When this recording was first released, some of the critics, obviously desperate to find something to complain about, opined that Solti's approach was too hard driving. Some also felt Crespin's voice was just too big for the part, having been used to some of the great Marschallin's that had gone before (Schwartzkopf, Reining, etc.). I thought they were idiots then, and my opinion hasn't changed over the years.
There are a few recordings of Strauss where the singing, the conducting, the orchestra, and all other elements of the production and engineering work together to create a recording that is definitive across all standards. This is one such recording, and even as great and brilliant Rosenkavaliers by eminent conductors like Carlos Kleiber, Bernard Haitink and Christian Thielemann come with their own sets of strengths, Solti still trumps them all in a reading of the opera that not only sets the tone for the music but also for Strauss and Hofmannsthal's delightful Viennese drama. More so than Karajan and Erich Kleiber, Solti sets the music on a kind of propulsion and pulse that never flags, allowing the multiple scenes that usually substitute well for melatonin to capture the listener's attention.
Solti himself once consulted Strauss on the ideal baton technique for this opera, and the composer remarked as a matter of fact that one should look no further than the text to find the rhythmic pulse on which this Viennese clock runs. Solti took this to heart and produces a reading of the Straussian score that is clearly intertwined into the humor and comedy of the text. It is not nearly as indulgent as Karajan's classic Philharmonia interpretation, but this is for the better. The exchanges during the more placid and contemplative episodes of the opera are paced so naturally that any student of German can tune his ears to the sometimes witty, sometimes philosophical, and oftentimes intimate gabfest. In keeping with the majority of the work in his Straussian operas, Solti conducts this opera with the Vienna Philharmonic. The orchestra's assets have never been put in greater display than in this opera where the gossamer strings, the mellifluously dovetailed woodwinds, and the burnished, bronzen brass sections are balanced so create a perfect sound picture of the bygone Viennese epoch.
The cast couldn't be bettered. While Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Maria Reining have been passed down by history as the definitive Marschallins, I would say that Regine Crespin betters them both by combining a naturally regal, feminine, beautiful, and sympathetic tone with a sense of expression that is always sensitive to the text without overtly focusing on too many details. This is a Marschallin of poise and elegance, of wisdom and refinement. Passionate and funny in Act I, she comes to her own in Act III and creates a portrait of the character that is described by a graciousness unparalleled by Schwarzkopf's cool interpretation. All the wisdom of the Marschallin in the first Act is played to a tee, with that deep and contemplative scene about time never sung better as it is in this recording. Only Reining could equal Crespin in her assumption of the part, and the French soprano betters her due to her security of voice. Crespin's Marschallin was thankfully captured at the prime of her instrument, producing the most sonorous sounds that truly define the grace and elegance of the Princess von Wurdenburg. A class act, if there were any other.
Highly recommended!
Richard Strauss ‎– Der Rosenkavalier
Label: London Records ‎– OSAL-1435 Format: 4 × Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo Country: US Released: 1969 Genre: Classical Style: Opera
Tracklist A Act 1 Part 1. Wie Du Warst! Wie Du Bist 26:32 B Act 1 Part 2. Hat Sie Schon Einmat Mit Einem Kavalier 21:36 C Act 1 Conclusion. Da Geht Er Hin, Der Aufgerblas' Ne Schlechte Kerl 25:35 D Act 2 Part 1. Ein Ernster Tag, Ein Grosser Tag! 25:28 E Act 2 Part 2 Hab Nichts Dawider, Wenn Du Ihr Mochtest 28:50 F 1 Act 2 Conclusion. Such' Sie In Meiner Tasch' Meiner Britten 5:04 F 2 Act 3 Part 1. Hab'n Euer Gnaden Noch Weitre Befehle? 17:54 G Act 3 Part 2. Macht Sie Der Wein Leicht Immer So? 26:23 H Act 3 Conclusion. Leupold, Wir Gehen! 18:06
Companies, etc. Record Company – Decca Recorded At – Sofiensaal
Credits Baritone Vocals – Friedrich Strack, Otto Wiener Bass Vocals – Hans Reautschnigg, Herbert Lackner, Leo Heppe, Manfred Jungwirth Chorus – Vienna State Opera Chorus Chorus Master – Norbert Balatsch Conductor – Georg Solti Contralto Vocals – Yvonne Minton Liner Notes – Alfred Jerger, Rodney Blumer Mezzo-soprano Vocals – Anne Howells, Rohangiz Yachmi Orchestra – Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Soprano Vocals – Arleen Auger Tenor Vocals – Adolf Tomaschek, Kurt Equiluz, Murray Dickie, Nikolaus Simkowsky Vocals – Alexander Maly, Franz Setzer, Hans Pipal, Herbert Prikopa, Ingrid Mayr
Notes Includes 72-page booklet with notes and libretto. Libretto in German & English Libretto © Boosey & Hawkes Ltd.

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