Previn’s ‘Die Fledermaus’ Lacks Abandon

STRAUSS: “Die Fledermaus.” Kiri Te Kanawa, Edita Gruberova, Brigitte Fassbaender, Wolfgang Brendel, Richard Leech, Olaf Bar, others; Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Andre Previn. Philips 4321 57-2.

Te Kanawa’s creamy soprano makes for a good Rosalinde, although her enunciation of the text is as indistinct in German as it is in French or Italian. Gruberova’s charming Adele has gleaming, accurate tones. Best of all is the Orlofsky of Fassbaender, sung with gusto and a fine sense of character. Leech introduces a honeyed Alfred, Bar a youthful, burnished Dr. Falke. Brendel barks a bit as yet another baritone cast in the tenor role of Eisenstein but is decent enough.

What the whole endeavor lacks is a conductor to combine all the elements with proper Viennese authority. Previn shows little affinity for this delightful music; a pity, since his orchestra could probably play the score backward in its sleep. The overture is particularly lean, and the soloists could have flown higher in their set pieces had their leader shown some abandon.

MOZART: Arias. Placido Domingo; Munich Radio Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Kohn. EMI CDC 7 54329 2.

Since Domingo is well on his way to recording just about everything written for tenor in the history of Western music--and some things for baritone as well--it was only a matter of time before he would get around to Mozart. In theory it’s not a bad idea, since Mozart’s tenor tessitura, generally low, spares the superstar strain on his problematic top. In matters of style and execution, however, Domingo seems uncomfortable.

He shows little of the elegance or flexibility required for this music. The florid demands of “Fuor del mar” (“Idomeneo”) and Ottavio’s “Il mio tesoro” cause strain, and problems arise at phrase endings as he comes close to running out of breath. The best efforts involve the two duets (from “Don Giovanni” and “Cosi”), in which Carol Vaness demonstrates the power of Mozartean expertise and experience. Kohn’s pedestrian accompaniments are of little help.

STRAUSS: “Salome.” Karen Huffstodt, Jean Dupouy, Jose Van Dam, others; Opera de Lyon, conducted by Kent Nagano. Virgin Classics VCD 7 91477-2.

This curious recording documents the French version made by the composer himself, reverting to Oscar Wilde’s original text and not the standard retranslation into French of Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation. The musical line is sometimes altered, most notably in the final scene.

All this may be academic, for the listener may have trouble recognizing the language used by Huffstodt in the title role. She is often off-pitch, moreover, and reveals little feeling for the character. It should be noted that the raison d’etre for the recording was to have been Teresa Stratas, who once again canceled. The most distinguished member of the cast is Van Dam, who ennobles Iokanaan’s utterances with silky tone and elegant phrasing. The others are strictly French provincial.

Of special interest, however, is the fiery, voluptuous conducting of Nagano, who gets much drama and tension from his orchestra.

VERDI: “La Traviata.” Licia Albanese, Jan Peerce, Robert Merrill, others; NBC Symphony, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. BMG 60303-2.

Toscanini’s reading was taken at the time (1946) to be Holy Writ, though few stopped to think his fast tempos might have been dictated by broadcast time limits. Under the circumstances, expressivity was difficult.

The one cast member who managed it was the one treated most cruelly by the Maestro’s demands: Albanese. She was not in her best voice, often singing off-pitch, but she offered a Violetta of rare passion, abandon and commitment. Peerce’s nasal Alfredo does not thrill the ear, but the youthful Merrill’s gorgeous sound offers constant pleasure, although nuance was not his strongest feature. Most of the cuts observed (the tenor and baritone cabalettas and the second verses of the soprano’s two arias) were standard.

In the transfer to CD, the engineers have done a good job of cleaning up the original LPs.