The Great Moments from Die Fledermaus

Johann II [Junior] Strauss (Composer), Oskar Danon (Conductor), Vienna State Opera Orchestra (Orchestra), John Hauxvell (Performer), Richard Lewis (Performer), George London (Performer), Anna Moffo (Performer), Jeanette Scovotti (Performer), Risë Stevens (Performer), Sergio Franchi (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: John Hauxvell, Richard Lewis, George London, Anna Moffo, Jeanette Scovotti, et al.
• Orchestra: Vienna State Opera Orchestra
• Conductor: Oskar Danon
• Composer: Johann II [Junior] Strauss
• Audio CD (October 12, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00001R3MT
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,842 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars QUITE WONDERFUL, December 31, 2000

By 

MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Moments from Die Fledermaus (Audio CD)

First off, I must admit that my tolerance for operettas is pretty low. To watch and listen to all those 'supposed' singing ACTORS pretending to have a high-old-time, makes me a bit nervous. They are simply NOT acting. What, I guess, they have been coached to do is to EMphasize EVery NOUN, VERB & GERund in the SCRIPT-and with disastrous, self-conscious results. (If you'd like to see/hear the height of self-conscious performers try the new Metropolitan Opera production of "The Merry Widow" with everyone pretend-flirting and shouting and doing that fake opera laugh at every opportunity.) That said, this recording of Johann Strauss' "Die Fledermaus" is quite wonderful. The small bit of dialogue in this highlights CD is handled well & with ease. With singing actors, some of whom have actually played roles in Broadway musicals, the text gets full due and the singing is quite fine. Sergio Franchi (the co-star of the Richard Rodgers/Stephen Sondheim/Arthur Laurents musical "Do I Hear A Waltz?") as 'Alfred' and Anna Moffo as 'Rosalinda' are terrific leads. Even better are George London as 'Falke' and Jeanette Scovotti as 'Adele.' Also tops as 'Orlofsky' is that under-rated American mezzo who, for some reason, made so few recordings in her international career: Rise Stevens. Her "Carmen" has always been a staple of the RCA catalogue but until recently her "Orpheus & Euridice" and "Samson & Dalila" were unavailable. The Vienna State Opera Orchestra & Chorus under Oscar Danon sound great in this 1963 recording re-released in the High Performance (HP) series for BMG.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What might have been!, December 9, 1999

By 

Lindsay Perigo (Wellington New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Moments from Die Fledermaus (Audio CD)

With this cast, this recording should have been so much better. It seems to have been badly under-rehearsed. Some of the ensemble work is just a shambles. Imprecision is rife. Yet there are some wonderful moments. George London steals the show with his solo, "Here's to health & happiness." The early interplay between Moffo & Franchi is delightful. But overall, this recording just fails to ignite. The performers are curiously detached from each other, as though they each recorded their parts independently on different days. Such a pity!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOTS OF FUN AND BEAUTIFULLY SUNG, June 28, 2006

By 

ARMAND DUVAL (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Moments from Die Fledermaus (Audio CD)

The sublime Anna Moffo in radiant voice at her peak surrounded by a first rate cast in an excellent translation -only wish it was complete instead of just excerpts!