Mozart: Die Zauberflöte / Upshaw, Hoch, Rolfe Johnson, A. Schmidt, Hauptmann, Bär; Norrington [Limited Edition, Import]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Artist), Dawn Upshaw (Artist), Beverly Hoch (Artist), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (Artist), Andreas Schmidt (Artist), Cornelius Hauptmann (Artist), Roger Norrington (Artist), London Classical Players (Artist), Olaf Bär (Artist), Guy De Mey (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 9, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition, Import
• Label: EMI Import
• ASIN: B00000I3W4
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #658,303 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Ouverture

2. Nr.1 Introduktion: Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe!

3. Ich Sollte Fort!

4. Wo Bin Ich!

5. Was Hor Ich?/Nr.2 Arie: Der Vogelfanger Bin Ich Ja

6. He Da!... Was Da?

7. Papageno!

8. Nr.3 Arie: Dies Bildnis Ist Bezaubernd Schon

9. Ruste Dich Mit Mut Und Standhaftigkeit

10. Nr.4 Rezitativ Und Arie: O Zittre Nicht, Mein lieber Sohn

See all 27 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Eine Schreckliche Nacht!

2. Nr.11 Duett: Bewahret Euch Vor Weibertucken

3. He, Lichter Her!

4. Nr.12 Quintett: Wie? Wie? Wie?

5. Heil Dir, Jungling!

6. Ha, Da Find Ich Ja Die Sprode Schone!

7. Nr.13 Arie: Alles Fuhlt Der Liebe Freuden

8. Zuruck!

9. Nr.14 Arie: Der Holle Rache Kocht In Meinem Herzen

10. Morden Soll Ich?

See all 33 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellently cast Magic Flute with rapid tempi, January 9, 2005

By 

Leslie Richford (Selsingen, Lower Saxony) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart: Die Zauberflöte / Upshaw, Hoch, Rolfe Johnson, A. Schmidt, Hauptmann, Bär; Norrington (Audio CD)

In his accompanying essay to this edition of “Die Zauberflöte” (The Magic Flute), Peter Branscombe reaches two conclusions, one of which I can wholeheartedly agree with, the other of which I find to be all too positive. After exploring the avenues and sources which led Emanuel Schikaneder to put together his libretto, he states baldly, “Certainly, there are minor inconsistencies, but once one has grasped that it is through and with the hero that one experiences the events […], the story offers little in the way of difficulties.” Here I beg to differ. The plot of this “opera” (I would as gladly have said “musical”) is, to my mind, thoroughly illogical and confused and is only held together by the threadbare love-story between Tamino and Pamina, although there appears to be no motivation behind that either. It is, in fact, surely only Mozart’s grandiose music and the brilliant stage fireworks which make this piece so popular.

Branscombe’s second conclusion, however, is perfectly in order: “[…] Notwithstanding the solemnity of some of the temple scenes, ‘Die Zauberflöte’ was conceived and performed by Mozart and Schikaneder as a swiftly-moving drama. Everyone involved in this recording would surely agree that that is how it makes its most vivid and magical effect.” Roger Norrington and his period-instrument ensemble make sure that this performance never gets bogged down, there is always fast-moving action and transparent-as-glass playing; and the excellent soloists and choir (whose texts are, for an English ensemble, incredibly well pronounced, I might add) ensure that there is never a dull moment. The quality of the singing and of the spoken roles is, in my humble opinion, first-rate (although I have never had the opportunity to compare this recording with any other version): Beverly Hoch is a delightful Queen of the Night who achieves the high notes in her arias with absolute ease and sovereignty. Dawn Upshaw is a charming but woe-begone Pamina. The male roles are equally well cast, with a superb Anthony Rolfe-Johnson as Tamino, Cornelius Hauptmann as Sarastro and Andreas Schmidt as the comic figure Papageno. I particularly enjoyed Guy de Mey as Monostatos; Olaf Bär and Catherine Pierard (as Papagena) have a comparatively minor part to play but are thoroughly convincing. The groups of three (ladies, boys, priests and slaves) are quite brilliantly done: I thought the idea of employing three well-known early-music sopranos (Tessa Bonner, Evelyn Tubb, Caroline Trevor) as the three boys worked really well, their voices having just the right mixture of innocence and maturity. Sarastro’s lions are played by real lions from London Zoo!

The recording was made at London’s prestigious Abbey Road studio in December 1990 and is technically satisfying. The microphones are placed at a certain distance from the singers, creating something of a stage effect. The only slight disadvantage is the difference in dynamic between some of the spoken asides and the really loud passages: after adjusting the volume to hear the spoken dialogue comfortably, my ears were nearly blasted by the noise (chord and thunderclap) at the first appearance of the Queen of the Night. Here it is perhaps not only one’s ears but also one’s loudspeakers that are in danger.

The booklet contains the complete libretto in German and English, but unfortunately offers no information whatsoever about the members of the ensemble nor about the instruments used.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good and fast., July 5, 2008

By 

Philip S. Griffey (Bainbridge I. WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart: Die Zauberflöte / Upshaw, Hoch, Rolfe Johnson, A. Schmidt, Hauptmann, Bär; Norrington (Audio CD)

Norrington's conducting, in this 1990 recording, runs the gamut from fast to really fast. If you don't mind the fleet tempi, you will find that his direction is dramatic, well nuanced, with attractive phrasing and good balance. There is lots of very well done dialog and sound effects. The chorus, various women, armored men, boys, priests etc. are all much better than average.

Tamino has been recorded by a number of elegant singers (Wunderlich, Simoneau, Dermota, Haefliger, and Blochwitz). I find Anthony Rolfe Johnson's singing in no way inferior to theirs. He has an attractive voice, and sings with feeling, employing nuanced phrasing and pleasant legato. The Papageno, Andreas Schmidt, has a warm mid-range baritone voice; he also sings with feeling, while not exhibiting any notable flaws or deficiencies, and does a nice job of capturing his character's feckless personality.

Beverly Hoch (The Queen of the Night) has a reasonably pleasant voice of moderate size and handles the coloratura well. She sounds distinctly uncomfortable in the dramatics of her second aria. Dawn Upshaw (as Pamina) sings beautifully in the ensemble pieces, however, her "Ach ich Fuhl's" doesn't work; the technique is fine - it just never engages the listener.

Cornelius Hauptmann is a somewhat understated Sarastro. He does better in the slower paced "Isis und Osiris" than in the quickly paced "In diesem Heil'gen Hallen". While his singing is entirely adequate, it fails to leave much of an impression. Olaf Bar excels as the Speaker.

The recorded sound is excellent.. If you find Norrington too fast, try Gardiner or Christie for other good "historically informed" Flutes. If you want a fine German Romantic rendition, look to Klemperer or Boehm (1955 or the 1964 with Wunderlich.) . If you want a "not too romantic, not too historically informed" but very fine recording, try Abbado's.

3.0 out of 5 stars Challenging, provocative - but not always successful, September 15, 2007

By 

Discophage (France) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mozart: Die Zauberflöte / Upshaw, Hoch, Rolfe Johnson, A. Schmidt, Hauptmann, Bär; Norrington (Audio CD)

This is the reissue of Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, originally published in 1991. As with just about all the Classical and early Romantic repertoire Norrington and his London Classical Players tackled in those years (the late 1980s and 1990s), it ditches away all time-honored interpretive traditions and, as a result, is provocative, challenging to one's habits and expectations, often illuminating, always interesting - but not always entirely convincing. See my lenthy and detailed review under the original (and as I write, cheaper) entry. You can also find it paired with Norrington's equally challenging and interesting Don Giovanni: Mozart: Don Giovanni (Prague and Vienna Versions); Die Zauberflöte.