Korngold: Die tote Stadt

Carol Nebrett (Artist), René Kollo (Artist), Hermann Prey (Artist), Benjamin Luxon (Artist), Rose Wagemann (Artist), Gabriele Fuchs (Artist), Erich Wolfgang Korngold (Composer), Erich Leinsdorf (Conductor), Munich Radio Orchestra (Orchestra), Bavarian Radio Chorus (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Bavarian Radio Chorus
• Orchestra: Munich Radio Orchestra
• Conductor: Erich Leinsdorf
• Composer: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
• Audio CD (July 2, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003ER4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,146 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #38 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Korngold, Erich Wolfgang

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How did this ever become a forgotten opera??, April 30, 2004

By 

MartinP "MartinP" (Nijmegen, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Korngold: Die tote Stadt (Audio CD)

All that has remained in the repertoire of this excellent work are the duly famous 4 minutes of `Marietta's Lied`, hailed by some as one of the most beautiful things in all 20th century opera. It certainly packs an emotional punch worthy of Puccini at his peak, and its return at the very end is heart wrenching. I've seen critics regret the fact that the rest of Die Tote Stadt is 'not on the same level', but really, that's a bit like complaining the rest of Turandot is not quite like Nessun dorma... In fact, the opera was a huge success at its premiere and widely admired by contemporary composers, Puccini as well as Alban Berg among them. And rightly so, which can only make us wonder more at its subsequent neglect. Korngold is just one of those composers who never really made it into the limelight, even though he wrote much that is instantly accessible and quite exciting.
Indeed, the whole two hours of this piece are enthralling, mainly on the strength of the expert and colourful writing for the (gargantuan) orchestra. Imagine a kind of Elektra meets Gurrelieder cocktail with an added dash of Zemlinsky, Mahler and, yes, Puccini, and you may get some idea of what to expect. I was also put in mind of that other forgotten great opera, Pfitzner's Palestrina. It doesn't make for relaxed listening: the general tone is a bit too excited and even hysterical for that, as befits an opera exploring the obviously Freudian theme of mourning gone haywire. But it's anything but monotonous. One moment a boating song plunges you straight into the world of Viennese light operetta, the next this gay party is subsumed by the extraordinary and spectacular sounds of an organ and a plethora of bells, and you are in a sound world that is as modern as it is captivating.
The vocal parts are extremely agitated and rather highly strung; I cannot help but feel they occasionally overtax the lead singers. Both Neblett and Kollo produce some very strained, even shrill top notes, and there are many top notes in both parts! On the whole, however, the singing is admirable, and the orchestral playing is of an even higher order. The recording, too, though 30 years old, is quite good: it allows you to hear lots of detail, and has an ample dynamic range. We ought to be rightly grateful for having it, and as long as there is no competition other than Segerstam's live recording on Naxos, this set is very much worth acquiring. Meanwhile, there certainly is room for a high profile modern remake. Wouldn't it be a perfect way for Chailly to start his tenure at the helm of the Leipzig Opera and Gewandhausorchester? If Decca would then be so kind as to hire Renée Fleming as Marietta, something truly wonderful might come out...

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bring it back!, May 26, 2005

By 

Good Stuff "noreasonableofferrefused" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Korngold: Die tote Stadt (Audio CD)

I had the great good fortune to see, and more importantly, to hear New York City Opera's production of this nearly forgotten work with the astonishing team of soprano Carol Neblett, tenor John Alexander (for whom, it is said, NYCO mounted the production), and conductor Julius Rudel. It is an experience I have never forgotten.

It was to have been revived the following season with Carol Neblett, who was moving on to other things, to be replaced by the estimable soprano Johanna Meier. Unfortunately, the opera was met with stunning indifference by audiences, and the second season performances were cancelled. Too bad.

This recording preserves the performance of the vastly underrated Neblett, adds the veteran baton of Erich Leinsdorf to the mix, and, because of bizarre German musician's union regulations, replaces the magnificent Paul of American tenor John Alexander with the decidedly inferior work of the German Rene Kollo, a singer who, with perhaps all the best intentions, was simply not up to the job. He has the unfortunate ability to do just the opposite of Alexander in this role. Whereas the vocally secure Alexander tended to take the most difficult passages of this score in stride, Mr. Kollo manages to make them sound even more difficult than they really are, no small feat.

That grumbling aside, this is a wonderful recording of an opera which, truth be told, may not be to everyone's taste, but which assuredly is to mine. The truth of the matter is Korngold had the heart of an operetta composer - lovely melodies crowding upon each other, with the prodigious compositional skills of a Richard Strauss. Not always a comfortable combination. But when it works, as with the famous 1st Act Aria/Duet and the breathtaking Appparition Scene which follows, it REALLY works!

The recorded sound here is just about perfect, showing yet again how good analog recording had become near the end of its' run.

A must have recording.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lush indeed - more Strauss than Zemlinsky, October 8, 2000

By 

NPW (Paris France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Korngold: Die tote Stadt (Audio CD)

As another reviewer notes, this 1975 RCA recording, with deluxe cast under Leinsdorf is lush. (The Amazon listing seems to start the cast off alphabetically, so the reader may not guess that it stars Neblett, Kollo, Prey and Luxon.) As such, it draws Die tote Stadt nearer to "big" Strauss operas (Die Frau ohne Schatten, Danae, Helena...) than to early Schoenberg or Zemlinsky. The world premiere recording, it is something of a monument, a reference recording, and deserves 5 stars. However, another recording exists, a live Naxos set from the Swedish Royal opera, less lush but perhaps more dramatic, that those fond of the harmonies and orchestration of the Gurrelieder or Zemlinsky will appreciate. As will those on a tight budget - the Naxos set is almost half the price of the RCA/Leinsdorf box.