Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin

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This live recording, unfortunately sung in German, has a precious gem: the exceptional Lensky of Fritz Wunderlich, one of the greatest tenor voices of the century. This recording is a sample of the wide range of possibilities he could have further developed had he not died so young. His clear voice combined with a deep feeling of suffering produce one of the best interpretarions of the tortured Lensky on records. Herman Prey's Oneguin is good, but in his case there is a good number of exceptional competitors who recorded the role. It is true, Onegin's role is probably the only one in this opera without 'bright arias'(even Prince Gremin has one). Bremert composes a forgettable Tatiana, no match to the male voices. At the beginning of her carreer, Brigitte Fassbaender sings well the secondary role of Olga. Tatiana's mother is the prestigious German alto Herta Töpper. The quality of sound is not very good, but it is acceptable. This is not the 'reference' recording of Oneguin, but given the low price it is highly recommended to buy it as a second option, if only for the precious and rare document of Wunderlich's Lensky.

This is outstanding, even though sung in German. And you'll be a fool not to buy it at this price!