern.
    Sophie Koch's rich, vibrant mezzo is a superb contrast the exquisite floated tones of Diana Damrau's Sophie. Damrau more than demonstrates why she occupies the exalted position held by Popp and Janowitz in their early careers in Mozart and Strauss. Hawlata is a genial Ochs-a comic buffoon, and not a threatening bully or a thug as Rydl portrays him in the disappointing Haitink, a recording I don't much care for. This is a stage performance, with vocal clowning, but plenty of rich full tone in the big moments. His act 2 soliloquy-uncut for a change-is wonderful, and the duet between Ochs and Anina as she reads the letter from "Mariandel" is sublime, helped by the best Anina I can recall. Grundheber's Faninal wobbles vocally but is funny, and this set has one of the best supporting casts of all, with the Duenna, Anina as already mentioned, and Valzacchi of Ablinger-Sperrhacke particularly well portrayed.
    The original casting of the Italian Tenor was Rolando Villazon-but as so often these days, he had to withdraw at the last moment. Fortunately Jonas Kaufmann stepped in to save the day. His wonderful assumption recalls the recording made by Richard Tauber (conducted by Korngold), with his baritonal tenor maybe not idiomatic, but just wonderful to hear-a real highlight.
    This leaves Fleming's Marschallin, and it is very fine, but perhaps a little too late in her career to catch her at her best in this role. All the rich creaminess of her lower and middle range is superbly caught, but there is just a tad of awkwardness in reaching the higher notes, which are not as pure as they once were. She looks stunning on stage of course, but as a purely audio experience, there are signs of her being in the autumn of her career. Of course, I'm being ultra forensic here, and it's important to say that by any standards this is a great performance, and she acts wonderfully catching all the bitter sweetness of the role. Her act one soliloquy where she muses wistfully on the passing of time is exquisite, and she again takes the breath away in the final scene and famous trio.
    So all in all, it's very good and I'm pleased to own it.Stage noise is minimal-I hardly noticed any-and audience applause has been excised.
    Of course, there are 3 totally different and equally magnificent recordings to choose from at mid-price-in no order of preference-Solti, Karajan (Vienna) and Bernstein.
    All three offer boundless pleasure in their respective ways, and I would say that this one falls just a bit short of that-but rest assured, anyone who loves this work will enjoy this recording, and fans of Fleming need not hesitate-it's unlikely we'll get a better performance of her in this role in first class sound.
    What a pity they wasted opportunities recording Daphne and Rusalka before Rosenkavalier. Not quite 5 stars-but a good 4 and a half! Stewart Crowe.
    Report
  • Klassikfreund
    5.0 out of 5 stars Der beste Rosenkavalier seit Jahren
    Reviewed in Germany on January 25, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Christian Thielemann, ein ausgewiesener Wagner- und Strauss-Experte, und die Münchner Philharmoniker boten 2009 im Festspielhaus Baden-Baden Richard Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier" dar. Ihnen standen Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Franz Hawlata und Jonas Kaufmann zur Seite.

    Rosenkavalier brillant

    Thielemanns Rosenkavalier ist farbenfroh, prächtig und immer den Erfordernissen des Moments angepaßt. Weder wird zuviel geschwelgt, noch zu sehr gerast. Weder zuviel Rokoko, noch zuviel Komik. Fast möchte ich sagen, Thielemann dirigiert preußisch nüchtern, ich möchte aber keinesfalls den Eindruck erwecken, daß es trocken und langweilig sei. Nein, vielmehr nimmt er den Rosenkavalier handwerklich, mit kühlem Kopf und läßt ihn auf dieser Basis bald komisch, bald schwelgend, bald bedrückt, bald romantisch klingen. Dabei schimmern die Münchner Philharmoniker ebenso farbenfroh, wie sie ihrem Chef diszipliniert und freudig folgen.

    Rosenkavalier deluxe

    Einen Genuß fürs Ohr bietet Flemings Marschallin. Man ist von ihr angezogen, soviel Reiz strahlt sie aus, man leidet mit ihr, wenn Zweifel sie quälen, man genießt ihre Präsenz. Dazu ihre dunkle, weibliche Stimme – ich kann mir keine fesselndere Marschallin vorstellen als diese. Sophie Koch bietet einen stürmisch, jugendlichen Octavian, der sowohl mit seiner Marie Theres als auch mit Sophie traumhaft harmoniert. Letztere wird von Diana Damrau mit viel junger, inniger Weiblichkeit gegeben. Drei starke Frauen, drei große Künstlerinnen.

    Der Ochs von Hawlata ist solide, erreicht aber keinesfalls das überragende Niveau der drei Damen. Er klingt ein wenig müde. Besser schlägt sich da Franz Grundhebers Faninal. Einen leider sehr begrenzten, dafür um so anmutigeren Auftritt legt Jonas Kaufmann als Sänger hin. Ein wahrer Genuß ist seine Leistung, leider nur viel, viel zu kurz – aber sein Figur bot schon immer die Möglichkeit, ein Juwel nur für den Moment unterzubringen.

    Rosenkavalier aktuell

    Wenn ich mir überlege, daß mit Carlos Kleibers 1973er Aufnahme der letzte große Rosenkavalier (für CD) schon einige Zeit zurückliegt, dann kann ich reinen Gewissens feststellen, daß Thielemanns Rosenkavalier die herausragende Interpretation der letzten Jahre ist.

    Daß die Live-Aufnahme irgendwie negativ zu Buche schlägt, kann ich nicht feststellen. Letztlich muß man auch bedenken, wie man seinen Thielemann will: Der musiziert aus dem Moment heraus, nutzt die Inspiration des Augenblicks. Deshalb würde ich im Zweifel einem inspirierten Live-Thielemann immer den Vorzug vor einem eventuell uninspirierten Studio-Thielemann geben.

    Musikalisches: 5 /5 Sterne
    Gesang/Darstellung: 4,5/5 Sterne

    CD oder DVD?

    Mit einem lachenden und einem weinenden Auge muß ich noch sagen, daß man sich hier im Gegensatz zur DVD-Veröffentlichung zwar die uneinheitliche Inszenierung erspart, aber dafür auf die großartige Frauen-Trias verzichten muß, deren Darbietung auch darstellerisch begeistert.

    Was der Zusatz: "[...] interpretation has been completely re-edited for this CD release" auf der CD-Hülle jedoch an Mehrwert haben soll, ist mir offengestanden schleierhaft.

    (Das Begleitheft ist in englischer, französischer und deutscher Sprache.)
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  • MR PETER J CULLEN
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good, not great
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is worth hearing for Renee Fleming's marvellous Marschallin, probably her greatest role. The other singers are not so great, but not so bad either. Thielemann's conducting is idiomatic and mostly impressive. If you are a Fleming admirer, which I certainly am, this is a must buy!
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  • Isolde227
    4.0 out of 5 stars CD absolut Spitze, 2 Büchlein dazu idiotisch
    Reviewed in Germany on June 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Wie hier schon öfters gesagt wurde: die CD ist wirklich einmalig schön: alle Darsteller, zuerst natürlich Renée Fleming und Sophie Koch, bis an Jonas Kaufmann als italienischer Sänger gehören auch zur absoluten Weltspitze in der Opernwelt heute. Nur den Ochs von Franz Hawlata bleibt ein wenig zurück. Schade. Als ich die Produktion auf Blu-Ray sah hatte ich den Eindruck das er sich eher mit der Darstellung seiner Figur - also pur Schau-spielerisch - beschäftigt als mit der Musik der Partie. Sonst ist er doch ein ganz anständiger Sänger. Dann mag ich doch lieber den großartigen Günther Groissböck in dieser Rolle! Christian Thielemann führt Sänger und Orchester zu großen Höhen.
    Was mich aber richtig irritiert hat an dieser CD-Box sind die zwei Büchlein die man dazu bekommt. Die passen nicht zusammen in der Box, also kann man das Ganze nicht einmal richtig aufbewahren. Deshalb keine fünf Sterne!
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