Customer Reviews

Strauss: Salome ~ Studer, Rysanek, Hiestermann, Terfel, Bieber, A. Murray, Sinopoli

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Recorded when Studer was in her absolute prime, with very froceful and imaginative conducting by Sinopli. I have owned every Salome since the days of Wellitsch, and this one one balance is the best, neither driven like Solti's nor over-refined like Karajan's. The only forseeable competition is form a live performance with Rysanek that is not yet available, I believe, in the US. The only drawback to this set is th4e edgy DG sonics with particularly harsh upper strings in the loud passages.

I have had this recording for several years and am always impressed at the powerful performance Giuseppe Sinopoli brought off. Every nuance of Strauss's score come through, the drama and foreboding is all here. Cheryl Studer is perfect in the role of Salome. He voice has the sweetness of the teenager she portrays and she has wonderful control, particularly when singing softly. She has flexibility and power that makes her an ideal Salome. Byrn Terfel is great as Jokanaan, providing us with a full-bodied prophet, although his voice from inside the dungeon sounds a bit distant.

Leonie Rysanek is good as Herodias, and Horst Hiestermann presents the neurotic Herodes well enough but his voice has too much vibrato. His voice, at times, positively wobbles! Annoying as this might be, this is an impressive version of the opera.

This is a wonderful theatre experience listening to this great recording. The pacing is terrific. Cheryl Studer is marvelous. The great aria is astounding, truly breathtaking. Terfel is wonderful. The conductor was a magician with the cast. Magic happens as you listen. It has that something extra that you always hope will be there in a performance where greatness happens - and fortunately it was recorded. It's a great piece of music to begin with and it is well served here by a splendid cast and a great conductor who died too soon. I have given this as gifts to many people. I put my money where my mouth was on this one.

As far as Salome on recordings is concerned, consumers are spoilt for choice!! Birgit Nilsson has 2 superb stereo recordings. Leonie Rysanek has 2 superb stereo recordings. Ljuba Welitsch has 2 superb mono recordings (1949 & 1952). Hildegard Behrens has 1 superb stereo recording with Karajan. Cheryl Studer (this recording) is also a superb stereo recording. I can't choose. I have to have them all!

The greatest marvel of the Sinopoli set is undoubtedly the Salome of Cheryl Studer. Studer is very sensual and at the same time very girlish and therefore very cruel. She is capable of entrapping every male she wants in her web of intrigue and blood. She may not have the iron-like tones of Nilsson (the greatest Salome on record) but her sheer musicality makes her a very attractive Salome indeed. Terfel is a firm-toned Jokanaan. Sinopolis' conducting is not quite as terrifying as Solti's (and I mean that in a good way) but it's firm and powerful. This wood be a fantastic recording if it wasn't for Hiestermanns' Herodes. What were they thinking at Deutsche Grammophon? His contribution spoils half the recording. Hiestermann is absolutely not up to his difficult job of portraying the neurotic Tetrarch. He just hasn't got the vocal abilities. This just shows how important it is to cast a recording well.

Several years ago I purchased this recording, in response to many positive reviews. Although Studer was good and Terfel terrific, I was greatly disappointed in the conducting. Revisiting it after about a year's gap, I can now appreciate the masterful symphonic sweep that Sinopoli achieves -- not to mention the vivid sonics. But there's still not a clue that Sinopoli knows that much of the music is supposed to represent actions and emotions; it's just a dramatic symphony with voices. Speaking of voices, Studer is even better than I remembered, and Terfel is indeed terrific. On the other hand, the Herod has what must be the worst voice of anyone pretending to be a classical singer; his vocal acting is very nice, but he literally can't carry a tune. Who hires these people?

This recording is, on balance, a first choice. Studer is youthful, immensely cruel, deranged yet stunning beautiful at times. The Dresden orchestra plays the piece with intense concentration - each members contribution is brought out in the vivid digital recording. Rysanek's mature voice is entirely fitting to Herodias and Tyrfel is majestic as the doomed Jochanann. Comment has been made of the Herod in this recording but I find the instability, forced, hysterical quality in Hiestermann's voice to be dramatically convincing. The shimmering exoticism of Strauss' thunderingly decadent score is marvellously captured. All in all an involving recording. Once you start listening it is hard to stop until you reach Salome's extraordinary, depraved conclusion. Thrilling. Incidentally - after Strauss had sat through the rehersal he turned to the others present and said - "Well...I enjoyed that". Only to be met with a stunned silence. Years later this piece still has the power to amaze and seduce by turns. Music at it's most insane, compelling, provocative, inspired best.

Cheryly Studer is an amazing Salome. I was going to write rave reviews of her and the whole cast but I see it has already be done and a lot more eloquently than I could express. Just buy it and enjoy it. It has become my favorite recording and yes I also have Nilsson's but Studer's better.

Although once more, for me it's simply the best Salome on record because of the singular singing of Cheryl Studer, which suits extremly well to this kind of music. At this time of her career she was absolutely on the top of her possiblities. Thank god, she had the opportunity to record just in time with the best surrounding which was possible. The Conductor and everything else is the real match for this fantastic singer.

Ok before I begin my review and you take the prestigious time of reading this review I must, in loyalty to honesty and sincerity, admit that I am just an average joe when it comes to Music. What exactly do I mean? I rate musical works based on whether I like them or not. In no whatsoever am I an expert in music (let alone classical music) nor do I even know how to read musical scores. This is my first opera I have ever listened to and own, but I have other works of Richard Strauss (such as infamous Alpensinfonie) that have led me to appreciate the operatic output of Strauss. Additionally to note one more important element: I am not here to attest to the Sinopoli version of Strauss' Salome, but rather affirm Strauss' Salome itself.

With that said I would like to express the pure joy and elation I experienced through the first listening of Salome. The strength of this Opera (in my opinion) rests with the music. Being an average joe I will do my best to describe what I mean. Strauss' efforts to rekindle, portrayal the moods and scenes of the Near East are constantly present and magnificently done. The music itself, with its "Arabic/Middle Eastern" tonal sounds, takes you to the ancient Near East. I think one big factor that contributes to this heavenly and at times dissonant (but still rich harmonically sound) lies at the conducting abilities of the late maestro Sinopoli. Like stated before I am unaware of any other recording, such as the much recommended and highly rated Solti and Bohm, I can only say that I really believe I made the right decision to go ahead with the Sinopoli version of Strauss' Salome.

From the singing (which is mesmerizing and awe capturing), beautifully done as well as committed, to the playing of the Orchestra, Salome only affirms to me that the world of Post-Romantic German Opera is a must for me. Regardless of which version you end up affirming and eventually purchasing, I hope that music listeners interested in something very unique and gorgeous take the chance to witness Art at a very high degree. As I told my friend, the words in our vocabulary would not be sufficient and efficient enough for me to convey the pure delight I have come away with just one listening. Attempts to create my own words would not even manage to articulate, to reveal the exuberance I feel for this work. The best that I can do is just to say that at times when one experiences art such as Strauss' Salome one is very grateful and in tears to be alive...that being in a world that is very chaotic and at times absolutely horrible, art such as Salome, reawakens and reaffirms the spirit of life and the love for life.

Thank you very much amazon for allowing me to write this review and thank you very much dear reader for reading this review. I wish you all the best with your listening (of any particular version) of Salome.