Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer ( The Flying Dutchman) [Import]

Richard [Classical] Wagner (Composer), Herbert von Karajan (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Vienna State Opera Concert Chorus (Orchestra), Thomas Moser (Performer), Dunja Vejzovic (Performer), José van Dam (Performer), Kaja Borris (Performer), Kurt Moll (Performer), Peter Hofmann (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Thomas Moser, Dunja Vejzovic, José van Dam, Kaja Borris, Kurt Moll, et al.
• Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Concert Chorus
• Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
• Composer: Richard [Classical] Wagner
• Audio CD (May 11, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Angel Records / EMI
• ASIN: B000002S4R
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,892 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Electrifying Karajan....subdued voices, October 13, 2005

By 

W. Pender "honuscat" (Cathedral City, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer ( The Flying Dutchman) (Audio CD)

I can't help myself... Karajan just does it for me. He's not for everyone, but I've heard too many wonderful works of his to every doubt he's a conducting genious. This "Hollander" is no exception. An underrated work, to be sure. Karajan outdoes himself with a lavish performance and the Berliner Philharmonic was never better. The only reason I didn't give this recording a '5' is that the voices are far subdued in some passages, almost to the point of being inaudible. The voices are quite satisfactory, though probably not a 'premier' cast. I'm quite pleased with this edition and I highly recommend it for any Karajan fan.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A memento of Karajan's orchestral mastery, but his singers fail him, May 24, 2006

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer ( The Flying Dutchman) (Audio CD)

There's not much to add to the perceptive reviews listed below. Karajan's 1980s Flying Dutchman was a troubled project, like his Lohengrin. Both suffer from casting problems and both took years before he allowed their release. I suppose he wanted every major Wagner opera to be included in his recorded legacy, and so far as the condcuting goes, this is the best Flying Durchman recorded in the modern era (along with the Klemperer, also on EMI and afflicted with inadequate voices). The Overture is hair-raising, and the Berlin Phil. plays with extraordinary power throughout.

Mention should be made of the excellent chorus--both the women's Spinning Chorus and the men's more extensive sailors' choruses are highlights of this set. Karajan favored Jose Van Dam for almost two decades, but here his expert singing is defeated by an inability to sound tragic or even very personal. His baritonal timbre is too light for this quintessentially bass role. Senta, as sung by Vejzovic, is squawly and ill-tempered, more an Ortrud than a Senta. She sings without vibrato and is often just off pitch. Peter Hoffmann sounds weak and wobbbly as Erik. Even Kurt Moll makes for a sonorous but dull-witted Daland.

Yet no one but the Senta is a disaster, and even if the listener comes away with a case of "what might have been," Karajan's contribution is magnificent.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best, February 3, 2004

By 

Scott Jelsey "tscott2" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer ( The Flying Dutchman) (Audio CD)

In a nutshell - this is one of the best Dutchman recordings. Van Dam is in stupendous voice here and fully captures the tortured nature of the character. The best sung Dutchman on disc. Moll is without peer and makes the most of the smallish role of Daland. Vejzovic is a vibrant, dramatically thrilling Senta, with the hint of occasional strain on high only adding to the obsessional interpretation she gives. Hofmann is in fine form as Erik, producing an effortless stream of golden-voiced heldentenor sound. The digital recording is demonstration quality and Karajan really delivers an electrifying reading, producing gorgeous waves of sound from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. A must have recording for Wagnerians.