Customer Reviews

R. Strauss: Die Ägyptische Helena

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Deborah Voigt has the perfect voice for Helena, as this wonderful new recording shows. She produces a flood of gorgeous, seemingly effortless golden tone, which the role absolutely needs. Voigt is definitely the Stauss soprano of the day. As Menelas, Carl Tanner more than holds his own (a vast improvement over Kastu on the Dorati recording), although it would have been heaven to have Heppner sing the role. An enjoyable performance, none the less. Celena Shafer, a new singer to me, is a real treat as Aithra. Her opening aria toward the beginning of the opera, being only one of many beautiful moments. Jill Grove, who sings regularly with Houston Grand Opera, is sensational as "the Omniscient Seashell" - making a reasonably believable character out of a giant clam! Leo Botstein conducts a sensuous performance of the score, drawing out the many instrumental colors of Strauss' lushly orchestrated opera. Although the 1970's Dorati recording is fine in many ways (I'm a big fan of Gwyneth Jones as well, although she does not possess a traditionally beautiful voice, like Voigt), the tenor, Matti Kastu really ruins that recording for me, so this new release is most welcome.

"The Egyptian Helen" is one of Strauss' least-known, and least- performed operas, and the first major flop of his maturity as a composer (there would be others). Conventional wisdom has always insisted that the work is problematic, lacking a coherant libretto and any strong degree of musical inspiration (Del Mar, in his three-volume biography of Strauss, conceded that much of the score is, what he calls, mere "note spinning"). Yet it remained one of Strauss' favorite works, and Hofmannsthal considered its libretto one of his finest. Until the present release, only one other studio recording has appeared on the market, and it is about time we took a fresh look at this work with a new performance.
And what a performance! Leon Botstein, who treated us with the first studio recording of Strauss' "Die Liebe die Danae" two years ago, proves himself with this recording to be a Strauss conductor of the highest order, with an amazing sensitivity to the nuances of Strauss' particular style. The first act is appropriately sheer and glimmering, with its fairies and elves, and the second act, which is more psychologically penetrating, is handled with a deft dramatic touch.
The cast includes only one big name: Deborah Voigt, and she is superb as Helen, one of Strauss' most technically daunting roles. On the whole, I much prefer her to Gwyneth Jones (on the 1979 Dorati recording); although Jones is a great artist, even by the late 70's her voice was beginning to show signs of a lack of control and a wobble that was going to get progressively worse in the coming years -- none of these defects can be found in the glorious singing of Voigt. She brings Helen to life, and her "Zweite Braut nacht!" (the one number from this opera to become popular in soprano recitals)is ravishing.
The supporting cast is up to the same level, I'm happy to say: Carl Tanner succeeds in the hard-to-bring-off role of Menelas, and Eric Cutler's Da-Ud perfectly naive. Although Celena Schafer sings Aithra with a lovely, clear, faultless soprano, this is one instance where I prefer the Dorati recording, where the role was sung by a young and girlish Barbara Hendricks.
Topping it off, the liner notes are scolarly and enlightening, with a detailed analysis of Hofmannsthal's libretto, which puts to rights many of the criticisms it has received over the years.
On the whole, Botstein and crew make an excellent case for this much-maligned of operas. Perhaps, one day, its delights will be better known to the general opera-going public.

I felt some unfair judgements concerning this recording,by reading controversial rewiews below.First of all,"Helena" is an unquestionable fine score,a kind of a "Die Frau" opera twin,in spite of the overfanciful plot and its historical and ficticious mix characters.Mostly,the music is intricate just like the libreto,heavly orchestrated and singers have a really hard job to do,especially the tenor(Menelaus).Of course,if one expect an immaculate singing of this part,this listener must go to a studio recording because Menelaus must sing a couple of hours with very little breaks.This live "Helena" has an youth,brave Carl Tunner singing the deceived husband and his performance is a very respectable one.He was strength enough to his seductive partner,Deborah Voigt.If you don't know what is a truly straussian soprano voice,just hear Voigt's radiant and flexible tones.About those singers,I think all of they increase energy and brightness to this recording.I like a lot Christopher Robertson(Altair),a baritone I never heard before.But,this cd-set brings out a serious problem;a conductor that doesn't have affinities with music he's performing.Prologue and Act One(the singers,as well)suffer due to reticent,cowardly Botstein's conducting and I remember that moment when Helena says to her suitor,Da-ud;"-Boy,take care around the fire,or you'll melt like wax!".In my opinion,in despite of all that gorgeous singing,fine digital sound,fire was fairly I miss here.However,this set is an indispensable one to Strauss' opera lovers.

In the interest of full disclosure I must state I have been a fan of Deborah Voigt ever since I first heard her in a semi-staged production of Verdi's "Un Ballo" in Palm Springs, CA. That must be close to twenty years ago. She was impossibly young and impossibly talented.

Vocally, she has seldom failed to impress ever since.

This recording is no exception, with one or two small caveats: Ms. Voigt is about voice, voice and more voice. A friend of mine used to refer, in awe, to Dame Joan Sutherland as producing "piles of sound". Much the same can be said of Voigt. She produces piles of sound that can simply leave one speechless. It can be a thrilling experience.

However, it can also be said she does not necessarily base her art on an exceptional ability to interpret her roles dramatically. That simply is not what she is all about.

Because of that, and because of what I find to be somewhat unconvincing conducting, I would say this recording is awfully good, but perhaps not great.

I wouldn't be without it, because I find those "piles of sound" impossible to resist.

However, I would strongly suggest one also give a listen to the contemporaneous recording by Korsten. He seems to have a better take on what Strauss is up to here and his soloists are pretty exciting stuff as well.

You may find it to be one of those recordings you like telling others you discovered. Don't worry, I won't tell on you.

NEARLY SIX YEARS HAVE PASSED. We finally got rid of GW Bush, and I've had time to reconsider this recording. In that time I've listened to both this and the Korsten recording multiple times. I have now decided this (Botstein) to be the superior of the two versions. I've come to like Botstein's interpretation a great deal. And, just about across the board, his singers do a better job in these difficult roles than their contemporaries on the other recording, though they are never less than admirable in their respective performances. When I say "better job", let me be more to the point: THEY SING BETTER. As I said before, Deborah Voigt is all about voice. And, to my ears, hers is, well, luscious! I am simply mad about the sound she produces. More than anything else, she is what, for me, puts this recording over the top.

Now, a short word about something that has been eating at me for a long time, and has come up here. We are constantly being told to look for an older recording of something or the other - usually an air check - as it is the best. For this present opera, we have been told to find the recording featuring Leonie Rysanek, a perennial favorite in the "If You Can Find It" sweepstakes. I am a fan of Ms. Rysanek. Although I never had the good fortune to hear her in the house, I have heard her on, I think, all her commercial recordings, as well as several of her "non-commercial recordings as well, including this opera. First, as is often the case, the sound is very sub-par mono. I'm sorry, but I really have a problem listening to recordings that sound bad. I've been told to just listen for 15 minutes and I'll be so entranced by the performance I'll forget all about the lousy sound. That has never happened for me, and I suspect it never will. Secondly, and I know I now tread on precariously sacred ground here, Miss Rysanek did not always sing all that well. She has a tendency to vary off pitch, sometimes alarmingly so. Her high notes can be a study in mind over matter; will she or won't she? For the record, she usually does, but it isn't always a very pleasant experience. I have heard that when she sang "In Questa Reggia" from Turandot, she veered a full tone off pitch in her opening lines, when she has almost no orchestral accompaniment to refer to. Oh, yes, I know I will hear "But you never heard her in the house". Yes, that is true, as I stated earlier. It's the same argument used to justify some of the ear shattering caterwauling Maria Callas committed to disc. If everyone who claims to have heard Callas in the house actually did, she must have sung a hell of a lot more performances that the books indicate.

I'll take a beautiful voice, well produced and secure, that can actually sing - and I mean SING - the music any day of the week. The composer deserves no less. And, for that matter, neither do I.

I awaited this release with much eagerness, for there are few available versions of this opera and those previous versions are all flawed in some way or other.

Unfortunately, this recording is not as good as expected. The principal reason for such disappointment lies with Botstein's interpretation of the music, which sounds dull. He fails to bring out the splendour of Strauss's extraordinary rich score (as Dorati has done on the studio Decca set) and he also misses out on the sensuous quality of the score (which has been captured by Krips in the live RCA set from Vienna). Under the baton of Botstein, the music comes across as episodic and graceless. This is really a let down.

Deborah Voigt sings the demanding part of Helena with a more beautiful and secure tone than her precedessors on records. However, while she performs with considerable musicianship and efficiency, she lacks the dramatic thrust for the some of the more strenuous passages and she sounds neither glamorous nor individual in her interpretation of the part. I enjoy her singing, but at the same time it doesn't leave too much of an impression in my mind. The other singers perform their job competently but without real distinction.

I think the set is still worth getting, especially for lovers of Strauss's operas. Yet, there's still much room for further recordings for this one is still far from being the definitive version of the opera.

This is one of the descriptions of Helen and boy does Voigt deliver (and then some!). Helena truly is her role and this recording easily surpasses the available recordings (G. Jones's studio and live recordings; L. Rysanek's blazing live performances). Voigt's voice is a phenomenal instrument with incredible resources of power used with keen intelligence. The middle voice is rich, sexy, and feminine. Her low chest notes are terrifyingly projected. The high notes go for days. It's thrilling to hear the role sung without thinking "oh, she's going to crack here" or "oh, she's a bit squally here". "Zweite brautnacht" is wonderful but it's only one of many fantastic moments. The engineers have finally gotten the balances right and accurately capture Voigt's use of crescendo and piano, creating a heightened sense of drama. Also of note is Celena Shafer, a great find in the rather empty field of accomplished coloratura sopranos. I was present at the live performance (from which this recording was taken) and Shafer wowed the audience with her gorgeous tone and hilarious acting. Carl Tanner didn't blow me away at the performance but he more than handles such a thankless role. Finally a big BIG thank you to Leon Botstein for championing this work. I've read frequent criticisms of Maestro Botstein but whenever I attend American Symphony Orchestra concerts, I'm always impressed by their commitment and their flawless playing (flawless playing being a rarer luxury than many realize). This performance doesn't have the sheen of the Metropolitan Opera but it does have blood-and-guts passion and Straussian humor. All-in-all, an important recording and a wonderful gift for Voigt and Strauss fans.

As a diehard R. Strass fan, I eagerly looked forward to hearing this opera, having never heard it and also having to teach it to my opera class. I must admit that if I never hear this opera again, that's fine with me. The plot is totally nonsensical and very hard to comprehend. Musicologists claim the second act to be the stronger of the two, and they are correct, as at least there is some character development. The first act, to be honest, is simply stupid. Hoffmansthal and Strauss really slipped on this one.

The movement of the drama, therefore, must fall on the shoulders of the singers, and here they fall short. Debra Voight is in exquisite voice, but she has only two volumes: loud and louder. Her touches of nuance are few and far between, and this opera begs for a lot of them to give it any shape. She attacks the incredibly demanding range with a vengeance, but after a half hour her voice ceases to fall graciously on the ear.

The tenor, Carl Tanner, sounds totally out of his league, valiantly trying to sing his lines in a tessitura that simply is too high for him. His lower notes show warmth and a normal vibrato, but once above the staff (where much his part lies), the vibrato slows alarmingly and his tone becomes tight and forced, giving the impression that he's right at the limits of his vocal capacity.

As a through-composed opera (a nod to Wagner), there are precious few parts that can be removed as an aria per se. The most viable section is the famous Awakening Scene at the beginning of Act II. Here Debra Voight scales the taxing range with relative ease, but her delivery is pretty void of any emotion. [I suggest listening to Leontyne Price, or, better yet, Leonie Rysanek for a comparison.]

What really redeems this recording is the orchestra and conductor. The under-rated American Orchestra brings the music to life with clear and in-tune playing: a fabulous feat considering all the dissonances strewn with seeming abandon throughout. Conductor Leon Botstein is to be commended for maintaining a cohesive ensemble and keeping the opera moving, with careful attention to musical details and instilling a sweeping vivacity that keeps the opera alive.

If you can locate Leonie Rysanek's live 1956 performance, buy it! The sound is iffy at times, but she and her colleagues bring the weak libretto to life much more so than this recording.

"Die Agyptische Helena" has taken a lot of abuse over the years. Muddled libretto. Note spinning. Empty noise. Well, the criticism of the music baffles me. All Strauss's operas, at least post-"Salome", aren't models of musical economy, but who cares? His dazzling flights of genius more than compensate, and after all, Wagner had the same "fault". It's much the same with Hoffmanthal. Sure, "Helena" is oddly constructed, but which of his librettos isn't? Even the beloved "Rosenkavalier" is a strange mix, and really lags in Act III. Coherence isn't his strong suit, but rather his fantastic imagination and insight into the human state.

"Helena" reveals all these strengths. It's theme is the restoration of trust after infidelity. But it's clothed in the guise of a Hellenic fairy tale, bursting with elves, Sheiks, magic carpets, etc. There's even an omniscient seashell (from the man who gave us fish that sing in the frying pan). And the final scene, in which Helen and Menelas's child Hermione appears like a miniature goddess at the head of a band of Aithra's warriors to save the day is a moment of imaginative power.

This recording has it's weaknesses. The sound is plenty lush, but the orchestra at times overwhelms the voices of Aithra, Menelas, and Altair. Only Voight's Helena is strong enough to stand the onslaught. Krips' recording with the Vienna State Opera probably has the edge in pure musicality and balance between voices and orchestra, despite sound which isn't quite as fat. But it's unfortunately the shorter 1933 version in which Strauss inexplicably trims some of the most glorious pages of the climactic love duet. Here they shine, sending chills down the spine. The Krips recording also lacks a libretto--a serious deficiency.

This is an opera that would do best in a first class production. Until you have a chance to see one (the Met 06-07?), this may have to do.

Since I never heard any other recordings of this opera before, I came to it unprejudiced, with a fresh mind
and ear. I was skeptical at first, the opera being rarely performed, if at all, and generally referred to as the composer's least successful work. Be it as it may, I found the score ravishingly beautiful, owing somewhat to that other mythological opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, and just as gorgeous, but without its commedia dell'arte silliness.
Here we have a stunning new recording, a live concert performance from New York's Avery Fischer Hall and there is an electricity and excitement about it that cannot usually be found in studio recordings. An all American cast of young singers, all in fine voices, adds enthusiasm to the proceedings and Deborah Voigt, perhaps today's greatest of Strauss sopranos , is finest in the performance , but the other singers
are also very satisfactory.The American Symphony Orchestra, founded by Leopold Stokowski, now led by Leon Botstein, plays very well indeed, creating many magical orchestral effects, colours and sonorities and coping well with the enormously rich,intricate score. The finales to acts one and two were superbly done and sent shivers up my spine. I am sure the audience felt the same way and went home satisfied and spiritually enriched.
Perhaps it is unfortunate that none of the singers are German and therefore the pronunciation suffers and the words tend to be blurred out.
TELARC here created a perfectly well balanced , natural and very dynamic sound , bringing out Strauss' magnificent orchestration. It will please the most critical listener and will leave all previous recordings behind as far as sound is concerned.
This may not be the finest recording of this opera, but let's face it, this is the 21st century and Solti, Keilberth and Krips are dead and so is Leonie Rysanek (fortunately their recordings are still available). One is free to choose of course, but I recommend this recording very highly . It comes in a handsome box-set , a full trilingual libretto and an exhaustive essay by Botstein, who is also a fine Strauss scholar.

"The Egyptian Helen" is one of Strauss' least-known, and least- performed operas, and the first major flop of his maturity as a composer (there would be others). Conventional wisdom has always insisted that the work is problematic, lacking a coherant libretto and any strong degree of musical inspiration (Del Mar, in his three-volume biography of Strauss, conceded that much of the score is, what he calls, mere "note spinning"). Yet it remained one of Strauss' favorite works, and Hofmannsthal considered its libretto one of his finest. Until the present release, only one other studio recording has appeared on the market, and it is about time we took a fresh look at this work with a new performance.
And what a performance! Leon Botstein, who treated us with the first studio recording of Strauss' "Die Liebe die Danae" two years ago, proves himself with this recording to be a Strauss conductor of the highest order, with an amazing sensitivity to the nuances of Strauss' particular style. The first act is appropriately sheer and glimmering, with its fairies and elves, and the second act, which is more psychologically penetrating, is handled with a deft dramatic touch.
The cast includes only one big name: Deborah Voigt, and she is superb as Helen, one of Strauss' most technically daunting roles. On the whole, I much prefer her to Gwyneth Jones (on the 1979 Dorati recording); although Jones is a great artist, even by the late 70's her voice was beginning to show signs of a lack of control and a wobble that was going to get progressively worse in the coming years -- none of these defects can be found in the glorious singing of Voigt. She brings Helen to life, and her "Zweite Braut nacht!" (the one number from this opera to become popular in soprano recitals)is ravishing.
The supporting cast is up to the same level, I'm happy to say: Carl Tanner succeeds in the hard-to-bring-off role of Menelas, and Eric Cutler's Da-Ud perfectly naive. Although Celena Schafer sings Aithra with a lovely, clear, faultless soprano, this is one instance where I prefer the Dorati recording, where the role was sung by a young and girlish Barbara Hendricks.
On the whole, Botstein and crew make an excellent case for this much-maligned of operas. Perhaps, one day, its delights will be better known to the general opera-going public.